Been crazy around here

It's been just a tiny bit crazy around the office in the past couple of weeks. I fully expected activity to slow down at the newspaper after Bonanza Valley Days was behind us. That was anything but the case. I honestly think I've been busier since BVD weekend. I know the advertising has skyrocketed in the newspaper over the last three issues of July. Currently I'm gearing up for the Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team's playoff opener as well as a trip to Terrace to take in some of the entertainment they have scheduled for Saturday afternoon/evening at the scenic and historic Terrace Mill.

That translates into very little time to post here. On the upside, I know many of the readers of this sports website have taken the opportunity to subscribe to the Bonanza Valley Voice. And to you, I say THANK YOU!

In the month of July we added 20 new subscribers. Whew! I lost track of the new subscribers a couple weeks ago but I believe we're at about 185 new subscribers since January 1.

Unreal!

Again, thank you to the subscribers of the Bonanza Valley Voice. You are a driving force behind this operation. Not a subscriber? Click here and sign up! $18 or $20 a year depending on where you live:
http://lifeinbonanzavalley.blogspot.com/2015/01/online-payment-for-subscriptions.html

I want to give a shout out to Herman Lensing and the great work he does reporting on amateur baseball across central Minnesota. Here's his amateur baseball blog that includes a link to the Sauk Centre Herald's recently-published amateur baseball guide. He has also outlined the division tournament pairings and schedules, including games in the Stearns County League:
http://midmnbaseball.blogspot.com

Be kind!

Share this with your children!

Freeport men's fastpitch standings

Freeport men’s fastpitch standings as of July 24:

Mid-MN Pest Control of Brooten (9-1)

Isaac’s North Star of Sauk Centre (8-1)

Axle Grill of St. Cloud (7-3)

Bo Didley’s of St. Joseph (5-1)

Freeport State Bank (5-3)

Miller Architects of St. Cloud (5-3)

Ackie’s Bar & Grill of Freeport (5-5)

Central MN Credit Union (4-5)

Milwood Transport (4-5)

Corner Pub of Freeport (3-3)

Cold Spring State Bank (3-3)

Steavens Transport of Freeport (3-5)

Rahn’s Oil & Propane of Melrose (4-6)

Charlie’s Cafe of Freeport (4-6)

Albany Telephone (2-7)

Freeport Lions (0-10)

Playoffs

The post-game huddle in the dugout after winning tonight.

The Elrosa Saints Little Dipper team won their Stearns County League playoff opener 9-0 against Meire Grove tonight in front of a terrific home crowd at home.

At Regal, the fourth-seeded Eagles beat Spring Hill 6-2. Roscoe beat Farming in another quarterfinal game, so the Saints will host Roscoe in the semifinals. No word yet on the Lake Henry vs. St. Martin game. The SCL playoffs Final Four is on Sunday, August 2 at the site of the higher seeds.

In the amateur baseball world...the Elrosa Saints split two games this weekend to New Munich to finish 12-1 in the Stearns County League North standings. They are the number one seed for next weekend's division playoffs and will host fourth-seeded Spring Hill on Saturday (August 1) at 1:30 p.m.

In the County Line League playoffs, the Regal Eagles beat the Paynesville Pirates 6-2 in the elimination bracket. The Eagles, seeded third, play next at home on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. against Norway Lake-Sunburg in another elimination game.

Thoughts of Friday night football

It's late July, and one thing that means is that "Friday Night Lights" is on my mind. Yes, it's not too far away to start thinking about the 2015 high school football season! The Jaguars have a big chip on their shoulder as they look to make dramatic improvements on their 1-8 record in 2014.

If you want to know the varsity football schedule for the B-B-E Jaguars football team, read next week's Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper.

Sweet corn feed was great!

You cheated yourself if you didn't make it to Dave's Famous Sweet Corn and Pork Chop Feed last night at the Padua Pub. It was advertised in a color advertisement on page two of the July 16 issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice.

Click on the graphic for best viewing.

More job openings

Jobs, jobs, jobs...jobs everywhere...spread the word if you know someone who's looking for extra income. Pages eight and nine of this week's Bonanza Valley Voice both have gobs of job openings posted.

