Shamrock Medallion Hunt Enters Week 3
All-MRC Boys’ Hoops and Wrestling Teams
New Belle Plaine Librarian Settling In
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ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FOURTH YEAR
BELLE PLAINE, MINNESOTA, March 11, 2015
75¢ SINGLE COPY
NUMBER 11
This year’s Miss Shamrock candidates and Irish Lads got together for a photo Sunday. The Shamrock candidates are, from left, Felicity Mecredy, Alyssa Wentworth, Courtney Fogarty and Jenna Seaver. In the back row are Irish Lads Joe Hankins, Dylan O’Brien and Carter Piche. Missing from the photo is Derek May.
Count and be Counted St. Patrick’s Festivities This Saturday
John (left) and Tom McPartlan will lead Saturday’s St. Patrick’s Parade.
Tom and John McPartlan Grand Marshals of Saturday’s Parade by Dan Ruud A couple of gents from the McPartlan clan will lead Saturday’s Belle Plaine St. Patrick’s Parade downtown. They are brothers Tom and John, who graduated from Belle Plaine High School in 1952 and 1954, respectively. Tom, who is 80, has made the drive from his longtime home of Orchard Park, N.Y., for the occasion, while John, 78, is coming by way of Highway 169 from his longtime home in Crystal. Tom and John, sons of the late Bernard and Nora (Donlon) McPartlan, both left Belle Plaine shortly after graduating from high school. Tom became engaged in the construction and union affairs trades most of his life in Upstate New York, while John was a mail carrier for 40-
plus years in the Twin Cities. Tom’s and John’s longtime spouses both passed away less than 10 years ago – Tom’s Kathleen after 47 years of marriage and John’s Judy after 43 years. The two brothers were in Belle Plaine a couple of months ago for the funeral of their sister and lifelong Belle Plaine resident Betty Kroells, who died Jan. 9 at the age of 86. Another sister, Margaret Meger, was a grand marshal of the 2007 Belle Plaine St. Patrick’s Parade. She shared the honor with Joyce Weldon and Mary Minton, the latter of who died in 2013 at the age of 101. Joyce also died in 2013 at age 88. Tom, John and Margaret are the last remaining of nine siblings. It was their grandfather Bernard Sr. who made the voy-
age from Ireland, eventually homesteading in Green Isle. Despite not living in Belle Plaine for so many years, Tom and John have kept in contact with family and friends here and have been a part of numerous local celebrations, most
Grand Marshals
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Spring has sprung as warmer temperatures have settled in this week and they’re expected to stick around for this Saturday’s annual Belle Plaine St. Patrick’s Celebration downtown, perhaps in the 50s. As part of this year’s festivities, there is a leprechaun guarding a pot of gold coins in the store window at Golden Touch Jewelry. The public is invited to stop by during business hours now through noon this Saturday to guess how many coins are in the pot. He or she who guesses closest “without going over” will win $100. Ballots are available at the store. The winner will be announced during the post-parade program, the
emcee for which will be Wayne Meger. Saturday’s festivities will start with the noon mass at Our Lady of the Prairie Catholic Church. Parade participants will lineup outside the church after the mass and commence their march through downtown at about 1 p.m. Parade participants are asked to continue their march all the way to the State Bank of Belle Plaine (do not quit at Main and Meridian streets). Members of the Twin Cities Metro Pipe Band will perform at the mass and the parade. They will also perform in various downtown establishments
following the post-parade program. There are four Miss Shamrock candidates. They are senior Courtney Fogarty, daughter of Emmett and Karen Fogarty; senior Felicity Mecredy, daughter of Susan and David Mecredy; junior Jenna Seaver, daughter of Patricia and Randy Seaver; and senior Alyssa Wentworth, daughter of Mike and Carol Wentworth. The reigning Miss Shamrock is Marissa Worrell. The princesses are Rebecca Johnston and Devin Lehman. This year’s Irish Lads are Carter Piche, Dylan O’Brien, Derek May and Joe Hankins.
The snow is mostly gone and spring is just around the next bend, but don’t expect to be making tee times at Valley View Golf Course anytime soon. The course, which was in operation in Belle Plaine for over two decades, has closed indefinitely.
With Valley View Closed, BPHS Golf Teams Looking for New Home Course After more than two decades of operation in Belle Plaine, Valley View Golf Course has closed. No public announcement has been made as to if or when the course will reopen or is for sale. Owners LeRoy and Connie Chard declined comment at this time. With the temperature approaching 50 degrees Sunday afterValley View’s website states: noon, Wynter Davis (left) and her younger brother, Storm, Closed for Business took to their skateboards for a quick trip to Coborn’s via South Laredo Street. With a cold winter mostly behind them, the duo enjoyed the warmth of the sunshine and breeze from the south. Temperatures in the 50s and even some 60s are expected to continue through this week.
On a Warm Spring Day
Thanks for Playing with us In the meantime, Belle Plaine High School Activities Director Mindy (Sparby) Chevalier said Monday that the school is looking for another course to hold its scheduled boys’ and girls’ 2015 home meets, a strong possibility for which is currently CreeksBend Golf Course in rural New Prague, 26826 Langford Avenue. Chevalier said the school has also been in contact with a couple of area courses. Belle Plaine’s first scheduled
home meet is April 10. The closest course to Belle Plaine, Ridges at Sand Creek in rural Jordan, already has a full slate of high school meets scheduled for the upcoming season. Valley View Golf Course, built in 1991, spans 6,300 yards from the furthest tees. It is a par 71, 18-hole championship course. The clubhouse and pro shop building was built in 2001. The restaurant/lounge is also closed.
According to the Minnesota Golf Association, approximately 25 percent of all golf courses in the state have been built since 1990. That, coupled with a dwindling supply of golfers, resulted in an oversupply of golf courses. The National Golf Foundation reports that golf’s popularity peaked in 2005 and has been declining every year since. Between 2006 and 2013, there was a net loss of four million golfers and 643 courses closed nationally.