Author: andrewatwal

Cameron Pastor

http://www.yankton.net/articles/2013/01/30/community/doc5108a4d84cf33667948096.txt

 

A Learning Experience

Tim Sodea is a pastor that has been visiting Gayville Lutheran Church from Cameroon since November. He has followed Pastor Ralph Egbert’s daily working activities along with observing what the church does well to take back to his congregations in Cameroon. He is shown here with a traditional instrument called the Sanzie, which he often plays during church services. (Andrew Atwal/P&D)

Exchange Pastor Makes Most Of Time In Gayville

By Andrew Atwal
andrew.atwal@yankton.net
Published: Wednesday, January 30, 2013 1:06 AM CST

A pastor from Cameroon is wrapping up a three month long learning experience in Gayville today (Wednesday).

Tim Sodea, who is the pastor at seven Lutheran churches in Cameroon, has been visiting the Gayville Lutheran Church as part of a pastoral exchange. The purpose of the exchange is so each pastor can learn from each other about the church life in each place.

“Each evangelical Lutheran church in the United States is related to another church in a different part of the world, and we’re related to the churches in Cameroon,” said Ralph Egbert, pastor of Gayville Lutheran Church. “It’s mostly people from the United States going over there to put roofs on churches and support the education system they have in Cameroon.”

While in Gayville, Sodea has lived with Egbert and has spent time traveling around South Dakota meeting people. He has also been to Rapid City, Mitchell, Aberdeen, Sioux Falls, Springfield, Canton and Pierre, among others.

“While he’s here in Gayville, he does pretty much everything that I do,” Egbert said. “He comes with me when I do funerals, hospital visits and make calls, along with attending meetings that I go to at church.”

Sodea said this is the first time he’s been in the United States and that he is lucky to live with Egbert, whom he had met in Cameroon previously.

“I had a lot of culture shock when I first arrived,” Sodea said. “The first town I came to was Chicago, which is a big city with big buildings, so I had some confusion as to how big the town I’d be staying in would be.”

However, Gayville has been different because he can meet people and sometimes ask them questions about living here. He said that he’s happy to be here and share information with the members of the church because oftentimes Christians send money to Cameroon but never actually see or meet anyone from there.

“It’s a good thing for me to come here so people in America know more about Cameroon,” Sodea said. “I see how Ralph (Egbert) is working here and how he can help me do some things in Africa. When he goes there, he will see what is good and what’s not good, and we can share that information together.”

Egbert will spend three months in Cameroon beginning in March.

Sodea said he has learned a lot from being in the United States.

“People can express their opinion during Bible study which sometimes helps the pastor with the sermon for Sunday,” he said. “I also see how the churches here take care of the youth. Back in Africa, the children’s program is done separately, outside of the church, so I appreciate the sense of community that takes place here.”

Sodea added that churches here are also more organized than they are in Cameroon.

“In Africa, time isn’t that big of a deal to people, so it even takes a lot of time to do announcements and when people want to speak during the service, they just raise their hands and talk,” he said. “When programs are more focused, it’s faster and better because it allows us to control how the service is going and how long the program will last for.”

Another big difference, Sodea said, is that in Cameroon, people often visit the pastor at their house after the service, whereas here sometimes people just greet the pastor right after church then go their separate ways.

“Just being in church here, I find the community of being together in a place that we can all exchange conversation and a sense of community,” he said. “In small group bible study here, we share with each other our thoughts about something we’re all learning about together.”

One of the big things that Egbert has been amazing for Sodea has been the connections he’s seen people have to Africa in places like Menard’s or the grocery store.

“These connections have been there probably about a dozen times and it’s really been amazing to see doors get opened and have people interested in what’s going on,” he said.

Sodea said one of the things that fascinated him was the November elections, which took place shortly after he arrived in Gayville.

“The elections in Cameroon sometimes have trouble afterwards,” he said. “The loser of the election in Cameroon sometimes disappears, while here, people do not divide after the election — they walk together. I have to bring back the message that living in peace in Cameroon will help the country.”

Sodea added that when he goes home, the first thing he has to teach people is how to be free.

“I need to teach people how to have a dialogue with one another — a good dialogue is to tell the truth to someone, and if you have a problem it’s good to share it with other people,” he said. “In Africa, if you have a problem, you usually keep it to yourself.”

Egbert said the time he has spent with Sodea has been amazing.

“He’s coming from a place where the people are more patient, time is different and issues of authority are also different,” Egbert said.

He said one of the things that shocked Sodea was the concept of leftovers.

“Tim got here in November, so one of the first things we’re cooking was turkey,” Egbert said. “We put some turkey back in the refrigerator and ate it again. In Cameroon, you sit at the table and eat everything that’s there. A person who puts leftovers away for another meal is considered selfish.”

When Egbert travels to Cameroon in March, he said he is looking forward to seeing how people live there and how church is run.

“Some of the things they do there are similar to here, but others are not,” he said. “Most of the Lutheran churches there are in French-speaking areas, and I have a very limited knowledge of that language. I’m also interested in seeing how people react to me as an American, because most people there have not had much contact with American people.”

