JULY • Robert “Butch” Stelten retired from the Kimball Fire Department July 6, after 31 years of service. His very first fire was the Kimball Post Office bombing. • The weather couldn’t have been better for the annual parish festival at Holy Cross Church in Pearl Lake (Marty) July 9. There was a Polka Mass, with Stan’s Country Dutchmen providing a musical backdrop for the food and games. Hundreds came out to enjoy the grilled pork chops, beer, Bingo, pull tabs, kids’ games, and just catching up with old friends. • On July 13, Kimball Police Dept. received a complaint that a large window was broken on the south side of the Kimball Area High school. Upon reviewing surveillance tapes, it was discovered that five suspects had entered the school. No damage was done inside the school, nor was anything taken. The suspects did get up on top of the school and damaged an air conditioning unit and furnace flue. All of the suspects were identified and the matter was forwarded to the Stearns County Attorney’s Office for prosecution. • Lake Union Evangelical Covenant Church celebrated its 100th anniversary July 16, with a worship service at the church, followed by dinner and a program at Playland Ballroom in Kimball. A full year in the planning, the little rural church with only 46 members held a grand celebration complete with a video retrospective of its 100 years. The church also put togther a centennial cookbook, and seven former pastors came from far and wide to join in the celebration. • Gone to Pieces Quilt Shop, located at the corner of Main Street (Highway 15) and Hazel Ave. in downtown Kimball, installed a quilting machine. Owner Penny Calander rents the machine and offers classes on its use. • 13-year-old Krysta Mozena of Kimball died following a one-vehicle accident about 2:04 a.m. July 19 at Wright County Road 35 and Reardon Ave. S.W. in French Lake Township. She had been airlifted from the scene to Hennepin County Medical Center, where she later died. Also injured in the accident were Matthew Felegy, 17 of Kimball, Maria Fennema, 6 of South Haven, Samantha Klugow, 13 of Howard Lake, Dylan Kaskinen, 18 of Kimball, and Samantha Hawkins, 14 of Cokato. The Wright County Sheriff’s Office investigated and reported the possibility of pending charges in the case. • The Kimball Express baseball team qualified for
#8226; The Kimball Lions Club celebrated its 25th anniversary with a dinner and program at Powder Ridge Sept. 9. • On Sept. 9 the Kimball Express Baseball Association was invited to the Twins vs. Detroit Tigers game by the Minnesota Twins Community Fund to receive their Twins Field for Kids grant. Amber Froehling was instrumental in the Kimball Express Baseball Association being awarded the $5,000 grant. • The old church bell was installed at the top of the new entry structure on Hwy. 55 of the Kimball United Methodist Church Sept. 12, with some congregation members present. • Incumbent Karla Davis and Tammy Konz filed for the two-year mayoral seat in Kimball. Filing for the two four-year council seats were incumbent DuWayne Orbeck, incumbent Mickey Fischer, Eric Loewen, Lurene Berscheid Lunde, Joseph Krippner, Shelly Olson, Crystal Rossman, Scott Lindemann and Mandy Bowen. • Kimball Homecoming Week activities were announced, as were the Homecoming king and queen candidates: Matt Dingmann, Jason Tenney, Steve Lochen, Nick Donnay, Bob Barthel, Katie Lochen, Mandy Gehrke, Megan Kammermeier, Lindsey Ostby and Ashley Lommel. • Kimball Elementary students entertained grandparents and other family members with a brief program of songs and poems before showing them around their classrooms for Grandparents’ Day. • The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) held a meeting on Sept. 19 at Kimball City Offices for community input on fishing rules on Lake Carnelian. OCTOBER • Steve Lochen and Lindsey Ostby were crowned 2006 Homecoming King and Queen at a coronation ceremony Oct. 2. • The Kimball Cubs shut out Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa at Homecoming Oct. 6 with a final score of 20-0. • Actor and filmmaker Bill Cooper announced the Hollywood premiere of his short film, “Womb Music,” at the FAIF International Film Festival Oct. 7 at Mann’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood, Calif. He is the son of Bill Cooper Sr. and the late Muriel Cooper of Kimball. • Parents of K-12 students in Stearns County school districts were notified about free flu vaccinations to be offered by Stearns County Human Services, Public Health Division. The vaccine provided is called Flu-Mist, and uses no needles. • Kimball