Farm Bill technician position

Click on the graphic for best viewing.

The Pope Soil and Water Conservation District has an immediate opening for a fulltime Farmbill Technician position starting at $16-$18.00 per hour.  This position promotes and implements conservation provisions of the Federal Farm Bill, the Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM), and other related wildlife and clean water conservation programs.  Activities will include program promotion, contract coordination, conservation planning, conservation plan modification, site assessment, inspections, and reporting.  Provide technical assistance for wildlife habitat enhancement techniques to private landowners and public organizations.  Position will work with the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), Farm Service Agency (FSA), and the Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) to promote and implement the conservation programs.  A general qualification guideline for this position is a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resources/Environmental Studies/Agricultural Business or a related field. Please send a cover letter, completed application form, and resume with 3 references to the address or email below by 4:00 p.m. on August 7, 2015.  Application, job description, and position announcement can be found online at www.popeswcd.org.

And here's a home for sale...price reduced!
Beautiful 4 BR, 4 BA newer home with attached 2+ garage and detached garage on 3.14 acres located outside of Belgrade. PRICE REDUCED $209,000. Red Oak Realty 320-250-9363.

Sinclair Lewis Days baseball

In the championship game at Sauk Centre, the B-B-E Jaguars 5th-6th grade baseball team beat Sauk Centre 7-2. Elrosa's team played for third place.

Here's video from the amateur baseball game last night in Elrosa:


In amateur baseball, the Regal Eagles won 2-0 over Starbuck in the first round of the County Line League playoffs. Next for Regal (seeded third) is a trip south to Green Lake Diamonds on Sunday (tomorrow) with a 1:30 p.m. game against New London-Spicer.

Also in the County Line League playoffs, the Norway Lake-Sunburg Lakers (seeded fourth) beat fifth-seeded Paynesville 6-0 in their first-round game. Their next game is on Sunday (tomorrow) at top-seeded Atwater at 6 p.m.

Late Saturday night I made the decision to go 12 pages again in next week's Bonanza Valley Voice. This is unprecedented. I am truly shocked at heading into my third 12-page newspaper in a row. I can't thank the business community enough for their support of our hometown newspaper. However, as a result of all the work that goes into creating a 12-page newspaper, I will be able to rarely post updates here.

Hopefully you've made your own choice to support the newspaper in Brooten and subscribe for yourself! I invite you to be a part of the success we're enjoying here (180+ new subscribers since January 1)...
http://lifeinbonanzavalley.blogspot.com/2015/01/online-payment-for-subscriptions.html

(Photo galleries) Bonanza Valley Days and more

Here's the Bonanza Valley Voice's main album of Bonanza Valley area events in 2015...near the top are four albums of Bonanza Valley Days photos, including one album from the Miss Brooten program.
http://bonanzavalley.smugmug.com/2015-BBE-Bonanza-Valley-area-e

Great game in Elrosa

The Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team won their 11th straight game in Stearns County League play this season by defeating visiting Meire Grove 6-3 tonight. The Saints led 3-0 after one inning and then 4-0 after three innings. The Grovers, sitting in third place in the SCL-North division, made it interesting after getting a couple runs back in the top of the fourth. In the bottom of the fourth, the Saints scored one run for a 5-2 lead. It was 6-2 after six innings, and the Grovers got an unearned run in the top of the ninth before closer Aaron Vogt got a strikeout for the game's final out.

Next is a home game on Friday, July 24 at 8 p.m. against second-place New Munich. After that is the last game of the regular season on Sunday, July 26 at 1:30 p.m. at New Munich.

Next on my schedule is the County Line League playoff opener in Regal tomorrow (Saturday) at 5 p.m. The Eagles host the first round game. More details are on page 10 of this week's Bonanza Valley Voice.

We are getting quite a rainfall right now in the Bonanza Valley area. I've been tied up buttoning up our property as I did not expect to get a huge downpour tonight!!!

'Romeo and Harriet' in Terrace

Tonight is the final night of "Romeo and Harriet" at the Terrace Mill theater. It begins at 6:30 p.m.! So if you can make it, great!!! Support the arts! It is directed by the great and awesome Julie Lloyd.

