The steamboat christened “LuLu” began transporting passengers across Lake Ripley in May 1889.
Litchfield High School senior Nic Cox, right, plays a violin solo while David Ceasar directs the wind ensemble’s performance of “Schindler’s List” during Friday’s concert at Bernie Aaker Auditorium.
Greta Hulterstrum
Keegan Kuhns accepts congratulations from Marine Staff Sgt. William Johnson for winning the Semper Fidelis Award. The senior saxophonist will attend St. John’s University at Collegeville next year to pursue a music degree. Kuhns also received the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award during Friday’s concert.
Natalie Randt and Emma Brown play flute with the wind ensemble.
Elijah Schacherer make use of an unusual percussion instrument during the wind ensemble’s performance of “The Typewriter.”
Varsity band members at their May concert presented director David Ceasar with a handmade card, signed by all band members, offering thanks for his work with them and other band members during the past 21 years.
Cora Huhn and Adeline Lundin play flute with the wind ensemble.
Clarinetists Keira Shnyder, Emma Knutsen, Brooke Caron, Kendra Ball play with the varsity band.
Grace Schmidt and TJ Christensen play trumpet in the varsity band.
James Reinholt, Ella Mahoney and Teagan Peters play saxophone with the varsity band.
Litchfield High School bands said farewell with music Friday night at Bernie Aaker Auditorium.
The spring concert turned into a kind of musical salute to band teacher and director David Ceasar, who announced about a month ago that he would be leaving the program that he has led the past 21 years at the end of this school year.
Though Ceasar will stay through the marching band season, and he will direct the jazz band in its performance this Friday at Lake Ripley, the spring concert was his last directing the full band in a formal performance.
He admitted to a swirl of emotions as he added commentary between songs performed by the varsity band and wind ensemble. Some of that commentary included explanation of why and how he chose certain numbers for Friday’s concert — like “The Great Locomotive Chase” being a tuneful illustration of his longtime model train hobby, and “With Every Sunrise,” a composition by Robert Sheldon, offering the appropriate bittersweet score for the transition ahead for both Ceasar and the LHS band program.
“God has opened a new door,” Ceasar said, “that I must walk through,” and though change can be difficult, even sad, he believes the band program will be in good hands with the announced hiring of Bailey Benoit, a Sauk Rapids-Rice High School graduate, who will spend the summer marching band season observing and learning from him.
In addition to some tearful farewells to Ceasar — including a handmade card signed by members of the varsity band and presented to him at the close of their performance — the concert offered an opportunity to highlight some of the band program’s outstanding talent.
Seniors Greta Hulterstrum, Keegan Kuhns and Ethan Johnson were recognized with special awards during the concert.
Hulterstrum received the John Philip Sousa Award for superior musicianship and outstanding dedication. She then soloed with both flute and piccolo during the wind ensemble’s performance of “Rhapsody for Flute” by Stephen Bulla.
Kuhns and Johnson both received the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award.
Kuhns also received the Semper Fidelis Award for Musical Excellence, presented by Marine Staff Sgt. William Johnson. The award recognizes distinguished high school band members for musical achievements and leadership, Johnson explained, while also giving a brief history of the Marines band history.
Shortly after receiving the Semper Fidelis Award, Kuhns took control of the wind ensemble as it performed a composition he wrote, “A Rift in the Clouds.”
In addition to “The Great Locomotive Chase,” the varsity band performed “The Valiant” and “Under the Irish Sky,” while the wind ensemble performed “West Side Story,” “Schindler’s List” and “Rhapsody for Flute.”
And among the serious music making, Ceasar and the wind ensemble found time for a little levity with a performance of “The Typewriter” by American composer Leroy Anderson, during which senior percussionist and drum major Elijah Schacherer “played” a typewriter as a percussion instrument.
As the concert closed after a few promises by Ceasar that “I’m not gonna cry,” there were indeed a few tears, as well as smiles, as band members, parents and other members of the public lingered to offer him thanks and best wishes in his next endeavors.
Several trees were blown down in Calvary Cemetery in Litchfield, including one that crossed the entrance, during Thursday’s thunderstorm that caused damage throughout Meeker County.
