5 years ago

Citizen’s Advocate

Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2019

The tracks in the freshly fallen snow are all but faded at the Wes Johnson residence in rural Henning. The longtime resident, who has spent a lifetime creating and revitalizing boats, has hung up his painting gun for good—even though some of his closest friends never thought they would see the day he would call it a career. Johnson, after all, has retired once before. After retiring from Lund Boats in 1999, Johnson decided to start a hobby shop in a garage in downtown Henning.

Henning native Adam Hammer will be coming home to perform for the holidays this weekend. Hammer will be performing at the Trinity Center in Henning on Saturday beginning at 6 p.m. Hammer is the son of Rick and Deanna Hammer and will take the stage with a full collection of original and classic hits. He recently released a new single entitled “The Love You Take” that has been played frequently on streaming services and the radio of late.

Henning once again found itself at the center of the Minnesota sporting world last week as the boys basketball team was named as Minnesota’s “Sports Moment of the Year.” The Hornets  state championship run, in which they dedicated the season to the late Jacob Quam, was up against college and professional sports teams for the honor. Henning was the only high school team up for the honor.

25 years ago

Thursday, Dec. 22, 1999

The Henning Advocate

As Henning residents celebrate this Christmas season, many will be reminded of true pleasure of giving because of Art and Clarice Espeland Family Foundation, have given $1 million dollars in a gift that will continue to grow and aid Henning throughout the next century and beyond. The Foundation was announced publicly Tuesday, Dec. 22. The Foundation will operate as a permanently endowed fund of Minnesota Foundation, which has a presence in more than 80 communities throughout the state, explained Patricia A. Perell, Minnesota Foundation’s executive director.

Art Espeland’s connection with Henning began when he was three-years-old and his father moved the family of six children to a farm close to Henning School. Immigrating here from Norway, the children’s education was an important priority to Mons Espeland and his wife Christina. Clarice was born in Henning and both she and Art graduated from Henning High School. Art went on to graduate from the University of Minnesota wit ha Degree in Business Administration. He served in World War II and worked in Michigan for Proctor & Gamble.

Because the foundation is a permanent endowment, the money will be invested and a portion of the return on that investment will be available each year for grants to non-profit organizations locally. The principal of the gift, the million dollar investment, is never spent. “The grants will be administered but the Minnesota Foundation,” explained MF’s executive director Perell. “Grant recommendations will be made by advisors including Clarice and their children.”

55 years ago

December 21, 1969

The Henning Advocate

While fishing in his dark house on West Leaf Friday morning of last week, Harvey Klever speared a big one. A northern weighing 17 pounds.

80 years ago

December 21, 1944

The Henning Advocate

A total of 775 children in Henning received their Christmas treats from Santa Claus and to attend the free show at the Rex Theatre. All the children were treated to a box of peanuts and an apple by St. Nick and his assistants after the show. Because of shortages it was found impossible to get candy for the kiddies again this year. 

A fire broke out at the Peter Kaltoft home five miles east of Henning. The house was burned to the ground before the fire department could do any good. 

Wax ashtrays with floor wax to prevent ashes from sticking to tray.

Please do everything you can to keep Long Distance lines open for essential calls on December 24, 25, and 26. War Still needs the wires. 

105 years ago

December 21, 1919

The Henning Advocate

Miss Edythe Herrstrom of Wadena will spend a few days a week at Henning, giving piano lessons. She is a graduate of the American Conservatory of Chicago, and is now teaching in Wadena. 

Do your children ever get up in the morning as quarrelsome as a swarm of hornets driven from its nest? Do they ever come to the breakfast table and act so disagreeable that you feel for the moment that you’d trade them for a plugged nickel? Perhaps you scold them and threaten them. And then after they’ve gone off to school or to play, you think that after all they aren’t the worst children in the world. What parents ought to do is to look for the cause of the “grouch” and root it out. Ten chances to one it is due to one of two things or a combination of them; indigestion and an unsufficient amount of undisturbed sleep. Healthy happy and contented children eat plain wholesome foods. The failure of many parents to realize and follow these simple truths enables many a physician to ride comfortably in a fine motor car while his persistently blind clients walk. 

130 years ago

December 21, 1894

The Henning Advocate

The drunken performance on Front Street was a fair representation of the “wild and wooly west” of pioneer days. Several parties had a good sized load of tanglefoot aboard resulting in a good deal of profanity, a runaway and a smash-up.

Menage probably regrets that he cannot come home and organize a $10,000,000 confidence game under the Carlisle banking scheme.

To fight against intemperance is almost the work of this present day, for unless it is well done very little else can be done. – Archbishop of Canterbury.