B-B-E's Hall of Fame series begins

I had a great deal of fun this week preparing and writing the first of a series of Hall of Fame stories that will continue into September. B-B-E schools will induct their fourth class to the Hall of Fame in September. The Hall of Fame's Class of 2024 features eight individuals. The first one was what I called "low hanging fruit" that was easy to write, as he lives just down the street from me...Wes Von Eschen was a Brooten Buccaneer who played four sports and graduated in 1964. That sounds like quite a while ago...because...it was! Brooten and B-B-E is blessed to still have Wes as an active member of the community. Honestly, you'd hardly guess he's nearing 80 years old, but, he is. Any chance you get to have a conversation with him is a blessed opportunity.

The actual newspaper story ran quite long and surpassed 2,000 words...much longer than I expected. I had no qualms about printing that big of a story because I feel it is worth reading from beginning to end. One of the best parts was the first part...why were his basketball teams so successful? That part is explained right in the very beginning of the article.

Currently we are facing peak county fair season! Yikes! This week's Bonanza Valley Voice had advertising from three county fairs. This is the first time that has happened in the history of this newspaper. In past years, I've had 2 fairs advertised at once, but never three at once. From what I learned, this summer marks a once-every-five-years occasion when fairs in Stearns County and Pope County overlap on the same weekend. The next 10 days are going to be absolutely crazy. So crazy that I actually have to get extra rest in order to be prepared to slug through it! Add it all up: three county fairs, the Belgrade August Fest, the Region 15C amateur baseball tournament plus the Chippewa Falls Lutheran church 150th anniversary. I've never seen anything like this as a newspaper owner.

Here's a video from the bottom of the 8th inning at Spring Hill on July 21...the division playoff championship:


Now it's time to get out and survey the damage from today's wind and rainstorm that battered our garden. It will need tremendous sunshine to recover.

Glenwood Waterama fireworks (VIDEOS, UPDATES)

I spent part of the evening tonight in Glenwood with my family as we took the Waterama fireworks over Lake Minnewaska. They did a phenomenal job. You can see a part of the fireworks show in the video below.

While walking around at the food vendors by the Lakeside Ballroom, B-B-E junior boys' basketball player and cross country runner Taylor Pieper greeted me. It was a total out-of-the blue random chance that we crossed paths tonight. He was there with some friends, and I asked him how they did at the Kerkhoven Town and Country Days 3-on-3 tournament. I'm excited to report that Pieper's 3-on-3 team won the boys' varsity division (grades 9-12)!! That's exciting! Good for him. He works at it and has my full respect!

And here's a video from the fireworks tonight in Glenwood:


I was sad to see that Greenwald lost today in the Region 15C amateur baseball play-in game. Pearl Lake took the final spot in the eight-team tournament that begins on Friday, August 2 in Watkins. Elrosa drafted Brett Englemeyer from Greenwald for the region tournament. Englemeyer has been drafted by Elrosa for previous postseasons, and he's been a great fit for the team!

On Sunday, I'll get some baseball news reported here in this blog post.

Baseball news: in Saturday's play-in round game between Greenwald and Pearl Lake, the Lakers racked up 15 hits in a 9-1 win over the Cubs. Pearl Lake's Adam Braun threw eight innings and gave up just one hit. This sets up the opening game of the Region 15C Elite 8, which will be on Friday, August 2 in Watkins. Squaring off will be our Elrosa Saints and Pearl Lake.

Other news updates...
Here's the link to see the Pope County Fair schedule and info...the full schedule was published in easy-to-read format in the July 25 issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper. Here's their fair website link: https://www.popecountyfair.org.

I'll "ditto" everything above for the Stearns County Fair! Yes, as dedicated readers of my newspaper know, both of their fairs advertise their full schedule each summer with us...here's their fair website link: https://stearnscountyfair.com.

To register for the catered meal at the upcoming 150th anniversary of the founding of Chippewa Falls Lutheran church in Terrace, you can click here and also read more about the event: https://shorturl.at/VUlRP.

Coming in LESS than two weeks is the Kandiyohi County Fair in Willmar! They also advertise in The Voice each summer. Here's their fair website link: https://www.kandifair.com.

I still have a pile of videos to upload from Bonanza Valley Days. That's how far behind I am, but I'm getting caught up today! Woo Hoo!

