Dusting off the Archives
News from Verndale's Past
75 Years Ago, November 20, 1947
•Mrs. Mary Conley of Verndale is among the Christmas Seal volunteers pictured in this month’s “Everybody’s Health” magazine. The photographs were taken at a meeting in St. Paul where plans were laid out for the 1947 Christmas Seal Sale. With the eradication of tuberculosis as their goal, volunteer workers in every community of the state are now busy preparing for the annual seal sale starting November 24.
•Art Attleson has a 12-bout card arranged to be staged in the Memorial Auditorium at Wadena next Monday night, November 24. Headlining the fight will be Gordon Pouliot of Wadena, a 194-pound heavyweight who will be matched against a fighter from Bemidji or Park Rapids.
• The progressive farm management methods used by two Wadena County farmers are cited in stories in the December issue of Capper’s Farmer. The farmers are Harold Pleidrup who lives near Verndale and C.R. Potter of near Wadena. Pleidrup is featured in a story headlined “Good Pasture Saves Grain.”
40 Years Ago, November 25, 1982
•Conrad VanBatavia, scoutmaster of Troop 326 of Verndale, was the recipient of the “Scouter of the Year” award when the Park Region District of Boy Scouts of America held its annual recognition dinner. Troop 58 of Park Rapids served the meal at the November 18 meeting at the American Legion Club in Park Rapids.
•The Wadena County Sheriff’s Department has announced that the Millbank Mutual Insurance Company is offering a $1000 reward for information that may lead to the arrest and conviction of the person or party responsible for removing 12 head of cattle from the Ray Ismil farm located a half mile west of Verndale. Ismil made the report that 12 bred Holstein heifers, each valued at $1000, had been taken from the pasture near the farmyard on Tuesday, September 14.
•The old house, formerly owned by Paul Denny on the corner of Thompson Street and West Clark Drive, was dozed out of the way last week. The land was cleared despite six inches of frozen ground, and leveling has begun so that construction of the senior citizen's housing unit in Verndale can get underway.
15 Years Ago, December 5, 2007
•Rosy cheeks seemed to be the theme of the annual tree lighting ceremony at the Verndale City Park on Sunday evening. The event was witnessed by a modest crowd thanks to the frigid temperature. But the show did go on complete with horse-drawn buggy rides by mother and daughter team Bonnie and Sally of the Lester Bain Farm. Santa came for the occasion and visited with the children, while the adults gathered to sing Christmas carols. Everyone warmed up inside with treats including hot chocolate, cider and cookies.
•Verndale Preschool Plus is inviting the community to come in and visit their beautiful new classrooms. In the spring of 2007, Otter Tail-Wadena Community Action Council Head Start and the Verndale School together decided the preschool programs in Verndale needed a new space. With the help of a grant from Head Start, the school was able to remodel the old ITV room and build a new classroom with bathrooms, office space and classroom space. The open house will be held on December 11.
•The Raiders fans are looking for some great things from this year’s team. The Raiders take to the mat on Saturday, December 1 at the Wadena-Deer Creek Invitational. The Raiders are led by three senior captains; Ethan Kern, ranked second at 112 lbs.; Zak Lambert, ranked seventh at 125 lbs.; and Sam Moenkedick, ranked fifth at 152 lbs. The Raiders also have two state entrants returning, Jake Braaten and Matt Moenkedick.