2015 Sleepy Eye

news roundup

January

3 – Ron Zinniel became the new Sleepy Eye Fire Chief. He replaced Tom Moldaschel who served more than 27 years on the fire department. Moldaschel said he planned to stay on the department, serving as a mentor until the end of the summer.

7 – Rohan Sobania was the first 2015 baby born at the Sleepy Eye Medical Center. His parents are Jessie and Matthew Sobania of Montrose. He weighed seven pounds, ten ounces and was 19.5 inches long. Grandparents are Curt and Ann Miller and Claude and Linda Sobania.

8 – After three days of closed testimony and deliberation, a Brown County Grand Jury ruled that Miguel “Mike” A. Vasquez of Springfield could be charged with first-degree murder. He was earlier charged with second-degree murder and arson involving the Sept. 25, 2014 slaying of 23-year-old Amber Lechuga of Springfield. Vasquez made a 911 call about an assault near the Cottonwood River south of Sleepy Eye. Law enforcement later found him walking toward Sleepy Eye on Highway 4, with burns and smelling of gasoline.

February

2 – The Minnesota Department of Education nominated Sleepy Eye Public Schools as one of eight state schools eligible for the 2015 National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence Award. Some 235 schools across the country were nominated for the award.

4 – Jill Berdan of SouthPoint Federal Credit Union and the Sleepy Eye Fire Dept. were honored at the Sleepy Eye Area Chamber of Commerce annual meeting. Berdan received the Shining Star award. The fire department was named Extraordinary Volunteer of the Year.

9 – Sleepy Eye High School junior Jose Schieffert was named a 2015 ExCEL state finalist. Sponsored by the Minnesota State High School League, the award stands for excellence in community education and leadership. Schieffert is among 32 state finalists named.

10 – The Sleepy Eye City Council unanimously approved a $339,549.75 business subsidy agreement for Kibble Equipment Inc., the country’s largest John Deere dealer, to build a $3.5 million, 48,000 square-foot implement business on 15 acres of land in the Snow Farm property just south of U.S. Highway 14 on the east edge of town.

26 – Deb Moldaschel of Sleepy Eye began working as the Sleepy Eye Herald Dispatch editor/writer. She replaced Terri Melheim who moved on to pursue other interests. Moldaschel owns and operates Curves of Sleepy Eye. She formerly served as the Sleepy Eye Chamber of Commerce Director, Sleepy Eye Medical Center Community Relations Coordinator and wrote for the River Valley Woman magazine.

March

5 – The Inn of Sven Gables motel was sold to the sole bidder and original lender, Leeward Strategic Properties, Inc., Norwalk, Ct., for $402,000 at a mortgage foreclosure sale at the Brown County Sheriff’s Office.

11 – After receiving 13 new hospital beds with gel mattresses for patients and care-givers in patient rooms at Sleepy Eye Medical Center, the “old beds” were donated transported to Hutchinson before being shipped to the Friends of San Lucas Toliman mission in Guatemala as a donation.

12 – Sleepy Eye High School 8th grader Juan Mora won the school National Geography Bee and qualified to take the regional written exam. His score on that test was among the top 100 in Minnesota, earning him an invitation to the state contest at St. Cloud State University.

22 – Jordan Marotz was crowned Miss Sleepy Eye at the Orchid Inn. Attendants are Rebecca Schmitz and Laura Pelzel. Schmitz received the Candidate Scholarship, funded by former Miss Sleepy Eye queens and based on essays submitted by candidates. Tori Anderson, Marisa Martinez and Kaylee Hilmer sold the most tickets for the coronation.

25 – The Sleepy Eye FFA Milk Quality and Products team won the Region VI contest in Pipestone. Marisa Martinez placed first, Harley Braun second, Lauren Laffen third, Erin Kotten tenth. Brennon Helget also competed. The team advances to the state FFA contest in April.

April

27 – The Minnesota FFA Association named Sabrina Portner of Sleepy Eye the 2015 Minnesota Star Farmer at the 86th annual Minnesota FFA Convention at the University of Minnesota.