Here's a video from Friday night of BVD a couple of weeks ago...


Here's a video from the golf course during the Gary Fauskee Golf Memorial on July 13:



Remember! The Belgrade August Fest is coming! Less than two weeks away! These next couple of weeks are shaping up to be one of the busiests stretches of the entire summer. It's gonna get crazy busy.

As of this point, I've got 333 pictures uploaded from Bonanza Valley Days events not including sporting events. You can see some of those albums by clicking here: https://bonanzavalley.smugmug.com/2024-B-B-EBonanza-Valley-area-events.

*Monday night update...
That BVD photo upload total has climbed to 634+ pictures! That is not counting the BVD Youth Baseball photos that are under the Summer 2024 Sports folder. Currently, five albums have been uploaded that basically include all BVD pictures from the events of Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I am preparing a final round of BVD pictures to publish in the August 1 issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper. We'll see how it goes!

Two fairs indeed overlap!

Good grief! I did not realize it, as often I do things at a 100-mph clip, that the Pope County Fair and Stearns County Fair completely overlap one another next week. An eagle-eyed reader of my newspaper asked me about this early Friday morning, and I was basically flat-footed when thinking about it. This is how crazy the month has been. I never got around to actually looking up any information on the Stearns County Fair...I added the full fair schedule for Stearns County in this week's Bonanza Valley Voice and didn't have to lay an eye on it, as it was loaned graciously to me by the Sauk Centre Herald newspaper in what newspaper's call a "camera ready" format. This is a huge, huge thing in the newspaper world, as it means you essentially have no extra work to get it ready for press. You do a "click, click, click" of the mouse and bam!...it's ready for press.

I need to cut this post short and get out in the garden. I'd say within the last 24 hours, the family garden has gone to a moisture deficit and now will need consistent watering until our next rainfall from Mother Nature.

Friday night updates...
In addition to coaching a 3-on-3 team at Kerkhoven Town and Country Days on Saturday, part of this weekend will be dominated by the monumental task of uploading nearly 1,400 Bonanza Valley Days photos from two weeks ago. I got the kick-off event photos uploaded from the BVD Worship in the Park on Thursday, July 11. You can see that album by clicking here: https://shorturl.at/p8tyj.

I have added more summer sports albums to the Bonanza Valley Voice SmugMug online gallery. One just added is also from July 11, when the B-B-E Jaguars fastpitch team hosted Upsala to conclude their regular 17-U season. This is the link to use to find that album: https://shorturl.at/2suJ7. At the tail end of that album are pictures featuring Coach Funk getting doused by the water cooler by two players.

Youth basketball success! (VIDEOS)

While some games have been a real battle against deeper teams from Willmar and New London-Spicer, B-B-E youth girls' basketball teams have found success worth celebrating at the summer Pepsi League games this summer. In last night's games, the C-squad Jaguars (next year's 9th graders) defeated the NL-S Wildcats in a relatively high-scoring game by a 46-40 margin. What was most exciting to me about that win was that the Jaguars played the first half of play (20 minutes running time) with just six players. They added a seventh player in the second half when seventh grader Brielle Worms joined them. Worms had played the first half with her Class of 2029 Jaguars. (More on them next...)

In another Pepsi League game last night, the Class of 2029 seventh graders (next year's eighth grade team) defeated Paynesville Area 25-19 after holding a 13-6 lead at halftime. The Jaguars and Bulldogs engaged in a defensive battle in the opening minutes before the Jaguars opened up a 9-2 first half lead. In the second half, the Jaguars had a lead as wide as 21-10 at one point before the Bulldogs had a 7-0 run to make it interesting in the game's final 5 minutes. With just under a minute to play, a three-pointer by Tessa Radermacher sealed up the win for her team and their beloved coach, Tiyana Schwinghammer. I considered it a huge win, as Paynesville won the Central Minnesota Conference seventh grade tournament this past February. (The Jaguars took third place.)

Here's a view from NL-S high school as the 7th grade team closed out the win against Paynesville:


*Here's a video featuring the view at the Brooten city park softball field during Bonanza Valley Days when the LifeLink III helicopter landed during the Friday night Brooten Firemen's chicken BBQ supper:


Seen in the video are Joyce Schwinghammer (Tiyana's grandma) plus one of Tiyana's cousins, who is a son of Jeana Schwinghammer of Aitkin. Jeana was a 2000 graduate of B-B-E high school.

