2023 Sinclair Lewis Days Gazette

FOR ALL SEASONS Sauk Centre

From winning From championships to the front of the parade

BY EVAN MICHEALSON | STAFF WRITER

Ella Froseth remembers it like it was yesterday.

The 2021 Sauk Centre Streeters volleyball team was prepped and ready to participate in the 2022 Sinclair Lewis Days Parade, a staple of the area’s summertime festivities, as the parade’s co-grand marshals alongside fellow state honoree Sauk Centre One Act.

However, as storm clouds quickly moved in, Froseth and the team were told the parade was canceled, putting a damper on something they could have never expected, but a moment they were looking forward to.

“We had the float hooked up and ready to go and everyone was there,

and then it started raining,” Froseth said. “That was heartbreaking. I wasn’t sure if we would get the opportunity again.”

But, with a community-driven form of recognition in mind, the Streeters are returning to the front of the parade for a second shot, as the team was offered an invitation to be co-grand marshals alongside the 2022 One Act production and cross-country and track and field state champion Brandon Kampsen.

“I was disappointed last year; I think a lot of the girls on the team were,” said Emma Kittelson, middle hitter for the 2021 Streeters. “Now that we’ve got the second chance, we’re all excited again.”

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Sauk Centre’s state winners to be co-grand marshals

The seniors from the 2021 state champion volleyball team Ella Dold (from left), Madeline Nelson, Brenna Bick, Emma Kittleson, Alyssa Schwinghamer, Lisa Weir, Abbie Meyer and Ella Froseth gather together June 29 near Sauk Centre. These young women will serve as the grand marshall for the Sinclair Lewis Days Parade on July 15.

Sharing in that devastation was One Act, who earned a “starred performance” rating at the 2022 Class A One Act Play State Festival Feb. 11, 2022, at The O’Shaughnessy auditorium in St. Paul. With a mightily-talented cast and crew and under the direction of Margaret Shelby, Sauk Centre’s performance of “Dark Road” achieved the highest achievement a One Act production can earn. Behind this success, the production was invited alongside the Streeters volleyball team to take part in the shortlived 2022 parade. The disappointment remained, but the collective still rode down the parade route as the downpour commenced, a small prize at the end of it all.

“It was a little sad, but we still got to hang out, and that was the most fun part,” said Abigail Eiden, a member of Sauk Centre’s 2022 One Act Play.

Kampsen, meanwhile, is Sauk Centre’s most recent source of state-winning acclaim, having captured titles in the 800- and 1,600-meter runs at the Class A Minnesota State High School League Track and Field Championships June 9 at St. Michael-Albertville High School in St. Michael.

“I have been going to this parade with my family my whole life, and it’s part of our summer tradition, and it’s so great to see so many people come out for it or to be in the parade lineup,” Kampsen said. “This is for our town, and I am honored to be a part of it.”

Despite being a year-anda-half separated from winning the state championship in a hard-fought 3-1 (13-25, 2521, 25-17, 25-19) victory over Jackson County Central Nov. 13, 2021, at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, the memories acquired from that spirited run to the top remains ever-present for the 2021 Streeters volley-

ball roster, especially as they reconvene as a team for the first time in a year.

“The one thing I always tell the girls is, ‘Whenever I see you, immediately I’m going to think, “State champs,’” said Jim Klaphake, Sauk Cen-

Brandon Kampsen dons a firstplace medal after winning the 800-meter run at the Class A Minnesota State High School League State Track and Field Championships

June 9 at St.

tre volleyball head coach. “I’ll see them and I’ll give them a fist bump and say, ‘Hey, we’re state champs.’ That’s forever.”

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“This is for our town, and I am honored to be a part of it.”

