Uffda Day 2011, Sunday, October 2, dawned clear, bright and comfortable as the 21 participants in the 2^nd Annual Uffda Day 5k Run/Walk, up 10% from the year before, gathered near the intersection of First and Cooper Streets to get the day off to a brisk start.  Women outnumbered men 5 to 1 in this year’s contest.  Participants competed against others in their age bracket, making it an easy win for some.  Participants and their times were as follows: 13-19 age group – Kayla Hoistad, 22:30; 20-29 age group – Jamie Linder, 37:01; Indy Husted, 27:22; and, Kaia Mahrer, 37:22; 30-39 age group – Stephanie Brandt, 30:04; Tammy Fagerland, 32:51; Natalie Gulleson, 35:02; Shelly Boice, 40:54; Becky Morris, walking, 57:31; and, Michelle Fenske, walking, 1:03:33;  40-49 age group – Tiffany Wisnewski, 32:48;   50-59 age group – Carol Hoistad, 28:39; Tammy Satrang, 35:32; Gail O’Brien, 36:57; and, Ann Erickson, walking, 57:31.  Men participants – 20-29 age group – Lance Gulleson, 34:36; 40-49 age group – Bob Gulsvig, 31:03; 60 and over age group – Bill Anderson, walking, 1:03:33. Youngsters, age 12 & under – Thomas Mehrer, 1.2 miles, 8:34; and, Logan Wyum, 9:57. Peyton Frolic in the 12 and under age group ran the Full 5K with a time of 24:04.  Participants in the 5k event will each receive a commemorative T-shirt for their effort.  The day started out beautiful, and stayed that way.  Arts and crafts vendors were opening their stands by 10:00 a.m., with demonstrations and food sales starting at 11:00.  David & Pat Bladow had the classic & antique car show organized on Gay Street, from First to Bagley, and Mary Ann Thornberg showed folks how grandma did her baking with a wood burning cookstove in the Pioneer House, just north of the Baptist Church.  The Uffda Day parade stepped off from Dakota Street at precisely 1:00 p.m. with Dollar Bill Smith announcing the parade entries to the crowd on Main Street with the help of his auctioneer’s PA system.  Due, at least in part, to the exceptionally nice weather, the crowd was huge.  Uffda Day chairperson Lori McLaen reported that 18 roasters of Rutland’s famed scalloped potatoes with ham were consumed at the dinner in the Town Hall, and all of the other food stands also sold out by day’s end.  Rutland’s 27^th Annual Uffda Day Fall Festival was another unqualified success for the little city that can.  Congratulations to chairperson Lori McLaen and the Rutland Community Club for another job well done.  Mark Sunday, October 7, 2012, on your calendar, and plan to be in Rutland for Rutland’s 28^th Annual Uffda Day.

The Rutland/Cayuga Volunteer Firemen conducted several fund raising raffles in conjunction with Uffda Day this year.  Raffle Winners were:  Gun raffle, Cameron Gulleson; Money Raffle  Norbert Kulzer; Bill Gulleson; Beth Stroehl; Robert Lee; Norbert Illies; Travis Aaliker; Lisa Wyum; Jeremy Stroehl; Mike Keiper; and, Duane Lock.  Winners of the toy, Basket & Picture Raffle were: Pictures – Hamilton Girls; Fun Basket – Helen Banish; John Deere Tricycle – Bert Siemieniewski; and Case pedal Tractor – Larry Christensen.

Hap McCleery of Milnor won the miniature pedal-powered Gleaner combine raffled off by the Wild Rice Antique Tractor & Plowing Association.  So far, Hap has not indicated whether he will seek some custom harvesting work, or if he will just use the little Gleaner on his own operation.

Dan & Bea Faust of Valley City were among those visiting in their old home town last Sunday.  Dan served as pastor of Nordland Lutheran Church in Rutland and Trinity Lutheran Church in Havana from 1986 to 1997, and Bea served as the clerk in the Rutland Post Office during most of those years, too.  The Fausts were very active in the community during their years here, and it was well known that the only thing they enjoyed more than hard work was harder work.  They are still not letting any grass grow under their feet.  Last week, the “Valley News Live” TV news show on Channels 11 & 4, carried a report that the Fausts had raised 27 tons of squash on their 2 acre garden at Valley City, and had donated the entire crop to Great Plains Food Bank.  Three semi loads of squash headed out of the Fausts’ garden to feed the hungry.  “You shall know them by their works,” it is said, and so we shall.