29 – St. Mary’s Church held a groundbreaking blessing for a north addition that will include a gathering room, elevator, lavatories, adoration chapel and carport.

May

15 – Brown County Dairy Princesses and Ambassadors were named for 2015. They included Princesses Bethany Seifert and Sabrina Portner. Ambassadors were Courtney Dittbenner, Natalie Sellner, Becca Rosenhammer, Crystal Portner and Isabella Portner.

28 – The Sleepy Eye Area Chamber of Commerce honored the Volunteers of America Sleepy Eye Senior Living Campus as the business of tye year. The organization including the Sleepy Eye Care Center, Countryside Apartments, Adult Day Services and Home Health Services were recognized for their service to the community and chamber of commerce involvement.

28 – Sleepy Eye Medical Center scholarship winners included Rebecca Zinniel, Hansen Family Memorial Medical Scholarship; Nick DeMaris and McKayla Ahlrich, Dr. Venkata Murthy Medical Scholarship.

June

10-18 – Sleepy Eye FFA member Brandon Roiger and advisor Mary Hoffmann attended a proficiency and star travel seminar in Costa Rica. On the trip, they visited several farms and learned about production agriculture besides touring popular destinations with 63 people who made the trip organized by the National FFA Organization.

11 – Steven Joyce received the Eagle Scout Award, the highest advancement rank in Boy Scouting.

12 – Ground was broken for a 48,000 square foot Kibble Equipment, Inc. John Deere regional dealership building in a new development on the former Snow Farm property just south of U.S. Highway 14 at the east end of town.

16 – Sleepy Eye native Catherine Haala, now living in New York, bought the Berg Hotel building in downtown Sleepy Eye. Her ideas for the building include apartments or hotel rooms on the upper floors and a social gathering space on the main floor after extensive study and remodeling.

22 – City officials celebrated the construction start of a 48,000 square-foot regional implement dealership by Kibble Equipment Inc., just south of Highway 14 on the east edge of town, aka the former Snow Farm property.

July

31 – Old Sleepy Eye Collector’s Club member Willie Turner of Kansas donated a large, metal Old Sleepy Eye sign to the Sleepy Eye Depot Museum during the club’s annual convention, held at the Orchid Inn this year. Turner bought the sign from Rex and Judy Beech of Sleepy Eye. He said he wished the sign to be dedicated to the late Judy Beech who died two days before the annual convention began. The sign was originally placed on top of the Sleepy Eye mill.

Club members voted to merge with the Blue & White Pottery Club and is now known as the Blue & White & Old Sleepy Eye Collector’s Club. The new organization will hold its 2015 convention in East Peoria, Ill.

Beech’s death created an open seat on the Sleepy Eye City Council that will be filled by appointment, until the next city election is held. Beech served on boards of the Sleepy Eye Area and Brown County Historical Societies, Sleepy Eye Area Food Shelf, Sleepy Eye Medical Center and Sleepy Eye Foundation. She was a former executive director of the Sleepy Eye Chamber of Commerce and worked at Advertising Unlimited, Inc. and Del Monte Corp.

Survived by her husband Rex, the couple owned the Sleepy Eye Furniture Gallery store for decades.

August

12 – Groundbreaking ceremonies were held at the Sleepy Eye Lake Trail Phase 2 project along State Highway 4. Mathiowetz Construction is creating a 14-foot wide separation zone between the existing highway shoulder and the new 10-foot wide trail along the east side of the lake.

The $1.4 million project will be usable with a gravel surface over rocks this fall. A final bituminous wear coat will be added to the trail next summer. The separation zone between the highway shoulder and trail will include a pervious, grass surface to aid drainage. A little less than an acre of the lake will be filled with sand.

