Posted on December 4, 2006 - by Hubba

The Elm Springs News

The weather turned bitterly cold in Elm Springs the last half of the week. The biting wind made outdoor work especially unpleasant.

There is a fair pile of news in the ESN this week, so we shouldn’t waste our time with idle observations.

Five of the “Country Red Hat Ladies” ventured to Rapid City on Saturday. The five who were brave enough to face the cold and wind, Jean and Kellie Linn, Sandy Fields, Caroline Wilsey and Dorothy Anderson, had a ball while on the town, and gleefully reported their adventure, almost as a “na-na” to those who hadn’t.

And what an adventure they had. They started at the Vintage Vine gift shop with coffee and tea tasting, and then deciding they hadn’t had enough, moved to the Mostly Chocolates store for coffee and chocolate tasting. They then went to the Colonial House Restaurant where they met with Natalie Termes, Judith Olsen, Paula Eisenbraun, Dorothy Blanton and Jewel Tatum.

Here we must pause the narrative of the CRH outing for a sidestory. Blanton and Tatum accompanied Termes, Olsen and Eisenbraun to the Colonial House not knowing the CRH. When they got there, Jean Linn recognized them as having been on the bus to Branson that she took last week. She had no idea that they were friends of her friends. In addition, Sandy Fields recognized Dorothy Blanton as Sandy and Dorothy’s daughter had been classmates in grade school.

After eating at the Colonial House, the Leatherfaced Five took a drive down West Boulevard in Rapid City to view the Christmas lights. They stopped at the home of Jean Linn’s friend Maxine Sieler, who graciously invited them in to view her spectacular Christmas decorations. After this they stopped to visit Jack Gravatt, who was pleasantly surprised to be visited by the CRH.

As if all this hadn’t been enough, they still hadn’t done what they had set out to do, which was attending the Christmas Symphony concert at the Civic Center. They thoroughly enjoyed the music and the opera “Amahl and the Night Visitors.”

And that was just what the Red Hat Ladies did!

Carolyn Anders and Twila Trask met Kathy Cordes for lunch in Rapid City Thursday.

Clyde Arneson hosted Matt Trask for NFR viewing Friday night and Lawrence Burke for the same Sunday night.

Ryan Elshere left Thursday morning for Las Vegas, NV, to watch his brother JJ compete in the saddlebronc riding at the NFR. He returned Sunday, just in time for daughter Camry’s birthday party in the company of Marcia Arneson and Billy and Shawna Eastman and family.

Sandf Fields spent Monday in Rapid City with her mother, Carmen Aigner, who underwent surgery. Carmen returned home Wednesday and is doing fine. And Lynn met his brother-in-law Bob Parker of Lodgepole in Ft. Pierre Saturday.

Larry and Peggy Gravatt left Friday for Denver CO where they met Mike and Amber Miller for granddaughter Abigail Miller’s first ever Christmas program, where she had to walk across the stage. She performed splendidly. After the program, Larry and Peggy watched young Abigail while Mike and Amber took a mini vacation in the mountains.

Matt Trask was a visitor at the Andy Linn residence Thursday evening.

John and Jean Linn hosted Kassandra at the “Big House” for supper Tuesday. Thursday, John, Jean and Jim Linn all went to Rapid City to have supper with Charlotte Wilsey and her girls.

Morris Linn left Tuesday for Deerfield, where he accompanied Gene Pluth on a deer hunt. While they did not find any deer, they “saw a lot of elk.” Morris returned Thursday. On Thursday, Shirrise and Kassandra went to Wall to have supper with Shelane Graham and Delayna Jensen, while Morris hosted his third NFR calcutta party. This years entrants are Morris and Andy Linn, Matt and Nick Trask, Clyde and Lonnie Arneson, Ryan and Chrissy Elshere, Cory Levine, Clint Hammerstrom, Nichols Caspers, Jay Price, Larry Gravatt, Bud Pauley and Sam Johnston. Chrissy had to select a team for Ryan, as he was in Las Vegas. Friday, Shirrise met Jen, Cameron, and Brody Magee and Walt stone in Rapid City while Morris took Kassandra to her piano lessons in Wall, accompanied by Clyde Arneson. And Saturday, Shirrise and Cheryl Simons had lunch in Wall with Sanden and Elaine Simons before leaving for Rochester, MN. Matt Trask was a visitor at the Morris Linn residence Sunday night.

The Brady O’Rourkes hosted Matt Trask Wednesday evening.

Al and Bridget Trask returned to the Castle from Columbus OH, Wednesday evening and were promptly visited by Matt Trask Wednesday night, who helped them move a small amount of furniture before sitting down to eat a large amount of supper. RoseMary Trask and the Three Little Girls visited the Castle Sunday afternoon.

Pat, RoseMary and the Three Little Girls went to Rapid City Monday for dentist appointments. On Friday, the “Upland Trasks” hosted a birthday party for Ray Olsen. Al, Bridget and Matt Trask, and Joel Deering and kids all attended. It was quite a bash. Several of the “Upland Trasks” ate at the Wall Drug Store after church on Sunday.

Matt Trask went to the Stampede Bar Saturday night to watch his buddy Mitch Kimball and the “Decibel Bros.” play. It should be noted that after Saturday night’s performance, the “Decibel Bros.” will be known as “Whiskeymouth.”

Jim and Caroline Wilsey went to Rapid City twice this week, Tuesday to take Jim’s horse Pedro to the vet and do some Christmas shopping, and Thursday to do some more Christmas shopping. Poor Pedro contracted pidgeon fever, but he has recovered and is doing well.

Philip and Mary Kay Wilson left Sunday for Pierre to attend a conservation meeting.

The Holiday Season is a terribly busy time, and care must be taken to check the calendar before scheduling an event. Ben Linn and Autumn Deering’s guitar recital was inadvertently scheduled on top of the Deering children’s piano recital in Wall. Of course this will simply not do, and so Ben and Autumn are pleased to announce their guitar recital will be held around five thirty pm on Sunday December 17^th, at the Elm Springs Church.

The kind citizens are enthusiastically cheering JJ Elshere, Jesse Bail, Jeff Willert, Chad Ferley, Bryce Miller, and of course Billy Etbauer, all from South Dakota and all in the saddlebronc riding at this year’s NFR.