Dusting Off the Archives

News from Verndale's Past

40 Years Ago, March 26, 1986

• Newly enlisted Privates Mike Iverson of Nimrod, Terrance Ackerman of Verndale, Kevin Lillquist of Sebeka and Robert Mackay, Jr. of Menahga, got a brief rundown on the capabilities of one of the Minnesota Army National Guard’s M-60 Tanks from Staff Sergeant Jeffrey Packer of McGregor. These citizen-soldiers were among the 160 newly-enlisted Guard members at the Basic Training Orientation Course at Camp Ripley March 15-16.

• Forty schools participated in the St. Cloud speech tourney last weekend in St. Cloud, including Verndale. Placing were: Shari McClure, first in original oratory, Monica Dolezal, third in poetry; David Horsager, received a medal for his first attempt in great speeches, and Cindy Crowe, received a medal for eighth place in prose.

• Four Verndale youth placed in the kids wrestling meet at Staples last weekend. They were: Chip Forcier-first in third grade category; Josh Bahls-third in the first grade division; and finishing in fifth place were third grader Mike Oralndo and first grader Jeremiah Kern.

• Bill Blaha has been named to succeed Bret Oelke as the new Lamb and Wool Production Management instructor at the Wadena AVTI. Oelke leaves the Lamb and Wool teaching position to take a district agricultural sales management position in his native Southwestern Minnesota. “I don’t think we could have found a better candidate for the job,” Oelke said of his successor. “Bill knows the area and the sheep producers in the area. He’s going to be a real asset to the program.”

15 Years Ago, March 17, 2011

• Pictured is Senior Zach Meidinger who made this great block on the shot attempt by Eagle Valley’s Neil Zimmer during the Pirates first round of playoff games. Meidinger, a four year starter for the Pirates, has averaged 15 points a game over his career and holds the record for the second in overall points with 1471, behind Dick Finck with 1492. However, this point total is “unofficial” and since it is so close, current Head Coach Jordan Hinkle and former Head Coach Greg Johnson are working together to go back through and make sure the point totals are correct.

• The Wadena Area Community Band, under the direction of John Lindlief, will be presenting its annual spring concert in honor of Liz Erickson and in memory of Dr. Warren Hartman. Both had been members of the band since its reorganization nearly 30 years ago. Erickson retired from the band this year while Dr. Harman passed away last month.

• Thirty-seven juniors and seniors from Verndale attended the Career Exploration Day hosted by the Bridges Career Academics and Workplace Connection, held at Central Lakes College in Brainerd. Students were able to participate in several hands-on activities such as acting, producing or video taping a skit, making their own network cables for hooking up gaming systems to the internet; basic landscaping, horticulture and flower projects; and hearing simulations of heart, bowel and lung sounds. Pictured, Elizabeth and Jordy took the chance to moisturize at the cosmetology booth, Derek and Nate did a mock interview for a TV segment, and Katie and Emily get advice from ‘Thing 2’ on making teaching more fun and interesting.

• Sebeka basketball has reached its greatest heights the last three years, and you could say there are thousands of reasons why. The starting five of last year’s Trojan’s boys state runner-up team all scored over 1000 points, including two 2010 graduates and three seniors on this year’s unbeaten, number two ranked team. If any other team in the history ever had five 1000 pointers in a starting lineup, we at the Minnesota Basketball News don’t know about it.

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