Chris Hahn

Original article published in the Mower County Independent, Thursday, April 27, 2023.   Reprinted with permission and gratitude.

By Gretchen Mensink Lovejoy 

 

On top of spaghetti, all covered with cheese, we fundraised with first aid, played dodgeball and learned to patch knees.

“They have been working hard to fundraise, including a spaghetti dinner this [past] weekend, and they will also be doing a first aid kit fundraiser soon, as well as potentially a dodgeball tournament. Details are still being worked out, but their goal is to raise $5,000, and seven students will be heading down to the International Leadership Conference in Dallas, Texas, in June to represent Kingsland and the state of Minnesota,” cited Kingsland Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) advisor Kevin Geer. She highlighted that the Kingsland chapter of HOSA has a collection of students focused on facilitating travel through selling platefuls of spaghetti, rounding up first aid kits, and kicking it together as organizers of their proposed dodgeball tournament, all activities meant to underwrite the chapter’s mission to fulfill HOSA’s official purpose.

According to the HOSA website, “The mission of HOSA is to empower HOSA-Future Health Professionals to become leaders in the global health community through education, collaboration and experience. The purpose of HOSA-Future Health Professionals is to develop leadership and technical HOSA skill competencies through a program of motivation, awareness and recognition, which is an integral part of the Health Science Education instructional program. The goals that HOSA believes are vital to each member are to promote physical, mental and social well-being; to develop effective leadership qualities and skills; to develop the ability to communicate more effectively with people; to develop character; to develop responsible citizenship traits; to understand the importance of pleasing oneself as well as being of service to others; to build self-confidence and pride in one’s work; to make realistic career choices and seek successful employment in the healthcare field; to develop an understanding of the importance in interacting and cooperating with other students and organizations; to encourage individual and group achievement; to develop an understanding of current health care issues, environmental concerns and survival needs of the community, the nation and the world; to encourage involvement in local, state and national health care and education projects; to support Health Science Edu[1]cation instructional objectives and to promote career opportunities in health care.”

The site listed the organization’s core values, including learning – “We are committed to learning and becoming respected, knowledgeable and skilled health professionals…we will respect the experiences and contributions of our teachers, peers and patients and seek to learn from them.” Leadership and service also register among HOSA’s core values. “We will serve as role models in our academic program, profession and community. We will be ethical, accountable and trustworthy. We will use our influence to empower others to strive for excellence. We value service. We are dedicated to serving others with compassion. We believe that individuals are important, and we will treat everyone with respect and care.” Finally, it stated, “We value innovation. We are dedicated to enriching the lives of others. We will continuously seek the knowledge and skills to address challenges and improve the health professions.”

Geer, Kingsland’s life science and biology instructor, is proud of his HOSA students for their dedication, curiosity and willingness to try new HOSA health projects and competitions. “Primarily, our activities have been spent practicing various events to prepare for competitions, trying out new events and practicing the ones that they are signed up for. This year, we have had 15 active members, and they have participated in many different events including HOSA Bowl – a Knowledge Bowl-style event where they compete in medical based trivia, emergency medical technician (EMT), parliamentary procedure, extemporaneous writing, persuasive writing and speaking, public speaking, forensic science, and more.” He added, “The state conference was good – we almost did not make it up there due to bad weather” …but they were able to get the high school students there to complete. “Our Parliamentary Procedure team placed first and will be advancing on to the International Leadership Conference in Dallas.”

Previous HOSA projects over the chapter’s nearly five-year history have included learning about biology and medical procedures, holding a teddy bear drive for the Spring Valley Ambulance Service to help EMTs approach and assist children and individuals with special needs, and gaining leadership skills.

Geer previously commented on the chapter’s membership during a prior school year, stating that participation in H has numerous benefits, such as preparing students for their future careers – or not. “For some of them, it is about finding what they want to do or sometimes, more importantly, what they don’t want to do in the future. They get exposed to so many things that they would never see in school normally. They get to collaborate with students from other schools and learn from each other.” He remarked that he enjoys advising HOSA for “the enthusiasm of the kids,” and added, “The kids involved are interested in the medical field and want to learn more about it. They are excited to learn and then even more excited to show it off. The more excited they are, the more into it I’m able to get… they work hard but have fun. They have a great attitude and are setting themselves up for a very bright future.”

 

Courtesy of the Mower County Independent, 135 E Main St. LeRoy, MN 55951, (507)-324-5325

Original article published in the Mower County Independent, Thursday, April 20, 2023.   Reprinted with permission and gratitude.