Click here to see a short video clip from last night's opening act:
http://lifeinbonanzavalley.blogspot.com/2015/07/video-romeo-and-harriet-in-terrace.html

Friday: all day baseball in Elrosa

What better way for a kid to spend their day on Friday than being at Elrosa's Saints Field for a one-day baseball camp??

http://www.starzbaseballcamp.com/camps/detail.php?campid=25
Parents, families, anyone with an interest in the improvement of the baseball skills of your children!! Kids ages 5-14 are invited to participate in this one-day summer baseball camp at our very own Saints Field in Elrosa!! Check out all the information at the link. Registration can be done online as well. #‪#‎baseball‬

Following the baseball camp, fans and everyone else are invited to Saints Field to watch Elrosa's amateur baseball team square off with a tough-as-nails Meire Grove Grovers team in a Stearns County League North division battle. First pitch is at 7:30 p.m.

(Video) Miss Brooten program

Here's video brought to you by the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper from the Miss Brooten program on Saturday night at the elementary school.


For subscription information and for signing up to the newspaper, click here:
http://lifeinbonanzavalley.blogspot.com/2015/01/online-payment-for-subscriptions.html

Photo galleries from the Bonanza Valley Days weekend are still in the process of being uploaded! Here's the current collection of photos of Bonanza Valley-area events in 2015:
http://bonanzavalley.smugmug.com/2015-BBE-Bonanza-Valley-area-e

Terrace Mill Youth Theatre!!

Terrace Mill Youth Theatre presents “Romeo & Harriet” on July 15-16

A cast of 30 youth will present the musical “Romeo & Harriet” next Wednesday and Thursday, July 15 & 16, at 6:30 p.m. at the historic Terrace Mill in Terrace, MN.  

The Terrace Mill Children’s Theatre, in its 16th season, is under the direction of Julie Lloyd and Lucy Lloyd.  Participants range in age from five to 25, and come from Glenwood, Brooten, Belgrade, Sedan, Terrace, Lowry, Duluth, Delano, DeGraff, Faribault, Minneapolis-St Paul, Chicago IL, Scotsdale AZ, and North Hampton NH.  

“Romeo & Harriet” is a modern spoof of Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet,” told by a group of quarreling chorus members, who teach the unsuspecting audience about Shakespeare. The story takes place in modern day New York City, where the Montagues own a posh department store, and the Capulets a discount mart. The store clerks meet in the street to trade insults.  The show, full of outrageous characters and hilarious one liners, is a sure hit for audiences of all ages. While admission is free, a freewill donation will be taken to help defer costs of the program. “Romeo & Harriet” is produced through Pioneer Drama Service. 

From Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa, the cast of “Romeo and Harriet” includes Carma Hauge as Officer Escalus, Lucy Lloyd as Antipasto, Riley Schumann as Pesto and Paige Klaphake as Vinnie.

BVD coverage

I'm in the middle of a "vice grip" figuratively speaking in getting another 12-page newspaper ready for the press. Not to mention four pages of color! As a result, it's been next to impossible to find time to post anything online. Last night I finally uploaded video from the Miss Brooten program but can't post that until tonight or tomorrow.

Speaking of work, finally here is the video from the JKC Independence Day parade on July 2:


If you haven't subscribed yet to the Bonanza Valley Voice, you're definitely cheating yourself out of something good! Just 18 bucks a year local, $20 outside the local area / outstate! Below is a link that drives you to a webpage where you can subscribe securely online through PayPal.

http://lifeinbonanzavalley.blogspot.com/2015/01/online-payment-for-subscriptions.html

Sports physicals!

Click on the graphic to read all the information.

Saturday Car/Tractor show

Here's a neat video courtesy of Rand Middelton with the West Central Tribune newspaper:
http://www.wctrib.com/video/4350169614001

Day two of Bonanza Valley Days

I had a terribly good time visiting at two class reunions today. At Quisberg Park, the B-B-E Class of 1990 (the first "B-B-E" graduating class) had a little get-together with mostly the 25 members of the Brooten district of that graduating class of 75 students. Their real reunion party is tonight at the Padua Pub. Also tonight was the Brooten Class of 1965 50th class reunion, held at the Prairie View Community Golf Course.

