JANUARY

2 — Long-time City of Springfield employees were recognized for their service. Fire Chief Charles Baumann and Police Chief John Nicholson were honored for 30 years of service. Honored for 25 years were firemen Tim Gramentz and Jess Weisensel, Andrew Larson, ambulance service; John Marz, public utilities.

4 — Pharmacist Jay Drury will retire after 47 years of work. He learned the job from the bottom up, working as a stock boy at Madsen Drugs in Pipestone. After graduating from South Dakota State University, he worked in drug stores in Brookings, S.D., Wilmar, Redwood Falls, Sleepy Eye, Tracy, Redwood Falls and Clara City before coming to Springfield, where he worked for 34 years.

14 — The Mayo Health System in Springfield emergency department continues to operate 24 hours a day, receiving ambulances and providing care to those it can treat as it did in the past. Patients who need to transfer are able to determine where they want to go. The clinic is staffed by nurse practitioners Ashley Schmitt, Christie Vogel and Val Folkens. They can provide most services provided by primary care physicians including ordering tests and prescribing medications.

26 — January ended on a brutally cold note with a deadly, arctic cold blast. Record low temperatures were broken as the cold led to school closures, travel disruptions and even mail service suspension. Windchills reached as low at -40 to -50 degrees. The U.S. Postal Service did not deliver mail on Wednesday, Jan. 29 due to the crippling cold.

27 — A swath of snow caused slippery travel conditions in the area. A surge of arctic air followed, sending wind chills as low as minus 60 degrees F. in many locations. Schools were closed for two days and started two hours late after that.

30 — Springfield native Steven Kish opened a tattoo studio called Gypsy House Tattoo at 106 N. Marshall Ave. A 2006 Springfield High School graduate, Kish joined the U.S. Army National Guard and worked at a number of tattoo studios at places including Chicago, South Dakota Black Hills and St. Cloud.

February

15 — Jason Lang opened Lang’s Automotive LLC, a full-service automotive maintenance and repair service at 417 West Rock Street (Highway 14). Lang enrolled in an automotive course at the Cottonwood River Cooperative Center in town during his senior year at Springfield High School.

27 — Banker, community leader and philanthropist Mike Pieschel, 91, died Feb. 27 after a brief illness. A graduate of Georgetown University and Georgetown Law School, Pieschel loved Springfield so much, he came back to town to practice law and go into banking.

March

13 — Two Springfield school buses skidded off an icy gravel road in very windy conditions. After that, it was determined that buses would travel only on paved roads until further notice.

15 — The Springfield High School boys basketball team earned a trip to the Class A state tournament with a 92-85 win over Minnesota Valley Lutheran in the Section 2A title game at Minnesota State University, Mankato. The top-seeded Tigers lost to Spring Grove in the first round but went on to win the state consolation title.

April

6 — The River Valley Speech team won the section title at Southwest State University in Marshall. Thirteen speakers were finalists. Seven advanced to the state contest. First-place finishers were Elijah Kirschstein, Grace Pingeon, Libby Tonn. Second-place awards went to Sarah Dunn, Colton Jensen and KayLynn Sanderville. Layla Schwarzrock placed third.

8 — The Springfield Advance-Press was named Springfield Business of the Year. The newspaper staff includes Publisher D. J. Hedstrom plus Kim Hagert, Jeff Krueger, Sally Anderson and Doris Weber.

8 — Shari Koll received the 2019 Spirit of Springfield Award. She said she chose to volunteer because it makes her feel good to help people and make a difference in their lives.

13 — River Valley speaker Sarah Dunn won the Humorous Interpretation division at the Class A Minnesota State High School Speech Championships in Wayzata. Teammates Libby Tonn finished second in Informative and Grace Pingeon was fifth in Drama.

May

1 — The Springfield Advance-Press and Springfield Shopper were sold to Adam Conroy of Madison, who owns the Madison Western Guard and the Canby News. Conroy is a Wheaton native. His wife Dana is a Pioneer Public Television producer, producing the show “Postcards.”

17 — Springfield High School Physical Education teacher Peggy Larson retired after teaching and coaching for 40 years. She was head boys and girls golf coach for 25 years and assistant girls tennis coach for 18 years. A 1972 Springfield High School graduate, she graduated from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa and earned a teaching license from St. Mary’s University. She said teaching’s greatest rewards are celebrating with each graduating class and seeing students pursue their dreams and make their way in the world.

27 — Math teacher Brynne Mielke was named the Springfield 2019 Teacher of the Year. She said it’s important to pay attention to student’s interests and have fund while educating students. Her classes include games called “Two Truths and a Lie, Movie Monday and Funny Friday.” A 2008 New Ulm High School graduate, she majored in Mathematics and minored in Music at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. She recently completed a master’s degree at Morningside College.

June

10 — After being damaged by a number of floods over the past couple years, the Springfield Golf Course opened for play. Five greens were reseeded last fall. The No. 1 green was temporary. Holes 1 and 9 are short yardage, rating a par 4 instead of par 5. Golfing reciprocity was offered by the Farmer’s Golf and Health Club in Sanborn and the Sleepy Eye Golf Club. There are partnership agreements with the Redwood Falls Golf club and New Ulm Country Club.