Jim Kuchera of Wyndmere was among the Uffda Day visitors in Rutland on Sunday.  Although he is no stranger to this community, Jim stated that this was his first Uffda Day, but it won’t be his last.  Jim reported that he has recently leased the convenience store in Fort Ransom and will be operating it as The Fort Ransom General Store.  In addition to groceries and convenience items, Jim’s store also has gasoline and diesel pumps and a coffee shop with its own faculty of Assembled Wise Men.  He says that he likes the small town atmosphere, and the fact that Fort Ransom, like Rutland, is a very supportive community.

David & Susan (Brekke) Benson of Aitkin MN spent the Uff-Da Day weekend visiting friends and family in the Rutland area.  David even got drafted into a work group setting up for Uff-Da Day by Larry Christensen, and earned his honorary citizenship in the Rutland community with some old-fashioned sweat equity.  Susan is the eldest daughter of the late Gerald and Rosemary Brekke who resided in Rutland from 1950 to 1955, while Mr. Brekke was Superintendent of the Rutland School System.

Rutland native John Sundlie of Green Bay WI visited at the home of  his sister & brother-in-law, Beverly & Norbert Kulzer, from Friday, September 30 to Tuesday, October 4.  John was home for Uffda Day, and enjoyed the opportunity to greet many old friends.  He reports that he has been doing battle with a rare form of liver cancer for the past several months, and recent treatments seem to be doing the job.  Although he is old enough to retire, John reports that he is still working 3 days a week at the best bank in Green Bay.

Rutland natives Sonja Christensen, Arden & Marilyn Anderson, and Corrine Romereim of Wahpeton promoted the Rudy Anderson Memorial Pinochle Tournament in the Uffda Day parade here last Sunday.  The Anderson family has sponsored the tournament, held at the Rutland Town Hall, since 1996.  The 17^th Annual Pinochle Tournament will be held here on the first Saturday in February 2012.

Irene Anderson and Borghild Lee brought a busload of friends over to Rutland from Four Seasons Healthcare Center in Forman, to take in the festivities at Uffda Day last Sunday.  They enjoyed a dinner at the Town Hall, watched the parade and greeted many old friends.

Rusty Silseth and Jenny Neal of Phoenix AZ and Becker MN, depending on the season, wereRutlandvisitors last weekend, and spent Sunday enjoying Uffda Day.  Rusty reports that he will be heading south for the winter next week.

Mavis (Hoflen) Wold was also among the Uffda Day visitors inRutland.  Mavis wrote several articles about her experiences growing up in Rutland back in the 1930’s and 40’s, and about her parents, Oscar & Alma (Anderson) Hoflen, that appeared in this year’s edition of the Rutland Leader.  Mavis never misses Uffda Day.

John & Christina (Reif) Moen of Amelia Island FL visited at the Ransom Township farm home of Steve & Sheila Wyum from Thursday, September 29 to Monday, October 3, and took in Rutland’s Uffda Day Fall Festival during their stay.  Christina is a Rutland native, having grown up here while her father, the late Rev. Jack Reif, served as pastor of First Baptist Church, and her mother, Martha, taught English at Rutland High School.  She was a member of RHS/SCHS Class of ’66, but graduated from high school inKansas.  Christina stated that she was very pleased to find that the house she had grown up in, right across the street from the Baptist Church building, had been renovated and put back into use as “The Old Parsonage.”

The 2011 waterfowl hunting season opened up for non-resident hunters on Saturday, October 1, and if the amount of ammunition expended is any gauge, it was a great success.  Mr. Brad Hank of Wapalo IA, and 3 friends have been hunting in the Rutland area this week, and report good success with both ducks and geese.  The problem is, says Brad, that the 2 day possession limit for ducks is 18, and you have to eat them as fast as you shoot them after that.  Eighteen ducks is a lot of ducks to eat, he states, but they have recipes to keep them tasty.  The Iowans will be heading for home at the end of the week, but are planning to return here for another week of duck hunting later in the