Here's a glimpse of the car & tractor show, sponsored by Brooten Diesel, JF Auto Repair and RD Offutt Farms:

Now it's nighttime and block after block after block after block in Brooten is packed with cars. Up and down every street....cars & trucks and more cars & trucks. Holy cow! I didn't know a small town could pack in this many people at once. ##bonanzavalleydays‬

Bonanza Valley Days is heating up

The weather is pretty terrific, a little on the hot side, but it works. The BVD kiddie parade went great!

Baseball all day long

The Elrosa Saints 5th-6th grade team.

The B-B-E Jaguars baseball association hosted nine-team tournaments in Brooten and also Belgrade today to help kick off the annual Bonanza Valley Days celebration. In the 5th-6th grade division, the Elrosa Saints and B-B-E Jaguars squared off in a thriller for the gold championship. The Saints came out on top by a 3-2 score in extra innings with a walk-off single in the bottom of the sixth.

The B-B-E Jaguars won the championship in the silver bracket of the 3rd/4th grade tournament by virtue of a 2-0 win over Minnewaska I in their final pool play game and then a 4-2 win over Minnewaska II in the finals.

The Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team beat Spring Hill 4-2 tonight to improve to 10-0 in the Stearns County League North division. Their next game is next Friday, July 17, at 7:30 p.m. at Saints Field against second-place Meire Grove (6-4). In a related note: Elrosa's Little Dipper team is 8-0 in the Stearns County League and has clinched the top seed for the upcoming division playoffs. They beat New Munich 5-3 on Wednesday night for their eighth league win of the summer. Sitting in a tie for second place are Spring Hill and Farming. Elrosa's last game of the regular season in the Little Dipper division is on Sunday, July 19 at 6:30 p.m. at Spring Hill.

The Brooten Fire Department's chicken feed served over 700 people tonight!!! Wow!

It's been a crazy "day one" of Bonanza Valley Days. Thank you to everyone who made it to town to help kick things off the right way! I have a ton of video to upload tonight...and I am running out of hours to sleep before the Saturday activities get underway.

Here's video from Gig Noonan at the Pavilion:


**If you haven't seen the full BVD schedule yet, you can see it on the back page (page 12) of the July 9 issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice, page three of the July 2 Bonanza Valley Voice....or by clicking here:
http://lifeinbonanzavalley.blogspot.com/2015/06/bonanza-valley-days-2015.html

Legion baseball playoffs

Here's the seeding rankings for the Melrose Sub-District American Legion baseball playoffs:
1. Foley
2. Sauk Centre
3. Melrose
4. Albany
5. Browerville
6. Paynesville
7. Kimball
8. B-B-E
9. Long Prairie
10. Royalton
11. Upsala/Swanville Area
12. Holdingford

To open the playoffs, next Monday the B-B-E Jaguars will host Long Prairie at 6:30 p.m. in Elrosa. If they win, they will travel to top-seeded Foley on Tuesday for the quarterfinals

(Photo galleries) B-B-E Jaguars fastpitch

Photos from June 30 in a home doubleheader:
http://bonanzavalley.smugmug.com/Summer-Sports-2015/BBE-14U-fastpitch-vs-Sauk-Cent

And from July 2 in a 17-U fastpitch doubleheader:
http://bonanzavalley.smugmug.com/Summer-Sports-2015/BBE-17U-fastpitch-vs-Osakis-07

Here's photos from the 12-U doubleheader against Sauk Centre on Monday night. Photos from this game and other games were featured on page 11 of this week's Bonanza Valley Voice:
http://bonanzavalley.smugmug.com/Summer-Sports-2015/BBE-12U-Jaguars-vs-Sauk-Centre

Here's the link to the folder that includes all of the Bonanza Valley Voice photos from local sports contests this summer:
http://bonanzavalley.smugmug.com/organize/Summer-Sports-2015

Here's a link to view the full Bonanza Valley Days 2015 celebration this weekend:
http://lifeinbonanzavalley.blogspot.com/2015/06/bonanza-valley-days-2015.html 

B-B-E sports teams fundraisers at BVD

*Reprinted from page 11 of this week's Bonanza Valley Voice:

Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa Dazzlers dance team head coach Kim Kulzer is excited for the upcoming Bonanza Valley Days weekend. Her Dazzlers have two fundraisers on Friday and Saturday. 