- Brandon Kampsen

PHOTO SUBMITTED

The Sauk Centre High School one-act play cast – (front, from left) Julia Marthaler, Teagan Felling, Kylee Dickmann, Christopher Polipnick and Nora Thompson; (middle, from left) Abby Eiden, Addison Hoffman, Julia Wehrman and Ana Polipnick; (back, from left) Jacob Schreifels, Steven Schreifles, Abbey Masog, Sydney Zollman, Liz Eiden, Hailey Klockenga, Maize Jennissen, Sarah Triebus and Luke Middendorf – receive their plaque for winning in subsection competition Jan. 29 at Albany Area Schools. The team will compete in section competition Saturday, Feb. 5 at Albany Area Schools. Jessica Cline is not pictured.

PHOTO BY EVAN MICHEALSON

Gathering once more is in itself a great opportunity but members of the 2021 Streeters, current and former, are overjoyed to be doing so as part of Sinclair Lewis Days, a major part of their childhoods as residents of Sauk Centre. For Kittelson, she spent her Sinclair Lewis Days celebration with her grandparents, who own a cabin in Burtrum and once lived right alongside the parade route. Being involved in the parade rather than watching it pass by is a chance of a lifetime.

“I’ve always wanted to do the parade,” Kittelson said. “It’s been something I’ve been wanting to do since I was little.”

The Sauk Centre One Act lineup, similarly to the volleyball team, is utilizing the parade and this special invitation as a conduit for creating more memories as a crew. With so many moving parts to forming a star-caliber production, each participants formed important, longlasting bonds through “Dark Road.”

“I got a good use out of my morning and even though I was tired, I didn’t care much, because I got to spend it with those wonderful people,” Abigail Eiden said. “The parade is another opportunity to do that.”

The production managed to spend extra time together off the back of a string of landmark late-season performances, including its final showing that netted the program its sixth star at the state level. Not only is the upcoming Sinclair Lewis Days a way to celebrate this incredible accomplishment, but an additional form of recognition for the

sheer number of contributors to an unforgettable project.

“I don’t think we would have made it without the combination of things we had,” said Liz Eiden, a member of Sauk Centre’s 2022 One Act Play. “We had a great cast, a great director (and) a great storyline, and I think it just all worked out for the best.”

Joining the high-achieving composition of Sauk Centre students as a grand marshal is Kampsen, who qualified for his respective championship events as an individual. After finishing third at the 2021 Minnesota State High School League State Cross-Country Championships, the senior won the 2022 state meet with a time of 15:49.5 Nov. 5, 2022. His next goal became winning the state 800 and 1,600 races in track and field, a goal he accomplished through determination and drive.

“It feels amazing knowing I achieved all my goals,” said Kampsen, who will compete collegiately at South Dakota State University. “I trained throughout both off-seasons, ensuring my best chance at winning state. I went undefeated and left no regrets on the table.”

And with all that has been fought for and added to Sauk Centre’s ever-increasing list of accomplishments within its high school activities, the Sinclair Lewis Days Parade will soon serve as the perfect backdrop to celebrate history.

“You can’t let something like that go by without a celebration of some sort for those kids to be applauded and recognized for those efforts,” said Stacie Michels, executive director and president of the Sauk Centre Area Chamber of Commerce.

Little Red Schoolhouse to be open for visitors July 14-15

BY BEN SONNEK | STAFF WRITER

While enjoying the Sinclair Lewis Days festivities, people will have the opportunity to go back to school – way back.

The Little Red Schoolhouse has been closed since its move to Jaycee Park in Sauk Centre on

May 10, 2021, but thanks to the efforts of Sauk Centre’s Gradatim Club, its interior has been cleaned up and is ready for visitors. It will be open for tours from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on July 1415 during Sinclair Lewis Days.

“There are a lot of people for whom the schoolhouse is a really special place,” said Sauk Centre Gradatim Club member Bonnie Nelson. “They took their kids (and) their grandkids there,

and for the 15 women working at Gradatim, all of them were like, ‘We need to get this place going again; it was such a special place for us with our kids’ … it is a big part of Sauk Centre history.”

