News from the week of March 22, 2006
Little cooks hope book finds looks in eating nooks
Tracy elementary kids compile family recipes
By Seth Schmidt
Do too many cooks really spoil the broth?
The adage is getting a test at Tracy Elementary School, where students, parents and staff have combined to publish a cookbook. The spiral-bound volume has 378 contributed recipes.
“We thought that this would be something fun,” explained Kris Tiegs, who helped coordinate the cookbook project for the school’s Parent-Teacher Club.
Cookbooks are on sale at school offices and several Tracy businesses for $10. Proceeds will go to school activities supported by the Parent-Teacher Club.
The recipe collection has entries that Betty Crocker probably hasn’t tried. “Grandma Hansen’s Rice Pudding,” “Brian’s Favorite Banana Bars,” and “Morgan’s Rainbow Jello” are among the cookbook’s dessert offerings. “Oyster Pie” is a catch-of-the-day candidate among the main dish recipes. “Chicken Mole`” and “Jiangxi Rice Vermicelli” promise new taste sensations from the ethnic food section. The cookbook has nine categories: appetizers, breads & rolls, cakes & cookies, desserts, ethnic foods, main dishes, soups & salads, vegetables, potpourri.
Each recipe is personalized with the name of the pupil, parent, staff member or friend submitting the dish. The student body gets extra attention on the category divider pages, where each grade has an autograph page. Virtually all Tracy Elementary students have their signatures in the book.
The cookbook manages to mix in a few educational ingredients too. “Work-Respect-Believe”—three key character words that students stress at school—are on the book’s cover.
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Other committee members who helped with the cookbook include Sue Babcock, Shari Thomas, and Paula Strong. The school cookbook is the first for Tracy Elementary in at least 15 years.
Retail locations for the book include Uniquely Yours, Summit Place, and John’s Drug.
Five seek city garbage contract
Five companies want to pick-up garbage in Tracy.
Firms that submitted garbage contract proposals to Tracy City government prior to a Monday deadline are:
• Waste Management, Marshall.
• Shetek Service (Steve Larson), Tracy.
• Ritter’s Service, Marshall.
• Southwest Sanitation, (Dan and Scott Ritter), Marshall.
• Velde Sanitation, Granite Falls.
A representative of each company has been invited to explain their proposal to the Tracy City Council Monday, March 27, at 6:30 p.m. City leaders have 45 days to make a decision on the proposals.
According to City Administrator Audrey Koopman, each of the five proposals seek both residential and commercial garbage contracts.
The city’s present contract with Ritter’s Service expires on June 30, 2006.
Fame or infamy? Tootsies' moment arrives
Nine bodacious beauties will vie for the coveted Tracy Miss Tootsie title Friday night.
The tongue-in-cheek beauty pageant spoof is set on the Tracy Area High School gym stage beginning at 7:30 p.m.
The contestants are Bonita Radiolosky (Charlie Snyder), Curly Sue (Mike Carlson), Shetiquia Bends (Drew Hebig), Anita Pinn (Cole Cooreman), Ivanna Krasch (Mark Priegnitz), Red Baroness (Steve Schenkoske), Queen Antoinette (Derek Flann), and a set of twins, Dani and Kiki Poundalotte (Kim Daniels and Keith Peterson).
The contestants have been practicing for several weeks, working on poise and appearance and physical fitness routines, and talent acts.
Jesse James and Ade Miller are directing the production, which is a fund-raiser for the Fine Arts Council of Tracy.
Advance tickets are on sale at John’s Drug, and will also be available at the door.
Waterfowl group to give $4,700 for Lake Maria
Shetek Prairie Chapter banquet is Saturday
About 220 people are expected at the Minnesota Waterfowl Association (MWA) banquet in Tracy Saturday night.
Tickets are available through Thursday evening.
The Shetek Prairie Chapter is expected to present a $4,700 check for the Lake Maria habitat restoration project. Mark Gulick, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources manager at Talcott, will present an update on the Lake Maria project.
Other banquet speakers will include Jim Cox, MWA state president; and Mark Vaniman, manager for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in Windom. Vaniman will discuss habitat restoration underway at Slaughter Slough.
The banquet social hour begins at 5:30 p.m. at Shetek Bend Banquet Bar & Grill, with dinner scheduled at 7 p.m. A silent auction, live auction and many raffles and drawings are planned. The top raffle prize is a choice of one of three firearms, including a Beretta Extrema II Max 4 semi-automatic.