Area High Schol seniors Lindsey Ostby and Matthew Dingmann were among this year’s Wendy’s High School Heisman Award nominees. The award honors excellence in academics, athletics, and community/school involvement. • Paulette Hauge, a sixth-grade teacher at Kimball Elementary School, participated in the Memory Walk 2006 for the Alzheimer’s Association Oct. 7. She was awarded the 2006 Alzheimer’s Association St. Cloud Memory Walk plaque for raising the most money as an individual – $715. • On Oct. 11, a new bell tower was erected at the Ostmark Lutheran Church in rural Watkins. The bell represents a physical tie to the church’s 112-year past, with the modern tower and church building. Six-and-a-half years ago fire destroyed the church. • The Clint Eastwood-directed movie “Flags of our Fathers”, which opened Oct. 20 in theaters nationwide, has a Kimball connection. Fred Becker, who grew up between Kimball and Watkins and graduated in 1943 from Kimball High School, was a corpsman in one of the first Navy units on Iwo Jima. The movie, based on the book by James Bradley and Ron Powers, is a war drama telling the story of the flag-raising on Iwo Jima, an event immortalized in a photograph and later in a national monument in Arlington, Va. • Kimball school teachers Michael C. Linn and Kim Ostby were among honorees at the 15th annual Leadership in Educational Excellence Awards and Banquet Oct. 25 at St. Cloud Civic Center. The event, coordinated and sponsored by Resource Training & Solutions, provides area districts the opportunity to recognize outstanding achievement by educators and administrators. • A year ago (Oct. 31, 2005) Becci Sheldon was diagnosed with cancer. She has managed to out-live the best-case scenarios of all the “experts.” She has been taking chemotherapy nearly every week since then. NOVEMBER • The Kimball Cubs football team completed the 2006 season entering the Section 5AA playoffs for the first time in several years. It would be a return matchup of an earlier Central Minnesota Conference contest with the Eden Valley-Watkins Eagles. In a hard-fought contest, the defending state champion Eagles prevailed in a 41-20 victory. • General elections were held throughout the state and nation Nov. 7. Locally, the following were elected: Tammy Konz as mayor, and DuWayne Orbeck and Joseph Krippner as councilmen. • The Kimball High School football season “officially” ended with the annual football awards night and potluck dinner at Kimball High School. • Guest author Bill Holm spoke at the Kimball Friends of the Library’s seventh annual “Dinner with an Author” event Nov. 10 at Playland Ballroom. Holm grew up on a farm north of Minneota, Minn., and teaches at Southwest State University in Marshall. • In honor of American Education Week, the Frederick A. Metcalf American Legion Auxiliary Unit 261 held its annual Education Tea Nov. 15 at the Legion Clubroom. • First-graders at Kimball Elementary school celebrated a Thanksgiving “feast” Thanksgiving week. The students made their own Pilgrim or Indian costumes, and each class made applesauce. Also on the menu was popcorn, apple juice, and pumpkin muffins with whipped cream. The annual “feast” is a tradition at KES. • The Kimball girls’ volleyball team wrapped up its 2006 season, finishing with a 4-20 record. • The Kimball boys’ basketball teams held a scrimmage with Kimball Area Alumni Nov. 24 at Leo Wirth gymnasium to kick off the 2006-2007 boys basketball season. A total of 22 alumni, coached by former boy’s coach Howie Bahn, participated in the two games. DECEMBER • Forest City Stockade and Minnesota Pioneer Park in Annandale both celebrated Christmas events Dec. 2. • Eden Valley-Watkins school district cancelled classes Dec. 6-8, after a potentially toxic accident at the high school Dec. 5. Students dropped an old-fashioned barometer while taking it from a science classroom to the back of the school where they dispose of hazardous materials, and mercury spilled out. Students returned to classes Dec. 11. Superintendent Larry Peterson estimated clean up costs would be between $100,000-$150,000. • Keith and Sheila Landwehr of Watkins were honored as Stearns County SWCD’s 2006 Outstanding Conservationists at the annual meeting of Soil and Water Conservation Districts Dec. 5 in Bloomington. The couple operates a grain farm, raising corn, soybeans and wheat. • Kimball Area High school students Sam Scheeler and Amanda Kuseske were honored with the Minnesota State High School League’s Excellence in Community, Education and
2006 Year in Review – Part 2
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