Taking it to the Dutchmen

At halftime in Melrose, the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team holds a commanding 37-10 lead. Needless to say, the Jaguars are bringing the heat!

Final score: B-B-E 64, Melrose Area 23. The Jaguars have a week-long break from action before they host Sauk Centre next Tuesday night for the home opener. Read more about tonight's game in this week's Bonanza Valley Voice.

Radio broadcast

I just learned that the season opener for the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team will be broadcast on 106.5 FM The Train on Tuesday night. Bill Dean and Don Leukam are both excited about being able to carry the game.

Be sure to catch the season preview story on the Jaguars in last week's Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper. Coach Anderson gave a great interview, and I was very happy with how the story turned out. It also includes a photo of Anderson and our new C-squad basketball coach. He is one of the most familiar faces for B-B-E basketball fans in recent memory.

For the December 1 newspaper issue, I'll be printing the winter sports schedules for the varsity basketball teams, the wrestling team and the dance team. Also included in the December 1 issue is the broadcast dates for the month of December for 106.5 FM The Train.

I hope you've taken the time to subscribe to the Bonanza Valley Voice. If you haven't, you're cheating yourself!

Speaking of cheating yourself, I hope you got a chance to take in at least one of the performances of B-B-E's fall musical "Junie B. Jones". Here's one of two photo galleries on the Bonanza Valley Voice website: https://bonanzavalley.smugmug.com/BBE-Fine-Arts-2016/BBE-Fall-Musical-Junie-B-Jones

It was a terrific show!

Basketball scrimmage

I was happy to get a chance to attend the boys' basketball scrimmage in Sauk Centre on Saturday afternoon. The B-B-E Jaguars boys' basketball team scrimmaged against Osakis, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle, Sauk Centre, Royalton and Melrose. Unofficially they out-scored LP-GE and Royalton and played to about a draw with Melrose. Osakis, the first opponent, really took it to the Jaguars to start the day. Sauk Centre was the superior team on the floor against the Jaguars, although from what I heard fatigue played a part in that match up (the third scrimmage of the five).

Here's a little video from the Royalton scrimmage:


The season opens for the Jaguars at home on Thursday, December 1 against Osakis. They won't open up Central Minnesota Conference action until January 3 (home vs. Maple Lake).

Look for a full season preview story with more photos in the Dec. 1 issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper.

(Video) Junie B. Jones musical

Here's a video from late in the first act of B-B-E's fall musical "Junie B. Jones" from this past weekend. More photos appeared on page one and page 12 of this week's Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper.


Happy Thanksgiving! Sports fans, don't miss the season preview for the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team in this week's Bonanza Valley Voice.

School closing early

B-B-E schools are closing at noon today - Tuesday, November 21 - due to the icy road conditions across our area. They gave a great effort at trying to pull off a school day, but it is apparent that things won't get better as they day progresses. All after-school activities are cancelled.

HUGE response for speech interest meeting!

So this is very, very awesome! The B-B-E speech interest meeting held today at the high school drew 30 kids to the lunch-time meeting!

The pre-pre-season starts on December 1.

Click to enlarge.

I have published this at least a couple times in the Bonanza Valley Voice. It rings true every time I read it:

• Why speech? Being in speech gives your son/daughter a real competitive advantage when they:

1. Speak in class

2. Apply for colleges

3. Apply for scholarships

4. Interview for a job

5. Ask someone out

6. Do a radio interview

7. Audition for plays

8. Speak to the school board

9. Make a best man/maid of honor speech

10. Talk to the principal or other authority figure

11. Run for public office

12. Give a presentation to potential investors in their company they may some day own.

Talk to Lucy Lloyd at the high school, and let’s get more kids involved in this terrific activity at B-B-E!

Celebrating the support of the community

Customer appreciation all day on Wednesday in Elrosa! 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Mary Olmscheid's insurance agency has been a fixture of the Elrosa business community for over 25 years. She invites her customers to Elrosa on Wednesday this week...details above. Her insurance agency has been a strong supporter of the Bonanza Valley Voice and is one of many Elrosa businesses who help support coverage of all things Elrosa in our newspaper.

Desk clearing

Here's some random notes from the news office of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper:

1. Turnout for the B-B-E Jaguars wrestling team hovers around 25, which is the highest we've had in many seasons. It is terrific and will undoubtedly bolster their chances of a deep playoff run if we can keep everyone healthy. Their opener is on December 2 at home.