Banquet tickets are available from any committee member. They are: Dr. Mark Evers, Eric Squires, Russ Edwards, Jeff Gladis, Keith Peterson, Chris Howard, Don Polzine, Neil Daniels, Jeremy Larson, Andy Lanoue, Keith Hoffbeck, Winston Peterson, Dennis Emerson, David Rettey, Dan Anderson, Erik Gile, Bob Rialson. Banquet proceeds go toward projects that improve Minnesota waterfowl habitat.
Tracy is hosting area AFS student weekend
Fifteen countries will be represented at the Tracy AFS Chapter’s International Weekend, Thursday through Sunday.
AFS exchange students spending the year in Southwest Minnesota and Eastern South Dakota have been invited to the event, and 15 students are expected. The students’ home countries are Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, China, Denmark, Ecuador, Germany, Iran, Iraq, Laos, Mexico, New Zealand, Thailand, and Venezuela.
Students will stay with Tracy area host families during the AFS weekend. Families will meet their students at a potluck supper at the St. Mary’s Church basement, at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
An “International Fair” is planned Friday, March 24, from 9 to 11 a.m., at Shetek Bend Banquet Bar & Grill. Each student will set up a display about his or her country. Fifth graders from Tracy and surrounding communities have been invited.
Friday afternoon, AFS students will attend classes at Tracy Area High School. Friday evening, students will attend a dance sponsored by the Amiret Busy Bees.
Saturday activities will include afternoon bowling at Tracy Lanes, a “make-your-own-pizza” supper at Tracy Methodist Church, and an evening gathering at the Rosemary and Michael martin home.
The weekend concludes with an 11 a.m. Sunday gathering at the Tracy Multi-Purpose Center, with rolls and juice being served.
Students begin second week of Spanish study
After seven days of sightseeing in Spain, 13 Tracy Area High School students are beginning a home stay with a Spanish family this week.
Bobbi Buyck, Ashlei Carpenter, Jackie Coulter, Jessica Coulter, Jenna Fischer, Rachel Gervais, Dan Malmberg, Mai Vue Moua, Amanda Olafson, Mariah Schelhaas, Krista Swanson, Dani Thooft, and Jackie Vroman left Tracy on March 15. After a flight from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Amsterdam, and a transfer flight to Madrid, the students began seven days of touring in Spain. The students saw sights in Sevilla, Granada, Toledo, Segovia, and Madrid. Each student is scheduled to begin a one-week stay with a family in Madrid on Thursday, March 23.
Indications are that the trip is going well.
Lynn Buyck, mother of Bobbi, said she has heard of no problems.
“Bobbi called the other day for a minute and she said she is having the time of her life,” she said.
Parents are sharing periodic updates about the trip through a telephone tree. However, in order to enhance the experience of being on an overseas trip, student phone calls and e-mails home are being limited.
The students are all seniors who have studied Spanish for three years. Pam Anderson is their teacher. Shorty Engel, former French teacher at TAHS; and Carin Gervais, 2001 TAHS grad and former Spanish student; are chaperoning the group.
The study trip is being taken through the Language and Friendship organization.
The Tracy delegation is scheduled to return to Minnesota late Wednesday. After a connecting flight from Madrid, the group flies direct from Amsterdam to Minneapolis/St. Paul.
Mankato meet is challenge for speakers
The Tracy Area High School speech team met some challenging competition this past weekend at the Mankato East Fiesta Speech Invitational.
This was the first time Tracy had competed at this tournament, meeting teams such as Worthington, Marshall, Fairmont, Eden Prairie, Windom, and Springfield. There were 500 students from 20 different teams competing at the tournament. Tracy had two speakers advance to the final round. Sophomore Jeremiah Martin finished sixth out of 45 speakers in serious poetry. Seventh grader Tara Norstegard finished fifth out of 34 speakers in storytelling. Junior Pat VanNevel advanced to an honor final round for just missing the final round in creative expression.
Next week the team travels to Redwood Valley to finish out their regular season. Competition starts at 9 a.m. and is free and open to the public.
Speech team plans 'Spotlight'
The Panther speech team will showcase their talents during the “Speech Spotlight” next week.
The spotlight will be held Tuesday, March 28 at 6:30 p.m. at Tracy Area High School.
Students will be performing their speeches in small groups, followed by a speech spotlight featuring five speeches.