Springfield Golf Course members can get a membership card and play in Sanborn any day of the week. Sanborn golfers can play in Springfield any day of the week without paying green fees. They pay only for a cart if they want one. Local members can play at Sleepy Eye Monday through Friday except Wednesday afternoon, which is Men’s Day when play is restricted to tee times.

Springfield Club House Manager Jennifer Schultz said many types of social events are being planned and booked at the golf course. The club has the only bar and restaurant in town with a patio.

10 – 18 — The Springfield High School trap shooting tam competed at the state tournament, placing 18th out of 69 Class 1A teams. Andy Baumann finished third in Individual Varsity High Gun, hitting 98 of 100 targets.

11 & 12 — The Springfield High School boys golf team finished second in the 2019 Minnesota High School Class A Golf Tournament at Pebble Creek in Becker. Mason Kretsch of Springfield finished fourth in the state, shooting a 155. Maverick Winkelmann tied for fifth at 157. Mackenzie Lothert of Springfield also qualified for the state golf meet, placing 27th out of 85 girls. Boys team scores were Willmar Community Christian School 655, Springfield 658, Fertile-Beltrami 676, Lac qui Parle Valley 676, Walker-Hackensack-Akeley-Laport 692, North Woods 699, Bethlehem Academy 738, Heron Lake-Okabena-Fulda 754.

July

15 — Jacob Marz, a 2003 Springfield High School graduate who received a Doctor of Pharmacy Deree from South Dakota State in 2009, is the new manager at Thrifty White Pharmacy. He previously worked for Thrifty White in Montevideo, Marshall and Mankato and managed a store in Olivia.

August

20 — The Springfield City Council received a $584,744 bid proposal by Salonek Inc. to build a concessions and restrooms building at the Riverside Park athletic complex. However, plans were sent back to find out what could be changed to cut construction costs. Plans include a raised plaza with tables, chairs, restrooms and concessions area. Cash and pledges totalled $442,000 as of Aug. 19. The city council approved the project after $501,000 in donated funds is reached.

21 — Former Minnesota Gophers and Minnesota Vikings quarterback Mitch Leidner worked with the Springfield High School football team’s quarterbacks, running backs and receivers. The Tigers list nine football coaches.

September

11 — Springfield High School was chosen to participate in the Change to Chill program, a mental well-being resource to help teach teens how to manage stress and build resiliency. Change to Chill is taught through mindfulness, imagery, mediation and gratitude practice.

17 — The Springfield City Council approved a location for a DC fast-charging station. The technology can charge electric vehicles much faster, in minutes instead of hours with heavy duty or special connectors. Funding comes from a grant that is part of Minnesota’s share of the $2.9 billion Volkswagen emissions fraud lawsuit. Springfield Public Utilities Supt. Scott Johnson made the grant application.

30 — A $24.6 million school facilities plan was presented to Springfield school district residents, concluding meetings with a facility task force and school board. The plan includes safety and security updates, locker room renovation, a fitness/wellness addition, cafeteria expansion, music classrooms, and a second-floor walking track and theater support space.

Reasons given for doing the project now is that the school district is debt free, there is a low local tax burden, interest rates remain at historic lows and the project qualifies for Ag to School Property Tax Relief.

A community survey will be sent to school district residents in the coming weeks.

October

3 — Springfield native John Schenk donated blood to the American Red Cross for the 280th time in Alexandria. Over that period, he has donated 35 gallons of blood, which is equal to 280 pints or 560 cups of A-positive, whole blood. Schenk lives in St. Cloud with his wife Dawn. He began donating blood when he was an 18-year-old college student. His parents, Walter (Butch) and Dorothy Schenk were very active blood donors.

26 — The Maples resident Norma Freeman celebrated her 100th birthday. Growing up on a farm west of Springfield, she said she cleaned a lot of chickens as a child. She married Arnold Voge at age 21. He died when their three children were rather young. Besides farming with her brothers, she worked as a housekeeper at the Springfield Community Hospital for 21 years. She later started a catering business called Countryside Cooks with her friends Esther Benedict and Arlene Wog. Her specialties were buns, potato salad and scalloped potatoes.

She married George Freeman in her early 70s. She mowed her own lawn until she was 90 when she moved into The Maples in Springfield.

November

11 — Brooke Hoffbeck of Cedar Mountain placed third in Employment Skills competition at the National FFA Conference in Indianapolis, Ind. She grew up on a corn and soybean farm near Morgan. She said it was her upbringing that got her involved in FFA. She is now a student at South Dakota State University, majoring in agronomy and planning to minor in ag business and communication studies.

December

4 — Viola Watkins celebrated her 100th birthday with friends and family at St. John’s. She said she made 90 cups of coffee every morning at the St. James hospital and was an assistant to the cook, Sister Edwina. who she said was a “wonderful person to work with.”

12 — The City of Springfield announced a new partnership with Allina Health to continue serving patients in the regional with comprehensive services that are fully integrated with a nationally-recognized health care system.