The Jesse James Players’ Hike of Horrors begins this weekend, opening to fanfare by the community and the region.
The Hike of Horrors has been held many times in the past several years. This year, the show has been modified to accommodate changes required due to the pandemic.
“We’ve completely changed the route people will take and moved to a longer, more spaced out hike, and instead of one maze, we’re building two,” said Jesse James Player and co-organizer Marissa Wollmann. “We’ve revamped and updated our previous maze and thanks to the generosity, time and effort of Don and Denise Schmidt who have provided several portable carports, we’re transforming them into a large outdoor maze.
“As the sets are taking shape they’re looking spectacular. We plan to take smaller groups out on the trail, and to space them widely apart. As for our actors, there will be fewer performers, as many of our older performers are staying home for their own safety. Again, no judgements here, we want them to be safe.”
The organizers are requesting that all patrons use common sense and work to protect each other and the volunteers by wearing a mask. They will have some available on hand if needed.
They will also have the Redders food truck available in order to provide refreshments.
“If you haven’t tried them, they really do a great job,” she said. “His food is great and he can serve food both efficiently and safely to anyone who comes to the hike. Our performances will start at 7:30, but he’ll be at the football field, set up and ready to serve by 6 p.m.”
The performances will be held this weekend, October 23 and 24, and next weekend, October 30 and 31, from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Price is $15 at the gate, which will be located at the Garretson Athletic Complex (by the football field).
On October 31, the Garretson Commercial Club is encouraging the community to get together at Split Rock Park for a Trunk or Treat. Decorate your car or a campsite before 4:00 p.m., and trunk-or-treating will occur from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Campsites will be taken on a first-come, first-serve basis, with RV sites going first. The event will be free to all. Those who have questions can contact Commercial Club President John Brinkman at First Bank and Trust.
Masks that cover the mouth and nose will be expected at the Trunk or Treat, though the Commercial Club is asking the community to be creative.
“Everybody please wear a mask,” said Commercial Club Vice President Garrick Moritz. “Whatever costume you’re wearing, putting a mask on is not a difficult decision. Most costumes will already have masks, so putting a PPE mask underneath isn’t a hassle. For example, if you were dressing as a cowboy, a bandit mask makes for a great face covering.”
This request extends to trick-or-treating, as well. The CDC has listed trick-or-treating and trunk-or-treats as high-risk activities, especially if mitigation measures such as masks and social distancing are not taken.
Creative ideas such as “candy pipelines” and “candy graveyards” have been suggested by those who want to ensure a six-foot distance or more is maintained.
Porch lights in Garretson often come on by 6:00 p.m. and turn off by 8:00 p.m. on Halloween.
Mayor Greg Beaner presents a 4-H Week Proclamation to members of the Jesse James 4-H Club. Pictured (L to R): James Nussbaum, Mayor Greg Beaner, Evan Bly, Logan Bly, Jenna VanHolland.
A proclamation can be appointed by an elected official to signify a special day. The Jesse James 4-H club senior members (Evan Bly, James Nussbaum, Logan Bly, and Jenna VanHolland) met with the mayor of Garretson, Greg Beaner, to sign 4-H’s very own proclamation to declare October 4th-10th National 4-H week. This is a special week to the 4-H’ers because it is their week to spread the word about 4-H. We welcome young people from all beliefs and backgrounds, empowering them to create positive change in their communities. The experience of 4-H is an excellent opportunity for kids to broaden their skills, promote leadership, Citizenship, and enhances social skills.
My name is James Nussbaum; I have been a member of the Jesse James 4-H club for ten years. My overall experience in 4-H has broadened my leadership skills, gain confidence, and be a compassionate person. My favorite thing about 4-H is all the memories from showing livestock, public presentations, youth-in-action events, and static exhibits at county and state fair. Attending the state camp for Teen Leadership Conferences in Brookings gave me the opportunity to meet 4-H members from across South Dakota and how to be a better role model for my club.