You can follow Andrew Atwal on Twitter at twitter.com/andrewatwal

Clock Restoration

http://yankton.net/articles/2013/01/26/community/doc510347b5ee453073022809.txt

 

A Sign Of The Times

Terri Cash, of TeMari Designs, stands in front of the newly restored clock and her new sign on third street in downtown Yankton. Cash is set to move her business into the former location of Meredith’s Jewelers on February 1. (Kelly Hertz/P&D)

Historic Downtown Landmark Restored To Original Form

By Andrew Atwal
andrew.atwal@yankton.net
Published: Saturday, January 26, 2013 1:06 AM CST
A downtown Yankton landmark has been restored.

Terri Cash, owner of Temari Designs, will be moving into the location once occupied by Meredith’s Jewelers on third street in downtown Yankton. Meredith’s had a sign with a clock on it and Cash decided the clock was too much of a landmark to take down.

“I didn’t just want to take down the old sign and put up another one, so I had the old sign and clock redone with the store name,” she said. “The clock has been a part of downtown for a long time and I wanted to keep it there.”

Cash said the location made her want to move her business downtown.

“I always wanted to be downtown and the tradition of a jewelry store being in this location will continue,” she said. “There will have been a jewelry store here since about 1910.”

The clock was originally given to Art Meredith to hang up on his store sign by Elgin, a company that makes Railroad parts. The original front of the clock is still inside the store and Cash said she has no plans to sell any of the parts that needed to be taken out of the original clock.

“The clock has always been running and is still running and in working order,” she said. “The most important part of moving here was keeping the clock on the sign. I’m from Yankton and grew up here, so I remember the clock from my whole childhood as being part of downtown.”

She added that the clock was a piece of Yankton’s history and needed to stay.

“Landmarks like this are of major importance to the community,” Cash said. “It’s history and once it’s taken down it can’t be put back up. Keeping the clock on the sign was sort of like not tearing down the Meridian Bridge.”

The grand opening for Temari Designs is set for Feb. 1.

You can follow Andrew Atwal on Twitter attwitter.com/andrewatwal

One-Act Play

http://www.yankton.net/articles/2013/01/24/river_city/doc5101fc18a50dc361973177.txt

Hush

Frank (Paden Schmidt) gives his daughter, Maggie (Alexa Berg), a reassuring hug in a scene from the play, which was written by James Still. (Kelly Hertz/P&D)

The Response To A Blind Girl’s ‘Visions’ Are Examined In This Year’s YHS One-Act Play Entry

By Andrew Atwal
andrew.atwal@yankton.net
Published: Thursday, January 24, 2013 9:37 PM CST
Yankton High School (YHS) students are set to compete in the annual one-act play festival next week at Brandon Valley. Students will be performing “Hush: An Interview With America” with Keith Goeden directing. It is a play about a girl who is not afraid to be herself.

“The girl is blind so she has created her own reality, and the news media gets a hold of her and think that she saw an angel,” Goeden said. “Because of that, they make a big deal about her and her story. The country goes crazy over her seeing an angel and people go from adoring her to turning their back on her.”

One of the themes of the play, Goeden added, is that you should be true to yourself and you can’t please others — you have to do what’s right in your own soul.

Their performance in the state festival will take place at 11:45 a.m. Friday Feb. 1 at Brandon Valley. They will hold a public performance in Yankton at 7 p.m. Feb. 4 at the YHS/Summit Activities Center theatre.

“Traditionally, Yankton has done very well in the festival,” Goeden said. “There are around 50 schools that go, but unlike Nebraska where it is a competition, here it’s a festival so there are no real winners and losers.”

Judges grade each performance as superior or not superior and judge each school primarily based on acting.

“The judges aren’t supposed to judge students’ costumes and the set, but they probably do. Acting magnifies whatever you’re doing — if you don’t give actors a good space to perform or good costumes they’ll struggle to be successful,” he said.

Goeden said one of the most difficult parts of his job is picking a show that reflects well for the students performing. He said he had another show picked out, but he switched to this one at the last minute.

“I always have about five plays in my head that I think I can do, or want to do,” he added. “A gut instinct I had made me decide to switch plays. The first show I had was male-heavy, while this one had more female roles.”

Goeden is no stranger to directing and acting in plays. He acted in several plays as a YHS student, and this is now his fourth year directing one-acts at the school.

“I like using established plays so I can cut out various parts,” he said. “This play, as originally written, is about one hour, 15 minutes, but I cut it down to a show that’s about 40 minutes long.”

Despite the show being so short, there are still a lot of challenges packed into that time frame.

“When you’re working with a longer show, you do the best you can, but you have to move on because the show is so long, and you have to wish you could do something better,” Goeden said. “Shorter plays are under more of a microscope. Everything seen on stage will have been practiced 20-30 times before the final show.”

He added this year he has a relatively young cast, but said they have been pleasant to work with and eager to learn.

“We really want to put on the best show we’re capable of but also have fun while doing it,” Goeden noted. “We hope the kids see the quality of the show they do and then compare and contrast it to the other performances at the festival.”

One thing he said he gets blown away by every year is seeing how hard students are performing the work to make the show the best it can be.

“We have musicians in this play who write their own stuff that goes along with certain scenes in the show,” Goeden said. “I’ll tell them whether I like it or if they should tweak this. Theater at YHS really shows the diversity and strength of the students, and the music has added new elements to the shows.”