2. Turnout for the B-B-E/Paynesville dance team is equally strong, with around 25 recruits working in pre-season drills and practices. Their opener is on December 10 at Albany.

3. The Brooten Commercial Club Santa Day is Saturday, December 10 with multiple activities starting at
12:30 p.m. at the Brooten Steak House (Classic Co.) and running into the evening.

4. The Elrosa Commercial Club Santa Day is also on Saturday, December 10. Their activities run from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic church parish center.

And here's some video from the blizzard that I forgot to post on Friday night. It has been a very challenging weekend.


As always, read more details in the weekly issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper! We have 375 new subscribers since January 1, 2015, which represents an increase of over 60 percent in that time.

Closed

Main Street Brooten at about noon today. 

A truck in the ditch just west of Sedan along Highway 55.

No school at B-B-E today due to the blizzard. Tonight's performance of Junie B. Jones is postponed to Sunday night at 7:30 p.m. The other two performances are still on at their regular times.

Also, the Bonanza Valley TrailBlazers annual meeting and membership banquet at the Padua Pub is postponed to Saturday, November 19 at the same time.

An accident on the overpass on Highway 55 east of Belgrade happened a little after 11 o'clock this morning. It is bad out there! I hope whoever is reading this understands that.

I talked to one friend who needed two hours to drive the 32 miles from Willmar to Brooten today.

A historic championship

Maple Lake's volleyball team became the first volleyball team in the Central Minnesota Conference to win a state championship on Saturday. Seeded No. 2, they defeated No. 4 seeded Concordia Academy in a sweep to finish as Class 2A state champions and 30-3 overall.

The Irish, winners of two out of the last three CMC titles, beat Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton 3-0 in the quarterfinals and then Kasson-Mantorville 3-1 in the semis. This was their fifth trip to the state tournament in the past six years. If memory serves me correct, they have advanced into the Final Four just one time in that span, and this was their first appearance in a state title match.

Congratulations to Coach Keibel, his staff and of course his talented team!

I will fight for you

Very saddened by what I am learning (first hand and second hand) from what happened yesterday at Maple Grove and Minnetonka high schools. All that in Minnesota, the land of equality.

Volleyball teams to state

Maple Lake and Kimball Area are both heading to the state volleyball tournament.

The Irish beat Sauk Centre 3-1 in the Section 6AA championship on Saturday night. The Cubs beat Braham 3-0 (game scores were 25-21, 25-22, 25-11) in the Section 5A championship on Saturday night. While Maple Lake has played in a handful of state tournaments, Kimball Area (20-13) is heading to state for the first time in school history.

Subsection finals

K-M-S lost 3-1 to Kimball in the volleyball finals last night.

I weep for humanity

This is a story a friend shared with me about an incident that took place on Tuesday, November 1 at a gas station located on Highway 7 between Montevideo and the Twin Cities...this is so sad. It angers me. It sickens me. I feel so much sorrow for the person at the center of this story:

"On my way to the cities yesterday I stopped at a convenience store/gas station for a snack. The person in line to check out in front of me accidentally spilled his coffee and an employee came around the counter to clean up. Some men at tables in the snack section started calling out nasty sexual comments to her every time she had to bend over, and I said, "Hey, come on, harassment isn't alright." While they glared at me, she told me it was OK. She didn't mind that much. I could see on her face that she did mind, but she had to eat it to keep her crummy damn job mopping a convenience store floor. Nothing changes. I'm just disgusted, so damn disgusted. And it really doesn't help to know that not all men are like that because THAT means the ones who are have chosen to be pigs."

Volleyball playoffs

The K-M-S Fighting Saints volleyball team is ahead 2-0 in sets over Browerville/Eagle Valley. *Update: the Tigers trailed 24-16 in game three, rallied a few points, but lost 25-20.

K-M-S (13-17) advances to the Sub-Section 5A-South championship match that will be on Thursday this week at Little Falls. Their opponent will be Kimball Area, who upset the #1-seeded (other sub-section pod) Verndale Pirates in a 3-2 barn burner tonight.

I said it last Friday night, and I'll say it again...Section 5A is wide open. Now there's just four teams remaining. In Sub-Section 5A-North, Pine River-Backus and Braham (both No. 1 seeds) will battle on Thursday for the championship.