Community Service projects and Citizenship are an important part of our club. Monthly meetings, we pledge loyalty and support to the flag of South Dakota, land of sunshine, land of infinite variety. As an individual, I pledge my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larger service, and my health to better living for my club, my community, my country and my world.
PIERRE – Due to anticipated weather conditions in Rapid City for Saturday, the SDHSAA has amended the State Cross Country Meet schedule. Race times for Saturday’s event to be held at Hart Ranch Camping Resort are as follows:
Class B Girls
9:30 AM Mountain Time
Class B Boys
10:00 AM MT
Class AA Girls
11:45 AM MT
Class AA Boys
12:15 PM MT
Class A Girls
2:00 PM MT
Class A Boys
2:30 PM MT
“This change is being done after consulting with the National Weather Service and our Site Hosts in Rapid City to attempt to complete the event prior to a significant winter storm entering the Black Hills region on Saturday” stated Dr. John Krogstrand, SDHSAA Asst. Executive Director. “Our hope is the earlier start and shortened times between races allows us to still complete the event while also maintaining social distancing guidelines and health precautions.”
“Practice Day” at Hart Ranch for Friday is on as scheduled, weather permitting.
To help with social distancing and mitigation efforts, the SDHSAA requests that all fans wear masks and remain socially distant from one another during the event as possible. Additionally, teams and school personnel will not be allowed to enter the facility until the previous class’ boys race has begun (i.e.: AA teams not entering until after the Class B Boys race begins). Fans and teams attending the event are asked to enter the Hart Ranch facility from the west (Highway 16/Mt. Rushmore Road) and depart the facility to the east (Highway 79).
The Cheer & Dance Championships, slated to be held at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in Rapid City, remain on as scheduled.
The prevalence of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has been on a stratospheric rise in South Dakota, leading local community leaders to call for their residents to do more in order to slow the spread.
“Quite honestly, we need this region and each of you to do your part,” Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken said at a press conference on Monday. “We need more. Our schools need you to do more, our hospitals need you to do more, our vulnerable populations need this community, this region to do more.”
He stopped short of calling for a mask mandate, stating that the issue had become too politicized, and was not willing to dedicate resources to enforcing such a measure.
The press conference came on the heels of a letter signed by sixteen mayors of the South Dakota Municipal League, which asked community members to do their part to reduce spread. The letter was signed by the mayors of some of the largest municipalities in South Dakota, including Brandon, Watertown, Brookings, Rapid City, and Sioux Falls.
“The concept of community is more important than ever, and the actions of every community are critical to stopping the spread of COVID-19. Each of us has the opportunity every single day to make the right choices that help reduce the transmission of COVID-19 and help save lives,” the letter states.
The numbers are getting serious. Minnehaha County’s active case numbers have more than doubled since September 30, and the state as a whole saw over 10,000 new cases in the first twenty days of the month, far out-stripping prior months.
October has so far been the deadliest month for South Dakota’s population, as more than 100 people died due to COVID as of Tuesday, October 20. Modeling done by Johns Hopkins University did not give very good projections, with over 200 deaths by the end of the month.
Hike of Horrors starts this weekend, and we've got a preview for you of all the Halloween activities planned for 2020. The Garretson School Board continues to work hard toward ensuring face-to-face learning in the face of rising virus numbers, which are on a stratospheric rise in South Dakota. The Mayors of SD have requested community-wide selfless-ness and acceptance of personal responsibility to help get the spread of the virus down, in order to help protect those who are vulnerable. Voter registrations and absentee ballots are up this year, and Garretson's Mayor Greg Beaner signed a proclamation declaring Oct 4-10 as 4-H week. Plus much more!
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GHS Football had their hopes for a final chance at a home game victory dashed last Friday as they lost against Sioux Valley.
Dylan Kindt on the tackle
Sioux Valley had a pretty excellent season of 6-1 vs Garretson’s 2-5. Expectations were for a difficult game, and Coach Chris Long said he was proud of his team.
