Bonanza Valley Days 2015

It's not formatted the greatest on my blog site, but here's the link to view the BVD 2015 poster:

http://lifeinbonanzavalley.blogspot.com/2015/06/bonanza-valley-days-2015.html

Help wanted: home care position in Grove Lake area

HELP WANTED: IN-HOME, NON-MEDICAL CAREGIVER. Touching Hearts at Home is now hiring a caregiver for a home near Grove Lake to provide visits 3 days/week. Services will include meal preparation, homemaking, transportation, shower assistance, medication reminders, pet care and more. A very rewarding job! Call 320-354-4663 with questions. Apply online at www.touchinghearts.com/westcentralmn.

Check this out...a fresh ad from this week's Bonanza Valley Voice that will print on Wednesday:

Saints update

In Little Dipper (Little League) action tonight, the Elrosa Saints beat St. Martin 8-6 on the home diamond to move to 6-0 in the Stearns County League standings. The Martins jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, but the Saints got things going in the second inning with two runs scored and eventually pulled ahead 6-4 in the bottom of the fourth inning. Up next is a home game on Wednesday night against second-place Lake Henry.

Here's video from the game:


The Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team is 7-0 in the Stearns County League after beating Roscoe 5-2 this afternoon. Next is a game at St. Martin in SCL action on Thursday, July 2. The Saints host Greenwald on Friday, July 3 on the eve of Independence Day.

Speaking Independence Day...below is the full list of activities going on in Spicer this week & weekend for the 4th of July festivities. The fun already started, so check out the schedule and see what you and your family can take in!
http://spicermn.com

Click on the above graphic to view it at full size.

(Video) Critters & Company at B-B-E

Here's part of an anti-bullying presentation at the B-B-E elementary on Thursday this week:

Random notes

Here's a story about something as simple as recess, which, unfortunately, is becoming a thing of the past in public schools across the U.S.
http://www.better-ed.org/blog/studies-find-recess-good-thing


Here's a job fair ad from Pro Staff employment services featuring WASP of Glenwood:

Thursday sports

This is all I am aware of: the B-B-E Jaguars fastpitch 17-U team hosts West Central Area on Thursday night at the elementary diamond at 6 p.m.

Saturday's got a pile of local events. You can read up on them in this week's Bonanza Valley Voice.

*Here's an ad I just got in the newspaper office...mark your calendars:

GARAGE SALE AT 110 WESTERN AVENUE SOUTH: Thursday July 2 from 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. and Friday July 3 from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

For sale items, etc.

PONTOON FOR SALE:
1993 Sylvan 21ft pontoon, 50 HP Yamaha 4 Stroke motor and 2004 cantilever lift trailer. Everything in good and working condition. Asking $5,900 or best offer, Please call Brian at 320-333-0991 for details.

HAY FOR SALE: 

Round Bales and squares of Grass/Alfalfa Hay and straw. Call 320-293-2433.           

...and this is just unbelievable. Two brothers from the Fargo/Moorhead area die in a one-car crash this morning on Interstate-94 near Fergus Falls.
http://www.inforum.com/node/3772248?utm_content=buffer3a9ba&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

5th graders at Pacesetters

Holy moly! The B-B-E fifth grade boys' basketball Jaguars took second place in the MIT Pacesetter tournament today at St. Ben's University. How big was the field? 16 teams! Second out of 16 teams! What an incredible achievement!!! Read more about the tournament in the June 25 issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice.

Meanwhile, in Elrosa...the Saints Little Dipper team took first place in a home tournament!

And down in Rochester, on day one of the Star of the North J.O. volleyball tournament, the B-B-E Blaze 17s went 10-0 and are in the hunt for a championship! The good news seems endless in Jaguar Country.
##JaguarStrong

Random area school-related news

Gleaned from area newspapers published in the past month or so...some interesting notes here!!!

I've been extremely busy in the newspaper office with my free time tied up on Bonanza Valley Days-related items.

Glad you like to follow along with what's going on in Jaguar Country...hopefully I can get some B-B-E news posted on Sunday night after enjoying the Sabbath.

MACCRAY was expecting a kindergarten class of 67 for the fall of 2015. After ECFE screenings, only 40 are currently registered! 

Lac qui Parle Valley's Class of 2015 had just 59 graduates. Ouch. They were a behemoth of a school in the 1990s...the decline in the economy along western Minnesota has not been kind to their school.