By Gretchen Mensink Lovejoy 

 

When the clock strikes six, have a ball on Broadway and generate some startup for the Project.

“A group of us held a masquerade ball seven years ago to raise some funds for playground equipment at the school. It was a great fundraiser and a fun event, so we decided to host another one to generate some startup funds for ‘The Broadway Project,’” stated Spring Valley Business Alliance (SVBA) member Jenn Slifka, donning her masquerade costume in preparation for the grand masquerade ball set for this Saturday, April 22, in downtown Spring Valley.

The ball is an effort to advance the SVBA’s support of the numerous community improvement and event projects the organization has undertaken. As Slifka noted, “This a formal event, but people can have fun with it. The idea of a masquerade ball is to wear a mask of some sort. We will have masks at the door, and they are not required for the entire event, but the theme is ‘masquerade.’ We want people to get creative…this is all about creative freedom. We will have food, full bar, casino games, silent auction, a display and Q&A about ‘The Broadway Project,’ and a photo booth at Photography by Kari. Daniel Hayes Hall will be playing piano music during social hour. Players from Brave Community Theatre (BCT) will be doing songs and shows of Broadway hits, including songs from ‘Phantom of the Opera,’ ‘Mamma Mia,’ ‘Greatest Showman’ and many more. Chateau de Chic has partnered with area stylists and The Nova Academy in Rochester to put on an avant-garde masquerade runway show where students and stylists can show off their hair, makeup and costuming skills.”

She elaborated while referring to Spring Valley’s monthly Wednesdays on Broadway downtown summer celebrations, “We are looking to raise some initial funding for ‘The Broadway Project,’ which is an idea our group was presented with, and we are wanting to push forward. The plan entails improvements to downtown Spring Valley through better signage, lighting, additional seating and landscaping. Our goal is to turn Broadway into a place, not just a street. We want the vibe that we get from Wednesdays on Broadway to resonate through downtown all of the time.” The SVBA’s Facebook page mirrored that statement, reading, “‘The Broadway Project’ explores several ideas and potential changes for improving safety, pedestrian access and accessibility, and traffic flow, as well as making the heart of our town more appealing through landscaping, signage, public seating and gathering spots.”

Slifka explained that the SVBA “is formed of area business owners who wanted to come together to work on projects and events that will push Spring Valley forward as a community… we have a very passionate group of people working together to plan and bring new ideas out of the woodwork, and we want to see our community thrive.” She continued, “Our group consists of business owners and people who are passionate about Spring Valley and want to push this town forward. A lot of exciting things are happening in Spring Valley, and we want to see that continue. As business owners, we are movers and shakers, and we need to work together to make sure our community is growing and thriving. We are just coming to the end of our first year of being organized. In our first year, we have started Wednesdays on Broadway, as well as the SVBA Winter Market. We have partnered with Fins & Films and The Ron Merkel Cratebox Derby to assist with planning and overseeing those events. We started the Angel Wing Project, which is a mural project to help bring additional art downtown. Last month, we started our first membership drive which has already been a huge success. Now, one of our main goals is ‘The Broadway Project’ and improvements to downtown. As we see so much growth on the outskirts of town with new businesses coming, additional housing going up…we want to make sure our downtown is beautiful and thriving, as it is the heart of our town.”

The owner of Spring Valley’s affectionately named “Spring Valley mini-mall,” a run of four buildings on the northwest end of downtown Broadway that encompasses Slifka’s salon, her clothing boutique, her mother’s cake shop and Stellar 181 Taphouse (the establishment that she and her husband, Alex, operate) reiterated that varying generations of current Spring Valley businesspeople have collaborated to underwrite volunteerism for several Broadway events. “The SVBA has a lot of exciting things coming up. Wednesdays on Broadway kicks off in June and will go through October; Fins & Films and The Ron Merkel Cratebox Derby are July 14 and 15. Plus, with the weather getting nicer out, we hope to see some expansion to our Angel Wing Project and some additional murals downtown. It will be a busy and exciting summer downtown. Our SVBA board is small, and we would love to see additional members. Everyone is welcome to come to our meetings and be a part. We also have separate groups for Fins & Films, Wednesdays on Broadway and ‘The Broadway Project.’ If you are just passionate about one of those things, you are welcome to join in on those committee meetings as well.”