Cast List (In Order Of Appearance):

Alexa Berg — Maggie

Sarah Santos — Jana Roberts

Paden Schmidt — Frank

Tom Kellen — Lion

Jacob Bies — Lion statue

Alex Rehurek — Lion statue

Lexi Fokken — Lamb

Jack Tramp — American Gothic

Maddie Manning — American Gothic

John Iverson — FBI

Mitch Riibe — FBI

Cole Modregger — FBI

Susana Kinsley — Newscaster

Kayla Sylvester — Newscaster

Gabe Swenson — Eve

Chris Eldred — Moon

Kevin White — Voices of America (VOA)

Shane Wright — VOA

Garner Brandt — VOA

Levi Schaeffer — VOA

Evan Schade — VOA

Hannah Horn — VOA

Gabby Slowey — VOA

Jenna Deboer — VOA

Alanna Binder — VOA

Cody Geary — Musician

Haley Baugh — Musician

Matt Watt — Musician

Student Crew Members

Abby Oien

Alex Crandall

Cameron Luken

Celena Olvera

Dusty Dvorak

Will Steward

You can follow Andrew Atwal on Twitter at twitter.com/andrewatwal

Farmers Honored

Area Couple Honored For Green Farming

Ray and Pam Epp of Epp’s Farm in Mission Hill were recently recognized as winners of the Pork Environmental Stewardship Award, as chosen by the South Dakota Pork Producers Council. Nominees for the award were evaluated on their conservation practices, manure management systems, wildlife habitat promotion, odor-control strategies, farm aesthetics and innovative ideas used to protect the environment. (Submitted Photo)
By Andrew Atwal
andrew.atwal@yankton.net
Published: Wednesday, January 23, 2013 1:06 AM CST

MISSION HILL — Maintaining an environmentally friendly farm has made Ray and Pam Epp     winners.

When Ray found out he would be honored with an award, he was surprised and humbled.

Ray and his wife Pam from Epp Farms of Mission Hill were recently selected as winners of the fifth annual Pork Environmental Stewardship Award, as chosen by the South Dakota Pork Producers Council. The award goes to a pork farmer to recognize his or her dedication to the industry through their environmental stewardship practices and community relations.

“I heard that we would receive the honor in the first part of January,” Ray said. “I was surprised when I found out we had gotten the award and I didn’t really realize that so many people were paying attention to what we are doing, which was         humbling.”

Nominees for the award were evaluated on their manure management systems, conservation practices, farm aesthetics, wildlife habitat promotion, odor-control strategies and innovative ideas used to protect the           environment.

“Your name gets submitted for the award, then you get called and asked to answer some questions and eventually the winner gets selected through that process,” Epp said. “The questions we had to answer were in regards to the precautions I take to make the farm more pleasant to the                 environment.”

*

In addition to having hogs on the farm, the Epps also farm about 1,100 acres of alfalfa, corn and soybeans.

“To be diversified is an asset for a farm. If something is not hitting in one place, it can hit elsewhere so it helps in maintaining the farm,” Epp said. “It’s a little more work, but it is a way to hopefully realize and help the farm ride through the rough spots.”

The Epps first began their hog enterprise in 1998, two years after Ray came to work on the farm. He had worked in a factory but said he got tired of that job.

“We built our hog barn when the hog industry was really at a dire time,” he said. “We came into hog production at a tough time but we managed through it because our farm is so diversified.”

In addition to applicants needing to help out the environment on their farm, they also must be involved with the community.

Ray is involved with a program run out of Gayville called “Field to Table” where grade school children from the community learn about agriculture, livestock production and other aspects of farming. He is also involved with the National Hay Growers, Soybean Council, Corn Growers and says he tries to stay involved with what’s going on in farming. He also serves on a township board and the Clay and Yankton County Irrigators Association.

However, he said one of the most important things he can do as a farmer is to protect the environment through the practices he utilizes.

“We use odor-controlling products in our feed so there is not too much of a smell for the area,” Epp said. “A lot of the time people think of odor issues when they think of hogs and the                   environment.”

He added that when you put odor-controlling products through feed, it helps break down feed in the body of the hog, therefore they are able to extract more nourishment from the feed and have a better rate of gain because of it.

“We also incorporate odor-controlling products into soil. If you apply these in heavier grounds it will eventually help loosen up soils so that your roots will grow deeper into the ground and be able to reach more soil,” Epp said.

Judges also look at the surroundings of the building when determining a winner, and Epp said he tries to keep the surroundings of his facility well groomed by keeping weeds down and putting rocks around the foundation to help keep rodents away.

The Epps will be nominated for the National Pork Environmental Steward Award, which is given by the National Pork Board.