We now enter a short period where there's a distinct lull in high school sports action. In fact, I don't see anything taking place on the high school level until the opening week of fall preseason practices. It is crazy to imagine, but the first day of fall preseason practices is Monday, August 12! That day is coming fast! The first official fall varsity athletic event is on Friday, August 16 when the B-B-E Jaguars girls' tennis team travels to the Long Prairie-Grey Eagle triangular. They face LP-GE/Upsala-Swanville Area and Staples-Motley that day.

A note from Terrace, Minnesota...
RSVPs are due by July 28 for those attending the catered meal at Chippewa Falls Lutheran church for their 150th anniversary...**Click on the following link to get your RSVP entered in! https://forms.gle/4vFE4Eta515hyJkT8.

It took almost two months...(UPDATED)

It took almost two months to use the notes I recorded with former B-B-E science teacher Carl Williams. I'm so grateful I got the opportunity to interview him and put the notes to use in this week's Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper. What Mr. Williams has done is shine a big, huge spotlight on changes that the state of Minnesota is pushing on K-12 education. We owe him a huge debt of gratitude for this. Too often, it's very easy and simple for parents to sit on the sidelines and fully accept what government is promoting in education. We sit back and take it. We go along, often, like sheep.

Williams will be sorely missed at B-B-E. He was often cited as a favorite teacher of B-B-E graduates. He coached multiple sports and held multiple roles in the activities department (score table worker, volleyball line judge, to name a few) and always - ALWAYS - had a kind, friendly demeanor for everyone he came into contact with. He was a true gentleman who teaches and lives his life in the same spirit as my high school science teachers did: Mr. Wayne Schoeppach, Mr. Keith Clementson and Mr. Cliff Gesellchen.

At some point I may get the Mr. Williams story online. For now, you can read it if you are a Voice subscriber or by buying a copy at RJ's Mini-Mart in Brooten or Coop's Corner in Belgrade. Tomorrow, Thursday, I hope to get the counters filled with July 25 issues at Bayer's Gas and Grocery in Elrosa plus the Belgrade Hardware store.

On Thursday night at the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper's website, I posted a video from Mr. Williams' science classroom that was recorded on his final day of teaching here. You can see that by clicking here: https://shorturl.at/CSnXD.

It was a busy and exciting weekend (VIDEOS)

I've got another big newspaper to put out this week, but I also have a few things to reflect on from this past weekend. It was busy and exciting with no down time! I had two big amateur baseball division playoff games, the Bonanza Valley Royal Strutters Jake's Day along with church on Sunday morning plus an outdoor concert in Waite Park on Saturday evening.

Here's action from the bottom of the 5th in Spring Hill, as the Chargers put the pressure in Elrosa:


Remember! The Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team opens the Region 15C tournament on Friday, August 2 in Watkins.

Here's the National Anthem and the start of the Spring Hill game on Sunday:


In this week's Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper, I will finally start previewing the upcoming Belgrade August Fest celebration. This event runs from August 8 through August 10! Also in this week's paper, among many other things, you can read about the Stearns County Fair, which starts on Wednesday this week in Sauk Centre.

Here's a short preview web article on the Belgrade August Fest: https://shorturl.at/OM1N2.

Saints claim division playoff title (VIDEOS*)

Displaying terrific play in clutch situations for the second straight game, the Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team emerged as Stearns County League North playoff champions after winning 6-4 against top-seeded Spring Hill this afternoon. It marks the 13th time that Elrosa has claimed a division playoff title; they've now been SCL-North champions in 2022, 2023 and now 2024.

With the game tied at 4-4 going into the 9th inning, Derek Wiener drilled a two-RBI home run on two outs past the left field fence. That two-run lead held up for the final score.

Elrosa took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning on Peyton Winter's RBI-single to drive Gavin Kampsen home. Kampsen hit a one-out double to get into scoring position. The Chargers forged a 3-1 lead with an RBI on a hit batsman and then a two-RBI single by Jamie Terres.

Ashton Dingmann led off the top of the sixth inning with a solo home run to cut the deficit to 3-2.

In the top of the 8th, Ashton Dingmann walked and took third base when Gavin Kampsen advanced on an error at first base on a ground ball play. Luke Illies then delivered with an RBI-single to centerfield to make it a 3-3 tie. With Kevin Kuefler batting, a wild pitch got away from catcher Nate Terres, which allowed Kampsen to score a go-ahead run on two outs.