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PHOTO BY BEN SONNEK

The Little Red Schoolhouse stands on the southwest corner of Jaycee Park June 29 in Sauk Centre. The building still needs an exterior renovation; the City of Sauk Centre set aside $23,000 for that purpose in 2021 but returned the funds to their general fund after no bidders came forward.

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When the Gradatim Club heard the city was looking for someone to clean up the Little Red Schoolhouse before Sinclair Lewis Days, they volunteered their services.

Arriving at the schoolhouse June 12, the Gradatim club first had to pick up all the books that had fallen everywhere during the building’s move. Then, they cleaned and washed the walls, windows and desks to get rid of the grime that had accumulated over the years.

“We just wanted to get it open,” Nelson said. “It doesn’t have a ramp yet, so it won’t be handicap-accessible, but hopefully, we can get some people in there and get people excited about it again.”

The Little Red Schoolhouse’s exterior renovations are on hold for the time being. The City of Sauk Centre had set aside about $23,000 toward the project but was unable to acquire any bids for the work, so the money returned to the city’s general fund.

“I’m starting to get a little passionate about getting the outside done,” Nelson said. “That’s a city issue because the city owns the building.”

Nelson hopes the cleaned-up schoolhouse will draw more community attention so it can garner more community support and be opened more often.

“It has great memories for people who have lived here,” Nelson said. “It’s a great place to keep working on, to get it looking nice and something people want to go to.”

Schoolhouse history

The Little Red Schoolhouse was built around 1870 in Raymond Township and was operated by School District 92, organized in 1876. The schoolhouse’s first teachers, from about 1905 through 1919, were Annie Morse, Ernestine Wehrn Quade, Emma Johnson, Sarah Tessendorf, Ethel Moon, Ell Judkins and Jenny Hines, although the order in which they taught at the school is unclear.

The school was in operation until 1969. As rural districts were consolidating during the 1960s and 1970s, the residents of District 92 voted to close the schoolhouse and donate it to Sauk

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PHOTO SUBMITTED Sauk Centre Gradatim Club members – Linda Bromenshenkel (from left), Vurnie Wilson and Carol Kleinschmidt – clean the interior of the Little Red Schoolhouse June 12 in Sauk Centre. The schoolhouse had been closed since 2021 but will be open July 14-15 during Sinclair Lewis Days.

“It has great memories for people who have lived here. It’s a great place to keep working on, to get it looking nice and something people want to go to.”

- Bonnie Nelson

Schoolhouse

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Centre. The last several teachers for the school were Helen Scott, 1963-66; Phyllis Imsdahl, 1966-67; and Esther Knutson, 1967-69.

The schoolhouse building was moved to Sauk Centre in 1972, onto the grounds of the Sinclair Lewis Interpretive Center, southwest of the in-

tersection of Main Street South and 12th Street South. After the interpretive center was closed and demolished, the City of Sauk Centre had the schoolhouse moved to the southwest corner of Jaycee Park on May 10, 2021. A similarly small building – a Caribou Coffee Cabin – may occupy the area where the schoolhouse once stood, but as long as the Little Red Schoolhouse stands, it will serve as a reminder of Sauk Centre education’s continuing legacy.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

The interior of the Little Red Schoolhouse is cleaned and ready for visitors June 12 in Sauk Centre. The schoolhouse was originally built around 1870.

Ambassadors

Klockenga, Hokanson enjoy time representing Sauk Centre

BY BEN SONNEK STAFF WRITER

Instead of crowning royalty, like years gone by, the Sauk Centre community will continue its ambassador program and introduce new ambassadors during this year’s Sinclair Lewis Days festivities. As the new candidates prepare for their introduction, Sauk Centre’s first outgoing ambassadors –Hayley Klockenga and Hailey Hokanson – are wrapping up their time of representing their community, grateful for connections made and experiences they have had.

