Looking back: Farmington won lots of awards at the annual County Picnic 75 years ago

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25 years ago

From the June 10, 1987

edition of the

Farmington Independent

FHS winners in awards program

Farmington High School presented the following awards at a special ceremony recently.

Daughters of the American Revolution Award, Carmin Pluntz; Northern State Incentive Award, Henry Schneider; St, Cloud State Presidential Scholarship, Julianne Herrboldt; College of St. Benedict Scholarship, Shelly Saffle; Concordia College/St. Paul Scholarship, Amy Wagenknecht; Male Athlete of the Year, Henry Schneider; Female Athlete of the Year, Julie Bauer; Oscar Lubke Award Winner, Keith Revels; Leslie Lindell Award Winner, Barb Otte; 1985-85 Boys’ State, Gary Forsberg; 1985-86 Girls’ State, Barb Otte; National School Choral Award, Amy Wagenknecht; John Phillip Sousa Band Award, John Goodman; Louis Armstrong Jazz Award, Carmin Pluntz; U.S. Marine Award, Carmin Pluntz; Catholic Aid Scholarship, Lisa Hennen; FEA Scholarship, Ginya Truitt; Air Force ROTC – Scholarship Award, Gary Forsberg and Crystal White; Jaycee Scholarship, David McKnight; Boys’ State Award, Chad Hansen; Girls’ State Award, Deanna Johnson; Hockey Scholarship, Keith Revels; American Legion Auxiliary Award, Carmin Pluntz and Shelly Saffle.

50 years ago

From the June 14, 1962

edition of the

Dakota County Tribune

Rev. G. Bell, local pastor, is retiring

Rev. George R. Bell who has been pastor of Farmington Methodist Church the past three years will retire at this session of the Minnesota Annual Conference.

Rev. and Mrs. Bell have greatly enjoyed working as a team in the local church pastorate and will continue the team work in a new capacity in Centennial Methodist Church, Rockford, Illinois, he as minister of education and she as parish visitor....

Jerry Zimmer burned in blast

A Farmington boy, 17, was burned about the face and arms Saturday while attempting to light brush soaked with gasoline on the Dorance Ryan farm near Lakeville.

Jerry Zimmer, twin son of Mr. and Mrs. Louis Zimmer suffered second degree burns, while attempting to light a pile of gasoline-soaked brush, he and Herbert Pettit, 17, had accumulated while working for Dorance Ryan.

After pouring the gasoline, Zimmer struck a match, waited 20 seconds, then went up to the pile to see why it had not ignited. When he stooped down the gasoline vapor on the brush exploded into a sheet of flames engulfing Zimmer.

He was taken to Sanford hospital by Pettit, where he is presently recovering.

Future farmers name officers at Farmington

The local FAA met May 24, and elected the following officers for 1962-63: Dan Tutewohl, president; Jerry Meyer, vice president; Albert Sayers, secretary; Bill Frame, treasurer; Mike Corrigan, reporter, and Peter Sauber, sentinel.

Eighteen boys from the Farmington Chapter of FFA participated in the thirty-third annual State FFA convention that was held at the University Farm, St. Paul, May 7 and 8.

The general livestocks team consisting of David Sly, David Stegmaier, and Jerry Wagenknecht, placed in the “Silver Emblem” group. David Sly placed in the top “Gold Emblem” group.

The soils team consisting of Dan Tutewohl, Dennis Tutewohl, and John Dubbels, placed in the “Silver Emblem” group....

Albert Sayers received his “State Farmer Degree” at the convention. He had been a Chapter officer, district officer and had attended leadership meetings held at state level.

Jerry Wagenknecht was awarded the “Star Chapter Farmer” award.

David Stegmaier was awarded the “DeKalb Achievement” award.

75 years ago

From the June 18, 1937

edition of the

Dakota County Tribune

Trainload of combines pass thru Farmington

Joe Brennan and John Osland, dealers, came over from Lakeville Wednesday noon and inspected the long trainload of Allis-Chalmers All-Crop Harvesters enroute from LaPorte, Ind., to several points in Minnesota, where the combines will be distributed to farmers.

The six-foot combines, operated by one man and pulled by a two-plow tractor, will cut and thresh anything from bird seed to beans. Grain can be cut within 1 1/2 inches of the ground and the straw raked up like hay....

The train of 39 flat cars (four combines on a car) came over the Milwaukee railroad in charge of Trainmaster Wm. Lieb, formerly of Farmington.

Weather man smiles on big county picnic

A total of 400 autos carried county farmers, businessmen and others to the big Dakota County picnic at Antlers Park, Tuesday afternoon and evening. It was a tailor-made day, the mercury lingering around the 80 mark.

Athletic contests and speeches featured a day filled with a good time for young and old. Awarding of various prizes elicited much surprise and laughter....

In the 4-H play-off kittenball games Sciota won from Greenvale, Stanton beat Farmington in the baseball fame, the score being 6 to 4.

H.A. Fredenburg of Farmington was crowned king of the horseshoe pitchers in the county, nosing out Oscar Christenson.

The Farmington High School band, directed by Kenneth Springen, furnished excellent music during the noon hour....

Most freckled boy – Dick Cook, son of Dr. and Mrs. B.L. Cook, Farmington.

Girl with reddest hair – Patty Molsed, Farmington.

Most bald-headed man – Ham Clay, Sr., Farmington.

Oldest person – Tom O’Connell, Lakeville, 83 years old.

Feature and attendance prizes were given by the following merchants; Farmington – F.H. Griebie, Nordquist & Co., Gamble Store, Johnson’s Food Market, Farmington Auto Co., J.L. Turek & Co., and McHugh Market....

100 years ago

From the June 14, 1912

edition of the

Dakota County Tribune

An auto accident

Mrs. J.H. Peters was seriously injured in an automobile accident Sunday evening. She was driving to the pasture north of town to milk the cow when she met an automobile opposite the creamery plant. The auto was being driven at an excessively high speed and her horse becoming frightened turned around and in doing so upset the buggy. She was thrown to the ground with terrific force and sustained a badly fractured arm, both bones of the forearm being broken, the bones puncturing the flesh and at the elbow one bone was driven through the flesh.

She was picked up and brought home at once placed under a physicians’s care. At the time of this writing she was getting along as well as could be expected, but was in considerable pain.

Nixon’s sell out

Wm. Nixon has traded his stock of merchandise to D.O. Burcher of Minneapolis for a residence place and business block in the Mill City. The deal was practically settled a month ago and the sale recently put on was to cut down the stock so Mr. Burcher could make changes in the stock....

Although Mr. and Mrs. Nixon will move to Minneapolis next month they will continue to hold their Farmington real estate. This change is being made on account of Mrs. Nixon’s health, which owing to close confinement and her spirited manner of doing business, for she is a business woman through and through, her health has been failing for the past two years....

Mr. Nixon has been in business in Farmington all his life, and aside from the “short circuit” he got in his wires on the Tribune several years ago has handled business with success. Mrs. Nixon came to Farmington about twelve years ago. She took time enough to lay aside her bonnet and went after business and up to the hour of going to press was still reading for trade.

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