“I do this because I enjoy it,” Epp said. “I want people to have a safe product, but I just didn’t think that people were paying that close attention to our farm. But it’s humbling to get the recognition.”

http://yankton.net/articles/2013/01/23/community/doc50ff6d4a13033219956784.txt

Awards Ceremony

http://yankton.net/articles/2012/12/03/community/doc50bc26f922142719403798.txt

 

The Weight Is Over! Winners Of Challenge Announced

Truxedo was one of the teams honored during the closing celebration for the annual YankTON Challenge Saturday. Truxedo was the top “loser” in the Medium Business category, producing a weight loss of 5.45 percent. Vishay Dale Electronics (4.65 percent) won the Large Business category, while Yankton Rexall Drug took the Small Business division. (Andrew Atwal/P&D)

By Andrew Atwal
andrew.atwal@yankton.net
Published: Monday, December 3, 2012 12:18 AM CST
The YankTON Challenge held its award ceremony at The Landing bar Saturday and honored those businesses participating in the annual weight-loss contest, as well as individuals that lost the most weight.

Christy Hauer, executive director of The Center and a chairperson on the Yankton Chamber of Commerce Healthcare Committee, said  a total of nearly 8,000 pounds has been lost by participants between both years the program has been in existence.

“We are really pleased with the progress of the YankTON Challenge event as a whole,” she said. “This year, even though total weight loss is down a little bit from where it was in 2011, we are still pleased with how the event went.”

Hauer said while there were some huge prizes the first year the event was held, this year the prizes were scaled down a bit based on the survey that was sent out at the end of the inaugural event.

“Last year we had six total prizes for participants, including top three weight losses in a few different categories,” she said. “This year, we have a total of 18 prizes, so we are really excited about that. Having more prizes allows more people, businesses and organizations that participated to be recognized.”

She added that the reception for the program has been terrific.

“The YankTON Challenge has been so well-received for how new of a program it has been,” Hauer said. “We tried to make it fun for businesses to participate in the event. We had some training for team coordinators and also wanted to make the program fun, interesting and challenging. We also had some free workshops and classes offered for those that were in the program to help keep them motivated to lose weight.”

Some of the classes that were offered included a free Zumba class and several Yoga programs as well.

Going forward, Hauer hopes to continue to build and expand the program . However, she said the challenge will not be offered in 2013, but will be back in 2014.

“We want to get more businesses involved and participating in the YankTON Challenge,” she said. “The goal of the program is to keep the workforce in Yankton healthy.”

Hauer added that she is grateful to the Chamber of Commerce for making this event possible and said it adds value for the businesses that are members of the Yankton Chamber.

“The members of the Chamber really did a good job helping put this event together,” she said. “It takes a total team effort to make this all possible, and it takes a lot of volunteers to make this happen.”

As part of the awards ceremony on Saturday, business team coordinators were recognized with certificates. In addition, several individuals and businesses that lost the most weight were recognized. Prizes included massages, gift cards, Chamber Bucks and memberships to local fitness centers.

Small business winners (1-24 employees) were:

• 3rd place: Losing a total of 52.8 pounds (4.05 percent body weight) — Bon Homme Electric

• 2nd place: Losing a total of 96 pounds (4.26 percent) — Riverfront Broadcasting

• 1st place: Losing a total of 139.8 pounds (5.31 percent) — Yankton Rexall Drug

Medium business winners  (25-199 employees) were:

• 3rd place: Losing a total of 225.8 pounds (3.14 percent) — Shurco

• 2nd place: Losing a total of 196 pounds (4.69 percent) — Sacred Heart Monastery

• 1st place: Losing a total of 346 pounds (5.45 percent) — Truxedo

Large business winners (more than 200 employees) were:

• 3rd place: Losing a total of 280.7 pounds (3 percent) — First National Bank of Omaha

• 2nd place: Losing a total of 148 pounds (4.34 percent) — HyVee

• 1st place: Losing a total of 248 pounds (4.65 percent) — Vishay Dale Electronics

Individual Winners were:

• 6th place: 11.7 percent body weight lost — Jan Anderson

• 5th place: 11.9 percent body weight lost — Phyllis Meier

• 4th place: 13 percent body weight lost — Tom Tacke

• 3rd place: 13.7 percent body weight lost — Kelly Kneifl

• 2nd place: 16.8 percent body weight lost — Jessi Stark

• 1st place: 24.6 percent body weight lost — Kristi Palecek

You can follow Andrew Atwal on Twitter at twitter.com/andrewatwal

Mead Building

http://www.yankton.net/articles/2012/12/01/community/doc50b968270eb48483455439.txt

 

Renovations To Mead On Schedule

A worker from Stonebrook Roofing is shown installing clay tiles on top of the Mead Building in Yankton earlier this week. The roofing project is part of the ongoing effort by the Yankton County Historical Society to renovate the historic building. (Photo Courtesy Dakota Territorial Museum)

By Andrew Atwal
andrew.atwal@yankton.net
Published: Saturday, December 1, 2012 12:58 AM CST
Restorations of the Mead Building remain on track, according to Dakota Territorial Museum Director Crystal Nelson.

She said the next step for the renovation is the windows, which will start with the windows that have been purchased by donors. Construction crews will also begin laying tile in the building.

“We started the roof restoration back in July and it looks like we will be done with that part of the renovations by about Christmas,” Nelson said. “Laying the tile in the building is just a small part of the project as a whole.”

The Mead Building was completed in 1909 and is located on the south side of the Human Services Center campus just north of Yankton. It is named after, and built by Dr. Leonard Mead and serves as a monument to his attitude towards the positive treatment of mentally ill people. After a review of the property, the Yankton County Historical Society (YCHS) has shown the building and its structure would suite new museum building needs for the society.

