A Look Back at The Times

10 YEARS AGO
SEPTEMBER 1, 2011
The annual golf tournament fundraiser for the Turtle Lake First Responders was held on Saturday, August 20. There were 44 golfers participating in the event. Prizes were awarded to Jason Peterson for the longest drive and Jackie Dibble for the longest drive by a female. The team with the lowest score was Mike Ciola, Lynn Merriman, Jeff Harper and Bug Marriam. Mike Swenson, Eric Russell, Jeff Outcalt and Steve Schilke took home the trophy for the highest score. Prizes were also awarded to Joe Hellstern for the closest to the pin, Mike Harshman for closest second shot, and Jim VanHueklom for the longest putt.
A lot of construction activity has been taking place in the Village’s “green” industrial park, located across from Lake Country Dairy on Western Boulevard on the west side of Turtle Lake. Three new businesses have plans for construction in this park, the first being Wisconsin Whey Protein. Construction on an 80-foot tower is taking place now. This tower will become home to a dryer that will take whey and process it into a food product. The whey is a by-product of area dairy plants that is normally spread on fields. Other businesses that should begin construction in the near future is the GreenWhey digester and Infinity Retail Sales.
Not having building plans has made it a bit difficult for the Friends of the Library to solicit donations towards the new library expansion. Now, with a set of plans in hand the group is moving forward with the project. The Present Village Library desperately needs additional room and updating. The new library will have 2200 running feet of book shelves, compared to the present 1200 feet. It will also have a full basement to be used for storage by the library, Village and police department records. The expansion will also free up space in the Village Hall to expand into the present library space for board meetings, court days and meeting in general throughout the week. The group has raised approximately $36,000 of the estimated $250,000 construction cost goal.

20 YEARS AGO
AUGUST 30, 2001
We ran an article describing a quilt that had been found on the Indiana toll road and got an immediate response. A Turtle Lake native, Amy Adamczyk, had lost a quilt her mother had made her while she was a senior in high school during a move across the states of Indiana and Ohio with the quilt packed within her possessions on a rental truck. After contacting toll commissions in both states she hadn’t heard anything for more than a week when her mother called, whom she hadn’t had the heart to tell about the quilt, with news that someone had found the quilt on the Indiana toll road and tracked down Turtle Lake. This was done with the aid of Amy’s name embroidered on the quilt as well as the words, “Made with love by mom, Turtle Lake, WI. The gentleman contacted The Times and ran an ad looking for the owner of the quilt. Amy contacted the gentleman, Jim, and made arrangements to get the quilt back. “What happened is really quite unbelieveable and certainly something must be said about the kindness of strangers. Thank you Halco Press and Jim for helping me find this very precious item.”
The 4th Annual Rock the Rails Street Dance boasted a large crowd. Toy Box provided the musical entertainment and a pig roast lunch stand was available for patrons. Kids games were held and Rob Knowlton entertained the crowd during the day. Proceeds from the event and matching funds from Lutheran Brotherhood Heart of the North Brand 8920 and Aid association for Lutherans Branch 801 benefitted the Turtle Lake First Responders.
Laker football opened up the 2001 season with a 52-30 win over the Grantsburg Pirates. Sean Stalpes led all rushers with 211 yards on 15 carries, four touchdowns and three two-point conversions. Mike Pabst added 104 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown while Bob Popenhagan had 89 yards on 10 carries and a touchdown. Defensively, Brandon Graber led the way with 19 tackles. Mike Pabst had 17 and Bob Popenhagen 13.
The Laker volleyball kicked off with a triangular in Grantsburg. The Lakers lost both matches to Grantsburg and Osceola.

30 YEARS AGO
AUGUST 29, 1991
While they didn’t have a yearbook or a class picnic, the 1941 Class of Turtle Lake had a glorious, well planned, well attended 50th class reunion. Twenty-seven of the original thirty-five members of the class gathered at Turtle Inn for the occasion.
Attending the reunion were James O’Brian, Marjorie Barrett Shortess, Rose Battcher Morley, Lorraine Beecroft Miller, MaryAnn Wukmir Brass, Joyce Miller Gossman, Lorraine Feidt Wold, Dante Perrin, Gladys Leisz Wick, Elaine Anderson Stary, Anne Falb Stegmeir, Ermagene Carlson Kuhl, Ruth Jansen Sirianni, Lorraine Johnson Villman, Dola Henning Ritchie, Martha Osterman Feiertag, Kevin Hart, Harold Fredrick, Harold Catlin, John Keiffer, Arvid Anderson, A.J. Perrault, Bill Gates, Gertrude Krecker Rayment, Howard Simon, Lorraine Lambert Erickson and Bette Shane Klinkhammer.
Brent Just, Turtle Lake Auto Stop, was one of three managers recently honored at the 20th Anniversary Awards Banquet at St. Croix Meadows Greyhound Race Park in Hudson. Five stores were recognized for special achievement in store performance in 1991.
A safety scored by the Turtle Lake Lakers against the Prairie Farm Panthers on the opening kickoff proved to be the margin a victor for the Lakers in an 8-6 season opener at Prairie Farm. First year coach Ed Hougdahl said he was real pleased with the defensive effort by the entire team. He also felt both teams had played an excellent season opening game. Ben Seiser led the Lakers with 66 yards, followed by fullback Ryan Shortess with 57 yards.

40 YEARS AGO
SEPTEMBER 3, 1981
A hearing was held at the Barron County Courthouse in Barron to gather evidence on whether the area of the sewer treatment plant in Turtle Lake was, in 1939 or presently, considered a state wetlands area. Both the Village of Turtle Lake and Associated Milk Producers, Inc. (AMPI) are using the plant for sewer and wastewater treatment. The land was purchased in 1940 by the Turtle Lake Co-op Creamery. The purpose for the land purchase was strictly its use for sewage disposal. At that time no objection or questions were raised from anyone locally or by the state.
Northwest Homes of Barron County, Inc. has announced open housed to be held at two “Self Help” homes, one in Turtle Lake and the other in Almena, on Thursday, September 3. The homeowners and representative of Northwest Homes staff will be present to answer questions.
The Lakerettes volleyball season opened on September 3 at Cumberland. The season promised to be a good one with six returning letterwinners – Kuba Gazdik, Eileen Tutewohl, Mary Nack, Lana Leschisin, Dianne Bussewitz and Linda Selle.
The Lakers lost their season opener 6-0 in a non-conference matchup with the Osceola Chieftains. Mark Ritsche led the Laker rushers with 45 yards. Todd Henck added 26 and John Frederick 18.

50 YEARS AGO
SEPTEMBER 2, 1971
The Polka contests being held on Thursday nights on the new dance floor of Breneman’s Night Club in Turtle Lake are creating quite a stir in the entertainment field. The Chmieleski Bros. Polka Band is attracting polka enthusiasts ranging from Duluth and the Twin Cities to as far away as Florida. Some 300 persons were in attendance at last week’s contest.
This year will be pleasantly different from past years when the 1971 quota deer permits are issues, for it will lack the long lines and overnight waiting characteristics of Green Bay Packer fans seeking football tickets. The Department of Natural Resources has changed the issuance of variable quota deer permits from a first come first serve basis at local county clerk offices to a computerized random selection of all applications at the DNR’s Madison office. Applications are available at DNR field offices and the normal license outlets around the state and must be mailed to the Madison office not later than October 15. This year 18,700 permits will be issued with the expectation 14,000 quota deer will be harvested in addition to the regular buck harvest and either-sex season.
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