Waterama leads the news

July 25, 1963 – Twenty-five girls were trying for the title of Miss Waterama during the eighth annual summer celebration. They were Margaret Pennie, Sherilynn Jenks, Jeanine Gilbertson, Jeane Meyer, Jeanne Vold, Susan Powers, Kathleen Vegoe, Sharon Elvehjem, Sylvia Femrite, Janice Graves, Nancy Wolf, Linda Larson, Janet Berg, Patricia Pfahl, Judith Landa, Carelyn Zemke, Marlys DeBoer, Patricia Johnson, Corlys Phelps, Rose Stavem, Rosella Ward and Grace Knutson.

Around 25 members of an area classic car club were expected to drive their cars in the annual Waterama parade. Among them were Ray DeBoer, of Glenwood, and John Bohmer, of Brooten.

Other Waterama specialties included the end of the reign of Queen Carol Hustad and Jergen Nash of WCCO emceeing the coronation of the new queen. 

July 26, 1973 – Brakes weakened by age and a stiff wind were blamed for the derailment of a Soo Line freight train east of Farwell. The accident derailed 13 cars and three locomotives and occurred when six refrigerator cars rolled off a siding, striking a passing freight.

County agent Jack Morris said it couldn’t be called a “million dollar rain” but that it was a multi-million dollar rain. Gentle rain fell in the amount of two inches over three days, raising the hopes of area farmers. Small grain harvests, in spite of the late rain, were running between 40 to 100 bushels to the acre of oats. Morris also said, however, that additional rain would be needed for the country’s corn crop. 

Glenwood native Clarence “Swanee” Swanson was in town for an organ concert which he gave at the Glenwood Theatre.

Mr. and Mrs. Jack Johnson were pictured in the Tribune with a portion of their 2-acre garden, including over 1,000 Bermuda onions. The Johnsons, organic gardeners who had a tree farm in the International Falls area, were the parents of Joyce Finke. 

July 28, 1983 – Retiring Waterama Queen Robin Rinken told the Tribune that the job was “a lot more than I expected it to be.” She also said that no other festival could compare to her celebration (Waterama). Rinken had just participated in the competition for Queen of the Lakes of the Minneapolis Aquatennial. 

Thirteen new candidates for the Waterama Queen title were hoping for the best. The 13 were Jill Bodeker, Kris Bremseth, Tricia Butler, Shannon Endres, Billie Jo Hanson, Kay Lynn Kaus, Karla McCrory, Karla Mjoness, Sonia Olson, Kim Peterson, Jodi Pritchard, Heidi Stadsvold and Carla Zitzmann.

Bye, Bye, Birdie was the Minnewaska Showstoppers’ choice for its Waterama production. Featured in the play, under the direction of Lee Paulson, were Gordy Moeller, Brent Cochran, Amy Anderson, Lecia Kluver, Tim Lang, Kathy Ofstedal, Bruce Obenland, Joyce Hauge, Duffy Morton, Ralph and Gloria Heieie, Bobbi Marczak, Bruce Fingerson, John Griffin, Brett Lund, Dick and Erma Sivertson and Michele Fronk. 

July 26, 1993 – It rained during the 38th annual Waterama parade, but fortunately, it didn’t rain a lot, and it was near the end, so the show went on as scheduled.

Angel Holte was crowned Waterama Queen during the coronation ceremonies. She was to be assisted by Amy Shroeder, first princess, and Nicole Wagner, second princess. Holte, 18, was a 1993 graduate of Minnewaska Area High School and the daughter of Steve and Deb Holte, of Glenwood. Also named during the Waterama ceremonies was the new vice commodore, Dyanne Parsons of rural Glenwood. 

Dr. Kai Hunt, who had been part time on the staff of the Glenwood Medical Center, was to join the staff full time beginning Aug. 1. He had formerly practiced in Alexandria and Osakis and had been in the area as a medical doctor for over 20 years. 

July 28, 2003 – Will Pope County have an extension service officer? That’s a question yet to be answered following the question yet to be answered following the news that the University of Minnesota’s Extension service planned to establish 18 regional offices, and Pope County wasn’t one of them. In fact, the closest proposed office would be in Morris. It would be staffed by five to 10 employees who would serve surrounding counties. 

The 2004 Glenwood Waterama royalty had been chosen. They included Queen Angela Bowen, First Princess Angela Reker, Second Princess Amanda Dobbelmann, Junior Queen Chiana Welsch and Junior Princess Madison Sachs. The new vice commodore was David Perryman.

The Glenwood City Commission had selected the architectural firm of Widseth, Smith, Nolting & Associates to design the new Lakeside Ballroom. The Alexandria firm was to work closely with a local design committee to create a building to replace the historic ballroom that was destroyed by fire earlier in the summer. 

July 22, 2013 – Lakes Amelia, Leven, Emily, Pelican, Villard, Gilchrist and Scandi should soon see some form of relief to an area of eroding shoreline. At Tuesday’s board meeting, county commissioners approved a temporary special controls water surface use ordinance affecting those lakes. The ordinance affecting those lakes. The ordinance puts in place a temporary slow no-wake zone within 300 feet of the lakes’ shorelines. 

Minnewaska Area Schools has apparently filled the principal post vacated by Diane Cordes, who was recently named superintendent of Breckenridge Public Schools. 

Last Tuesday, at its regular monthly meeting, the board approved hiring Cory Larson to take the post which was advertised as a multi-program principal. 

At last week’s Pope County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) meeting, Executive Director Dick Dreher told the board about possible plans to build an assisted living center and possible memory care facility in Starbuck near the area where the county garage used to stand.