The Chargers tied it at 4-4 in the bottom of the 8th on Austin Schoenberg's RBI-single.

*Here's a video from the top of the 9th inning:


Here's action from the bottom of the 9th inning as the Saints shut the door on Spring Hill:


Payton VanBeck started and pitched 5 innings, and Ashton Dingmann closed while picking up the win.

The Saints (14-7 overall) take the top seed from the SCL-North into the Region 15C tournament. Their region opener is on Friday, August 2 in Watkins against the Central Valley League play-in game winner. First pitch is at 6 p.m. in the first of two region games that night.

Later today...
In the second game at Spring Hill today, New Munich faces Greenwald in a division playoffs elimination game. I'll get this blog post updated late tonight after I hear about draftees and the outcome of the elimination game...plus I need SCL-South playoff scores. The evening will be chewed up by gardening plus hashing out details on a 3-on-3 girls' basketball team for the Kerkhoven Town and Country Days! That is an exciting upcoming event. We have an all-fifth grade team created and registered for Saturday, July 27 at Pillsbury Park. They will compete in a grades 5-6 bracket starting at 9 a.m.

UPDATE! for the first time in...awhile! The Greenwald Cubs are heading to the Region 15C tournament. They won 4-1 today against New Munich to punch their ticket to Watkins.

Spring Hill enters the Region 15C tournament as the SCL-North's No. 2 seed, and they open their quest for the state tournament with a 3:30 p.m. game on Saturday, August 3 in Watkins against St. Martin, the SCL-South's No. 1 seed. The Martins edged Farming 7-6 this afternoon to claim the SCL-South division playoff title. In an elimination game, Lake Henry suffered a heartbreaking 6-5 loss in 11 innings to Richmond, who punches through to regions as the SCL-South's No. 3 seed.

Saints deliver a thriller, punch ticket to Region 15C! (VIDEOS)

It was not a game for the faint of heart!

Quite often, winning in sports comes down to keeping your composure in stressful situations. It's one reason why I am so passionate about sports, as the experiences and lessons learned in athletic contests can easily mirror what people face in their everyday lives.

In Elrosa tonight, the Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team edged division rival New Munich 8-7 to qualify for the Region 15C tournament that takes place in August in Watkins. The Saints trailed 7-5 going into the bottom of the eighth inning, when they scored three runs to regain the lead. Closer Payton VanBeck took the mound in the top of the ninth and shut the door on the Silverstreaks while preserving the one-run lead by firing three strikeouts.

New Munich took an initial 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning, but the Saints pushed five runs across in the bottom of the frame. The 5-2 lead later became a 7-5 deficit before the Saints regained the lead in the eighth. Elrosa's Derek Wiener hit a two-RBI single to tie it up, and Jackson Peter then scored the game winner via an error.

The Saints won through perseverance and gritty play in clutch situations. They overcame a big disparity in extra-base hits: five such hits were recorded by New Munich tonight to just one by Elrosa (a double by Gavin Kampsen in the seventh inning). Kampsen had the hot bat for Elrosa tonight as he earned two singles, one double with one RBI and one run scored. Overall, Elrosa out-hit New Munich 12 to 10. New Munich's Ty Reller pitched a stellar game but took the loss in a fine complete-game effort (8 earned runs, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts).

Here's a lengthy video from the top of the 6th inning with Will VanBeck pitching for Elrosa:


And here's a long video featuring the bottom of the 8th inning when Elrosa regained the lead:


Next: the Saints head to Spring Hill on Sunday for a region seeding contest, which is also the Stearns County League North division championship. That game is set for 2:30 p.m. at Chargers Stadium against either Spring Hill or Greenwald. More details to come.

On Saturday, the Spring Hill Chargers host Greenwald with a 1:30 p.m. game featuring a 1-vs-4 match up in the SCL-North playoffs.

Don't forget about the Bonanza Valley Royal Strutters Jake's Day at the Belgrade Sportsmen's Club! Here's all the details: https://shorturl.at/p3sxf. This was advertised in multiple issues of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper.

