Chris Hahn

Name: Hannah Lange

Parents: Jennifer and Troy Lange

School Activities: I manage girls varsity basketball, sing in the choir, and I am currently serving as President of the Spring Valley-Wykoff FFA chapter.

Activities/Work Outside of School: My job is the social media manager for Chisholm Motorsports. I am not involved in any other structured activities.

Your Favorite Class and Why? My favorite class is Introduction to U.S. Politics taught by Professor Tom Woodhouse at Riverland Community College. This is my favorite class simply because politics as well as government are extremely interesting to me. It is also vital to know how our government works so that you can remain an informed citizen.

Why is a Solid Education Important?  Everyone has the right to a solid education. It can give you the opportunity to expand your horizons and take you places that you never thought you would be able to go. It is important that people are educated, especially my generation, because one day, we will be the ones in a leadership position or law-making position.

Immediate Plans After High School Graduation: My plans after graduation are to enjoy the summer as much as possible before I attend college at North Iowa Area Community College to study graphic communications.

Long-Term Plans/Goals: My plans are to graduate from college and obtain a job in a graphic communications/marketing department. My goal is to travel to at least five countries.

 

Note: The Spring Valley Kiwanis Club annually recognizes the top academic performers at Kingsland High School. Kiwanis will recognize Hannah and her parents during the Dec. 8 meeting at the Spring Valley Community Center.

 

Rustic Valley Bed & Breakfast is now open, and it offers its guests the chance to experience all four seasons in beautiful Southeastern Minnesota. This new B&B provides a rural respite without needing to travel more than 20 minutes from the Rochester, MN metropolitan area. Nestled in the valley on five acres along Deer Creek just outside of Spring Valley, Rustic Valley is the perfect place for a quiet retreat, a long weekend in the country with family, or small gatherings with friends.

Located at the bottom of Hardscrabble Hill at 26671 141st Ave. just outside of Spring Valley, Rustic Valley Bed & Breakfast is the home of your hosts, Yvette (Vettie) and Jeff Halvorson. A visit will likely start with the official greeter, Bella, a border collie who greets you by patiently sitting down as you arrive in hopes of getting a little pat or scratch as a tip. The current property has been in the family for over 50 years.   When the opportunity for Vettie and Jeff to purchase it arose in 2014, they didn’t hesitate.  Although the original stone home and barn homestead were replaced with a more modern home, a fire destroyed that in 2019, forcing the Halvorson’s to rebuild their current home on the property.

“I have always loved being able to take care of people with a personal style of service,” says Vettie, excited to explain how Rustic Valley B&B became a reality. “I worked in the hospitality industry for many years, and I have a passion for serving others, so it was important for me to find a way to continue to take care of people.”  She adds that “one day I woke up and realized that THIS is the perfect place to serve others, and offer a quiet getaway in this beautiful area that we call home.”

The current guest suite, located on the lower level, is a modern yet rustic, relaxed living space accessible to people of all abilities, with zero-step entry, a walk-in shower, and wide doorways. The guest suite features Asian walnut woodwork and tile flooring and provides a full-size refrigerator, microwave, and sleeping space for up to five guests. The suite also offers plenty of entertainment options, including a billiards table, dartboard, limited spirits, wine bar, TV, and free internet access. The walk-out patio provides guests the chance to sit outside with their favorite beverage and enjoy nature or sneak out and explore the valley before everyone else wakes up in the morning.

Once everyone is up, breakfast is offered from 7:00 – 10:00 AM. Several breakfast items are featured on the website and include sweet rolls, omelets, hashbrowns, and other Midwest favorites. Vettie also notes that they are happy to take requests and accommodate anything from food allergies, celiac diets, keto diets, to diabetic diets.

Rustic Valley B&B’s five acres is ideal for hosting larger outdoor gatherings such as reunions, weddings, and graduation parties. They also offer a variety of family games including, bean bags, yard darts, badminton, and fishing. When asked about hosting larger events, Vettie, whose maiden name is Ramaker, laughs.  “I am number 16 in a family with 17 children. With a family that large, there was always something going on. When the entire family gets together it’s an event, and this is an ideal space for those kinds of gatherings.”

Jeff is perfectly content in his behind-the-scenes, yet crucial support role, making fixtures, performing maintenance, and continuously improving the property. He shares that they have plans to add more amenities. “We are thinking about adding a VIP Site across the driveway down by Deer Creek, with electrical hook-ups for just one RV…things like that we can offer to make it a better experience for people.”

For more information about Rustic Valley B&B, or to reserve your stay, make sure to check them out at Rustic Valley B&B (rusticvalleybb.com), or call the Rustic Valley B&B at 507-319-0920, and Vettie will be more than happy to assist you!