Sometimes, being “passionate” about something means that one must cave in and hold a masquerade ball. “This event is being hosted by the SVBA, but the goal is to bring awareness to ‘The Broadway Project.’ We will have an area at the masquerade ball that will have information about the SVBA and ‘The Broadway Project’ as well as all of the other events we are a part of. The masquerade is going to be fun because the entertainment will be off the hook. Exciting music and performances from the BCT group that will have a smoke show and lighting effects…and it will jump right into a high-energy runway show with out-of-this-world looks. It will be the perfect combination of music, performing arts and art. Your ticket to the masquerade ball gets you all-you-can-eat food and desserts provided by Some Like It Hot. It will be a wide variety of small plates, appetizers, and amazing desserts. Stellar 181 will also have a full cash bar, with proceeds going toward ‘The Broadway Project.’ It is a formal event, but we really want everyone to dress their comfort level. If you want to come in shorts and a T-shirt, you won’t get turned away.” She went on to state, “For $50, this masquerade ball is a fun night out full of food and entertainment…a great event to bring our community together for a great cause.”

The Spring Valley Business Alliance will hold its SVBA Masquerade Charity Ball this Saturday, April 22, at 6 p.m. at the Spring Valley Community Center, 200 S. Broadway Ave., Spring Valley. For more information, log onto the Spring Valley Business Alliance’s Facebook page.

 

 

Courtesy of the Mower County Independent, 135 E Main St. LeRoy, MN 55951, (507)-324-5325

The Spring Valley City Council began their April 10 meeting with Mike Bubany, of David Drown Associates, advising the group on the negotiated sale of the 2023A bonds.

“While I’m here to talk about what is probably pretty simple, meaning we are borrowing money to pay for these projects, there is a lot of information you need to know,” Bubany started. “Whenever the city goes to borrow money we have to cite the statutory authority we are using to borrow the money. One of the most common is in Chapter 429 that says you can issue debt as a city, but you have to assess 20% of the cost to adjacent landowners. You are not meeting that 20% test.”

He noted this would normally not be an issue, but a portion of this year’s street improvements, Territorial Avenue and Broadway Avenue will not include utilities work.

Read the complete article by Paula Barness in the April 17th Edition of the Fillmore County Journal

 

Original article published in the Mower County Independent, Thursday, April 13, 2023.   Reprinted with permission and gratitude.

By Gretchen Mensink Lovejoy 

Is Sheriff Zeb Hanks’ wife a cold-blooded killer, and is this the end?

“Only if I drop dead before I finish the next one. I have plans for probably six or so more books in this series,” remarked Spring Valley native author Mark Reps, speaking of what will—or won’t succeed “Native Deception,” the 13th book in his “Zeb Hanks: Small Town Sheriff, Big Time Trouble” book series that has captivated readers for nearly two decades and continues with “Native Deception” as his most recent contribution, this time placing investigative crosshairs on character Zeb’s wife, Echo Skysong.

He elaborated, “Basically, it’s about Zeb proving his wife, Echo, is not a cold-blooded killer. It has numerous twists and turns that involve local Graham County and San Carlos Apache Reservation characters and places.”

The synopsis of “Native Deception” reads, “Echo Skysong, Hank’s wife…[a] combat knife found with an unidentified dead woman’s body, makes her look profoundly guilty. Darker corners are turned when a world-famous Apache scientist, also an acquaintance of Echo’s, turns up missing. Proving Echo’s innocence is complicated when the National Security Agency (NSA) and Department of Indian Affairs (DIA) enter the picture and seek a scapegoat. Zeb’s team joins forces with ambitious San Carlos Police Chief Cocheta and steps to the very edge of his legal authority in order to find justice. The twists and turns in ‘Native Deception’ will keep the reader on edge to the very end. Readers of the ‘Longmire’ series or any of Tony Hillerman’s works will enjoy ‘Native Deception,’ the 13th book in the ‘Zeb Hanks’ series.”

Spring Valley High School Class of 1969 alum Reps has long balanced his career in chiropractic with writing compelling stories that capture the attention of his readers. He admitted, however, that “Native Deception” didn’t spring from his keyboard quite as quickly as the other 12 novels. “This book took a little longer than the others in the series to write. I’d say about 14 months from start to finish. It took a little longer, as I was working on several other books at the same time. One of them has a Spring Valley theme – it’s called ‘The Lot, 1961.’ The other book I was working on is called ‘Redemption.’ It’s also a mystery, but outside of the Zeb Hanks series. I have two baseball books completed, three other mysteries completed and a book of short stories, as well as one other work of fiction that is almost done.” And, he added, “Every book I have written takes at least six to nine rewrites. This one has some time-sensitive material, so as the story unfolded, so did some real-life events…it takes on a real-life, real-time situation in the world today. That required me to do some rewriting.”