“We asked our guys to prepare and play their best game of the season and they responded,” Long said. “We had a fantastic defensive effort and did some good things on offense as well. We have to find a way to make a couple big plays, especially in the passing game to help us out offensively and that is the one thing we missed on Friday.”
Sioux Valley lit up the board first after slogging, and finally pushing through the Blue Dragon defense, scoring a two-point conversion in the first quarter. GHS offense pushed again and again, but just couldn’t get the yardage they needed for a touchdown. At the tail end of the second quarter they were in range for a field goal and Cody Erikson once again came through for the Blue Dragons, and lit up the scoreboard for the only Blue Dragon points in the game.
Cooper Long on the catch
Dragon defense stayed tight the rest of the game, not giving Sioux Valley many opportunities, and kept them from scoring again until the final quarter, where GHS denied them the two-point conversion and left the score 3-14.
“Dominic Abraham had a nice night running the football and our offensive line,” said Long, “once we figured some things out, he did some good work up front along with Jake Schroeder leading the way from the fullback spot. We’ll need to be able to run the football and mix in the pass on Thursday."
The Blue Dragons travel to Winner for the first game of the post-season.
“Winner has a really good team and obviously a great tradition,” said Coach Long. “It will be a challenge going there for the 1st round but I’m confident our guys will be able to rise to the occasion and again, play our best game. Looking at film we feel like there are things we can do on both sides of the ball that will give us our best chance at being successful.”
“Big thanks to our parents and fans throughout the season,” he said. “It’s been hard to see us able to compete with everyone we played but still not able to come out on top more often. We’ve battled injuries, sickness along with other obstacles but our guys continued to show up to practice and work hard and that’s hats off to them.”
The Garretson Cross Country Harriers ran at the Region 2A meet held on Oct. 15 at Yankton Trail Park in Sioux Falls. The Boys Team finished 6th and the Girls Team finished 3rd.
Preston Bohl and the entire girls’ team qualified for the State Cross Country Meet held next Friday at Hart Ranch in Rapid City. The girls will run at 3:30 MT and Preston will run at 4:15 MT.
“We ran much better at Regions than we ran at the Conference meet last week, but we still have improvements that will be made by next weekend,” said Coach Jason Bohl. “The coaching staff would also like to acknowledge the seniors who ran their last race at Regions: Evan DeBates, Devon Leedy, Sam Konechne, and Brady Malsom. We would like to thank them for their years as Garretson Cross Country runners.”
Dig Pink! The Volleyball Team faced the Tea Area School, with another 3-match victory 25-15, 25-18, & 25-14.
On Oct. 13 vs MCM they won 25-12, 25-20, and 25-19. The Lady Dragons are second seed with a 15-3 season!
There are 3 home volleyball games next week. Sioux Valley on Monday, Oct. 26, Colman-Egan on Tuesday, Oct. 27, and the make-up Dell Rapids St. Mary game will be on Friday, Oct. 30. The Region 3A Tournament will be on Nov. 3rd. Nov. 5th is the semi-finals.
Harold Glen Etrheim was born the second son of Sven and Randveig Etrheim on November 18, 1929 at the family farm in Rock County, Minnesota. When he was a young boy the family moved to a farm near Balaton, Minnesota. Harold attended country school with his siblings. In 1945 the family moved to a farm near Jasper, Minnesota. Harold attended the Agricultural School in Morris, Minnesota.
He returned to the family farm to his assist his father in farming. Harold was drafted into the United States Marine Corps in 1951 and was honorably discharged in 1953. Upon his return to Jasper, he began farming.
On January 8, 1955 Harold was united in marriage to Dallas; the love of his life and dance partner. This union was blessed with four children. During their marriage, they moved to and purchased the Etrheim family farm where they continue to live. Harold enjoyed farm life and was known for his care of livestock, especially beef cattle and hogs. In their retirement years, Harold and Dallas enjoyed spending the winter months in Arizona.