News was received here last week that Donna Mae (Lee) Smulan, 75, of Crookston MN, had died peacefully in her home Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011, under the care of Altru Hospice.  Donna was born in Geneseo ND on August 12, 1936, the daughter of Borghild (Christianson) Lee and the late Harold Lee.  She grew up on her parents’ farm near Cayuga ND and graduated from Rutland High School in 1954.  Donna worked at the Veblen Hospital for a few years before she married Odine E. Smulan of that community onFebruary 17, 1957, at Bergen Lutheran Church, near Lidgerwood.  The couple lived in Veblen SD until Odine entered the U. S. Army and was stationed in Frankfurt,Germany.  Donna joined him there for some time.  After his honorable discharge from the military in 1960 they moved to Crookston to live, work and raise their two children, Darcy and Darren.  Donna was employed in the activities department of the River View Nursing Home until her retirement, after 36 years of service.  She was a faithful member of the Trinity Lutheran Church.  For the last few years she had been greeting Crookston High School students each morning as part of the RSVP program.  She also volunteered her time with Home Delivered Meals and served on the board.  Donna and Odin were frequent Rutland visitors, and she never missed a Rutland school reunion.  She is survived by her husband, Odine; daughter Darcy Pester (Mark); son Darren Smulan; 4 grandchildren, her mother, Borghild Lee; two brothers, Dennis (Charlotte) Lee of Moore OK, and Ted (Joan) Lee of rural Cayuga ND; and a sister, Judy (Curt) Silseth of rural Havana.  The was preceded in death by her father, Harold, mother-in-law, Jordis Oland; and sister-in-law, Mary Lee.  The Rutland community extends condolences to the family and friends of Donna Smulan.

Friends here were saddened at the news that another frequent Rutland visitor, Carmen (Parker) Heinen, had passed away at her home in Elk River MN on the evening of Sunday, October 2, at the age of 85 years.  Mrs. Heinen was the youngest of the 6 children of the late Dr. Charles Parker and the late Ella (Ahrlin) Parker, who resided in Rutland during the first two decades of the 20^th Century.  Her grandparents were the late K. O. & Britta Ahrlin of this community.  The Heinens owned and operated a dairy farm near Cyrus MN for many years, and moved to Elk River following their retirement from the farm.  Mrs. Heinen is survived by her husband, Leonard, better known as Lenny, of Elk River; by 3 daughters, Christine; Marcia Moen of Elk River; and Margo Ganske of San Diego CA; by several grandchildren and great grandchildren; and, by numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.  She was preceded in death by her parents, 3 brothers and 2 sisters.  The Rutland community extends its sympathy to the family and friends of Carmen Heinen.

Harlan Klefstad of Forman drove a classic auto in the Uffda Day parade here on Sunday.  In recent years, Harlan has written several articles about the local area for The Sargent County Scoop, an on-line publication.  Harlan reports that The Scoop now has 790 regular subscribers around the world.  He states that he is really enjoying the prairie this Fall, and will not be thinking about heading south until after Thanksgiving.

The recent, month long, stretch of dry, sunny conditions has produced great harvest weather, but even that is not without its down side.  It has often been said that North Dakota is never more than 2 weeks from a drought, and that appears to be true this year, too, despite near record snowfall last Winter, and record breaking rainfalls this past Spring & Summer.  Now, Sargent County’s Emergency Manager, Sandy Hanson, reports that the National Weather Service is warning of potential fire hazards due to the excessive vegetation produced by wet conditions earlier in the season, high winds and low humidity.  There are not many places in the world where a drought and a flood can occur simultaneously, but North Dakota is one of them, so keep both your umbrella and your fire extinguisher

The Rutland City Council held its regular October meeting at 8:00 p.m.on Monday, October 3, in the Rutland Town Hall with Mayor Narum, Auditor Banish and Aldermen Mahrer and Siemieniewski present.  Aldermen Arneson and Christianson were absent.  Also present were Bill Anderson and Rutland Community Club president Paul Anderson.  The financial report showed all funds to be in the black.  Bert Siemieniewski reported that the contracts for the Town Hall improvement project had been issued by the architect and were being reviewed by USDA-Rural Development in Bismarck.  Work on the project is expected to commence by the end of October, with a December 31 deadline for completion of work on the interior of the building.  The Hall will be unavailable for most community events while the work is in progress, Bert stated.  A motion was made and passed to brighten up the new City Office area, in the southwestern corner of the Hall, with a coat of paint and new floor covering.  The new cold storage area to be added to the north end of the Hall was also discussed.  Paul Anderson requested that the Council adopt a resolution supporting retention of the U. S. Post Office in Rutland, and that resolution passed, unanimously.  Copies will be sent to Postal Service offices, to the State’s Governor and Congressional delegation and to the State Legislators from this area.  Paul also reported that a notice stating that the Rutland Post Office is being considered for closure has now been posted in the Post Office and is available for public inspection.  The notice is filled with inaccurate, false and, in some instances, falsified, information, he reported.  It is essential that the appeal process get underway as soon as possible to get the record corrected.  The Council approved a motion to retain an attorney to represent the interests ofRutlandin any subsequent hearings involving the U. S. Postal Services possible intention to close the Post Office here.  In other business, the Council adopted the City’s 2012 budget as it had been proposed at the last meeting.  The budget calls for the expenditure of $46,000.00 in the coming year.  The next meeting of the Rutland City Council will be at 7:00 p.m.on Monday, November 7, in the relocated City Office.