Reps cited how he continued the Zeb Hanks series, sharing that the characters give him direction as to how to put his words together to become their actions. “With each book, all I need is a thread of a crime, and the rest follows naturally. I know these characters pretty well, so I know how they will react in a given situation. That makes writing them a bit easier and lots of fun. They’ve become friends in a manner of speaking. The better I know them, the easier it becomes to tell a story around them and through them.” The author went on, “I love Echo and Zeb, but this time, I concentrated more on expanding the character of former San Carlos Police Chief Rambler Braing, who is now deputy to Zeb Hanks with the hopes of returning to the appointed position of police chief on the reservation. Of course, there is always medicine man Jimmy Song Bird, whom I relate to personally. I like to write character and plotline as well as the twisty turns a mystery can take. I hope to teach the readers about the Apache culture either directly or indirectly, as well. I hope to stir the readers’ interest in the subjects I bring up in the books…as you will see in ‘Native Deception,’ Zeb Hanks’ crew has gone international in a big and important way.”

Challenges in writing for a sleuthing audience exist by the multitude, but thankfully, Reps is experienced at addressing his readers’ literary expectations. “Knowing the readership is a big, big deal. Amazon provides statistics to authors about age group, male and female reader ratios, and all kinds of other data, so I have to think of that stuff when I put in clues, reference time and place, et cetera. The stories are for the audience who reads them, and I do my best to give them what they want. I hope that I get better with each book. If my skills don’t continue to improve, there is really little point in continuing; I hope with each book to catch the reader un[1]aware and teach them something. So far, I’ve gotten great feedback, and people are genuinely liking the book very much.”

He acknowledged that if he could start the Zeb Hanks series over again, he’d have planned its trajectory long before he began typing. “I’d have plotted the stories so they could run in order more easily as well as fully develop each character over the 20 years that the book will span. Knowing the full potential of each character from the onset would have made writing all the novels easier. I would advise any writer of fiction to know their characters from start to finish and to write up their entire background stories before writing the first sentence of the first novel.”

By the time Reps puts the last punctuation on the final page of his final Zeb Hanks novel, he’s certain to have rounded out the traits of each character and cleared Echo Skysong’s reputation for good, but meanwhile, he’s contemplating what to do with the books that he’s written on other topics and how to publish them for readers’ enjoyment.

“I have finished a noir-style mystery with a 1940s feel to it– think Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in the movies from that era. It’s way different in style and language. It was a ton of fun to write, and it feels like a real page-turner. I am seeking out publishing houses for that one as well as the baseball books.”

Reps registered a request with his readers and potential readers of the Zeb Hanks series. “Please read them all from start to finish or from finish to start. They can basically be read in any order. Please go on Amazon and give the book five stars. The more 5-star reviews I get, the more Amazon will do to help the book get noticed by people who are unfamiliar with the book or the series.”

He concluded by stating that his writing career is ongoing and that “I will keep on writing books as long as people want to read them.” For more information on the “Zeb Hanks/Native” series, log onto Reps’ website at www.markreps.com, or find his novels on Amazon.

He concluded by stating that his writing career is ongoing and that “I will keep on writing books as long as people want to read them.” For more information on the “Zeb Hanks/Native” series, log onto Reps’ website at www.markreps.com, or find his novels on Amazon.

 

 

 

Courtesy of the Mower County Independent, 135 E Main St. LeRoy, MN 55951, (507)-324-5325

Original article published in the Mower County Independent, Thursday, April 13, 2023.   Reprinted with permission and gratitude.

By Gretchen Mensink Lovejoy 

 

Tina Fabian speaks keratin, Aqua-Net, frillies and fluent tomboy.

Her childhood aspirations changed enough to make some of her current clients’ hair positively curl.

“I had all kinds of different things. I wanted to be an interpreter because I learned German, sign language, Spanish… and I thought I could interpret at Mayo Clinic; and I really like arts and drawing, so I thought I could become an architect; then there’s this. I’m creative, and my creativity pushed me into this. I wasn’t really girly – I was more of a tomboy, more into climbing trees than putting on frillies, but it’s just as fun,” stated Fabian, standing in the middle of her downtown Spring Valley salon, Hair by Tina, which she opened last August and is working to translate into a full-time occupation.