LQPV and Benson share an art teacher, but that person just resigned. I am not sure how much FTE each school has with this position. At B-B-E we have 1.5 art teachers which is truly remarkable for a school our size.

LQPV is increasing their music department from 2.5 FTE to 2.75 FTE.

LQPV has a .58 FTE business teacher.

Michelle Obama's stupid, stupid war on school lunch rooms has caused LQPV to stop use of a soft-serve ice cream machine. 

YME wants to increase its per pupil property tax levy from 1383 $ to 1683 dollars! Wow.

Montevideo graduated 97 this year. 

Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg expected 70 or so kindergarten kids this fall, but in May registration is only in the upper 40s. Ouch. Home-schooling is one factor, along with the Willmar Community Christian school. They still believe that they will have over 50 this fall. 

For B-B-E, we had approximately 55 students on the census who are eligible to join our kindergarten class this fall. Based on what I've heard from teachers and school officials, I believe the incoming kindergarten class will be around 45 students. I am HOPING that will be wrong and it will be more like 50 or 52...we'll see!!! I have more to say on this topic. Stay tuned.

(Video) B-B-E graduation

Here's an address from Mrs. Sanders, English teacher, to the B-B-E Class of 2015 on May 31:

Here's what's on Saturday's agenda, at least what I remember:
In the morning is a town hall political meeting in Willmar (details on page two of this week's Bonanza Valley Voice)
In the evening is the benefit fundraiser for Julie Ball of Padua (at the Padua Pub, details also on page two this week)

Not a subscriber to the Bonanza Valley Voice? Here's one way you can sign up, via PayPal:
http://lifeinbonanzavalley.blogspot.com/2015/01/online-payment-for-subscriptions.html

I've gained over 160 new subscribers since January 1...in the newspaper world, that's called "crazy good success" and if you haven't thought about subscribing, consider putting that on your to-do list this weekend.

Elrosa youth baseball camp

Get all the details at the link below! This is open to any youth throughout the area, ages 5-14. It takes place on Friday, July 17 at Saints Field in Elrosa; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Baseball players in the B-B-E Jaguar and Elrosa Saints youth programs are especially encouraged to register and participate.

Later that evening, the Saints host Meire Grove at 7:30 p.m.

http://www.starzbaseballcamp.com/camps/detail.php?campid=25

Gary Breitbach Memorial Golf is June 27

Gary Breitbach, 1955-2006 - R.I.P.

The ninth annual Gary Breitbach Memorial golf tournament is Saturday, June 27 at Prairie View Community Golf Course in Brooten. The event is an 18-hole six-person scramble with an 11 a.m. shotgun start.

Entry fee is $40 for members and $60 for non-members. The fee includes green fees, cart and a smoked pork chop supper.

A $30 optional team skin game and a $1,000 hole-in-one contest is part of the tournament. Payouts go to first, second, third, eighth and 12th place.

For more information or to register, call 320-424-1270 or 320-346-2677.

The golf tournament supports the Gary Breitbach Memorial scholarship program for Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa school graduates. The Class of 2015 recipients of this scholarship were Katelyn Heinze, Tanner Halvorson, Katie Hieserich and Cole Arceneau.

Thank you for your support of B-B-E students as well as our community golf course!

A unique book fair coming to local farm

Check this out...details of the event appeared in an advertisement on page two of last week's Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper:
http://redheadcreamery.com/not-your-average-book-fair

I'm excited to attend this event on Tuesday afternoon. You can see some of what I saw and learned when you read this week's Bonanza Valley Voice.

School calendar

What type of school calendar will the B-B-E school district be on in the 2015-2016 school year? 4 days a week? 5 days a week?

The school board formally adopted a calendar for 2015-16 at their meeting tonight. You can read about what was said and what transpired in this week's issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice.

Outside: the new social media!

Parents, have you told your kids to shut off the screens and get outside lately??? Well, what are you waiting for?

Celebrate the arts

Click on the graphic for best viewing.

Some may disagree with this, but I believe that the arts are an important part of our culture, our community, our country...our lives.

Elrosa defeats Lake Henry

The Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team is 6-0 in the Stearns County League North division after dispatching visiting Lake Henry 4-1 on Friday night. The Lakers dropped to 2-3 (fourth) in the SCL-South division.

No word on a final score tonight in the Elrosa vs. Parkers Prairie/Urbank game. After the fifth inning, the Saints trailed 6-1. That's all I know.