Harold was a faithful member of the Jasper Evangelical Lutheran Church. He served on the church council. Harold was a member of the Rosedale township board, Rock County Beef Producers, Sons of Norway and the Arthur Moeller American Legion Post 478 of Hardwick, Minnesota. Harold was proud to be a Legion member for 62 years. He enjoyed ballroom dancing and traveling. Harold valued time with family and friends. He was proud of his Norwegian heritage and visited Norway four times.
Harold died peacefully on Saturday, October 17, 2020 at the Minnesota Veteran’s Home in Luverne, Minnesota at 90 years of age.
Harold is lovingly remembered by his wife, Dallas of 65 years; his children: Shelia (Gene), Lori (Wayne) , Keith (Barb), Kathy (Gene) ; 10 grandchildren, Joel (Marissa), Kelly (Joy) , Jonathan (Samantha), Gary, Jakob, Alex (Erin), Issak, Ingrid (Ryan), Emily, and Jessica (Tyler); three great grandchildren, Lane, Evelyn, and Finn; one brother-in-law, Lyle (Margie); sisters-in-law, Shirley and Devonna, his nieces and nephews and many other loving family and friends.
Harold was preceded in death by his parents; three brothers; one sister; four sisters-in-law; and three brothers-in-law.
Realtors in South Dakota have seen a steady influx of people seeking more affordable housing and more personal freedoms by moving to South Dakota amid the pandemic, even as the state has seen a sharp rise in the number of active COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
This 2,800 square-foot, five-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Pierre was listed In October 2020 for sale at $315,000. The South Dakota housing market has remained strong during the pandemic. Photo: Nick Lowrey, South Dakota News Watch
Many new home buyers have been lured to the state, real estate agents say, by traditional benefits of South Dakota living such as the lack of a state income tax, relatively low property taxes and home prices, safe neighborhoods, a small-town vibe and access to wide open spaces. A new, pandemic-driven trend of employers allowing or requiring employees to work remotely from their homes has also boosted the ability of homeowners to relocate to South Dakota without changing jobs.
But agents say the rise in relocations has also been fueled by the refusal of state and local government officials in South Dakota to impose mask mandates and business closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. A state government effort to recruit people and businesses to relocate to South Dakota from Minnesota has also contributed to the strength of the state housing market, realtors say.
The two biggest housing markets in South Dakota — in Sioux Falls and Rapid City — have seen a rise in interest by potential home buyers from all across the U.S, local agents say. The average prices paid for homes have risen in both markets; houses are spending fewer days on the market; and there are as many as 30% fewer homes for sale due to increased demand.
Some eager out-of-state buyers are making offers on homes sight-unseen.
“I heard the other day that there’s an agent that wrote up three offers where, basically, the client has never seen the property because they know the market is so hot,” said Larry Luetke, president of the Realtor Association of the Sioux Empire, based in Sioux Falls. The association tracks home sales in the Sioux Falls region and said home sales are strong.
The average time on the market for homes has fallen to 75 days recently from a more typical 90 days before a sale, Luetke said. Average sales prices are also up, having risen more than 7% since September 2019, from $210,000 to $225,000. Meanwhile, the number of homes on the market has fallen by more than 36% in the Sioux Falls area, from 1,980 in September of 2019 to 1,259 in 2020.
Home sales are also up in Rapid City and the Black Hills, said Steve Anderson, president of the Black Hills Association of Realtors. Realtors in the region have sold about 100 more homes during the first nine months of 2020 than they had during the same period in 2019, he said. The average sale price in the region is up more than $18,000, from about $252,000 in 2019 to more than $270,000 in 2020.
The Black Hills region has long attracted people outside of South Dakota as a retirement or lifestyle destination, so there has always been movement to the area. The pandemic, though, appears to have pushed more people to take early retirement or look for a less-crowded place to live.
