OTC expresses interest in keeping the festival going By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent Phelps Mill Treasurer David Iverson and Jerome Holicky provided a report to county commissioners on the annual Phelps Mill Festival.  Iverson noted expenses and income and highlighted the drop in attendance from 2021 to 2022. The 2022 festival was down by 25.5 percent,… Read More

Meeting to be held on December 12 in Fergus Falls By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent County residents are invited to weigh in on a proposal for a possible fish passage at Phelps Mill. The public meeting will begin at 7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 12, at the county Government Services Center in Fergus Falls. This project,… Read More

Photos by Chad Koenen Henning School students took to the stage last week for their annual fall musical. This year’s fall musical was Mamma Mia!  and featured three shows from Friday through Sunday, as well as a dress rehearsal on Wednesday afternoon in front of students and staff members at the school. Above: Aaliyah Olson (Tanya),… Read More

By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) during the 1930s was a work relief program that provided employment to 3.5 million young men during the Great Depression. Reviewing life as a CCC worker, on Nov. 16 at the Fergus Falls Public Library, was author, story teller, guitar player and singer Bill Jamerson. He… Read More

Caucus to be held Feb. 1 at various locations in OTC By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent County officials often emphasize that Otter Tail County is larger in size than the state of Rhode Island and paved roads total 1,062 miles. This is one reason for the importance of a long-range transportation plan, updated periodically. Two open… Read More

Ronald McDonald House toy drive underway in Henning By Chad Koenen Publisher A stick of deodorant or bottle of bleach may not seem like a perfect Christmas gift, but for those are staying at the Ronald McDonald House something as simple as a bar of soap could be just as important as a new TV or… Read More

Diary gives insight into life across Dakota territory By Tom Hintgen Otter Tail County Correspondent Our winters have been challenging in recent years, but we’ve had it easy compared to life on the northern plains in the 1880s. North Dakota gained statehood in 1889. Before that, my great-grandparents farmed in what was then Dakota Territory near Mapleton, southwest… Read More

Sanford Health, the largest rural health system in the United States, and Fairview Health Services, one of the leading providers of health care in Minnesota, have signed a non-binding letter of intent to combine and create a new health system. Together, the combined system will bring together Sanford Health’s experience serving rural populations with Fairview… Read More

Photos by Dani Koenen Members of the Henning Festival royalty took time last week to read books to elementary students at Henning School. On Tuesday and Wednesday the junior royalty ready to kindergarten and first grade students, while Henning Festival Queen Aaliyah Olson read to kindergarten students on Friday morning.

Photo by Chad Koenen Jim and Betty Spanswick celebrated their 70th anniversary last Monday afternoon at Willow Creek Assisted Living in Henning. The pair also celebrated Betty’s 88th birthday, which was the same day as their anniversary.