In another SCL game on Friday, Spring Hill lost an 11-inning battle at St. Martin by a 7-6 score. They are now 5-2 (second) in the SCL-North division. Those two teams played for the Region 15C championship in 2014, with the Martins winning that game.

Elrosa Little League wins

In their second game of the Stearns County League season, the Elrosa Saints Little Dipper team defeated visiting Farming 3-1 tonight. Next for Elrosa (2-0) is a game at Regal this Sunday night, June 14.

**Here's the Bonanza Valley Voice photo gallery of the game on Smugmug...
http://bonanzavalley.smugmug.com/Summer-Sports-2015/Elrosa-Little-Dipper-vs-Farmin/

**Here's video from the end of the game brought to you by the businesses supporting the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper:

Two medals at state!!!

In a huge milestone for the B-B-E Jaguars girls' golf program, two members of the team earned medals at the Class 1A state golf meet today. Senior Peyton Miller finished in fifth place with a 163, and junior Alyssa Dalen took sixth place with a 166.

What an awesome day for the Jaguars!

In related news, on Monday night in Becker, Miller received All-State honors for being one of the top golfers in Class 1A in Minnesota.

Miller will continue her golf career at Bemidji State University, a Division II program competing in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.

State golf, day two

Here's what I know:
Peyton Miller shot an 81 today to wrap up a fabulous two-day score of 163.

Alyssa Dalen fired an 82 to finish with a 166.

Jaden Gossen shot a 55 and a 48.

State golf, day one

Here's the day one results for the three members of the B-B-E Jaguars girls' golf team!

Freshmen Jaden Gossen shot a 53 and 54 on day one.

Junior Alyssa Dalen shot a 43 and 41, and her 84 has her in a three-way tie for ninth place.

Senior Peyton Miller shot a 43 and 39! Her 82 is one of the best scores in Class 1A. She finished day one in a three-way tie for fifth place. Her 82 is also the best score turned in by any golfer out of Section 5A.

The top score was a 76 (38-38) from sophomore Kiera Smith of Heritage Christian Academy. The Section 5A team champion, BOLD, is in fourth place with a 353 (84-88-89-92).

Outrageous

http://reverbpress.com/news/us/school-lunch-lady-not-fired-for-feeding-hungry-kids-district-claims/

Parents need to unleash a high level of outrage on schools that have this type of lunch policy: shaming kids whose lunch accounts don't have enough money to pay for a real lunch. The issue is with their parents, address it appropriately!!!! This will never, ever, ever happen at B-B-E as long as my lungs draw air.

Good luck at state!

The Class 1A state golf meet begins today for three members of the B-B-E Jaguars girls' golf team. Tee times in Becker are:

Jaden Gossen, 1:12 p.m.

Peyton Miller, 1:21 p.m.

Alyssa Dalen, 1:30 p.m.

(Photo gallery) B-B-E's 26th class graduates

Finally!

Here's the full photo gallery from the B-B-E Class of 2015 graduation:
http://bonanzavalley.smugmug.com/2015-BBE-Bonanza-Valley-area-e/BBE-Class-of-2015-graduation

And while you're here, take a look at the latest news from Redhead Creamery!
http://lifeinbonanzavalley.blogspot.com/2015/06/june-dairy-month-at-redhead-creamery.html

Saints edge Grovers

The Elrosa Saints won 2-1 in Meire Grove on Sunday to improve to 5-0 in the Stearns County League North division. Read more coverage on the Saints in this week's Bonanza Valley Voice.

Girls' fastpitch state tournament

Maple Lake, regular season co-champions of the Central Minnesota Conference, finished as state runners-up in the Class 2A fastpitch state tournament on Saturday. The Irish beAT LeSueur-Henderson 4-2 in the quarterfinals, New Ulm in the semifinals before losing 2-1 in 10 innings to Kasson-Mantorville in the state title game at Caswell Park in North Mankato.

In the CMC, the Irish split their series with Rockford Area to finish as co-champions with the Rockets. They went 6-1 in the Section 5AA playoffs, getting tagged with a 10-9 loss to Rockford in the winner's bracket final. In the section championship series, the Irish swept Rockford 7-3 and 7-2 to advance to the state tournament.

In 2008 and 2009, Maple Lake finished as Class 1A state runners-up.

Maple Lake head coach Tim Knudsen has had some tremendous fastpitch teams throughout the last 10-plus years. I don't know how long he's been the head coach there, but he has always put an outstanding team on the field. He is also head coach of Maple Lake's very good football program, which has had one-win seasons (2005) and multiple state tournament appearances.

