Business open house in Crow River Township is next Monday

Click here to see what I'm referring to: https://shorturl.at/2Y9m3.

I noticed the latest Minnesota football media state rankings show our B-B-E Jaguars football team sitting at No. 15 with 13 votes. Cool! On paper, they are not the underdogs going into Friday's game at Swanville.

Wednesday night: due to the politically driven assassination of Charlie Kirk, a man who I held deep respect for and spent countless hours listening and watching across the past 5+ years, blogging will be on hold until Thursday. Today is a very, deeply dark day.

Big event tonight for the Belgrade Lions! (VIDEO)

Click to read all about it at the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper.

Link: https://shorturl.at/sNTT7.

Before this event, or during this event, don't miss out on the Brooten Farmers Market. You can read more on that here: https://shorturl.at/yPtdA. That runs 4 to 7 p.m., so you can take in both events in each town. Yes, you can!

Let's go back to Bonanza Valley Days! This event featured in the video was sponsored and hosted by the B-B-E Jaguars Wrestling Club.

Here's a video from the finish line of the Bonanza Valley Days Walk-Run event:


Other news has been updated at the Bonanza Valley Voice website: https://www.bonanzavalleyvoice.com.

Tonight! The B-B-E Jaguars fastpitch 17-U American Legion team will play in the West Central Sub-Region playoffs. Their first game is at 5 p.m. at Minnewaska Area. It is a two-game evening. Depending on the outcome of the 5 o'clock game, the Jaguars will play for third place or for first place in the second game this evening.

In the 5 p.m. game, the Jaguars face No. 3-seeded Albany. It's a HUGE game! More to come later tonight.

West Central Sub-Region fastpitch seeding:
1. Melrose Area
2. B-B-E
3. Albany
4. Glenwood-Lowry
5. Sauk Centre

You gotta see this! Equine competition at Smilin' D Arena (VIDEO)

Click to see what it is all about: https://shorturl.at/wVsr9. Jack Anderson, featured in the video, is a 7th grader at B-B-E middle school.

The official website for Smilin' D Arena is https://smilindarena.com.

Some sports updates...
The Section 2A dance meet will take place tonight instead of tomorrow at New London-Spicer high school. The weather was the driving factor behind the schedule adjustment.

At halftime...the B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team holds a 21-10 lead at Paynesville.

Update: with 6:45 left, the Bulldogs are ahead 37-35. More to come in a new blog post.

Live music at Smilin' D Arena (VIDEO)

Last Friday night, I enjoyed time out at Smilin' D Arena in Colfax Township. The evening featured live music by the Hell Country Truckers band.

Here's a video of part of the concert:


Tonight is home cooking! For our girls' basketball team. More to come.

Also, looking ahead a bit...on Thursday this week, the boys' basketball team travels to Holdingford. That game will be aired on Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood.

Back in catching-up mode, website updates and Santa Day!

The Brooten community hosted a marvelous Santa Day on Saturday this weekend. Before I get to that...

Click your attention over to the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website to watch a short video from the Norway Lake Lutheran Historical Association's Advent worship service held one week ago at the old log church in Arctander Township: https://shorturl.at/GYMBA. Other updates have been posted in the last couple of days to the newspaper website, and I still have to get updates to the community calendar. Also! You can visit the newspaper's website and watch the video of the Santa Day lighted Christmas parade held last night in downtown Brooten.

Also, the meeting agenda for the Brooten city council meeting has been posted at my editor's blog: https://lifeinbonanzavalley.blogspot.com.

Almost two weeks ago, the B-B-E high school's Boxscore Sports podcasters interviewed head coach Austin Rambow. I thought it was an outstanding interview, and I really enjoyed hearing Coach Rambow's comments on being a three-sport athlete.

Here's that Boxscore Sports podcast:


Coming up: the boys' basketball team has a huge, huge Sub-Section 6A-South contest on Tuesday night with Benson coming to town.

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.

It's GAME DAY in Jaguar Country! (VIDEOS)

Today is a big day in Jaguar Country! We've had home cooking in tennis and volleyball this fall, but now it's time for the B-B-E Jaguars football team to put themselves at center stage on their own territory as they host Benson tonight in a sub-district game.

Kickoff is at 7 p.m. at the B-B-E high school in Belgrade. The game will also be aired on Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood if you live too far away to make cheering in person a practical matter. I'll get their website link added shortly. Here's the link to their website, which will stream the game: https://www.kmgk1071.com. Pregame coverage starts at 6:45 p.m. Thanks, Brady!

Here's a video recorded late in the third quarter last Friday in Barrett:


*Here's a post-game video interview with senior Ryan Jensen last week standing outside West Central Area high school:


Ryan Jensen is one of 12 seniors on this year's football team. They are a huge reason why the team has a 2-0 start so far this fall. The excitement is sky high for the potential of this team!

More to come. Game updates will be added to this blog post tonight.

GAME UPDATES...
**After the first quarter, the Jaguars are ahead 14 to 0.
Halftime: BBE 42, Benson 10.
More to come in a new blog post.

Make sure to support our local business sponsors! This blog post is sponsored by Bucky's Bar of Elrosa and Coop's Corner of Belgrade.

Volleyball battling at MACCRAY (UPDATES)

The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team is battling at the home of the MACCRAY Wolverines tonight in their second non-conference game to start the season. The Jaguars had a great start to the match and won game one by a 25-22 score. I don't see a radio station here. More updates to follow!

UPDATE: after holding a 21-17 lead in game two, the Jaguars suffered a very tough 26-24 loss in extra points in game two. The third set is about to begin at 19:08!

***The Jaguars won game three 25 to 22.

More to come in a new blog post with video!

Norway Lake Lutheran Historical Association anniversary (VIDEO)

The Norway Lake Lutheran Historical Association hosted their 24th annual anniversary celebration this past Sunday at the organization's old log church site in Arctander Township, rural Sunburg. Below is a video from the end of the program, which focused on the 1873 blizzard that killed at least 84 Minnesotans in January of that year. Newspaper issues of the Bonanza Valley Voice back in January and February included extensive coverage of that blizzard as it related to families in Norway Lake Township in the neighborhood that I grew up in.

VIDEO:


Today is a big day for staff, parents and students in Jaguar Country! This is open house day at both school buildings. Exciting times just as the temperatures outside are screaming towards 100 degrees. Yikes! As of 13:30 this afternoon, the temperature in Brooten is 94 degrees. The estimated high is 97 degrees. This reminds me of the weather I often experienced as a child back in the 1980s, when days like today were not unusual at all.

WEATHER update: it appears that we topped out between 97 and 98 degrees. Yikes! This was the hottest day of the summer. I am fairly certain it was hotter than any of the hottest days we had last summer. It still has not surpassed 100 degrees locally in at least 10 years if not more. I think you'd have to go back to the 2000s or 1990s to find a day where the temperature climbed past 100 degrees in central Minnesota.

Region 15C baseball: Elrosa vs. New Munich (VIDEO)

The storied rivalry that is Elrosa vs. New Munich continues today with a big first-round match up between the two juggernauts in the Region 15C amateur baseball tournament. The Saints and Silverstreaks will face off at about 2:30 p.m. in Lake Henry. Updates to come that will be posted below the video.

*Here's a short video from the end of the first playoff game back on July 22 in Elrosa...


The last blog post features other region baseball news plus notes on the Pope County Fair in Glenwood.

Elrosa vs. New Munich game updates...
FIRST pitch for the game was at 14:41. On a deep ding that bounced off the outfield fence, a GREAT relay from left fielder Will VanBeck to second baseman Gavin Kampsen gave the Saints the third out to end the top of the first inning. Umpire Dennis Boecker made the call...out at second!

**Through two and a half innings, the Silverstreaks hold a 4-0 lead after getting two two-run homers.
**Through four and a half innings, the Silverstreaks are ahead 5-1.

**With 8 innings complete, New Munich leads 6-1.

FINAL: New Munich 6, Elrosa 1. The Saints play in an elimination game tomorrow at approximately 4:00 p.m. back in Lake Henry. 

Final score in St. Martin on Saturday night: Kimball 13, New Munich 3; the Kimball Express earn the region's first state tournament bid. They play next Friday, August 11 at St. Martin in the Region 15C championship game against the winner of tomorrow's 11 a.m. game.

 

 
THANK YOU to Paul Gruber Baling and Bayer Gas and Grocery of Elrosa for sponsoring this region baseball update!

Jake's Day is today (VIDEOS)

Reason No. 1,875 why the land of Rocks and Cows is the best place to live and raise a family! This reason I'm talking about is Jake's Day, an annual youth shooting/gun safety/conservation event sponsored by the Bonanza Valley Royal Strutters organization. This event runs until noon/12:30 at the Belgrade Sportsmen's shooting range.

Here's Joanna Carroll with her dad firing a muzzleloader rifle last year:


This is sponsored by a record-high 78 area businesses!!! Outstanding! Can you believe it? Last year they had 75 sponsors. It has been advertised all throughout the month of July in the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper. And yes, I am one of those proud sponsors.

Here's a video from yesterday at the Stearns County Fair with Gig Noonan performing on the Sauk Centre Herald stage:


The Stearns County Fair continues today in Sauk Centre and concludes tomorrow (Sunday) at 6 p.m. The full schedule of events is in this week's Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper on page 7.

Miss Brooten royal court crowned for 2023-2024 (VIDEO LINK)

Here's the link to be able to watch the coronation program held today at the Brooten Pavilion: https://tinyurl.com/2skdu8db.

*Here's a short video from the Bonanza Valley Days Saturday night street dance held last night:


It's been a hell of a great weekend. That's just a fact! Also, it is never too early to start your plans to make BVD a huge success for next year! The dates for BVD 2024 are July 11, 12, 13 and 14.

I have much to get caught up on with the Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team (in a new blog post).

Today is Independence Day

Because I am swamped by getting the July 6 newspaper done and preparing for the full force of Bonanza Valley Days, all I've got to share currently is this column by U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar...click: https://rb.gy/f4ls6. Below is a video from a past Bonanza Valley Days celebration that I haven't posted before.

Amanda Watkins and Cal Ecker perform at BVD 2022 last July 10...


This year's Saturday night street dance band is 32 Below, which draws their own crowd from town to town. We are going to have a packed main street in Brooten on Saturday night!!

Elrosa Saints defeat Regal..and Greenwald

In an exhibition game under the lights at Gumby Bauer Stadium tonight, the Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team defeated their neighbors to the southeast, Regal, by a 7-1 score. They led 4-0 after three innings, and the Eagles picked up their lone run in the top of the fifth.

Riley Meyer picked up the win for Elrosa in 6 1/3 innings (H-2 R-1 ER-0 BB-4 K-3), and Wyatt Steffensen was the closer (H-2 R-0 BB-2 K-2). Jackson Peter doubled and tripled for the Saints with two RBI and three runs scored. The Saints piled up 10 hits to just 4 by Regal.

NEXT: the Saints (3-2 overall) travel to Greenwald on Sunday afternoon to face their neighbors to the east in a Stearns County League North division game.

I finally got the video posted from the Brooten American Legion Memorial Day program at the Pavilion last Monday morning. You can find that by clicking over to the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website: https://tinyurl.com/579ma9um. I sure wish more local citizens would attend our Memorial Day programs. It is especially important that families with children attend them. Every day it seems that the citizenry of the United States becomes less and less patriotic. This is a rotten SHAME.

On Sunday in Greenwald, the Saints won 7-2 thanks to a five-run seventh inning to run their winning streak to four games. Payton VanBeck struck out 12 batters. Elrosa (5-2 overall, 4-2 Stearns County League North) is two games out of first place behind division unbeaten New Munich (6-0).

NEXT: the Saints host Greenwald this Friday night and then step out of the SCL with an exhibition game in Avon against the Lakers.

Reminder: Highway 71 closed near Crow River Lutheran church

Spring flooding has claimed a southbound route from Belgrade via Highway 71.

For the time being, motorists are being re-routed south of Belgrade with Highway 71 being closed near Crow River Lutheran church. The detour takes people west from the Menards campus on County Road 13 over to County Road 18 (Stearns County) which becomes County Road 1 in Kandiyohi County. Then the detour shifts onto County Road 5 to State Highway 9, and then motorists can travel east back to Highway 71 to the Pete's Surplus corner.

Reminder: when a road is closed it is illegal to travel in that area. Motorists can be fined up to $1,000 and/or 90 days in jail. In addition, if travelers need to be rescued from a closed road, other expenses and penalties will apply.

In other news...
Click over to the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website to read about upcoming entertainment coming to Central Square and Civic Center in Glenwood (short link): https://bit.ly/3MGiRz7.

The snow is subsiding

Here's a glimpse of the high school parking lot and then the football stadium from on top of the hill on Saturday, April 1. The video begins with B-B-E senior Paige Klaphake in an impromptu snowball fight with her brother, Austin.

VIDEO:


Today we will surpass 70 degrees! I expect we will lose half of the snow that was on the ground when we woke up this morning.

Digging out! (VIDEO)

We just had another interesting weekend in the Bonanza Valley...as you either experienced in person or heard from other sources...last Friday night, the Bonanza Valley area received over 6 inches of wet, heavy snow. This created many headaches the next morning for anyone who had to get anywhere (our family had to get to Junior Olympics volleyball in Sauk Centre)...

Below, city staff in Brooten are shown clearing snow from main street on Saturday morning:


Time to get back to writing. The next newspaper issue will be published in the next 24 hours.

Winter sports are a wrap (VIDEOS)

...well, they're almost a wrap!

We still have postseason awards to announce from our winter sports, and hopefully we can cover that across the next couple of weeks. In the mean time, we can still look back and reflect on and enjoy the terrific March playoff action we enjoyed taking in.

Here's the tail end of the post-game press conference at Williams Arena after the girls' basketball team lost to Mountain Iron-Buhl:


*Here's the B-B-E Pep Band performing the school song at Williams Arena at the end of halftime of the state semifinal game:


More to come here on Thursday.

STATE quarterfinals! (UPDATES)

This is where state tournament updates will be posted today after 1 p.m. for our B-B-E Jaguars girls' basketball team's quarterfinal game against Underwood! Their head coach, Brian Hoverud, was in his first season leading the program when his Rockets defeated our girls' basketball team 57-51 to go to state in March of 2005. I still remember that game! We were in it all the way to the bitter end.

**HERE'S that moment!!! The rare and special moment when you see a team advance to state!


More to come. Updates to follow after 13:00! THIS game is aired on both The Train 106.5 FM and Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood...you can Google their websites and listen online as well.

**STATE QUARTERFINAL UPDATES...
With 14:20 to go, the Jaguars have an 8 to 6 lead. Then with 7 minutes and 14 seconds to go, the Rockets have a 20 to 15 lead.

Halftime: Jaguars 31, Rockets 25. Scoring: Jaeger 2, Berge 9, Hagen 3. That is all that's on the board. I'll have to just take a picture of the scoreboard when they get the starters back in to start the second half.

In the second half the Jaguars are ahead 51 to 37 with 5 minutes to go.
With 3 minutes and 15 seconds to go, the Jaguars have a 53 to 42 lead. 

FINAL: BBE 60, Underwood 44. 

The Jaguars play at 12 p.m. tomorrow at The Barn. Their opponent will be top-seeded Mountain Iron-Buhl. The roads are getting tough. By 3:30 p.m., the temperatures in the cities are dropping below 32°. The newspaper's entourage will be staying in the cities tonight. I'll get a new blog post added by 5:00 p.m. today.

A NEW blog post was added at 6 p.m. tonight!

 
THANK YOU TO THESE FINE SPONSORS!!

Pep Fests! (VIDEO)

Two pep fests are planned for tomorrow, Wednesday, for our STATE-BOUND girls' basketball team! The elementary will hold their pep fest at 1 p.m., and the high school's pep fest starts at 2:15 p.m. before the team is sent off for state at 3 p.m. sharp!

Tonight we pray for safe travels for the team and family members who traveled to the RiverCentre in St. Paul for the Minnesota girls' basketball state banquet. The team returns later tonight and then has school tomorrow morning leading into the back-to-back pep fests.

**Here's video from the middle of the second half of the Barnum game last Friday:


Note how I said, "They don't need to score" and just at that point, Abby Berge drove along the baseline and scored in the low post...of course they needed to keep the flow of the game going! Dummy. I digress.

The Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper's website is the go-to place to catch up quickly on area community events coming up. You can find that by clicking here (short link): https://bit.ly/3Jgxwh6.

**Speaking of the newspaper's website...I added a special video to the web article posted there regarding the state tournament seeding. You can read the article and watch the video by clicking on the following short link: https://bit.ly/42bizFR.