By Tim KingAt the Tuesday, January 5 meeting the Todd County Board of Commissioners agreed unanimously to recon- sider their December 15 motion to create a Veteran's Scenic Highway that would loop through ninety-three miles of Todd County roads. Commissioner Ruda, who raised the issue, said when he voted for the resolution he was under the impression that Todd County veter- ans' organizations supported the proposed route. Since that time Veteran's Service Officer Pete Berscheid has received letters from numerous veterans groups, including those in Long Prairie, Eagle Bend, and Bertha, opposing the proposed route. Commissioner Kircher said he also heard from the commander of one veteran's organization who opposed the route. At the December 15 meeting it was stated the nei- ther the Long Prairie Legion nor VFW had taken a positive or negative stance on the route, according to a report in the Long Prairie Leader. Now, according to Berscheid, both organizations are opposed to the des- ignation. Although the Veteran's Scenic Highway was to have traveled through much of Todd County , it included the controversial County Road 53 at the south end of Lake Osakis. The idea for a Veterans Scenic Highway origi- nated with members of the group that opposed devel- opment near the area. Ellsworth Johnson, who was A community newspape r serving Br owerville, MN and surr ounding ar eas. USPS 067-560 Thursday, January 14, 2010 Volume 97; Number 31 www.bladepublishing.net “Hunt of a Lifetime” results in giant elkWed Jan 13Mostly Sunny Thu Jan. 14 Partly Cloudy Fri Jan. 15Cloudy Sat Jan. 16Mostly Cloudy Sun Jan. 17Partly Cloudy Mon Jan. 18 Partly Cloudy Tue Jan. 19 Snow ShowerWed Jan. 20 Snow ShowerWEEKLY WEATHER REPORT 7 5 ¢ Kircher appointed Board Chair Girls Scouts lend a helping hand Gary and Rita Stracek’s grandson, Brandon Schmitz, had an amazing experience last month when he and his dad, Tom Schmitz, flew to Idaho as the guests of the Hunt of a Lifetime Foundation. Brandon’s dream of an elk hunt out west came true when he brought down an 800-pound bull elk with a single shot. Todd County Commissioner David Kircher, right, was sworn in as the 2010 Chairman during the commissioner’s regular meeting on January 5th. Commissioner Mark Blessing, left, was elected V ice Chair. Members of the Girl Scout T roops 316 and 446 cleaned the Browerville Elementary School windows and doors on January 7. The Girl Scouts will start selling cookies on January 15. Continued on page 16. By Rin PorterGary and Rita Stracek’s grandson Brandon Schmitz had an amazing experience last month when he and his dad, Tom Schmitz, flew to Idaho as the guests of the Hunt of a Lifetime Foundation. Brandon’s dream ofan elk hunt out west came true when he brought down an 800-pound bull elk with a single shot. Hunt of a Lifetime is a nonprofit organization that grants hunting and fishing dreams to young people age 21 and under who have life-threaten- ing illnesses. Brandon Schmitz suffers from sp inal muscular atrophy type III, and i s confined to a wheelchair . His trip was org anized by Oregon Hunt of a Lifetime coordinator Danny Benson, and funded by Cabella’s, several sportsmen’s clubs, Pheasants Forever, the National Rifle Association, Nosler, Inc., Hornady, Inc., Mountain View Elk Lodge, and several Central Minnesota groups. The Wahoo chapter of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association and the local Ringnecks Forevermore held fundraisers for Brandon’s trip, raising $2,500 for some of the expenses of the trip. Brandon, age 17, is a junior at W adena-Deer Creek H igh School. He loves hunting, fishing, and trapp ing. Brandon has a lot of friends who help him with his outdoor sports activities. Brandon is the fourth of 13 grandchildren of Gary and Rita Stracek. He has two older sisters who are away at college. Brandon and his dad applied for the Hunt of a Lifetime trip more than 18 months ago. They completed an application that included an essay by Brandon explaining what he liked to do and his desire to go on an elk hunt. The Minnesota coordin ator of Hunt of a Lifetime contacted Tom Schmitz after Brandon was selected in 2008, found an outfitter who would apply for an elk tag for Brandon, and started the other arrange- ments in motion. Last August, Brandon and his dad learned that they would be going to Idaho in December . On December 1, they flew from Far go to Denver , and from Denver to Boise, where they spent the night. The next day they were picked up and driven 150 miles north to Riggens, Idaho, and then to Mountain View Elk Lodge. “We we nt up the mountain in a jeep, 8000 fee t up,” said Brandon. “We drove on these switchback logging roads, and we drove until we saw seven bulls in a bunch. There was two feet of snow on the road, and we bumped around in this 1947 old Army jeep.” After seeing the elk walking together, their guide took them around the other side of the mountain to a spot where they thought the elk would go next. They waited for the elk to Continued on page 16.