The Rutland Community Club met at 7:00 p.m.on Tuesday, October 4, in the Rutland Town Hall.  Members present received a preliminary Uffda Day financial report that indicated a substantial increase in revenue over the past few years.  A resolution thanking Uffda Day 2011 chairperson Lori McLaen and her committee for their good work was adopted, unanimously.  Bert Siemieniewski reported on progress with the Town Hall improvement project.  The Community Club has pledged $25,000.00 toward the completion of that project.  Bert expects work to begin before the end of October.  Due to the fact that the Hall will be unavailable, Club members decided to forego the community’s usual “Fun Night” on the first weekend in November for this year, only.  It was decided to hold Santa Claus Day on Saturday, December 10, and to use a different format for the event as the Hall will not be available.  It was decided to check into renewing the tradition of having a large Christmas tree on Main Street, as was the custom from the 1940’s to the mid-60’s.  Gretchen Vann was appointed to head up Santa Claus Day activities, and to make sure that Santa himself will be present at the event.  Use of the kitchen facilities in the Town Hall for commercial purposes was discussed, and Club members adopted a policy to govern use of Community Club owned equipment and utensils, including tables and chairs, that have been acquired for use in the Hall.  President Paul Anderson discussed the Postal Service Notice posted in the Rutland Post Office, informing patrons that the Post Office here is being considered for closure.  It is important, he said, that all interested persons, which includes everyone in the community, respond to the inaccurate and false information provided as reasons for considering closing this Post Office, he said.  A special “Save Our Post Office” meeting has been scheduled for 7:00 on Wednesday, October 12, in the Town Hall.  Post cards notifying local residents of the meeting will be sent out by the Community Club, he said.  The next regular meeting of the Rutland Community Club will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 1, at a location to be announced.

Pam Gulleson, now a candidate for Congress, made a swing through western North Dakotalast week, and reports that, as with most explosions, North Dakota’s oil “Boom” is producing some devastation and destruction along with the dollars.  Reports of retirees seeing their apartment rent skyrocket from $300 per month to $2,000 per month in only a couple of years are frequent throughout the western third of the State.  Life long residents of some western North Dakota communities have been forced to relocate in their waning years because they can no longer afford to live in the home towns they built and maintained.  The western landscape is now dotted with oil well Sludge pits that have become death traps for birds and animals.  Wildlife habitat that used to support bountiful populations of sharptail grouse and pronghorn antelope has disappeared.  Roads and other infrastructure are overloaded and falling apart.  The influx of oil field workers into small towns ill equipped to deal with them has produced instant slums, crime, drugs and prostitution on a scale never before experienced in North Dakota.  Along with the millions of barrels of oil being pumped from the ground, more than 100 million cubic feet of natural gas is being flared off every day.   That’s enough natural gas to heat every home in North Dakota, and flaring it off produces more CO2 than all of the motor vehicles in Boston MA. North Dakotans have an example from the not so distant past of what responsible energy development should look like.  In the 1970’s, then Governor Art Link told the coal companies that we would develop North Dakota’s energy potential, but on North Dakota’s terms, for the benefit of North Dakotans and in a way that would leave North Dakota’s land as good, or better, after the coal had been exploited than it had been before.  The current oil boom is totally uncontrolled, and no one appears to be looking out for the future of North Dakota.  Former Gov. Hoeven’s much vaunted “Comprehensive Energy Policy” is turning out to be no policy at all, and the only thing comprehensive about it is that anything, and everything, goes. North Dakotans need to pause and ask themselves, “WWALD?”  What would Art Link do?  What would a Governor who really loved this State do?  What would political leaders who respected the people of this State do?  What would citizens who respect the land and the natural resources of this State do?  We know what the leaders of this State are doing now – as little as possible.  Is that what Art Link would do?  We have 13 months to come up with our answer.

Well, that’s the news from Rutlandfor this week.  For more information about what’s going on in Rutland, Pride of the Prairie, and for pictures, too, check out the community’s internet web site at www.rutlandnd.com, and stop by the Rutland blog and Facebook pages while you’re at it, too.  Don’t forget to attend the Save Our Post Office meeting on Wednesday, October 12.  Later.