100 years ago, January 11, 1923

• Water and Sewer

Eight or ten years ago, the people of the village were considerably “het up” over the school problem. We had outgrown the old school building, and many wanted a new high school. Others thought our facilities at that time perfectly adequate. After much wrangling, a new high school was secured, and who is there now who will not acknowledge the wisdom of erecting a high school when we did? 

Now the question of water works and sewers are being discussed, and the voters will soon have an opportunity to decide the question in an election. What are you going to do about it? Vote it down and say what we have is good enough, or take another step in the line of progress? Individuals want to and do progress because it is the only way to prosper. The same should be true of a village. It’s up to the voters.

75 years ago, January 8, 1948

• Feed the Pheasants

Observations by the fox hunters are to the effect that there is quite a stock of pheasants in the country yet, as they can be seen feeding in flocks. Sportsmen of the village are making arrangements to scatter feed by airplane so the birds will be assured of enough feed to tide them over the winter. Sportsmen are also greatly interested in exterminating the fox and wolf population and are lending every encouragement to hunters to that end.

• Motorists’ Attention!

There are two streets in the southeast part of town where children are sliding. Caution signs have been put up at the intersections where other streets cross these. Some motorists have disregarded these signs entirely, and there have been some very close calls. Now we are going to put up “Full Stop” signs at these crossings. Wouldn’t it be better to lose 30 seconds of time rather than lose a young life? We are trying to protect Pelican Rapids children. Won’t you help us? – Merlin S. Rieman, Chief of Police

50 years ago, January 11, 1973

• Drama Club to Present Comedy

PRHS Drama Club performances will be in the Fine Arts Auditorium.

The club presented “Anybody Out There,” a farcical comedy dealing with the metamorphosis of a shy little milksop (Kurt Pederson) into a fearless hero. The change takes place after he has been erroneously informed that he has only six months to live.

By the time the hero learns of the doctor’s error, he’s been engaged by the FBI as a sitting duck for a gangland shootout. Robin Thorson portrays the doctor, and others in the cast include Shaleen Arntson, Lois and Paul Johansen, Lyman Hovland, Bret Emmel, Ron Olson, Gloria Smestad, Jon Thompson, Linda Evenson, and Pat Flynn.

25 years ago, January 14, 1998

• April Showers? 

It might have been number eight of the season, but by April 1997, many here had quit counting. Hitting the first weekend of the month, it was the storm that “broke the back” of flood fighters along the Red River, adding insult to injury by felling power lines and sending floodwaters over the tops of dikes. Locally the storm delivered 2.92 inches of precipitation, first in the form of rain and then capped by five inches of wet, heavy snow.

10 years ago, January 12, 2013

• Attendance Up, Tardies Down 

The closed campus at noon hour appears to be the key factor in improvements at Pelican High School.

Tardies and absences from school have been slashed by half or more this year at Pelican Rapids High School. There were 205 fewer unexcused absences in November alone; and 94 fewer tardies than in November of 2011. Attendance statistics were compiled by high school Principal Brian Korf. The “closed campus” policy initiated this year is a factor, believes Principal Korf. 

“Students are held to a higher standard with the closed noon hour,” said Korf. 

Further, based on feedback from teaching staff, students consistently arrive on time to class following lunch, which they believe will help produce better academic results over the course of the school year.

1997 was a very wet and snowy year

25 years ago, January 14, 1998

• Seven feet of snow!

That’s how much was recorded here during the year just completed, starting with 26 inches in January and winding up the year with 5.75 inches in December.

Besides the snow, the year 1997 was also unusual in the amount of rain received, including more than seven inches during the month of June.

The average precipitation for the Pelican Rapids area is 23.19 inches. For 1997, the total was 30.68, or about a third more than average.

If it seemed to be raining or snowing about half the time, that’s not too far off. A trace or greater amount of precipitation was recorded on 172 days during the year, another “above average” number.

For the previous year, the number of days on which it rained or snowed was 146.

The heaviest amounts of snow were recorded in January, with ten inches on the fifth and eight inches on the 18th. March brought the largest total amount of snow, however, 29.25 inches compared to January’s 26 inches.

Other statistics compiled by Brent Frazier of the city’s public utility department include:

*First snow flurries of the fall were seen on Oct. 13, four days earlier than in ’96.

*The first frost was noted on Oct. 16, a month later than in ’96.

*The first below-zero temperature reading came on Nov. 16, nine days earlier than in ’96.

*The first snowfall with accumulation also came on Oct. 13, two inches, which compares to the two inches recorded on Oct. 17 the previous year.

*The first hard, killing frost of the season didn’t hit until Oct. 22, three weeks later than in ’96.