Legion baseball advances in Sub-State playoffs (VIDEO)

In the Sub-State Division II playoffs, Brooten Post No. 288 won in walk-off fashion by a 2-1 score over visiting Sauk Centre to keep their season alive. The game was played at the B-B-E high school JV diamond due to Elrosa being the site of amateur baseball playoffs tonight. Post 288 trailed 1-0 going into the bottom of the seventh inning and scored both runs on two outs to raise their postseason record to 2-1. The tying run was scored by Walker Winter, and the game-winner was scored by Aiden Mueller on a wild pitch that glanced off of the Sauk Centre catcher's helmet. Next: the Brooten American Legion team travels west to Marthaler Field at Minnewaska Area high school tomorrow, Saturday, for a 5:30 p.m. game against top-seeded Glenwood-Lowry. To win the Sub-State title and advance to the next round of playoffs, Post 288 will have to beat Glenwood-Lowry twice.

Here's the video featuring the end of Post 288's win over Sauk Centre:


A new blog post will feature notes for the Elrosa Saints.

Two losses, one team still alive AND Jake's Day is tomorrow!

In a West Central 17-U American Legion playoff game last night, the B-B-E Jaguars fastpitch team lost 4-0 to Upsala. The Jaguars fell in spite of earning 8 hits to just 3 by the Cardinals. Mya Worms pitched and fired 10 strikeouts in the season-ending loss.

In their side of the West Central American Legion playoffs last night, the Brooten Legion Post No. 288 was limited to just 2 hits in a 6-0 loss to Glenwood-Lowry in a winner's bracket game of Sub-State Northeast. Post 288 stays alive and hosts an elimination bracket game in Belgrade (High School JV field) at 6:30 p.m. tonight (Friday) against either Osakis or Sauk Centre.

*Here's a video featuring a glimpse of the Bonanza Valley Days Car and Truck and Tractor show:


Also this weekend! Saturday...tomorrow, July 20...we have Jake's Day at the Belgrade shooting range and sportsmen's club. This event is advertised with a list of all 69 business sponsors in this week's Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper. Registration begins at 9 a.m. Last year's turnout was poor, so let's not repeat that this year! The Bonanza Valley Royal Strutters is sponsoring this event in conjunction with the National Wild Turkey Federation.

Click on this link to see more about Jake's Day, including a video from last year's event: https://shorturl.at/p3sxf.

Today is PLAYOFF day! Baseball and fastpitch

The Brooten Legion Post 288 baseball team continues the Division II American Legion playoffs tonight with a game at Minnewaska Area, where Post 288 will face Glenwood/Lowry with first pitch set for 6 p.m. at Marthaler Field.

In the West Central 17U American Legion fastpitch playoffs, the B-B-E Jaguars compete in the playoffs with their opening round in Melrose. The Jaguars face Upsala in a play-in round game at 4 p.m. at their varsity field north of the school complex (elementary). If they win, they advance to the double-elimination part of the tournament and face top-seeded Melrose at 6 p.m. at the same location tonight. The next day of playoffs is Saturday, July 20...but we will worry about that after tonight's games are completed!

Brooten Legion Post 288 wins playoff opener

On Monday night in the American Legion high school baseball playoff opener, Brooten Post No. 288 defeated Sauk Centre 10-0 on Monday in Elrosa. This advances them into the double-elimination format of the postseason. They now face top-seeded Glenwood-Lowry on Thursday this week at Minnewaska Area's Marthaler Field stadium at 6 p.m. Brooten is the No. 2 seed, while Sauk Centre was the No. 3 seed. In the fourth spot of our sub-pod of the West Central Division II playoffs is Osakis.

Bonanza Valley Days grand parade lineup! (VIDEO ADDED**)

This link can get you to the full list for the grand parade lineup: https://shorturl.at/mlmTm.

Share widely!

The Miss Brooten coronation was held on Sunday afternoon. Video is uploading. More to come.

**Here's the link to see the end of coronation: https://shorturl.at/qlzv2.

Brooten has much to be proud of. Some of this was based on pure luck, as a severe storm system that could have demolished our Saturday night fun passed by the town near midnight without causing problems beyond a brief period of high winds. The system was unstable, and it made sense to me for law enforcement and others to clear out the street dance and ask that people go indoors. Today, Sunday, the high reached into the upper 80s and made it "hot" for the parade. It felt good to me!

