The long-awaited goal of having a place to honor the memory of the Starbuck Lions Club Lefse Team members and their accomplishment of making the World’s Largest Lefse became a reality in 2022. The grand opening of the Lefse Hall of Fame (LHOF) in conjunction with the annual Lefse Dagen was a great success. Making the day even more memorable was having 2 of the Lions Club Team Ladies, Joyce Wahlquist and Audrey Amundson in attendance to cut the ribbon for us. That got things rolling for an even more interesting year than usual at the Starbuck Depot.

Somehow, Jon Lauritson from WCCO TV, learned of the lefse hall of fame and made a visit to the Depot in late July to produce an episode for the “Finding Minnesota” program. Shortly after that, KFGO radio from Fargo featured Harvey Pederson in an interview. “Those two media opportunities generated a lot of interest both locally and beyond,” said Blaine Pederson. “That was followed with a lot of phone call requests to open the Depot for visits and we were glad to accommodate.  There were a lot of curiosity seekers that just came to check things out and we gave impromptu tours whenever possible.  Everyone left with positive comments about seeing the tribute to the ‘Boys of Starbuck’ and other things that make lefse fun! And our map of ‘Where Do You Love Your Lefse’ gained a lot of pins, too.”

So that is the perfect reason to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the day that the Starbuck Lions Club Lefse Team “Cracked the Code” and made the World’s Largest Lefse, a record that still stands today. The depot volunteers look forward to seeing many folks at the Starbuck Depot on Saturday July 1, during Heritage Days 2023. 

A brief recap of other good things that happened at the Depot during 2022 as well: 

• The other annual events, Thursday Night on the Town and Farmers Market, Heritage Days and Eple Tiden were well attended and brought many visitors from both in and out of town. 

• New signage was installed around the depot grounds.

• Generous support from the Brang Foundation, community groups and private individuals. 

• The Caboose Shelter, Public Restrooms, Bike Repair Station and Little Library provided an important service to the community and attracted a lot of use.  

• 2 visitors from Norway, Magne Drevdal and his daughter Ann Kristin, made Starbuck and the Depot their first stop on a bucket list trip to America. Their ancestors once owned land in the depot area and lived near Immanuel Lutheran Church

• 3 members of the Giesen Family, Phil, Alleen and Marc visited during Heritage Days to see the Dr. A.F. Giesen display in the Skoglund Building and reconnect with many friends.

• The one room school and museum were updated and reorganized a bit. 

• Participated in the Heritage Days, Waterama and Lighted Annual Parade.

• Refurbishing streetlights and Christmas/Holiday lighting of the caboose shelter area.

• A fundraiser raffle for Depot improvements was kicked off at Eple Tiden. 

• Be sure to check in on the Starbuck Depot Facebook page and website for updates and to learn of what is happening at the depot. 

“The Starbuck Depot area has been recognized as a hub of activity and gathering place for Starbuck for over 35 years. That would have been impossible without the commitment and dedication of many community members through the years.  We are grateful to those that serve and are calling attention to the need for additional help so that we can continue to keep this place available to use for the years to come.   A focus on Membership will be prominent this year, and we are asking you to consider joining us,” added Pederson.