Lakeside Ballroom to be rebuilt

June 27, 1963 – Ted Schmeckpeper made the front page of the Tribune with his hole-in-one on No. 8. His son, TJ, had started the action two years prior to that time when he struck golfing gold on the Minnewaska course. Schmeckpeper was playing with Bob Benson, Don Miller and Reuben Qually at the time. The hole-in-one by the Glenwood golf coach was the first of the season at the golf course. 

Two Glenwood stores were to hold open houses. Setter Drug had moved into a newly remodeled location, and Ben Franklin was under new ownership.

The Rev. Ronald Goldberg, pastor at Chippewa Falls and Barsness Lutheran churches, had accepted a call to a Spicer church. He had served locally since 1960. The Rev. E.F. Stern was leaving Glenwood’s Calvary Lutheran Church for semi-retirement in Two Rivers, Wis.

June 28, 1973 – Jack Varner, Glenwood’s version of the Music Man, was honored at the annual Glenwood rotary appreciation banquet. Varner had directed Glenwood bands for a number of years. 

Shan Brenden was crowned queen of the annual Midsommernattsfest. Other candidates were Jennifer Thiesse, Shiela Pederson, Luan Johnsrud, Denise Hermanson and DeAnn Hofstad. 

A barn and hog house on the John Johnson farm in Ben Wade Township were destroyed by a fire, apparently caused by a lightning strike. No animals were lost. Some hay and straw was destroyed. Johnson had not decided if he would rebuild. 

Another postal service cut back came as it was announced that mail would leave town and arrive here only once a day. 

June 30, 1983 – A county resident was suing some Pope County officials. The farmer had been “attacked with a deadly weapon” (pesticides), had called the sheriff and the county attorney and had not received what he considered to be an appropriate response. 

An elderly Barsness Township woman was injured when an explosion leveled her farm home. The 89-year-old woman was taken to St. Paul Ramsey Burn Center. 

The communities of Villard and Starbuck were celebrating their centennials during the annual Fourth of July weekend. Many special events were scheduled.

Ruth Brenden of Starbuck and Henry Foelschow of Glenwood were named as the county’s Outstanding Senior Citizens  for the year.

Jayne Dalager, a Glenwood High School graduate was about to leave for Nepal and duty with the Peace Corps. She signed a two-year contract to work with the agency.

June 28, 1993 – KMGK was officially sold. The sale, originally agreed to April 12, received approval of the Federal Communictions Commission June 18. Included in the license transfer and sale was the license for KSTQ radio in Alexandria. The new owner was Branstock Communications, a Glenwood Firm, whose principal owner was Steve Nestor. The former owner of both stations was Starcom of Sartell. 

Members of the Bangor Town Board came to the Pope County Commission the previous week to suggest that the county should have an ordinance covering the spreading of fuel-contaminated soil. Lyle Fettig explained that two sites in the township had been designated places where fuel-contaminated soil could be stored and then spread. Each site was approved for 1,400 yards of soil.

Class sizes were again the main item of discussion for the District No. 2149 board of education the previous week, but resolution of the matter was to be delayed until the exact nature of the problem was determined. Superintendent Dan Froemming told the board that the district would be in compliance with new state guidelines for the size of classes for students in grades kindergarten through first-grade but that second-grade and fifth-grade represented possible problems. 

June 30, 2003 – It’s official, Glenwood will rebuild Lakeside Ballroom. The Glenwood City Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to formally start the process of building the new facility. 

Pope County had been pummeled with rain, wind, hail and a tornado over the last week. Rain amounts have been so high that flooding is occurring throughout the county, and many residents are working around the clock trying to dry out wet homes. Glenwood city crews worked overtime to pump high water from intersections and storm sewers in northwest areas of the city. Many private homeowners have been forced to rent large pumps to pull chest-high water out of basements. Records kept at the Glenwood Sanitary Sewer Plant show that in a four-day period 10.59 inches of rain fell. 

June 24, 2013 – Permission for open burning is now extended to all residents in Pope County without the need for individual written or electronic permits. At last Tuesday’s board meeting, commissioners adopted a new “common sense” open burning ordinance which does away with the need for obtaining a permit from the Department of Natural Resources, providing residents follow the times and conditions laid out in the ordinance.

Minnewaska Area Schools Superintendent Greg Ohl served his last meeting as superintendent, and he was honored by school board members for his work. 

A severe thunderstorm that moved  into the area during the early morning hours Friday dumped more than 6 inches of rain on much of Pope County, including Cyrus, Starbuck, Lowry and Glenwood. The rain, which came in a torrential downpour around 2 a.m. Friday, was accompanied by constant lightning, thunder and strong winds that caused some tree damage and downed power lines.