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New Look. Same Local Coverage since 1854. Vol. 163, No. 36
11 2nd Ave. N., Unit 103, Sauk Rapids, Benton County, MN 56379
Saturday, December 16, 2017
Keeping tradition alive Watab emergency coverage stirs controversy
Community gathers for Scandinavian baking
BY ANNA SALDANA STAFF WRITER
BY NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
ST. CLOUD – Flour, butter, sugar, eggs and almonds were the Àve main ingredients on Wednesday evening’s recipe card. The sixth: willingness to learn. Over 15 people gathered Dec. 13 for an event that was sure to put them in the Christmas baking spirit. Community members participated in a Scandinavian baking and learning session hosted by Salem Lutheran Church. The outreach event was the second of its kind and invited the public to partake in baking the traditional desserts of krumkake, Swedish rusks and sandbakkels that will be used for the Dec. 16 Santa Lucia Festival of Lights. “We use traditional Scandinavian cook books,” said Julie Johnson, co-chair of the Santa Lucia committee. “I bought a couple just to make sure I had the traditional recipes. The recipes in there are phenomenal.” The bakers also use recipes that have been passed down from mothers and grandmothers. Sally Borgert, of Sauk Rapids, attended Wednesday’s festivities. Borgert saw a listing for the event in the newspaper. “I wanted to come and see how they make lefse,” said Borgert, who does not have Scandinavian heritage but is interested in the goodies, nonetheless. “But that’s Àne. I’m having fun.” Unlike last year, lefse
WATAB TOWNSHIP – Emergency services coverage in Watab Township is causing a heated debate between town board members, the board-formed committee and township residents. Currently, Watab Township has contracts with the Rice and Sauk Rapids Fire Departments to cover emergency needs in the township; Rice covers the
Watab Township page 2
PHOTOS BY NATASHA BARBER
Sauk Rapids resident Sally Borgert prepares almond rusks batter with Carl Shobe, of St. Joe, Dec. 13 at Salem Lutheran Church. The two participated in an Scandinavian baking and learning event.
a lefse griddle. We do that. And I just bought a krumkake iron two Christmases ago; it’s still in the box. I have my grandmas sandbakkel tins, but I can’t make them. They won’t pop out. I wanted to come because my grandma’s were not bakers. I want to keep the tradition alive. I love eating it, but I’ve never made it.” St. Joseph residents Susan Shobe and her son, Carl, have lived in Norway. The two were on hand to answer questions and help the students with any troubles. “They are traditional Christmas desserts — a lot of butter and sugar,” said Shobe of the cookies being made. “To tell you the truth, there is an old wife’s tale in Scandinavia that when it gets warm during the days around Christmas, it is because of all the baking that the people are doing,” she said, smiling. Krumkake is a thin wafÁe-type cookie that is pressed with an iron. As Ottem Ànished making the batter, Shobe demonstrated how to construct the fragile cones with a roller. “I don’t think it is hard (to make these traditional desserts), but some people think they are because some of this is pretty labor intensive,” Shobe said. “It’s not making cookie dough and putting it in the oven. The sandbakkels … you have to push them in the little tin; when they come Cookies (from left) – Swedish ginger, almond butter, krumkake out of the oven, you have to and spritz – sit on the counter at Salem Lutheran Church in St. get them all out. Rosettes are Cloud Dec. 13. was not able to be made as the congregation’s experts were unable to make it to the event. However, the coordinators hope to have it back on the menu again next year. Upon arrival, guests were greeted by three stations in the church’s kitchens. After washing their hands, they were supplied with ingredients and a recipe. From there, it was hands on – literally. With oversight from a few experienced church members, Borgert began making almond rusk batter. Joy Ottem, of St. Cloud, took to the krumkake recipe. “Mom is 100 percent Norwegian, and I have a little Swedish and Danish from my dad’s side, but he was Norwegian, too,” said Ottem, who attended the event with her mom, Vonnie. “We did not [grow up making this]. Mom loves the stuff. I taught her how to make lefse. … I’ve been making lefse for about 20-plus years, so we have
Susan Shobe, of St. Joe, rolls a krumkake cookie Dec. 13 in St. Cloud. Shobe, who has lived in Norway, helped coordinate a baking event at Salem Lutheran Church.
made in oil. You take an iron, put it in the batter, dip it and then hold it for a few seconds. So it’s quite labor intensive.” Almond rusks are similar to a biscotti, and sandbakkels are a buttery shell that can be Àlled with fresh fruit, fruit Àlling, pudding or whipped cream. Shobe said there is a secret to perfecting the Scandinavian sweets. “There is really no recipe,” she said. “As you can see these ladies are saying what to do because they know, they improvise. There are starter recipes, but you don’t need to follow it perfect.” Salem Lutheran Church was founded by Scandinavian stonemasons in the 1880s. The annual Santa Lucia Festival of Lights will take place Dec. 16 at 7 a.m. at Salem Lutheran Church, 90 Riverside Drive SE, St. Cloud. The event is followed by an abundant breakfast of traditional Scandinavian foods.