Kulzer said, “We are doing concessions at the fifth and sixth grade baseball tournament in Belgrade on Friiday. This will be from about 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. We will be selling hot dogs, pizza, chips Pop and candy! Fans won’t have to leave the baseball tourney to get food! We’re excitedf for the dunk tank on Saturday on Main Street in Brooten from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.! And then of course we will be dancing in the parade on Sunday July 12th!! Busy weekend! But hopefully we can raise a lot of money!”

Also on Saturday, the B-B-E Jaguars girls’ tennis team will have a bake sale at the car show in downtown Brooten (8 a.m. to 12 p.m.). They will be set up in front of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper office.

*Note: the BVD youth baseball tournament will have nine teams in each division (3rd-4th grade and 5th-6th grade); to accommodate the teams, all 3rd-4th grade games are in Brooten and all 5th-6th grade games are in Belgrade. It will be a busy day for sure!

Speaking of Bonanza Valley Days...the T-shirts are selling out FAST! Check out information below on how to get your hands on one before they're all gone:

Random notes, advertisements

Help wanted: immediate full-time position available at Ampe Farms, Belgrade turkey operation. Starting pay $12 to $15 / hour depending on skills and experience. For more information, contact Tony Ampe at 320-249-6984.

Another help wanted:

And some real estate for sale!

Working it at the newspaper

173 new subscribers!

In the newspaper world, we are kicking butt and taking names at the Bonanza Valley Voice. I can't believe we're nearing 200 new subscribers in the first year of new ownership. This week we have a huge 12-page newspaper with four pages of color coming out in advance of the Bonanza Valley Days celebration.

As followers of this blog can probably tell, updates and postings here have been much lighter, smaller and less frequent in 2015. I don't see that changing in the coming months. It will take at least a year as the new owner of the Bonanza Valley Voice before I really get the hang of it and actually "know what I'm doing here"!

(Photo gallery) Elrosa Little Dipper baseball vs. St. Martin

Here's the link, just uploaded, from the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper:
http://bonanzavalley.smugmug.com/Summer-Sports-2015/Elrosa-Little-Dipper-vs-St-Mar/

'Dukes of Hazzard'

It greatly worries me that the "thought police" have taken the Dukes of Hazzard off the air. That's all I will say about that.

Some desk clearing

Click on the graphic for best viewing.

FOR SALE: Mechanical Business Opportunity—live and work at the same location! Large mechanic shop in New London for sale; newer 100x65 building has multiple 14 foot overhead doors, drive-through shop, entire building is fully insulated and sheet rocked, in-floor heating, 54 foot pit, finished 12x14 office, and separate large living quarters with a built-in private garage--framed out and ready to finish! Just over 10 acres included in sale, as well as an additional 20x20 building for storage or overflow. For pricing or private viewing contact Amber Bohmer, Broker for Integrity Home Investments at 320-267-1775 by call, text, or email at amberbohmer@hotmail.com.

Enjoy a safe and memorable day today

Make it a wonderful day and please be careful with fireworks or with any activity on lakes!

On Friday night in a home contest, the Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team beat Greenwald 9-4 in an action-packed game that saw both teams earn two-run home runs. The Saints are off until next Friday night, July 10. They are on a roll: in the last two games, they've banged out 30 hits!

Elrosa Saints update

The Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team won a 10-0 shut out game at St. Martin last night. They're now 8-0 in the Stearns County League North division. Tonight Greenwald visits Elrosa on the Eve of the 4th of July.

In Little Dipper action on Wednesday night, the Saints edged Lake Henry 3-2.

Here's some video from the 14-U fastpitch game between the Jaguars and Sauk Centre...a few photos from recent B-B-E fastpitch games were published on page 10 of this week's Bonanza Valley Voice.:

Photo galleries: summer sports

I've got a few uploaded finally from June action:
http://bonanzavalley.smugmug.com/Summer-Sports-2015