1980 St. Patty’s Celebration

Marguerite Hessian read some of the limericks she had written about Belle Plaine people to the St. Patrick’s crowd that gathered downtown on Saturday, March 15, 1980. Behind her on the platform were grand marshals Alice and Leonard Farrell.

(1980)
Belle Plaine and Jordan were given the nod to host a dual site 1981 state amateur baseball tournament by the Minnesota State Baseball Board that Saturday. It would mark the first time in the 58-year history of the event that two sites would be used. Belle Plaine previously hosted the tourney as a single site in 1966. Jordan had held it twice – ‘69 and ‘73. The 1980 tournament would be a single-site event slated for Brownton. Representing Belle Plaine at St. Cloud that Saturday were Dwight Gerdes (manager of the town team), Bob Beck (president of the Belle Plaine Chamber of Commerce), Dr. Robert Miller, Fred Keup, Ed Townsend and Bill Huber.
Rising fuel costs were jacking up the cost of improving county roads. Bids let for the improvement of 2.4 miles of County Road 60 in Blakeley Township “are a perfect example of the escalating cost of highway maintenance,” according to E.W. Prenevost, Scott County highway engineer. The main portion of the project was common excavation or dirt moving. “Ten years ago that cost 25 cents a cubic yard. Seven bids on this one project ranged from 95 cents to $2,” Prenevost said.
Jelly Sunday for the Belle Plaine Jaycees would be March 23. During the afternoon, local Jaycees would be going door-to-door asking for one dollar or more for a jar of jelly. Proceeds would go to the home for the mentally retarded in Belle Plaine.
Annette Otto, a junior guard for the Belle Plaine High School girls’ basketball team, was named to all-conference basketball team. Julie Johnson received honorable mention.
The BPHS girls’ track team began practice with 55 participants in grades 7-12. Jenny Cote was the team captain. The coach was Lee Sauter.
Matt Blair, Minnesota Vikings linebacker, would be the guest speaker at the Belle Plaine Jaycees’ annual banquet at BPES that spring.

60 Years Ago (1950)
The 1950 Census of Agriculture questionnaires were being distributed by mail to farmers who would participate in a nationwide inventory of farmers and farm production. Farmers were being asked to fill in the questionnaire and have it ready for the Census enumerator, who would call at the farm in April during the 17th Decennial Census of the United States.
Arnold Mueller and family, who had been renting the John Otto (former Ahrens homestead) at the southeast side of Belle Plaine, moved to a farm near Hamburg. The new owner of the Otto farm was E. Pierson of Prior Lake.
Mr. and Mrs. Ted Venske, Mrs. Frank Bauman and Mercedes and Miss Adeline Bohnsack attended a concert at Trinity Methodist Church in St. Paul given by the church choir and the Minnesota Business College choir. Virginia Venske sang two solos and was also a member of the choir.
Not a single individual had filed for any of the municipal offices to be chosen at the borough election on April 3.
Glenn Peterson, well known East Union farmer, died at Eitel Hospital in Minneapolis of a brain hemorrhage resulting from an auto injury. Glenn Edward Holt Peterson was a son of Mr. and Mrs. J.E. Peterson. The farm on which he was born was his home all his life. On Nov. 10, 1943, he was married to Miss Elsie Bipes of Cologne, who died two years later.
Floyd B. Minium, district highway engineer in this area since Babcock days, died at his home in New Ulm. He was always most cooperative in working with Belle Plaine committees on roads.
The first day of spring found Belle Plaine with the appearance of a traditional Christmas morning. There was a covering of fresh snow.
Mr. and Mrs. Fred Tillquist returned home from a quick trip to the Gulf Coast where they made stops in New Orleans, Mobile and Pensacola.
Marlene Ohm of Trinity School came in a close fourth among 26 grade school students in the Scott County spelling contest. The county champion was Patricia Hyzer of Jordan.
Mrs. Edward Zaun was chairman of the largely attended St. Patrick’s Day party at the LAAOH. Committee members were Mrs. Ray Duffy, Mrs. Walter Fahey, Mrs. George Doheny, Mrs. Elmer Meyer, Mrs. M.J. McCue, Mrs. Thomas Moore and Mrs. Margaret Cauley.
The Earl Olson family moved here from Minneapolis to take over the Benson Bros. service station and residence.
Jerome Moriarty completed his course at the U of M Agricultural School and returned home to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Moriarty.
Thomas Hayes of Belle Plaine sold his 80-acre farm in Faxon Township to William Fahey. The tract was adjacent to Fahey’s farm and had been rented by him the past several years.
Allen Peltz bought the Lloyd Peltz residence in Belle Plaine and the Lloyd Peltz family moved onto the farm being vacated by Gus Krueger.
Winners in the declam contest were Karen Lynch in dramatic section and Margaret Albrecht in the humorous section. Others participating were Shirley Rusch, Mary Minton, Richard Clayton, Margery Tillquist and Carol Rusch.

90 Years Ago (1920)
The annual high water period was on again and for a week there was no crossing the river at Belle Plaine.
The sale of two Connolly farms fell through when Jos. Cesefsky, purchaser of one, had to withdraw because of failure of his buyer to come through.
A.C. Wolfram, who had sold his farm to his sons, left for Washington state with intension of locating there.
A home talent play, “The Parish Priest,” was given at the hall as a St. Patrick’s Day attraction, and drew a large patronage.
Frank McCue sold his 80-acre farm to Gustave Schultz for $250 an acre, and the McCue family planned to move to Minneapolis that spring.
The confirmation class at St. John’s Lutheran Church included Ewald Freter, Fred Latzke, Arnold Holste, Charlotte Nitz, Martin Schmidt, Gertrude Holste, Loren Blume, Millie Mahlmann, Elford Splettstoesser, Gertrude Schmidt, Irene Lueders, Harry Schultz, Wesley Schmidt and Lillie Telthorster.
William B. Siemon and Miss Alma Brooks were married in St. Paul by Rev. David Frank and established their home on the groom’s farm in Belle Plaine Township.
Plans for the new school and auditorium at Union Hill were accepted and construction bids were called for. The old schoolhouse was destroyed by fire during the winter.
Mr. and Mrs. James Sheehan Sr. were at St. Peter to attend the funeral of the former’s brother Richard Sheehan.
The annual financial report of the borough showed expenditures for the year of $8,352, of which the largest item was for street maintenance, $1,622. Receipts from the water department were $1,480. The sum realized from taxes was $4,272.
The Nester farm home near St. Thomas burned to the ground, the fire starting from a defective chimney.
H.M. Sebek bought the Edward Gerold farm at the east side of Belle Plaine Township for $21,500 and was to take possession the following year.
A span of the Henderson bridge was washed out by the flow of ice and water. For temporary crossing, a cable and ferry were installed.

120 Years Ago (1890)
A man died who had been born in the preceding century. William Nedlin, who lived at the home of his grandson, Louis Schultz, was born in August of 1799.
Henry W. Diers, who was head tinsmith for Stratton Bros., chose to carry on his employment while living on a farm. He acquired a place in St. John’s and bought a horse and buggy for travel between home and work.
The two sons of John Rench of Belle Plaine Township, who had gone to New Mexico, returned with the opinion that it was no place for anyone to think of farming or otherwise living.