18 – Sleepy Eye High School Agriculture teacher and FFA Advisor Mary Hoffmann received the 2015 Carl T. Perkins Community Service Award Minnesota Association from the Minnesota Association for Career and Technical Education. Hoffmann was selected among candidates from Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin who have made a significant impact on a community/humanitarian cause with programs and activities promoting community involvement. The award was named in honor the late Congressman Perkins.

September

14 – Jesus Montemayor and Emily Mack were crowned Sleepy Eye High School Homecoming King and Queen. Other members of the court were Josie Schieffert, Kalyn Haas, Brissa Martinez, Cody Schultz, Natalie Stevens, Lauren Laffen, Alex Bruggeman, Austin Fischer, Stephan Badenhorst and Kolten Nienhaus.

21 – Sleepy Eye Public School students ate locally-grown sweet corn, watermelon and cantaloupe plus hot dogs and hamburgers processed from grass-fed cattle purchased from a Redwood Falls area farmer.

29 – The Department of Education announced Sleepy Eye Elementary School’s recognition as a National Blue Ribbon School. The award was made based on overall academic excellence or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. Earlier in this year, the school was named a Reward School for the 2014-2015 school year. It marked the third straight year the school received the designation. Furthermore, the elementary school was recognized as an Exemplary High Performing School, among the state’s highest performing schools, according to state assessments or nationally-normed tests.

October

13 – The Sleepy Eye City Council appointed former city councilor and school board member Lori Hirschboeck to the unexpired city council term formerly occupied by the late Judy Beech. Hirschboeck filled a partial city council term in 2004 and was on the Sleepy Eye Public School board for eight years.

14 – St. Mary’s Elementary School Principal Mary Gangelhoff received the KEYC-TV Golden Apple Award. In her nomination, former St. Mary’s teacher Linda Seifert said Gangelhoff does many things behind the scenes and is an “awesome” teacher.

21 – Sleepy Eye Elementary School students celebrated Unity Day, a statewide event that invites students and staff to unite against bullying, by standing in the formation of a peace sign.

22 – Sleepy Eye Public School Administrative Assistant Pam Wendt received the Minnesota Association of Educational Professionals (MAEOP) Office Professional of the Year award . She was nominated for the honor by Sleepy Eye Public School Superintendent John Cselovszki. Wendt has worked in the superintendent’s office and school board for the past 33 years and serves on several school committees.

23 – A group of Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s students presented a letter and hugged Sleepy Eye native Sister Audrey Goldschmidt during a school program of thanks. Goldschmidt recently announced her retirement after 31 years at St. Mary’s Church and school.

November

2 – The Sleepy Eye FFA chapter received a Three Star National Chapter Award at the National FFA Convention in Louisville, Ky. National Chapter Awards are given to outstanding chapters that complete an annual set of required activities that encourage members to grow asa individuals, work as a team and serve others in the community.

Sleepy Eye FFA member Mackenzie Cselovszki was national runnerup in national Equine Production Entrepreneurship Proficiency.

2 – A study committee for a proposed event center discussed location options including Sportsmans Park on the north side of Sleepy Eye Lake, the former motel property north of Highway 14 on the east edge of town and the former Snow Farm property business/industrial/residential property just south of Highway 14 on the east end of town.

Mankato architect Eric Oleson suggested windows and courtyards on the pond side of an event center built on the former Snow Farm property.

12 – Nick Patel of Springfield is the new general manager at Freedom Valu Center at 400 W. Main St. Nick and his wife Kiki have two children and plan to move to Sleepy Eye.

15 – For the 12th consecutive year in the Orchid Inn ballroom, more than 200 volunteers packed tens of thousands of meals for the Food for Kidz warehouse in Stewart.

16 – Minnesota Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius danced in the gym with students who carried blue balloons in a celebration for Sleepy Eye Elementary School receiving the National Blue Ribbon Award for achievement.