Nelson added there are a lot of repairs needed to be done inside on the infrastructure of the building to be sure the roof and other renovations will be supported.

“The new roof we have been installing will be supported well,” she said. “With the clay tile roof we have will be able to last a couple hundred years at least.”

Nelson said the roof is very ornate and is a significant part of the building.

Crews will begin working on the windows around Jan. 1, and are awaiting the lead stabilization process on the windows. After that process is completed, the window restoration will begin.

“Fundraising we have had going on for the windows has been going very well,” Nelson said. “For a donation, you can have your name on the window with a plaque. You can also have the window be in memory of someone.”

She added some people purchased a window because they used to work at the Mead Building or because they want to be a part of the future of the building going forward.

The smallest windows cost $150 and the largest are $750. There are nine of the larger windows left, and 90 of the 250 windows have been purchased so far. People interested in purchasing a window can go online todakotaterritorialmuseum.org or call Nelson at 665-3898.

“When we were deciding how to restore the windows, we did a lot of research on which way would be the most friendly in regards to the economy,” she said. “We decided we would restore the sash window and have storm windows made as well. The combination of both will give us some aura value.”

The Historical Society must occupy the new Mead Building by 2018, and its the goal of construction crews to have the first floor renovations completed by December 2017 to allow the society some time to move in.

“The shell of the building will be done by 2013,” Nelson said. “Inside, we need to do some mechanical work and install an elevator. But we also want to start having events and a presence inside the building as soon as we can.”

She said the new Mead Building can help add to the time tourists stay in Yankton.

“Between the Meridian Bridge on the south side of town and the Mead Building on the north end, they are great packages of history we have right here in Yankton,” Nelson said. “Tourists want to experience history, not just hear about it.”

She added the restorations to the building would not be possible without the strong community support.

“We want the community to understand that this project is for them,” Nelson said. “It has been so successful because of their support.”

You can follow Andrew Atwal on Twitter at twitter.com/andrewatwal

Weekend Events

http://yankton.net/articles/2012/11/30/community/doc50b8374ae6079561212599.txt

 

City Set For Weekend Of Holiday Events

By Andrew Atwal
andrew.atwal@yankton.net
Published: Friday, November 30, 2012 12:59 AM CST
The holiday season will be in full display this weekend throughout Yankton with a number of seasonal events taking place.

On Saturday, the annual Gurney Landing Parade of Lights will take place, which is accompanied by a vendor fair.

“We have been putting together a lot of the last-minute details,” said parade organizer Paul Lowrie. “The biggest difference this year is that the parade will be on Saturday to allow people a better day to prepare an entry. We are trying to get as many entrants as possible.”

Although registering to take place in the parade in advance is encouraged, no one will be turned away if they want to participate in the parade on Saturday afternoon. The parade will line up on Levee Street and Capitol around 5:30 p.m. and it starts the route at 6 p.m. It will move north on Capitol and turn west on Third Street through downtown Yankton. It will proceed along Third to the Yankton County Government Center.

Alison Brown, another parade organizer, is expecting a big turnout for the event.

“We have had more pre-registrations for the parade this year then we have in the past,” she said. “The more we do it, the more people will see what’s going on and want to come downtown to watch the parade and go to the vendor fair.”

Prizes will be awarded to parade participants in four different categories: Religious, commercial, organization and individual. Organizers are still hoping more businesses will register to be in the parade.

The vendor fair will take place from 2-8 p.m. on Saturday in the Gurney building at 110 Capitol Street. As of early this week, there were about 25 vendors registered.

“The parade is great family entertainment and is free,” Brown said. “You can also start, or finish, your holiday shopping at the vendor fair.”

Smooth Benediction, Mount Marty’s a capella group, will perform at the Christmas tree lighting which will take place around 7 p.m. at the plaza by the base of the Meridian Bridge.

Santa Claus will participate in the parade on board a historic firetruck, and organizers say once he passes your spot along the route, you should head towards the bridge for the tree lighting.

“We are encouraging people not to go home after the parade ends, just go to the bridge to see the tree lighting,” Lowrie said. “Dress warm and dress for the weather. The vendor fair will also have a lot of quality items and a good mix of goods people can buy.”

Another weekend event is the Mount Marty College Music Department’s annual Vespers performance which is set for Sunday, Dec. 2.

The free performances are at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. in Bishop Marty Chapel on the Mount Marty College campus. However, both performances are sold out.

Directing Vespers this year will be Kenneth Tice and he has some new performances planned for the concert.

“We are adding a Gregorian Chant to the concert, which was part of the first Vespers performance back in 1982,” he said. “All vocal ensembles will also be presented at the concert, including the a capella group that will also be playing at the Yankton Christmas tree lighting.”

Tice will also be adding some more carols for the audience to sing along with the students performing on stage. He said the college will consider adding more performances in the future because of the popularity of the event.

“This year, Vespers will be rebroadcast on a local radio station on Christmas,” Tice said. “This will help other people in the area who didn’t get to come out to the show hear it for themselves.”

