Estelline, SD

Two performances of the show will be held in the school auditorium evenings of July 11th and 12th (air-conditioned comfort will be welcome then even if we don’t think about it now).

Children ages 8 to 18 will audition for parts after the directors arrive with their trailer of props, costumes, and scripts on July 6th.  The short rehearsal time is made possible by the directors playing the main roles and the children’s parts being”so catchy and fun it all comes together”.

Watch for tickets ($5 for adults) and volunteer opportunities before the 4th of July.

Friday evenings 4-7pm starting June 20, 2008, Estelline Horizons will sponsor vendors of produce and flowersand crafts from those things, eggs, poultry, and (if we can locate and use a community commercial kitchen) value-added produce and baked goods.  Location provided by the Estelline Coop Grain Co is the site of the aluminum recycling trailer at the south end of Main Street.  Rules and Regulations, and Vendor Applications for the market were defined by the committee and will be available in print format soon.  Persons who grow their own materials within a 100 mile distance of town are qualified to participate.   A manager for the Market is needed still. 

April 19, 2008 the excellent presentation by 4 well-spoken students of ‘permanent agriculture’ will be reprised in Brookings. 

‘Makes you see your world through a different lens is right!’ and ‘well worth the trip and more than worth the time’ were heard after the talk.  My opinion,  more farmers and gardeners and well-intended citizens need to hear it!  We’ll arrange a bus to attend. 

Four area residents will give an introductory talk on permaculture at the Legion Hall (Main Street) on Saturday, March 29^th.  The one-hour talk starts at 1 pm and is free and open to the public.  The talk is hosted by the Estelline Area Horizons project.

Permaculture (permanent agriculture) is a design science which integrates landscape and people providing their food, energy, shelter, and other material and non-material needs in a sustainable way.  The philosophy behind permaculture is one of working with, rather than against, nature.

“The permaculture concept originated in Tasmania, Australia, in the 1970s,” said Karl Schmidt, one of the four presenters.  “From Australia it has spread across the globe and is practiced and taught in virtually every country on the planet.”

Schmidt, and his three colleagues, Jane Hegland, Dean Isham, and Jessica Miller, were trained in permaculture design by Bill Mollison, one of the two originators of the concept, and Geoff Lawton, managing director of the Permaculture Research Institute in Australia.

Permaculture draws information from many fields, including agriculture, horticulture, soil science, animal systems, geography, agroforestry, interior design, construction, and engineering.  Its goal is to integrate this information into sustainable planning and design.

“This talk will be of interest to anyone concerned about the future of the planet, food security, and sustainability,” said Schmidt.  “But more than that, it is about sharing the proactive message of permaculture and what people can do themselves in dealing with these concerns.”

For more information, contact Karl Schmidt, 688-4913, or kjschmidt@mchsi.com.

Saturday’s meeting with Rhoda Burrows was attended by 10 community members, some new to Horizons.  We were impressed by the amount and helpfulness of the materials she shared, and much of it was left with us for reference.  Rhoda is also very interested in responding to further questions when we figure out what we need to know!

Next educational opportunity is this coming Saturday;  the venue for the Permaculture presentation has moved across the street to the American Legion Hall,  due to the Sr Citizen dinner, meeting, and games scheduled in conflict.  We hope some Seniors will come across the street for the educational session after their activity. 

And speaking of Senior opportunities,  anyone 60 years of age or better is invited for BBQ and salad supper evening of the 24th  (that would be tomorrow, Monday) sponsored by an aging grant which is wanting your input in improving wellness and health services;  show up to have your say.  

See you there?

A number of skeptics have questioned the proposition that you should plant your potatoes on Good Friday. Thanks to the Internet and Google, the first hit on this subject is this article by Kathy Anderson. In the article she states that planting potatoes in the upper Midwest on Good Friday is an old wives tale, but she goes on to say many people have followed this practice even though they had to chop their way through icy soil.

Naturally, common sense is always useful and while potatoes don’t mind cooler soil they do better when the soil workable. Kathy goes on to describe potato planting in some detail and her article is well worth reading if potato planting is your thing.

Happy Easter!

Readers of the Estelline Blog–please notice that the right-hand bar now contains links to the minutes of the Horizons Executive Committee meetings (in Microsoft Word).

In keeping with the wishes of the Horizons Committee, I have laid out a new Estelline Community Blog header that might be more in keeping with our new look!

Estelline senior citizens are invited to the American Legion for a free supper on Monday, March 24 at 5 PM.  The menu consists of barbecues, macaroni salad, potato salad, cookies, milk and coffee.  They have the chance to win four fruit baskets as door prizes. 

Hamlin County Extension Agent, Sandra Namken, will interview those present who will first list the positive aspects of the town and then what we could improve on as related to aging health concerns.  The group will be asked to prioritize the list that night. 

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Let’s get the ‘letterhead’ on our site to the gazebo photos on our Strategic Plan.  Cyndi and David have the file and have been eager to share. 

Also, can we gear up for grant writing and have some materials ready to work on March 22?