19 – Lucy Gluth of Sleepy Eye received the Bridge Builder of the Year award at the Bridging Brown County Annual Networking Dinner at the New Ulm Convention Center. Gluth has been on the Brown County Fair Board of Directors since 1999. Gluth has also been involved with the Brown County Farm Bureau, Brown County Pork Producers and Pork Council Women. She was also a 4-H Club parent, leader and volunteer and worked for the University of Minnesota Extension Office including three years as the Brown County 4-H Program Coordinator.

December

7 – A competency hearing for first and second-degree murder and arson suspect Miguel Vasquez of Springfield was held in Brown County District Court. Vasquez was charged with murdering his girlfriend, Amber Lechuga, decapitating her body and setting fire to a mini van with some of her remains near the Cottonwood River south of Sleepy Eye on Sept. 25, 2014.

Mankato psychologist Dr. George Komaridis testified for the defense that Vasquez has amnesia regarding some of the events on and around Sept. 25, 2014 but that he is mentally competent to stand trial.

21 – St. Mary’s and Sleepy Eye High School Excel award nominees respectively are Jena Schroepfer and James St. Peter; and Caleb Christiansen and Courtney Engholm. The award recognizes high school juniors that are active in school activities, show leadership qualities and volunteer in the community.

2015 Springfield

news roundup

January

7 – After 30 years of owning and operating Springfield Floral on Central St., Barb Jones sold the business to Char Frank of Wabasso. Thirty-two years ago, Jones worked as a consultant at Home Interiors and Gifts, which distributed decorating accessories. She later named her business Decor by Char, doing wedding decorations out of the old opera house.

10 – Springfield’s LEGO league team won a regional tournament in Rochester, taking first in Robot Design, second in programming and project presentation, third in robot performance and fourth in core values. Team members are Ethan Johnson, Jack Schietel, Isaac Rasset, Alex Potter, Egen Meyer and Libby Tonn. Coaches are Dan and Amanda Meyer.

21 – Tim and Kahla Petersen recently opened a self-serve pet grooming and wash station at 401 N. Jefferson Ave., along U.S. Highway 14 in the northeast end of Springfield. The business is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

21 – Kelsey Fossing of Windom became the new State Farm Insurance agent in Springfield. He worked at the Windom office for six years before coming to Springfield. Fossing replaced Jeff Manage who died unexpectedly Dec. 17, 2013.

30 – Superior Transportation Services, Inc., owned by Joe and Ashley Schieffert of Sleepy Eye, purchased Richert’s Bus Service from Ken Richert of Springfield. The Springfield vehicle fleet includes 13 buses. The Schieffert’s company already provides transportation to Head Start programs in Elysian, Danube and Monticello.

February

2 – Henry and Elsie Roiger of Springfield bequested more than $1 million to the City of Springfield for future maintenance, repairs and operating expenses at the Springfield Area Community Center. Elsie Roiger requested that 80% of the money be expended within the next three years to community center improvements.

15 – Molly Dunn and Peter Dalsgaard were named Springfield High School AAA nominees.

20 – Vera Renner celebrated her 100th birthday at the United Methodist Church, hosted by her grandson Clayton Beyer and his wife Deb. Renner said she didn’t think she’s live so long but said she guessed the good Lord wanted her to work. “I’ve worked hard and had a good life,” she said. Vera recalled walking 2 1/2 miles to school and back as a youngster.

21 – Norman Gatzlaff celebrated his 101st birthday.

March

12 – Fifteen Springfield High School students competed in the Business Professionals of America state contest in Minneapolis. Students who competed were Katie Rosenstengel, Hannah Johnson, Mariah Hoyt, Amanda Roiger, Carissa Evers, Ella Bartz, Callie Wersal, Ashley Larson, Kate Quesenberry, Kaelyn Platz, Natalie Timm, Michaela Leonard, Zach Groebner, Cody Horman and Jaden Marks.

16 – The 24-4 Springfield Tiger varsity girls basketball team reached the state tournament with a 54-53 Section 2A Championship win over Mankato Loyola. Team members are Hailey Wester, Taylor Milbrath, Amy Davis, Jenny Thoreson, Mariah Hoyt, Jordyn Menage, Joeli Arnoldi, Callie Wersal, Michaela Leonard, Bridget Fenger, Vishe Raab, Natalie Timm, Kaelyn Platz and Kylee Wells. Coaches are Paul Arnoldi, Tiffany Thedens and Brandon Wilhelmi.