There will be a number of other events this weekend as well including:

• The Corps of Discovery Welcome Center in South Yankton, Neb., will host “A Taste Of Christmas” on Saturday from 4-7 p.m. Area vendors will offer samples of their products and gift ideas for Christmas.

• The United Church of Christ in Yankton will hold its 19th annual Christmas coffee and bake sale starting at 1 p.m. Saturday. The church is located at 5th and Walnut.

• Yankton figure skaters will be teaming up with the Yankton Toys for Kids program to help Santa Claus make the holidays special for area children. The Toys for Kids Christmas Show will be held at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Yankton Kiwanis Ice Arena, 709 Whiting Drive, Yankton. Admission to the event is a new unwrapped toy or goodwill donation.

• There will be a Hometown Christmas open house at the McVay-Gurney House, 503 Pine Street, Yankton on Sunday from 2-5 p.m. Music, refreshments and holiday decorating ideas will be part of the open house.

• The YankTON Challenge celebration will take place Saturday at The Landing Bar at 103 Capitol Street. Activities will begin at 4:30 p.m. with the awards ceremony at 5 p.m. After the ceremony, participants will walk in the parade and carry the banner and balloons with weights lost on them.

• The Yankton Goodwill Store, 2508 Fox Run Parkway, will hold its annual Shoe Party on Sunday from 3-6 p.m. Every year, Goodwill invites 50 children from the local community whose families may be struggling to provide gifts for Christmas. When the kids attend the shoe party they receive new shoes, socks, hats and mittens for Christmas.

• The Yankton Community Library and Recreation Department are sponsoring a Parents’ Night Out event on Saturday from 5:30-8:30 p.m. for kids ages 6-12 at the Summit Activities Center. Kids will make craft projects, eat pizza, swim and play games in the gym. Registration forms are available at the Summit Center.

You can follow Andrew Atwal on Twitter at twitter.com/andrewatwal

Famous Dave’s

http://www.yankton.net/articles/2012/11/29/community/doc50b6e75d1073b723100058.txt

‘Famous Dave’ Cooks Up Powerful Message

Dave Anderson, founder of the “Famous Dave’s” chain of barbecue restaurants, spoke to students at Wagner School on Wednesday. Anderson told the students that they can never give up on their dreams, no matter what life throws at them. He was energetic during his speech, and said people need to be passionate about each other, friends and families, like football fans are passionate for their favorite team. (Andrew Atwal/P&D)
By Andrew Atwal
andrew.atwal@yankton.net
Published: Thursday, November 29, 2012 12:59 AM CST

WAGNER — Seventy percent of high school students fail to graduate ready for college. Only 54 percent of high school students will graduate. Seventy-five percent of college students lack the skills to perform real life tasks.

“Famous Dave” Anderson, owner of the “Famous Dave’s” barbeque restaurant chain, delivered a speech to Wagner school students on Wednesday saying they can be all they can be in life and can achieve any dream they have.

While in high school, Anderson said, he was shy and bashful but he knew if things in his life were going to change, he would have to change, too, in order to get anywhere.

As he got older and began to develop his restaurant chain, he said he was invited to speak in front of a group of about 300 students at the University of Illinois.

“I was so nervous,” he said. “After that speech, I swore I would never get in front of another audience and speak again.”

Anderson told the students Wednesday that they all have seeds of greatness within them and have the power to change lives and change their community.

“You might not know it now, but you can unleash that energy within you,” he told students. “You can all make a difference and stand out.”

He made the reference of football fans painting their faces and sitting out half-naked in cold temperatures in order to show passion for their teams.

“Instead of showing passion for our favorite teams, why don’t we show passion for each other, for school and for our families?” he said. “You can’t let others hold you back from your dreams, and not everyone is able to ever achieve what they want in life because of other people.”

Anderson is the son of Native American parents, which is a big reason why Wagner Cultural Coordinator Vanessa Iverson wanted him to come speak.

“It’s a really big deal to be able to get him to speak here,” Iverson said. “I was very excited and surprised he was willing to talk to our students because he does speak to a lot of college students, but the message can be heard and related to with students here at Wagner.”

She added the successes and adversity Anderson has overcome in life can be related to by students that were in attendance.

“When I found out he was Native American, that was one of the first connections I made to students here,” Iverson said. “Kids here might not feel like they have a lot of people they can connect with, but I think they could connect well with ‘Famous Dave.’”

She hopes his talk makes students look at their future more and no matter what struggles they are having, or what obstacles they have to overcome, that they can achieve their goals and dreams in life.

Anderson told students his first restaurant was a simple Indian Fried Bread stand. He would open up his first Famous Dave’s in Wisconsin in 1994, and their are now 200 restaurants across the country, producing about $500 million in sales each year.

He told students anything is possible if they set their mind to it.

“If you have dreams, anything is possible in life,” he said. “You just can’t let other people affect what you think and how you act. What you think about and hold in your mind is very important in life. What you think about all the time is what you will become.”

Anderson said many people lose the their, and oftentimes it is because of other people.

“All change happens from within,” he said. “You have to take ownership of your life — you can’t blame anyone else with what happens.”

He said he pushed himself to get an education, despite not having an undergraduate college degree, Anderson got his master’s from Harvard at age 36.