“We are absolutely seeing a little bit more action coming from the West Coast and even from down further south,” Anderson said.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, has said she is not surprised more people are interested in moving to South Dakota. In an Oct. 12 interview with Moorhead, Minnesota radio station WZFG, Noem said her decision not to mandate mask-wearing or shuttering of businesses during the pandemic has attracted both new companies and new residents to the state.
The Noem administration has also launched a multi-million dollar ad campaign to lure businesses from Minnesota into South Dakota based partially on Noem’s handling of the pandemic. The campaign also notes South Dakota does not have a state income tax, has low property taxes and has a business-friendly regulatory climate.
“And there’s a governor in South Dakota that isn’t going to shut your business down or take your rights away,” Noem said.
The surge in home buying comes as South Dakota’s COVID-19 infections are peaking. As of Oct. 14, there were more than 6,000 active cases of COVID-19 in South Dakota, 303 people were hospitalized due to the disease and 288 people had died.
While critics point to Noem’s laissez-faire approach to the pandemic as one of the driving forces behind South Dakota’s rising numbers of COVID-19 infections and deaths, her policies have also played a big role in the strength of the real estate market, Luetke said.
Many of his new clients say South Dakota’s refusal to mandate masks or shut down businesses were among the top reasons they chose to move to the state, Luetke said.
Sarah Gross, of Keller Williams Realty in Sioux Falls, said she is working with four clients who are leaving larger, urban areas for South Dakota. One of Gross’ new clients is in her 20s and left a job and a downtown apartment in Portland, Oregon, to relocate to Sioux Falls. Another couple is trying to sell their home outside Minneapolis and is looking to build a new home near Sioux Falls, Gross said.
Another factor driving the increase in South Dakota home sales is the number of companies allowing or requiring employees to work from home. Several of Luetke’s new out-of-state clients are former South Dakotans who moved away for work but have come back during the pandemic, some seeing a financial benefit along the way.
Nationally, the pandemic has spurred interest in moving out of big cities, said Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors. The association’s regular surveys of realtors have shown a burst of home buying in outer suburbs, small towns, and historic vacation destinations. Buyers, Yun said, are looking for larger homes with more space that are more affordable than similar homes closer to cities.
“States like South Dakota, I think, will be the beneficiary of this because of the abundance of land and plentiful affordable homes,” Yun said.
Nathaniel Putney’s move from Virginia to South Dakota with his new wife, Jeanette, was heavily influenced by the Rushmore State’s approach to the pandemic, gun rights and personal freedoms. After seeing crime rise in his Virginia Beach neighborhood for years and watching new gun regulations get passed, the last straw for Putney was his home state’s response to COVID-19.
“I didn’t really want to leave. I kind of figured maybe it would get better, but it never did,” Putney said. “I might have physically left Virginia, but Virginia left me long before.”
After losing his job, Putney started searching the internet for states with strong support for gun ownership, respect for personal freedom and which had not put many restrictions on businesses or individuals during the pandemic. Putney looked at states such as Nebraska, Montana and Utah before landing on South Dakota.
Moving to South Dakota was not easy. Neither Putney nor his wife was employed when they decided to move. They were making do on unemployment benefits and savings, which Putney learned do not count as income when applying for a lease on an apartment.
Eventually, Putney met Gross and agent Mark Sorenson and determined that he could buy a house rather than rent. But without a job and a regular paycheck, securing a mortgage was out of the question. Instead, Putney and his wife took every bit of cash they could scrape together from savings and retirement accounts, and in early September bought a house in Madison, S.D., for roughly $145,000 in cash.
“We had to give up a lot, but in doing so, frankly, God provided,” Putney said.
Putney and his wife moved into their new home on Sept. 25. The move came just in time for Putney to start a new job as a technician at Mid States Audio & Visual, a job Gross helped him find. The pay is a little lower than what he was making in Virginia, but between not making mortgage or rent payments, a lower cost of living and not paying a state income tax, Putney said he may make a higher net income.