23 – Ben Luense received the 2015 Spirit of Springfield award from the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce. Luense called being a volunteer “heartwarming and interesting.” Luense came to Springfield in 1965 to manage Lampert Lumber. When the business closed in 1969, he moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa for the summer before he was transferred to Rosemount. He returned to Springfield in 1971 and worked at the State Bank of Springfield until 1984 before buying The Building Center, which he sold in 1989. He worked for Wanda State Bank until 1995 when he returned to Springfield to work at Southwest State Bank and United Prairie Bank until retiring.

27 – The River Valley Speech Team won the Subsection Championship with 127 points in the contest at Montevideo, which finished second with 54 points. Redwood Valley had 33 points. Springfield champions were Mariah Hoyt in Prose, Amy Davis in Extemporaneous Reading, Molly Dunn in Storytelling, Hannah Johnson in Great Speeches, Katelyn Hauth in Original Oratory, Sarah Dunn in Humorous, Elijah Kirchstein in Informative Speaking, and Ross VanDerWal in Creative Expression.

April

1 – Minneota native and Nurse Practitioner Valerie Folkens joined the Springfield Mayo Clinic Health System Emergency Dept. Folkens formerly worked in Mayo Clinic Cardiology and Intensive Care Unit (ICSU) Dept. in Rochester, and the neurology unit at Sanford Health.

1 – The Springfield High School horticulture class harvested its first lettuce crop in a greenhouse. Five lettuce varieties will be used in he school’s food service. Other greenhouse plants include hanging baskets of begonias and petunias and other flowers plus asparagus, kale, spinach, tomatoes, Swiss chard, beets, scallions, several types of peppers, kohlrabi, cabbage, rhubarb, eggplant, herbs and mints.

1 – Salience Concrete & Construction, Inc. received the One Million Dollar Cumulative and High Performance awards from Nucor Building Systems, which selling custom steel building systems.

11 – The River Valley speech team won the Section 3A contest with 54 points. Following were Luverne 35 and Adrian 33. River Valley speakers advancing to the state contest were Briana Schmidt, Katelyn Hauth, Mariah Hoyt, Katie Schwartz, Molly Dunn, Sarah Dunn, Joe Pieschel and Ben Runck.

17 – Springfield High School senior Molly Dunn was crowned storytelling champion at the Class A State Speech contest at Lakeville North High School. Senior Katie Schwartz of Springfield finished second in humorous interpretation.

20 -Springfield Public School instrumental music teacher Lauren Generous was named 2015 Springfield Teacher of the Year. In her fourth year of teaching, she teaches kindergarten through 6th grade music, directs a 6th grade, junior and senior high bands.

May

1 – A bus garage on the east end of downtown Springfield burned late Friday night, destroying 10 school buses and two semi tractors. Springfield Fire Chief Chuck Bauman said the fire was so hot, one building wall was glowing orange. Firefighters from Sleepy Eye provided aid and remained on scene for several hours before leaving the scene at about 3 a.m.

Superior Transportation Bus Service owner Joe Schieffert of Sleepy Eye leased six school buses from North Central Sales in St. Cloud and borrowed another from Sleepy Eye Bus Lines, had them driven to Springfield over the weekend and the bus line provided transportation service as it did in the past beginning Monday, May 4.

28 – The Cedar Mountain/Comfrey/Springfield 4×400 meter relay team of Vishe Rabb, Paige Richert, Irene Anderson and Amy Davis qualified for the state track & field meet by finishing first at the Section 3A meet in a school record-setting time of 4:05.79. Anderson also won the 300 meter hurdles with a personal best time of 46.45 and finished second in the 100 meter hurdles in 15.78.