“I never gave up on myself,” he said. “I started with nothing to grow into a multi-millionaire. Each of you here today has dreams of greatness within you.”

He told students they need to follow their passion in life and when they have a job, they need to love what they do — too often, he said, people live a frustrating life doing something they have no passion for.

“I love what I do for a living,” Anderson said. “Anyone who thinks their job is boring, they are actually the boring one. A job is an opportunity and work is tough, which is why they call it work.”

He said students should not make fun of each other, or spread rumors, because they never know when they might need other people to lend them a hand or help them get through a tough situation.

He added that they only people in life that hold us back is ourselves.

“When I was building the first restaurant in Hayward, Wisc., I had no problem telling people my dream was to have the world’s best restaurant,” Anderson said. “In a town with a population of under 2,000, I was serving between 4,000 and 6,000 people within a few months. As of today, we’ve won more than 600 ‘best of class’ awards.”

He said being average as a student is not good enough in life.

“How many of you want average?” he asked. “When you go to a doctor or need a lawyer, do you want average? No, you want the best. People that are average are the best of the worst, and the worst of the best.”

He left students with a final word of battling obstacles in life, and how they can overcome them.

“People that shoulder their share of problems are also the ones that are successful,” Anderson said. “Problems and adversities are where you grow. Don’t lose your optimism when facing tough times. Don’t lose hope on your biggest dreams and always stick to your values.”

After he spoke to the students, Anderson had a private luncheon open only to students who applied, where he had conversations about his life, signed books and answered questions.

You can follow Andrew Atwal on Twitter at twitter.com/andrewatwal

 

State Festival

http://yankton.net/articles/2012/11/28/community/doc50b59901ee31a425540646.txt

 

Yankton Poised To Host State Oral Interpretation Festival

By Andrew Atwal
andrew.atwal@yankton.net
Published: Wednesday, November 28, 2012 1:00 AM CST
Students from across South Dakota are set to converge on Yankton for the 2012 South Dakota High School Activities Association (SDHSAA) State’s Oral Interpretation Festival, which will take place at Yankton High School Friday and Saturday.

Individual awards will be given out to students or groups at the end of each session. Team excellence awards will be presented following the conclusion of the final session. All three classes in the state will be competing here.

“Oral interpretation basically is public speaking,” said YHS oral interp. co-coach Teri Mandel. “There are different categories of types of speech at the festival this weekend.”

This is Mandel’s first year coaching the YHS team, made up of about 30 students.

“I was a competitive speaker in high school, which made me want to coach the team here,” she said. “Public speaking is a skill that is good to practice. It allows you to think on your feet and feel comfortable speaking to a crowd. When I was a competitive speaker, I didn’t know I wanted to be a teacher, but I definitely think the public speaking helped.”

The competitive categories include duet interpretation, non-original oratory, interpretation of serious prose, humorous reading, poetry reading, interpretation of serious plays and readers theater.

Leo Kallis, who had served as YHS’s oral interp. coach in the past and is the co-coach with Mandel this year, said Yankton hosts not only the state festival every seven years but also the state debate contest every seven years. This school year, YHS is hosting both — something that only occurs once every 42 years.

“It’s a big deal to host a state event, no matter what it is,” he said.

Garrett Adam, a member of the YHS oral interpretation team, said he enjoys the art of public speaking.

“I like being able to express myself through the piece and getting to read a piece of paper in a different way,” he said. “You just get the words, you can express the piece whichever way you want.”

Adam added he not only enjoys going to different places around the state but also the competitive factor that performing provides.

“I like doing well and competing for my school and hometown,” he said. “YHS has done pretty well in duet interpretation and readers theater in the past.”

Adam said the school has also fared well in extemporaneous speaking, but that area is judged at the state debate contest held in March.

Mandel thinks her team can perform well this weekend.

“We started practicing in September, and since then students have practiced their pieces every day after school,” she said. “We’ve attended several contests this year, including in Aberdeen, Mitchell and Sioux Falls, and have done well at those contests.”

Kallis said since this is a festival, each student performs his or her piece one time, and after a student performs, judges vote them as superior or not superior.

“The judges look for the quality of the literature, how well the student captures the piece, vocal inflections and body language when they judge each selection,” he said. “Students will either pass or fail based on the judges’ votes. The biggest rule for when students pick out a piece is it must be widely available — a hard copy must be in place so judges can double-check students after they perform.”

Mandel said each category of speaking is a little different, but there is a 10-minute time limit, with a 30-second grace period, in each category

“Students can work from a script, but they should have it memorized for the most part,” she said. “It should be to a point where it is known well enough that they can naturally gesture and be able to interpret and react with the script.”

Mandel said her team is anxious for the festival to start.

“Our students have put a lot of time and effort into preparing for this,” Mandel said. “It is nice to have the season come to a close and students being able to see the fruits of their efforts at the festival this weekend.”