Here's a four-minute video where you can take in views from the Brooten Fire Department chicken BBQ on Friday night:


For the record: on Saturday morning across what was about a five-hour period, the Brooten area received 1 and 4/10ths of an inch of much-needed rain according to rain gauges at both my house in western Brooten and at the golf course in eastern Brooten. The rain hampered multiple activities in the morning, but ultimately, no BVD events were scrubbed. This is remarkable! The B-B-E wresting club was able to pull off their BVD Walk/Run in the rain. The 10-team BVD sand volleyball tournament also took place, and both of those events started on time. The six-team BVD men's softball tournament started about a couple hours late, but that also went off without a hitch. This is all rather incredible and a testament to the resolve of the organizers and those who participated! Bravo!!

I've been getting caught up on some SmugMug photo uploading. Here's the link to show the Summer Sports 2024 folder at the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper's online photo gallery: https://bonanzavalley.smugmug.com/Summer-Sports-2024.

Monday night update...
I've got the grand parade video posted online...you can watch Sunday's parade by clicking here: https://shorturl.at/tE2Tm. And here's the Belgrade city council meeting agenda: https://lifeinbonanzavalley.blogspot.com/2024/07/belgrade-city-council-meeting-agenda.html.

Bonanza Valley Days "Day III" is going really, really well (VIDEO)

As the rest of the country seems to be spiraling out of control, here in the Land of Rocks and Cows of rural Minnesota, Bonanza Valley specifically, we are enjoying an outstanding "Day III" of celebration in Brooten. We have so much to be proud of here!!

Here's another video from the Car and Tractor and Truck show:


The BVD Bean Bag tournament has 48 teams!!! This is awesome!!!

Saints' offense lights up the night (VIDEOS)

In back-to-back league games tonight on the home diamond, the Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team cleaned up in two blowout seven-inning wins to lift their Stearns County League North division record to 7-6 as they prepare for the playoffs.

After beating Meire Grove 11-1, the Saints then defeated Roscoe 15-1 to move to 12-7 overall.

In game one, picking up the win in relief was Wyatt Steffensen, who pitched the last four innings with three hits after Ashton Dingmann started and went three innings with two hits. Against Roscoe in the nightcap, Ethan Vogt earned the complete game win with three hits, no earned runs, one walk and four strikeouts.

I have been pinned down by Bonanza Valley Days in Brooten along with some light carpentry at my office, plus some back-alley area cleaning. All things that have been pushed off until the last minute! The UPSIDE is that my sign is hung in front of my office again on main street...we are ready for Saturday!

Here's a video from tonight at the Brooten city park and softball diamond:


More to come much later tonight. I have already surpassed approximately 430 pictures for Bonanza Valley Days. Uff da.

Here's a web article providing a light update on BVD featuring what went down in Brooten today: https://shorturl.at/xlQMS.

Here's a video from Saturday morning in Brooten:


Just shy of 11 a.m. on Saturday, we got another downpour of rain. The music is still playing, and people are moving in and out of the downtown businesses while enjoying the show. At the city park, activities are busy with men's slowpitch softball plus the sand volleyball and the craft/vendor show.

Success to close out regular season: 17U fastpitch splits with Upsala (VIDEOS)

To close out the regular season with a home contest tonight, the B-B-E Jaguars fastpitch team turned in two terrific performances in a West Central 17-U American Legion doubleheader with Upsala. Facing what was an experienced lineup, the youthful Jaguars relinquished an early 2-0 lead in game one in a 4-2 extra innings (six innings) loss.

In game two, the Jaguars trailed 7-6 in the top of the third before falling behind 9-6. The deficit swelled to 12-6 before they rallied with five runs in the top of the fourth. Their 12-11 deficit was erased in the top of the fifth inning, when they scored six runs to pull ahead 17-12. Upsala got one run back in the bottom of the fifth inning as the Jaguars won 17-13. This evened their regular season record at 5-5. Playoffs are set to take place next Thursday, July 18.

Here's a post-game video tonight...with an exciting moment included:


Here's video from the bottom of the fourth inning tonight:


More to come. I heard that the Brooten/B-B-E Legion baseball team lost tonight to Glenwood-Lowry in a game at Marthaler Field at Minnewaska Area high school.