June

15 – The Springfield High School baseball team finished second in the Minnesota High School League Class A Tournament, losing only to New Life Academy, 6-5 in eight innings at Target Field. The team won the Tomahawk Conference and Section 3A titles. Springfield defeated New Ulm Cathedral 6-5 and Kimball Area 6-5 in earlier state tournament games.

The Springfield Girls Golf Team finished sixth in the state tournament and the 4×400 meter girls relay team of Paige Richert, Vische Raabe, Amy Davis and Irene Anderson placed fifth in the state track meet.

15 – St. Michael native Michael Gordon joined the Springfield Police Department. His wife Marissa was hired to do substitute teaching at Springfield Elementary School. The couple has three children, Bryn 9, Jace 8 and Kira 2.

20 – Clayton Kretsch won the 55th Annual Springfield Invitational/Father’s Day Classic golf tournament in Springfield. Curt Erickson was runner-up.

29 – Lorie Fredericksen donated her 90th unit of blood at the Red Cross Bloodmobile. She has O Negative blood, which can be transfused to any blood group, which is very important in emergency blood situations.

July

1 – One hundred-eight volunteers packaged 36,936 meals at the Food for Kidz event at the Springfield Area Community Center. More than $8,000 in cash was collected at local churches and businesses. Nutritious meals including rice soy, vitamins, vegetables and flavorings will be shipped around the world to hungry children and their families.

8 – Springfield High School Industrial Technology and Agriculture Education instructor T. J. Brown received a plaque and traveling trophy after the program was named the 2015 Outstanding Secondary Ag Program in Minnesota recently. The award was presented at the Minnesota Association of Agricultural Educators Summer Conference Awards Banquet at Jackpot Junction in Morton.

Judging criteria was based on teacher philosophy, instruction, experiential learning, FFA, partnership, marketing and professional growth. Judges were technical college instructors and past award winners.

10 – Abigail and Brooke Jensen, the daughters of Elaine and Lonny Jensen of Springfield have roles in the 2015 Wilder Pageant, a family-oriented, outdoor drama based on the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder in Walnut Grove. The girls became interested in the pageant a few years ago when their uncle and aunt, Ken and Kami Parker of Milord, were pageant crew members.

21 – The City of Springfield received $80,000 from the Wayne Schenk estate, designated to be used for parks, trails and other recreational amenities. Schenk lived all his life in Stately Township. He attended country school and farmed, raising Black Angus cattle, worked on machinery and invented a skid loader, which he never patented. He died Dec. 5, 2014 at age 92.

August

19 – Springfield native Dr. Karen Olson Rafinski was recognized for 42 years of community college service Aug. 19 at Clark State Community College, Springfield, Ohio. Rafinski served at Clark State president for 16 years. The Karen E. Rafinski Student Center at the Clark State Leffel Lane Campus was her final vision for the school. The 17,620 square feet building houses a new bookstore, food service, dining facilities and lounge space.

Rafinski is a 1966 Springfield High School graduate and the daughter of Elizabeth and Clarence Rafinski. She received the Mary Martin Chief Executive Award in 2008 in New York City as the country’s top CEO, from the Association of Community College Trustees.

19 – Springfield native Mike Wellner wrote a book about his life called “Echoes from the Heartland, essays, folklore and other true stories.” A 1965 Springfield High School graduate, plumber by trade with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Economics he said he never used, Wellner said he wrote about an hour a day and kept his journals to create his non-fiction book. He changed some names and identifying details to protect the privacy of certain people. Other times, he identified people by name or description. Wellner lived in many places including the Allegheny Mountains and coal country of western Maryland, Alaska oilfields and Sub Arctic. The book was printed by Corporate Graphics of Mankato.

29 – Richard Feser, Springfield’s U.S. Weather Observer for 50 years, died at Countryside Apartments, Sleepy Eye. In October 2014, Feser retired as a weather observer and received a 50-year service award for outstanding dedication in the Cooperative Weather Program from the National Weather Service. Feser began serving as a weather observer on Oct. 1, 1964.

