Volume 122, Number 43             Wednesday, November 30th, 2005

Gives substantial donations
Longtime Minnewaukan community booster Garvin Plummer, seated, recently gave donations of $1,000 each to three Minnewaukan organizations.
Representatives of the organizations gathered to thank him. Standing, left to right, are Curtis Yri, commander of the Gunnerud-Dietrich American Legion Post 86 of Minnewaukan; Cathy Nord, a member of the Minnewaukan Museum board of directors; and Jason Feldner, president of the Minnewaukan Community Club.

Students tour Summers Mfg.
The 9th grade agriculture science/ag mechanics class of Maddock High School took a tour of Summers Manufacturing in Maddock. Jerry Lunde, shop manager, guided the tour for the students, who are studying a unit of instruction on welding. A number of Summers employees are graduates of the Maddock Ag Mechanics Program and the Maddock School. Left to right, front row, are Trevor Finley, Kristine Trautman, Stephanie Rieger and Catherine Streifel. Back row: Andy Backstrom, Jordan Smith, Tyler Sears, Beau Buehler, Levi Slater, shop manager Jerry Lunde, Chris Summers and Tyler Lang. Summers Mfg. celebrated its 40th anniversary this year.

MMH again plans 'Tree of Hope'
This holiday season give a gift of hope and love to family, friends and loved ones by ordering a light or several lights in their names or in their memories to be placed on the Maddock Memorial Home Tree of Hope.
The Maddock Memorial Home has been doing the Tree of Hope for several years. Donations in previous years have gone toward the renovation of single rooms with shared bathrooms, cordless emergency call lights for residents to wear and a phone/intercom system for the convenience of residents and staff. This year gifts will again go toward the remodeling of the nurses' station/administration office. Fund-raising efforts for the project began in the fall of 2004. The home has also been putting memorials during the year toward the project.
Other businesses and organizations that have contributed toward the project are the Active Women of Maddock, Esmond VFW Gaming, Devils Lake Area Foundation, North Star Community Credit Union, Fessenden Cooperative Association, Farmers Union Oil Company and many individuals. The project is near completion. Trim work and siding remain to be completed, but the space is already being used. The project has allowed medication aides the ability to set up medicine in the new nurses' station rather than the hallway. This allows for fewer distractions and interruptions. The remodeling project offers privacy and space for the nurses' station and gives additional space to the administration office with safer access for residents and their families. The project has offered hours of entertainment as residents have watched its progress.
Donations can be used as Christmas "greetings" to family or friends, in "honor" of family or friends or in "memory" of a loved one. Each person honored will have an ornament put on the color light purchased. Red lights signify $5 donations, green lights represent $10 donations, blue lights are for $25 donations and orange lights represent donations over $25.
The tree will be lit on Saturday, Dec. 3 in conjunction with Santa Claus Day at the home. Reading of the names on the tree will be announced at 5:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 22 in conjunction with the resident, staff, board and family Christmas party. The public is welcome to attend the reading. An article listing the donations will be published in January in the Benson County Farmers Press. Those with questions may call 438-2641. Donations can be mailed to the Maddock Memorial Home, 301 Roosevelt Ave., Maddock, ND 58348.

The new nurses' station at the Maddock Memorial Home is shown looking west from the hallway. Arlyss Bergrud, activity director, is charting for the activities program as Deanna Johnson, certified medication aide, is setting up medication for residents. They are pictured in the area that used to be the administration office. The unfinished doorway behind them leads to the new administration office.

Ida Olson honored on 90th birthday
Ida Olson was honored on her 90th birthday Sunday, Nov. 20 at the
Minnewaukan Senior Citizens Community Center. Family members who attended
were Holger, her husband of 68 years; children Deanna Hanson, John and
Donna Olson, Ginny and Gary Sears, Bill Olson and Norma Schneider and Mike
Olson and Cindy Moe; grandchildren Nancy Thompson, Cheri Hanson, Jill
Schafer, David Sears, Jerry and Marianne Sears; great-grandchildren Mitch
Weed (Jennifer Schwab), Brant Hanson, Brittany Weed, Tyler, Quentin,
Spencer, Madyson, John, Katherine, Maria and Emily Sears; and
great-great-grandson Cade Weed.
Also there were her brother, Stephen and Mary Beck of Everett, Wash. and
several nephews and nieces, Maybell and Howard Corey of Bowbells, Doug and
Arlene Beck of Minot, Barbara and Ben Dove of Mandan, Mary and Dennis
O'Briant of Fargo and Gary Barko of Sheyenne; cousins Bernice Wisness, Lois
Johnson and Dick Anderson, all of Maddock, Ruth Myhre of Devils Lake, Opal
Groff of Harlow and Annie Schmid of Minnewaukan. Many friends from around
the area also brought greetings. The family had supper together following
the open house.
Nancy, Cheri and Jill came attired in their grandmother's polyester dresses
they found in an upstairs closet. Ida wore them many, many years ago. If
you remember, polyester does not lose color, doesn't wrinkle and never
wears out (which is probably why they quit using that fabric).

Work continues on building
Work continues on the Multi-Purpose Building at Maddock that will be the
home of Benson County Achievement Days. The photo was taken Nov. 23 and the
building is probably completely enclosed by now. The facility is located
just west of the Maddock School.