Bringing 140 people to Our Split Rock Park in Garretson for a family reunion was no simple task. And the weather could not have been more adverse. A heat index of 110 on Friday night followed by 90 minutes of 70 mph winds the next morning made many wonder what we were in for. But by the time we returned to the Park after a three- and one-half hour bus tour, and many fun games in the park in the afternoon and evening, all thoughts were only on the bright side of such a beautiful time in our community and our City of Parks. Saturday night’s chuckwagon dinner catered by Ron Luke was as always, a huge hit to top off an awesome day.
Almost 80 people congregated at Palisade Lutheran Church to see the graves of pioneers William and Christine (Kounkel) Rademacher and attend a service with an awesome message given by Pastor Jake Julson, son of Garretson native Gerald Julson. The relatives showed their much appreciation by passing the offering plate and leaving many hundreds of dollars for the church to continue their mission under Pastor Laura Phelps. On the way back to Garretson, a stop was made at the Rademacher homestead, now the home of Diane and Doug Grimsrud, to take a family photo in front of the old beloved house.
Many were hoping that bringing the reunion out of the Brainerd area and back to South Dakota where it all began, was just a one-time thing. When cousin and auctioneer Bob Julson asked as we began the auction of family items to raise money for the next reunion in two years, “How many of you have enjoyed your stay in Garretson thus far?” The thunderous overwhelming response let us know that we were not getting off the hook and would have/get to do it all over again in two years. But much of the thanks goes to the people of Garretson. Bruce’s help at the park earned him an honorary membership forever into the Rademacher family. Craig and Allan dragging the driveways and removing the tree that fell over the road during the storm showed all what a wonderful town we locals call home. At the cousins meeting Sunday, it was a unanimous vote to return to Garretson and do it all over again. We should all be thankful we live in such a wonderful community.