 

 

Another brewery is springing up in Southeast Minnesota. Wisconsin-based Hop & Barrel Brewing is opening a new location in Spring Valley on Saturday.

Click for the full article by John Molseed in the November 19th Edition of the Rochester Post Bulletin 

 

Name: Isaac Hauser

Parents: Steve and Amy Hauser

School Activities: Key Club 12th grade representative, National Honor Society, Basketball, Cross-Country, Treasurer of Student Council.

Activities/Work Outside of School: I work for Gillette Pepsi Co. in Rochester as a part-time merchandiser. No other organized recurring activities, just hobbies.

Your Favorite Class and Why? Math. My current math class is CIS calculus. I always liked math in the sense that there was always an answer and I was relatively good at it. Most days I trudge out of this calculus class frustrated, but it is my most challenging class that allows me to learn from failure, which I do not get in other classes.

Why is a Solid Education Important? “Solid education” is a phrase I have never heard, but I feel like it should be used more often. A solid education, in the sense of thorough education with attention to detail, allows generations to be well equipped with the information they need to make their own opinions and tendencies. With the assistance of solid educators, the previously stated opinions and tendencies will create communities strengthened by diversity and understanding.

Immediate Plans After High School Graduation: I plan to take my senior year summer to continue my work with Pepsi and spend as much time with my significant other as possible before heading to college in the Fall.

Long-term Plans/Goals: I plan to obtain a minimum of a bachelor’s in business administration with unknown focuses. I then plan on using such a degree to find a competitive job where I can perhaps

Note: The Spring Valley Kiwanis Club annually recognizes the top academic performers at Kingsland High School. Kiwanis will recognize Isaac and his parents during the Nov. 17 meeting at the Spring Valley Community Center.

Andrea Hindt of rural Spring Valley has been expressing herself artistically since her elementary school days.  “In third grade, I would draw pictures for my teacher and classmates,” says Andrea. “Growing up, the Sunday comic pages were the best! I loved to read them. My twin sister, Anji Bennett, and I would draw cartoons and we used to say ‘when we grow up’ we want to have our own comic strips.”

Andrea continued to take art classes throughout high school and was a member of the Albert Lea High School Art Club. During the holidays students would paint the windows at local care centers and restaurants. “Also in high school, I took a graphic arts class taught by Mr. Goodnature.  For one of  our projects, I designed and screen printed my favorite band logo on my jean jacket. I loved that class.  Mr. Goodnature put me on the path towards graphic design as a career.”

Click Here for the complete feature story by Mary Whalen in the Fillmore County Journal! 

Valley Butchery and Meat Market, located at 624 Pleasant Ave. in Spring Valley, is ready to expand. The current location, purpose-built in 1963 as a full-service meat processing facility, has faithfully served the Spring Valley community for nearly 60 years but needs renovation and expansion. “The need to expand has been there for some time,” explains Rusty Hellickson, 4th generation “Lockerman” and co-owner of Valley Butchery with his son Tanner. “We simply need more space to be able to offer our customers the products and services that we want to”.  Planned renovations will include a new meat cooler, an in-house smokehouse, improved workstations, and a larger retail product case.

Family-owned and operated; Valley Butchery’s business has been growing steadily since Hellickson’s purchased the business in 2017. The COVID-19 pandemic forced many people to look to their local businesses to provide goods and services, and butcher shops were no exception. “We have seen a big increase in demand for our products”, explains Hellickson, “especially from customers who were used to going elsewhere for their meats, but now realize that they can buy quality local meats without the travel.”

While the increase in business has been positive, there have been significant challenges. Planning a comprehensive remodel has proved difficult with supply shortages, skyrocketing costs, and lining up bids and contractors. For the most part, contractors have stayed busy, and are often booked out several months on projects. “COVID has also made it a nightmare to get supplies for their daily business operations,” adds Hellickson. “Simple everyday things like gloves, plastic wrap, and other packaging supplies are now more expensive and in much shorter supply”

Additionally, any renovation and expansion also require significant financial resources. Valley Butchery was able to utilize multiple funding sources to help with its expansion, explains Chris Hahn, EDA Director for Spring Valley. “My predecessor worked to help secure a Minnesota Department of Agriculture Value-Added Producer Grant in 2019, and then they were able to apply and receive gap funding from the Spring Valley EDA to help secure the financing for the entire project. Being able to help core community businesses like a butcher shop, leverage all the resources available is vital to our small rural communities!”

Valley Butchery and Meat Market is locally owned and operated, and offers full-service slaughterhouse, meat-cutting, and packaging services to Spring Valley and the surrounding area. To contact Valley Butchery and Meat Market please call them 507-346-7707 or check them out on Facebook.