Trinity Lutheran Church welcomes new pastor Hinz to lead congregation BY MITCH COTTEW STAFF WRITER
northern third and Sauk Rapids, the southern twothirds. Negotiations with Rice have been a point of contention for many years. “Negotiations with Watab haven’t been easy for either side,” said Rice Fire Chief Scott Janski. “Last time, they came in with a slideshow and a proposal that basically trashed everything we do. There weren’t really any negotiations possible with that. I don’t think the city would propose anything unfair, but we’ve tried it all with Watab. Other townships don’t have a problem.”
degree in 1996, and became an ordained minister ten years after attending seminary to receive his Master of Divinity. While Hinz and his family of Àve are commuting from their home in Alexandria to Sauk Rapids, they are working to make the move to Sauk Rapids when the time is right. His wife Jen, and their three children – Benaiah, Asher and Lydia – have been joining him on his trips to Sauk Rapids to attend services and join the congregation in prayer. At Àrst, the family’s return drive to Alexandria consisted of fast food meals, Hinz’s new congregation took it upon themselves to invite the family into various homes for meals prepared church members.
SAUK RAPIDS – “The reason I went to the seminary (is that) I’d always been bothered with the thought that I should become a pastor,” said David Hinz in his new ofÀce at Trinity Lutheran Church in Sauk Rapids last week. “It gnawed at me for years, and then after I started, everything … was like peace.” After 11 years as a minister at Zion Lutheran Church in Alexandria, Reverend David Hinz was called to service at Trinity Lutheran Church this past October. This new calling reÁects Hinz’s spiritual journey over the course of the last two decades. He was educated PHOTO BY MITCH COTTEW to become a director of Rev. David Hinz stands at the front of Trinity Lutheran Christian education when he Trinity Lutheran Church Church Dec. 6 in Sauk Rapids. Hinz is the congregation’s new senior pastor. got his Bachelor of Education page 3
PHOTO BY ANNA SALDANA
Residents of the township have gathered at the Watab Township Hall for three separate meetings over the last month to discuss the options for emergency services coverage.
Residents can expect tax increase in 2018 Fees schedule also changes BY NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
SAUK RAPIDS – City tax rates will increase roughly 0.8 percent following the Truth in Taxation hearing Dec. 11 at Sauk Rapids City Hall. The council approved the 2018 levy and budget. The budget for the upcoming year is set at $5.8 million dollars, a $395,600 increase from the year before. According to city Ànance director Jack Kahlhamer the increase is due to the potential addition of two personnel – a returning law enforcement ofÀcer from the Central Minnesota Violent Offender Task Force and an assistant building ofÀcial. It also includes a $32,000 contribution to the community’s recreation programs, a line item which was withheld in 2017 due to a healthy fund within recreation. Residents will see four road improvements over the next year. The city plans on executing overlays to Fourth Street South from Ninth Avenue South to the east end parking lot of Mississippi Heights Elementary School and Lincoln Avenue South from Benton Drive South to city limits. It plans on reclaiming Franklin Avenue from Benton Drive South to city limits, as well as installing sanitary sewer and water lines under Quarry Road. Kahlhamer said the council has still not made further recommendations to him regarding the Southside and Lions Parks
improvements and that if any type of project would be presented and approved, it is likely the council would bid it for 2019. A complete capital improvements plan for the city is accessible on the city’s website at http://www. ci.sauk-rapids.mn.us. The city’s tax rate for 2018 will be 47.40 percent. In comparison, St. Augusta falls in at 28.95 percent, while Waite Park’s tax rate is 69.04 percent. In other council news: • Approved the 2018 fee schedule. Residents can expect a $5 increase to both compost stickers and park building rentals, a $10 increase to parking violations, a 3.5-4 percent increase in utility fees, as well as other fee changes. All fees are effective Jan. 1, 2018. A detailed list of the fee schedule will be available at city hall as well as the city’s website. • Approved authorizing a feasibility report for extending sanitary sewer and water improvements as part of a 2018 Quarry Road Improvement project. • Approved a resolution, certifying that a minimum of 20 percent match of local funds and funds of noneligible costs will be available for the Àscal years of 2022 and 2023 to be applied for a road project on Second Avenue South from Benton Drive to 10th Street South. The city is submitting the project to the St. Cloud Area Planning
City of Sauk Rapids page 3
PUBLIC NOTICES • City of Sauk Rapids 2018 Adopted Budget - page 6 • City of Sauk Rapids 2018 Minnesota Budget Data - page 6 • Notice of Filing for Sauk Rapids Township - page 6 • Notice of Filing for Township Elections - Minden - page 6
• Ordinance No. 2017-775 - page 7 • Notice of Filing for Township Election - Watab - page 6 • City of Sauk Rapids City Council Meeting Minutes - page 6 • Benton County Regular Meeting Minutes - page 4B