She was straightforward about her current salon proprietorship and how she came to occupy her solo Broadway salon. “I never intended on opening a salon. I was perfectly happy renting somewhere else, but for me to continue doing business, I had to open a salon. I rented a booth briefly for a year or two at Total Look from Dawn Cooper. I’d been looking and looking because where I was at in Stewartville, I didn’t want to renew, and they were selling the building. I was in a panic, and all of a sudden, it hit me…it was right there, and it worked out great. Before Total Look, I was renting from Makin’ Waves for a couple of years, had a booth there, and before that, I was managing at one of the largest salon franchises in the United States, so I’ve got about 13 to 14 years there at Great Clips and was management for about eight years.”

Before that came the translation of artistic skills from fine arts into the cosmetological arts. “Hair…I kinda am an artist. I like to draw, work in clay, build stuff. I did my sister’s hair for her senior pictures, and it looked good. I’m a licensed cosmetologist, so I’m trained in all the different things cosmetologists do…cuts, colors, perms, roller sets, men’s cuts, eyebrow and lip waxing, beard trims. I got my first job at a salon as an actual licensed stylist at First Impressions Hair Studio on the Corner of Civic Center and Broadway. Two of my instructors at cosmetology school owned that salon then, and I rented from them for a year and a half after school, and they taught me how to do tinting eyelashes, things like that. They decided to sell, so I walked into Great Clips, and ‘there you go.’”

She went on, “When I was across the way at Total Look, I was looking around, calling phone numbers on doors. I got ahold of here and [the owner] told me it would be ‘this much’ – which is a good deal because it has a full kitchen and access to a shared bathroom – and it all fell into place. It was exactly what I needed to do at the time. Everything fell into place.”

However, there was a pronounced calendar gap between the time that Fabian defined her life’s next statement and when she could officially open her own salon. “I didn’t have a place to go in between, so for a full month, Jenn Slifka let me rent a booth and chair at Chateau, and Alex (Slifka) came over here and hung my sign. We’re not in competition, because they do stuff I don’t. I’m really thankful for Jenn…she really stepped up.”

Fabian took care to upcycle anything she possibly could to furnish her shop responsibly, speaking “thrift” whenever she had occasion to buy secondhand or repurpose items that would suit her business, including a snazzy pair of vintage hairdryer chairs with plastic cylinder drying bonnets–the kind seen in the movies–and to use wisely anything that was given to her, such as the dressing table that now serves as her styling station, and most importantly, referral information for Total Look clients who might be interested in getting their hair cut and set by someone familiar.

“When I started, I didn’t have any clients, which is hard, but I don’t want to live my life thinking ‘shoulda, woulda, coulda.’ I wanted to be my own boss, but I thought it would be weird to be alone, but I’m not alone because my clients are here–business is slowly building, and I’m glad that it’s gradually growing–and they’re special, let me tell you that. They’ve been amazing– they’ve spoiled me. I have a whole new family.”

Her services vocabulary, as she previously noted, ranges from family haircuts to eyebrow maintenance and beard trims, things that she enjoys doing for clients because they improve appearance and boost confidence. Fabian is deciding still whether she’d like to take appointments for wedding parties’ hair, but she may if she has a proper consultation session with the wedding participants prior to the work being completed. “I do women’s cuts, senior ladies’ shampoo and sets, perms…it’s not necessarily your old-school salon. A lot of men feel out of place, like the vibe is weird. Here, I’d like to have a larger male clientele because a lot of it is a male-dominated business, but there’s not a lot of options, so men go to Rochester, and guess who’s cutting their hair in Rochester? They might as well stay here. For guys’ haircuts, I offer a shampoo and a hot towel for their face. It’s not just ‘sit down and go’ when they’re done. For ladies, they get a shampoo and their hair styled up, so why not the guys? I want people to feel comfortable and not out of place. I think I’ve got a good combination of masculine and feminine sides.”

The words that define Fabian’s reasoning for managing a busy schedule–one that she hopes will soon be less divided by holding down another job at a Rochester hair establishment–are that she simply likes witnessing what happens to someone’s disposition when they’ve gotten the conversation for a perfect curl or beard shaping down and the work is finished.

“People feel better when they get their hair done, and it’s when they make comments about how good they feel.”

 

Courtesy of the Mower County Independent, 135 E Main St. LeRoy, MN 55951, (507)-324-5325