September

12 – The Brown Soil & Water Conservation District named Arland and Chery Roiger of rural Springfield as its 2015 Outstanding Conservationists. The couple grow corn, soybeans, peas and finish out cattle on the family farm with their son and daughter-in-law in Stately Township. They are active in the community delivering Meals On Wheels and are active members at St. Raphael Catholic Church in Springfield, serving as ushers and co-chairs at the Farmfest food stand.

On the farm, they have implemented a shelter belt, creek bank, feedlot lagoon and wetland restoration. They installed a pasture area dam and enrolled 175 acres in the CRP (Conservation Reserve Program).

21 – Springfield High School Homecoming royalty candidates are Cheyenne Vogel, Alexis Streich, Kalley Hoffmann, Michaela Leonard, Hannah Johnson, Ben Groebner, Jaden Michelson, Michael O’Callaghan, Conner Bertram and Sam Baier. Baier and Leonard were crowned homecoming king and queen.

October

2 – Monsanto representative presented a $10,000 American Farmers Grow Rural Education grant to Springfield Public School. The school will use the money to enhance math and science curriculum with mechatronics kits, an automated manufacturing program that combines mechanical systems, electrical engineering, computer technology and requires an understanding of match and physics.

Springfield agriculture and industrial technology teacher T.J. Brown said the money will help the school buy hands-on training equipment for students. Farmers nominated the school district to receive the grant.

2 – Springfield’s paved trail along the Big Cottonwood River was extended 1,610 feet with an addition built on the levee along the north side of the river from the community center to CSAH 5. The project was funded by a gift to the City of Springfield from the Henry and Elsie Roger estate.

8 – St. John Lutheran Home resident Gen Moe celebrated her 104th birthday. She can’t read, do needlework or crossword puzzles anymore, due to loss of vision, but she listens to audio books, enjoys visiting with residents and staff and watching television news. In addition, she participates in exercise and singing sessions and attends religious services.

20 – The Springfield City Council is mulling a request from the police department to work 12-hour shifts instead of the current eight hour shifts in order to get more days off and have more time to “recoup.”

Arguments against the change are officer fatigue on longer shifts and possible difficulty finding part-time officers to fill shifts.

November

11 – Beers Family Dental Clinic held an open house to show its new 1,368 foot addition, in conjunction with Springfield’s Holiday Open House. Dr. Adam Beers bought the dental clinic from Mayo Clinic Health System last year after operating it as a pilot project for seven years.

11 – Springfield businesses kicked off the holiday shopping season with a Holiday Open House. Santa Claus made his first appearance at various businesses, joined by Mrs. Claus, handing out treats. Veterans were honored at a tree lighting ceremony on Veterans Day in Martha Anderson Park. Christmas carols were sung and hot chocolate and coffee were served with Santa. Veterans Ben Lunette and Kenn Koll briefly spoke and turned on the power switch to light a tall evergreen tree in a blaze of colors. Patriotic songs were song to conclude the program.

The Springfield American Legion hosted its annual Mulligan stew supper in the clubrooms. A free will offering was taken.

18 – Springfield High School agricultural education teacher T.J. Brown accepted a national award at the National Association of Agricultural Education convention in New Orleans. Springfield was one of six schools that received the award among nearly 9,000 agriculture programs in the country. Other schools receiving the award were located in San Luis Obispo, Ca.; Fairview, Ok.; LeRue County, Ky.; Cottondale, Fl.; and Woodstock, Va.

December

11 – The Springfield Area Nativity Theatre Association performed the Springfield Nativity Pageant for the 30th season in Riverside Park. The cast included Crystal and Nick Dauer as Mary and Joseph and their son Jace as Baby Jesus.

21 – Jim Vogel gave his 105th and 106th units of blood at the Red Cross Bloodmobile. He has been donating blood since coming home from the military in 1977. In recent years, he began donating double red cells, which made his donor numbers grow quickly.