I've got lots of reporting to do for Bonanza Valley Days in Brooten, which kicked off in perfect fashion tonight with back-to-back events featuring a terrific Farmers Market and then the BVD Worship in the Park. It was really a perfect night. I have much to say about it! I believe we have built up a tremendous level of interest and excitement for BVD 2024. My Bonanza Valley Voice web article on BVD food options, posted just a few days ago, has over 500 views!

Finally, FINALLY! I had time to dig out video featuring the Blonde and the Bohunk band, who will be the feature band for BVD on Saturday night this weekend on main street. I found the promotional video for their band which was posted about four years ago.

VIDEO:


That BVD Saturday night street dance starts at about 8:30 p.m. just as the BVD Bean Bag tournament will be winding down.

Just one more day to prepare for BVD 2024!

It's late Tuesday night, and we now have just 24 hours left to prepare for the start of Bonanza Valley Days in Brooten. The four-day celebration begins on Thursday. Tonight, Boyce Fischer is trekking around town in the city's John Deere lawn tractor while spraying for mosquitoes, a task that began a couple nights ago and will continue for a couple more nights.

Fun fact: on June 17, a web article with the BVD poster images was added to the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website...and then it was shared to Facebook where it's received over 2,700 user views! Plus 500 user engagements. This is tremendous! Also, another BVD article was posted at the newspaper's website on June 30...that article has over 1,280 user views and around 150 user engagements. A June 13 web article on Bonanza Valley Days at The Voice website currently has over 1,500 views!

Here's a BVD food article posted at the newspaper's website (short link): https://shorturl.at/4g3j4.

I hope you're taking time this week to acclimate yourself to the heat!

In baseball news...the Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team will host a doubleheader this Friday, July 12. The doubleheader features Roscoe at 6 p.m. and then Meire Grove at 8:30 p.m. to conclude the regular season. Yes, town team baseball playoffs are just around the corner!

And some incredible breaking news!
B-B-E's Luke Dingmann has earned the prestigious Hengstler-Ranweiler Award from the West Central Tribune newspaper. He is the 2024 male recipient of this award, which has been given out each year since 1961 (for male athletes). In football, where he rewrote the entire quarterback record book at B-B-E, he passed for a career total of 5,103 yards! Wow!

Saints continue to heat up summer (VIDEOS)

The Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team won their seventh straight game today by defeating New Munich 7-3 in a Stearns County League North game. They now hold a 9-7 overall record including exhibition contests. In the SCL-North standings, the Saints pull into third place with a 5-6 record.

The Saints posted four runs in the top of the second inning, and the scoring started with Derek Wiener hitting a solo home run. Elrosa made it a 5-0 lead in the third. After they added two additional runs in the seventh, the Silverstreaks rallied in the bottom of the ninth with three runs before they ran out of outs. Jackson Peter and Gavin Kampsen also earned extra base hits with one double each.

Elrosa had 10 hits to 8 for the host Silverstreaks. Will VanBeck started and got the win with 8 1/3 innings pitched. Wyatt Steffensen earned the save with the Saints recording the last two outs with him on the mound. New Munich's Ty Reller was tagged with the loss (7 innings).

Here's action today at New Munich starting with Jackson Peter at the plate facing Ty Reller in the top of the fourth inning:


Next: an exhibition game on Wednesday, July 10 in Elrosa against the Paynesville Pirates. First pitch is set for 7:30 p.m. Following that, Meire Grove is set to come to Elrosa on Friday, July 12. The Roscoe game has not been rescheduled.

Good luck tonight to the Elrosa Saints Little Dipper team, as they enter the SCL playoffs as the No. 7 seed. They face No. 2-seeded Farming in Farming at 6:30 p.m.

Here's a video from a week ago with Greenwald in Elrosa; this is in the bottom of the 8th inning:


More to come.

And just for fun...finally posting this...it was a fun moment! At the Gary Breitbach Memorial golf tournament on June 29 at Prairie View Golf Course.

Duane Braegelman knocks down a great putt:


Stearns County League baseball scores on July 7:
Spring Hill 14, Meire Grove 13 (this was a continuation of a game halted earlier in the season due to the weather; action started today with Spring Hill ahead 11-10 in the seventh inning)
Spring Hill 7, Meire Grove 3
Lake Henry 3, Roscoe 0
Farming 8, Greenwald 1

Food options summary for Bonanza Valley Days in Brooten!
At the Lucky Shots Bowling Alley on main street in Brooten, they will have open kids bowling from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, July 13. Also! On Lucky Shots Bowling Alley will be grilling brats and hamburgers for sale and also single slices of pizza when open during the BVD weekend.