Television

It's true!

http://www.better-ed.org

Elrosa Saints in Sunburg!

Finally, a day when I can take in an Elrosa Saints amateur baseball game. The last three chances I've had to go to an Elrosa Saints game have all been rained out. Today doesn't look like a "sure bet" but I doubt enough bad weather will cross Sunburg to cancel the game.

Elrosa travels to Sunburg today for a Cornbelt-Stearns County League clash against Norway Lake-Sunburg. First pitch is at 3 p.m. See the ad below for other activities going on in Sunburg today following the game, as the Sunburg Fire Department has a couple big fundraisers taking place.

After today, Elrosa travels to Meire Grove to resume Stearns County League action on Sunday with a 1:30 p.m. game.

Click on the graphic for best viewing of this poster.

Today is packed tight with activities, including graduation parties...I have started my Graduation 2015 Smugmug photo gallery, but only a few photos have been uploaded. I also have a great deal of state track coverage to post, but that probably won't happen until later tonight.

State track

After the first jump at the state track and field meet, Kinlee Swanson sits in third place. She made it into the finals, earning All-State honors for the second year in a row!

Going into the finals, Swanson is ranked fourth overall. Her best jump was 16'10.5".

**Update: Swanson finished in fourth place today at Hamline University. Swanson's best jump ended up as 16'10.5", which equals her best jump at the state meet in 2014. The state champion, Mara Quam of Kenyon-Wanamingo, had a best jump of 17 feet, seven inches.

New B-B-E hires

B-B-E has hired two new coaches for the open positions of head girls' tennis and head track and field coaches. You can read more about it in next week's Bonanza Valley Voice.

(Video) Class of 2015 graduates!

Here's video from Class of 2015 Salutatorian Katie Hieserich's speech:


A photo gallery will be uploaded some time this week with pictures from Sunday's graduation ceremony.

Suspicious, strange character in Starbuck

Suspicious activity in Starbuck

Earlier in May the Starbuck Police Department received a call in regards to a suspicious male party knocking on a residents door claiming to be a Liberty Mutual Agent working on cases with children. The male asked the resident if he had any children and they stated, “No.” The male then stated, “Oh shoot, ok thanks,” and got in his car and left.

Liberty Mutual was contacted and asked if they had any employees in the Starbuck area working, or investigating children cases, which they stated, “No, and to contact the police because it’s not one of their agents.”

The descripition of the suspect is a, white male, 40-45 years old, about 5’10” and weighs between 200-230 lbs, short hair, closed cut beard, and wearing glasses. The male party was driving a newer silver utilitly vehicle.

Anyone with information regarding this suspect please contact the Starbuck Police Department at 320-239-2311 or if you come in contact with this party please dial 911 immediately.

Wow! There's a lot of sickos in our world! To the youth of our communities, I pray that you and your future families remain safe as you move into adulthood and try to make the world a better place.

Champ Camps coming to Paynesville!

Click on the graphic for best viewing.

The May 28 issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice had an article in the sports section regarding this camp. I am excited with the hope of numerous B-B-E Jaguar athletes joining this valuable camp.

Here's the official Minnesota Pacesetter website, where you can download a flier or register online:
http://www.pacesetternet.com.

By the way, have you thought about Father's Day gifts yet? This week the Bonanza Valley Voice will have an advertisement with some ideas for that at the Belgrade Hardware Hank store. Stop on over this week and get the ideas flowing for the dads in your life!

Belgrade Hardware Hank

Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Saturdays 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

(phone) 320-254-8285

Benefit coming this Saturday night in Belgrade

Benefit for Schmidty is June 6

A dinner and silent auction benefit for Craig (Schmidty) Schmidt is Saturday, June 6 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Brothers Bar in Belgrade. On March 14, he was in an auto accident and suffered multiple severe injuries. He drove truck for Belgrade Coop for over 10 years and is raising his 8-year old daughter Annie after his wife passed away. Donations can be made at the Central Minnesota Credit Union branch in Belgrade.

And a help wanted ad:
HELP WANTED: IN-HOME, NON-MEDICAL CAREGIVER. Touching Hearts at Home is now hiring a caregiver for a home near Grove Lake to provide visits 3 days/week. Services will include meal preparation, homemaking, transportation, shower assistance, medication reminders, pet care and more. A very rewarding job! Call 320-354-4663 with questions. Apply online at www.touchinghearts.com/westcentralmn.

Class of 2015 has graduated

And the celebration of graduation: