Farm Bureau Breakfast on the Farm is coming (SPORTS show video added)

While it is unfortunate that I'm down to the last minute to give extra promotion here, it's better late than never...the annual Pope County Farm Bureau Breakfast on the Farm event is heading east into Stearns County for a special Labor Day event starting at 8 a.m. tomorrow. It will be located at one of the Anderson Farms locations at 44338 County Road 19, Belgrade. This is roughly one mile west of the Belgrade Menard's Fixtures plant.

You can see additional details by clicking over to the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website: https://shorturl.at/pRF0P.

Here's a direct link to view the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper's photo gallery from the Breakfast on the Farm event two years ago at Rolling Forks Vineyard in rural Glenwood: https://encr.pw/qjneu.

And shifting gears a little back to sports...currently, I'm with family and our camper at Pomme de Terre campgrounds just outside of Morris. We spent the last night here and are enjoying a little time "out west" in Stevens County. My voice has come back somewhat after I pushed it to the limit for our volleyball team last week. It was worth it! It is always worth expending the extra effort needed to help our teams win!

Here's our sports department's Fall Sports Show No. 2 of the season, featuring Friday Night Lights I:


One error in the sports show...the football team racked up over 300 yards of offense, not under 300 yards. The Flyers tallied 294 net yards of offense. Full statistics from the game will be published in the September 5 issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper.

I'll get additional information on West Central Area's football team posted in a new blog post on Monday...or Tuesday. The Knights are 1-0 after defeating the Polk County West Thunder 38-12 at Climax, Minnesota. Polk County West is a co-op team that includes student-athletes from East Grand Forks Sacred Heart and Climax-Fisher high schools. In 2023, Polk County West had a 5-5 record with a 1-1 showing in the Section 8A playoffs. In their preseason preview in the Grand Forks Herald newspaper, their coach stated that they had ample depth with roughly 18 players expected to have significant playing time.

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.

Heading to the 'Ship!

It continues to be GO TIME! The Saints are heading to the 'Ship!

The Elrosa Saints Little Dipper baseball team is headed to the championship! They defeated No. 1-seeded Spring Hill 5-3 tonight in the Stearns County League semifinals. It was an incredible game to watch! Next: the No. 4-seeded Saints face No. 2-seeded Roscoe in the championship game (TBA).

Here's video from the bottom of the third inning and then the top of the fourth inning tonight at Chargers Stadium:


More to come later.

ANNOUNCEMENT: tomorrow's (Monday) school board meeting will be held at the Belgrade Co-op headquarters in the Belgrade Industrial Park. The meeting begins at 7 p.m.

#RocksAndCows

It's been quite a day, and the Saints win! (VIDEO)

The Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team won 2-0 tonight over Starbuck. And after that, we prayed for rain at Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Elrosa with a crowd of at least 150 farmers and concerned local citizens. That was a very special experience, although what's happening with the drought conditions is tough to witness.

Elrosa's next game is tomorrow night at 8 p.m. The Saints will play the winner of Saturday's 10 a.m. game between Sartell and Fergus Falls.

The Tri City Sharks and Rogers Red Devils will square off at noon in Elrosa on Saturday. That's all I've got now. It's Saturday morning as I type this and I have to get to the state clay trapshooting meet ASAP! That's in Alexandria at 10:30 a.m.

Here's the National Anthem prior to tonight's game:


Here's video from the bottom of the second inning when the Saints scored their first run of the game:

When you're in Elrosa this weekend, be sure to stop and patronize Bucky's Bar and Bayer Gas and Grocery! They are loyal and steady supporters of both the Elrosa baseball program plus the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper. Thank you for your support!

More to come.

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!

Notch is new District 5 County Commissioner

Click on this link to read more about the election at the Sauk Centre Herald website:
http://www.saukherald.com/articles/2014/01/28/all-precincts-reportingthe-results-are-district-5-seat

Roads still closed at 07:30

 

A view of our state on 511mn.org at 07:30 today.

ATTENTION: These highways are still reported as closed or blocked: US 2, MN 4, US 10, MN 11, US 14, MN 15, MN 19, MN 28, MN 60, MN 62, US 71, I-90, I-94 west. Please be sure you and your family are aware that motorists driving on closed roads in Minnesota can face fines of up to $1,000 and/or 90 days in jail. In addition, if a driver needs to be rescued after crossing a barricade illegally, the state will charge for the emergency help and will also add other penalties.

If you had to be at work this morning, I hope you went there yesterday afternoon and stayed the night.

God's definitely trying to see who among us has patience. Please don't take actions that will cause problems for snow plow drivers this morning. They need to do their job in order to dig us out of this mess.

ATTENTION: Sheriff's announcement

Stearns County Sheriff John L. Sanner is advising no travel in Stearns County due to deep snow drifts, high winds and blowing snow with white out conditions.  Minnesota State Highways 15, 4 and 71 are closed in areas due to snow drifts 5-6 feet in depth.  Snow and blowing snow are making for complete white out conditions in open areas.  Emergency responders are limited by the road conditions, which could result in response delays should a motorist become stranded. 

No travel is advised until snow removal crews have cleared the roadways and the conditions improve.

Motorists driving on closed roads can face fines of up to $1,000 and/or 90 days in jail. In addition, if a driver needs to be rescued after crossing a barricade illegally, the state will charge for the emergency help and will also add other penalties.

This is pretty exciting (St. Martin)

Any time I hear about new jobs being created in our area, I get excited.

In reading this week's Paynesville Press this morning, I read that a business called Smart'n Recycling in St. Martin is planning a comprehensive recycling facility that would utilize such things as asphalt shingles, tires, construction debris, wood products and food byproducts. Their plan includes developing a 60-acre plot north of St. Martin and the creation of up to 100 new jobs.

Wow!

Okay it gets better than that...Roto-Chopper, also in St. Martin, is planning an expansion to their business. To top it off, Liberty Tire, a national tire recycling company, is looking to expand their business in St. Martin.

Santa Claus is coming to Elrosa!

I just saw that Santa Claus will visit Elrosa this Saturday at the CCD building from 9:30am to 10:30am.

Winter blasts northern Stearns County

Video taken at 14:49 on Monday afternoon:

Incredible semi accident by Belgrade

Shown is the front end of the trailer, flipped on its side. The front half of the trailer was crumpled up like a pop can.

The semi tractor sitting on a rollback owned by Ed's Service Center in Willmar.

The accident happened some time on Monday morning. I took these photos at around 12:30 pm.

**Update -  for the record, here's what I learned from a State Trooper:  the driver of the semi apparently overcorrected his semi tractor while trying to come back off of the shoulder. This happened at about 8:30 am this morning a little under 2 miles west of Belgrade on Highway 55. The driver suffered just a cut on his forehead and miraculously walked away from the crash. The semi trailer was hauling herbicide. No herbicide leaked from the trailer.

No other vehicles were involved.

Vote early, vote often!

Just kidding.

Seriously though, if you live in Stearns County come out to vote today in the District 5 County Commissioner primary. It's a very important election for our little corner of the world.

Quite the storm activity lately

A scene from Monday on Oswald Avenue in Belgrade, where clean up mode was going at full steam.

Cleaning up on Lowry Avenue...three trees came down in this yard.

It's just wreaked havoc on everyone's lives as folks across central Minnesota have been cleaning up their places in the aftermath of a huge wind and rain storm that passed by early on Friday morning last week.

No injuries reported in train/semi accident near Belgrade

A video clip of the accident scene is below...showing the semi wreck, and then at the end, a shot of the two-car train that collided with the truck at the Liebl Farms crossing along Highway 55...


The accident took place at approximately 12:15pm today. No injuries were reported, and the semi truck driver was walking and did not require medical attention following the accident. The Brooten/Belgrade police department, Stearns County Sheriff and State Highway Patrol all responded to the accident. The driver of the semi is from Atwater, and the semi rig is owned by the Stamer Farms conglomerate.

Read more in next week's Sauk Centre Herald. You can view a photo album of pictures of the accident scene at http://saukherald.mycapture.com