RJ's Mini Mart, the Backyard Burger drive-in, Marcia's Bar and Grill plus the KaDe Shack will also all be serving food. At the KaDe Shack, they will shut down their kitchen at approximately noon on Saturday, July 13 and be serving only drinks the rest of the day/evening. On Saturday morning, the KaDe Shack will have Tom's hearty breakfast buffet from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. partly to help feed the huge crowd coming to town for the BVD Car and Tractor Show.

Other food vendors are coming to town as well. More on that to come later. I plan to make most updates on this at the Bonanza Valley Voice website, and you can find the BVD food options web article here: https://shorturl.at/muaOI. The July 11 printed newspaper will also have this information.

Special Taher Foods summer meals program announcement:
On Friday, July 12, Tahar will crank up their summer meals to accommodate the extra influx of children who will be in Brooten for the BVD youth baseball tournament. They will have hamburgers to serve up to 200 children between 11 a.m. and noon on Friday. The food will include extra components to qualify as a federally reimbursable meal, and the food will also be served to-go as needed to help keep the kids coming and going and well fed! Please spread the word. These meals are FREE!!!

Saints vs. Rangers postponed; today is GAME DAY!

Due to wet field conditions last night, the Elrosa Saints vs. Roscoe Rangers amateur baseball game has been postponed. The Saints will travel to New Munich today, however, for a division contest against the Silverstreaks. First pitch is at 1:30 p.m. A win would move Elrosa into third place by a half-game margin in the Stearns County League North.

SCL-North amateur baseball standings as of Saturday, July 6:
1.) Spring Hill (6-3)
2.) Greenwald (6-4)
3.) New Munich (5-6)
4.) Elrosa (4-6)
5.) Meire Grove (1-9)

Been busy, preparation continues for Bonanza Valley Days!

Even thought it's still one week away, we are in what I call "peak time" as the community of Brooten prepares for the annual Bonanza Valley Days celebration. This year's theme is "Redneck Olympics: Back for More in 2024!" We recently printed a final batch of BVD posters, so I need to get them blanketed around the area. Here's the latest web article on Bonanza Valley Days at the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website: https://shorturl.at/kWNmw.

Other chunks of my free time has been consumed by the entry of a three-on-three team in the upcoming Hoops by the Lake tournament in Spicer, which is Saturday, July 6. My youngest daughter is joining three older girls (Class of 2031 players) for this prestigious tournament that's ran in part by Joey Dreier, son of legendary head coach Mike Dreier of New London-Spicer. The younger Dreier reported to me last week that they have over 90 teams signed up!! That is crazy! In a good way! Our B-B-E entry with the team name "Bonanza Valley 11s" will tip off at 8 a.m. on courts set up at the parking lot of Zorbas in Spicer.

In other news, here's a video featuring the live auction held last Saturday at the Gary Breitbach Memorial golf tournament in Brooten: https://shorturl.at/m7QmZ.

Don't forget! the Brooten Farmers Market will be held on the Fourth of July. They will operate from 4 to 7 p.m. and probably in the Brooten Pavilion due to the rain.

Change of pace: live music at Goat Ridge Brewing (VIDEO)

On Saturday, my wife and I enjoyed a peaceful evening at Goat Ridge Brewing Co. in New London. They were hosting a live music performance by Libby Water's Jazzy Jubilee in their backyard performance venue. This setting is marvelous and has a scenic view of the Middle Fork of the Crow River.

Here's a performance of "Bad Romance" at Goat Ridge Brewing on Saturday, June 29:


Fastpitch softball summer news...
I finally caught up with B-B-E fastpitch head coach Logan Funk to hear how the 17-U summer season is going. The varsity-level Jaguars currently hold a 4-4 record after falling in a doubleheader to Melrose Area last Thursday in Melrose. All thing said, it's been a great summer for his team as they are getting numerous JV-level players on board and up to speed at the next level. The 17-U's next game is on Thursday, July 11 at home against Upsala. This will also conclude the regular season, with playoffs set to begin the following week.

That's all I've got tonight. The July 4 issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper prints in less than 10 hours...one day early! So I've got my work cut out tonight to get it ready for the printing press.