“Even though it’s been different, it’s been a lot of fun,” Klockenga said. “I’m excited for the new candidates.”

In 2022, when applying for that year’s Miss Sauk Centre pageant, Hokanson and Klockenga were expecting the full royalty experience. Hokanson’s aunt, Jordan Welle, had participated in the pageant when Hokanson was 5 years old, and it had been one of her goals since then. Klockenga had the encouragement of her mother, Anissa Klockenga, and also was interested in working with children and representing the community.

While Hokanson and Klockenga were both sad to not be participating in the full Miss Sauk Centre pageant, knowing they were going to both be crowned took some of the stress out of their coronation on July 13, 2022.

“It was a lot more like a breath of relief,” Hokanson said. “As soon as it happened, it was like, OK, we’re at this point now, and we don’t have to worry

about all the practices.”

For both young ladies, the main highlight of being a Sauk Centre ambassador was the number of people they got to meet, interact with and get to know. Many of those people happened to be children in the community.

“Anytime we got to interact with kids, it was really fun,” Hokanson said. “(For instance,) we did our Ambassador Kindness Day, and we got to meet a bunch of kids and walk them through town, spreading kindness to businesses. That was fun, and the Friday fireworks during Sinclair Lewis Days were one of my favorites because we got to dance

with (the children) all night.”

Klockenga and Hokanson also enjoyed being ambassadors during the 2022 Holiday Kickoff, helping decorate cookies and light up Sinclair Lewis Park.

When starting their representation, Hokanson and Klockenga made mental health – especially among youth – one of their main areas of focus. To facilitate that, they visited the Sauk Centre Senior Center to discuss their platform. They also brought in Joe Schmit – author, award-winning broadcaster, keynote speaker and community leader – to speak to seventh through 12th graders at Sauk Centre’s middle and high school about the importance of pushing

to improve.

“We were trying to appeal not only to the high schoolers but also to the little kids,” Hokanson said. “Because mental health is kind of a heavy word for little kids, we talked more about kindness and compassion toward others to tie in with that.”

More recently, the ambassadors were part of the Relay for Life, held June 16 in Sauk Centre. They had also attended the relay last year as candidates.

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PHOTOS BY BEN SONNEK

Hayley Klockenga (left) and Hailey Hokanson are crowned as Sauk Centre ambassadors July 13, 2022, in the Sinclair Lewis Park bandshell in Sauk Centre. The duo made mental health awareness one of their main areas of focus.

Sauk Centre ambassadors Hayley Klockenga (left) and Hailey Hokanson take a quick break from assisting at Sauk Centre High School June 19 in Sauk Centre. The two were crowned Sauk Centre ambassadors July 13, 2022.

Sinclair Lewis Days Parade Line-Up*

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As they go into their final weeks of ambassadorship, Klockenga and Hokanson have parades to attend, a high tea in Starbuck and other events in surrounding communities. Most of their events have been in Sauk Centre, which they like to do, but they are also excited to represent to a wider area.

Looking beyond their time as ambassadors, Hokanson and Klockenga doubt they will miss all of the scheduling and busyness that comes with their position. However, they do anticipate missing all of the connections they have made.

“I’m going to miss representing my community and being a role model for kids,” Klockenga said.

Another thing they will miss is that, now that they have both graduated from Sauk Centre High School, their ambassador roles feel like their last ties to Sauk Centre.

“Now that we’re giving up our crowns, it’s finally time to say goodbye to living here full-time and being a high schooler,” Hokanson said.

Overall, while they had a different experience from Sauk Centre’s past royalty, Klockenga and Hokanson are grateful to the Sauk Centre Area Chamber of Commerce for being accommodating and letting them have this opportunity, which they believe went much better than expected. To their successors, the outgoing ambassadors encourage them to enjoy every second.

“Don’t ever waste an opportunity to meet new people,” Hokanson said. “It might seem awkward at first, but … don’t leave any regrets behind. Just do it all.”