You can follow Andrew Atwal on Twitter at twitter.com/andrewatwal

Santa’s Workshop

http://yankton.net/articles/2012/11/24/river_city/doc50ae9d7b9f7c7527618404.txt

 

‘Santa’s Workshop’ A Busy Place

The Studio Art Center of Yankton is offering its annual “Santa’s Workshop” programs for children ages 2 1/2-7. The programs expose kids to arts and crafts, and nurture their creative abilities. Lita Stucky (back, in red) is again offering the program. “Christmas has gotten so commercial, so I enjoy teaching kids the joy of making things for other people instead of them just saying, ‘What do I get or what do I want for Christmas?’ It puts them in a place where Christmas used to be, when people mainly gave handmade things to others,” she said. (Courtesy photo)

Yankton Area Studio To Offer Its Annual Holiday Craft Programs For Kids

By Andrew Atwal
andrew.atwal@yankton.net
Published: Thursday, November 22, 2012 3:49 PM CST
Lita Stucky grew up poor. Because of this, she and her family often had to make each other their own Christmas gifts out of common, or inexpensive, household items.

This became the basis for her Santa Claus Workshop program at the Studio Art Center in Yankton.

“I love Christmas — it is my favorite holiday of the year. Growing up, we did an awful lot of our own Christmas decorations and presents,” Stucky said. “I was always artistic as a young kid and Christmas was always a big thing for me. Our family made everything for Christmas — there were seven kids, so we didn’t have the money to spend for Christmas so we had to find creative ways to make things for the holidays.”

Stucky grew up five miles from North Pole, Alaska, which is where the Santa Claus house is located today.

In 1999, she began teaching art to children through the Studio Art Center in Yankton. By December 2001, she decided that she would begin offering a piece of “Santa’s Workshop” of her own by allowing students to make presents for friends and family as part of the program.

This season marks the 12th year of the Santa Claus Workshop.

“When I came to Yankton and opened up my studio, there was nothing like this going for kids,” Stucky said. “Because of this, I thought since there is nothing for kids at Christmas time like this, I would start up the Santa’s Workshop program.”

Children ages 2 1/2 to 7 can make a visit to Santa’s workshop with a parent or responsible adult to create ornaments and Christmas cards for their family. Kids are scheduled in small groups for a 45-minute time slot where they come in and create gifts for friends or family members.

Kids that are ages 5 and up can come in for the longer four-hour program, which is held on Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. This longer program gives parents the opportunity to do holiday shopping while their children are doing arts and crafts and creating various gifts for loved ones.

The program will be offered Nov. 24, Dec. 1, Dec. 8, Dec. 15 and Dec. 22. The students who qualify for the longer program do not need a parent or older adult to accompany them.

Drop-ins are not accepted. Everyone interested in the program must called the Studio Art Center at 665-4686 to sign up for a date.

“For the shorter program, kids that come in can typically make about three items in the time they have,” Stucky said. “The older kids that come to the longer program can usually make 10 items, but that varies depending on the child.”

She added that students that are a little more skilled are allowed to make paintings during their time in the program. A student that decides to paint can usually get approximately two canvasses done in four hours, but if he or she decides to make a small painting, they can also make some Christmas presents when they are finished.

Kids that participate in the program have the option of getting a Christmas house and choosing different objects to be placed around the house to create a holiday theme.

“I’ve been working on the project kits for the program and getting everything together for Santa’s workshop since about Halloween time,” Stucky said. “Snowmen are very popular with kids in the program, and a lot of times kids see what their peers are doing and it inspires them to come up with their own or similar ideas on what to make.”

At the end of either the short or extended workshop programs, children get a bag of gifts to take with them and even get to choose a stuffed animal that was donated to Stucky for the children that participate in the program.

The four-hour program has a charge, while the short program is free.

“There is an additional charge … if students choose to use a wood product in their gifts,” Stucky said. “If parents have never been to the Studio Art Center, I suggest they come down and visit. If they see a wood product they think their kids will like to use, they can send their child with some extra money to use one of the products.”

She added that there were about 70 children that came to Santa’s Workshop last year.

“Ever since I started the program, I’ve just been building it up year after year,” Stucky said.

She said parents should not limit their kids if they think they are not capable of doing arts and crafts. Parents should not only try to get kids involved with the various art programs, but also participate with them.

“Students that start young and stay with it turn out to be really amazing artists,” she said. “So many of my students are doing beautiful paintings now. A lot of kids never lose the desire to create.”

One of the reasons why Stucky started Studio Art Center and the Santa’s Workshop program was to fill the void created by having her grandchildren live more than 1,700 miles away in Oregon.

“They live such a long ways away so I never get to see them at Christmas. I just miss them so much, so that’s the biggest reason why I started the art center,” Stucky said. “My husband said, ‘Why don’t you teach kids art?’ The art center has done exactly what I’ve been missing. It fills in that space that I need to be surrounded by kids, and I get to do things I would do with my grandkids if they lived closer. Studio Art Center and the workshop has taken care of the need I have to work with kids.”

One of the biggest goals Stucky has for the program is to show children how Christmas once was, and how it was for her growing up.

“Christmas has gotten so commercial, so I enjoy teaching kids the joy of making things for other people instead of them just saying, ‘What do I get or what do I want for Christmas?’ It puts them in a place where Christmas used to be, when people mainly gave handmade things to others,” she said. “To be with kids and to participate in the joy of Christmas time and teaching them what a wonder and joy it is to create things for others means the world to me.”

You can follow Andrew Atwal on Twitter at twitter.com/andrewatwal