The thunderstorm that raced through Meeker County Thursday night left a trail of property damage and at least one injury.
The damage include reports of localized flooding, trees down and roof damage throughout the county, according to a Meeker County Sheriff's Office news release.
Trained weather spotters reported cloud rotation in the Litchfield and Dassel areas, but no reports of funnel clouds reaching the ground, the release said.
Other reports included:
- A car was washing off the road on Meeker Stearns Street east of Eden Vally and wound up submerged. The driver escaped the vehicle without injury.
- A semi-tractor trailer was blown off the road on State Highway 15 at 305th Street in Kingston Township, and the driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Kenneth Braniecki, 56, of Florissant, Missouri, was transported to Meeker Memorial Hospital for treatment.
- The Meeker County Courthouse received roof and water damage as a result of the storm.
The rainfall that came with the storms last week was having longer-lasting impact, as well.
On Sunday, Meeker County Sheriff Brian Cruze issued no wake restrictions within 500 feet of shore for Big Swan Lake in eastern Meeker County.
High water levels, combined with boating activity, have caused shoreline damage at the lake, according to Cruze.
Recent heavy rains, including during last week's thunderstorms, could create issues at other county lakes, as well. The news release said the lakes are being monitored and additional no wake advisories could be issues. Cruze urged caution and reminds boaters to be mindful of the water levels on all lakes.
Litchfield High School’s 142nd annual commencement will see 100 members of the senior class walk across the stage to receive their diplomas.
The commencement is set for 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the high school gymnasium.
Included in the graduating class are 20 seniors who will graduate with honors and 23 who will graduate with high honors. The ceremony also will recognize two members of the class in memoriam — Gage Driver and Dylan Falling.
After a processional of class members to “Pomp and Circumstance,” senior class president Logan King will offer a welcome, followed by Superintendent Beckie Simenson, who also will welcome the class, family and friends.
Britney Prahl, Matthew Pofahl and Greta Hulterstrum, all high honors graduates, will give senior addresses.
The commencement program also will include the Litchfield High School Concert Choir singing “Omnia Sol” under the direction of Joel Green, accompanied by Janell Green.
The LHS Concert Band, under the direction of David Ceasar, will perform “From Gold,” a composition by Samuel Hazo.
Presentation of diplomas to the class will be made by Principal Jason Michels and Assistant Principal Justin Brown, along with School Board members Darrin Anderson and Greg Matthews, and Simenson.
The Concert Band will wrap things up with a playing of the LHS Rouser, then the recessional.
The changing of the guard in Litchfield Public Schools' instrumental music program took another step May 9 as the School Board approved hiring of a new band teacher.
Bailey Benoit, a Sauk Rapids-Rice High School graduate, who recently received her master's degree from Oklahoma State University, was hired to fill the position, which includes the high-profile role of director of the LHS Marching Dragons.
Benoit will replace David Ceasar, who has spent 21 years as band teacher and director at LHS. Ceasar's requested two-year leave of absence received School Board approval in late April. He said he would pursue his interest in audio-visual production — skills that were on display during many concerts and school events, most notably the indoor marching band concert every November.
Benoit's tenure as band teacher technically begins with the start of the 2022-2023 school year. However, plans are for her to attend marching band rehearsals and parades this summer as an introduction to the program.
Benoit graduated in 2015 from Sauk Rapids-Rice, then attended Minnesota State University-Moorhead and graduated in 2019. She spent one year as band director at Liberty Middle School in West Fargo. For the past two years, she's been a graduate teaching assistant at Oklahoma State, where she's worked with the Cowboys Marching Band.
In other action:
- The board approved a new eight-year math curriculum for kindergarten through 12th grade, after a presentation from Middle School Principal Chelsea Brown.
Brown reviewed the steps used by a math committee to select the best math curriculum it could. The curriculum adopted is the enVision K-12 with Success Maker.
- The Board approved of an agreement with PACT for Families for 2022-23.
- English teacher Carrie Larson gave a brief presentation to the board about a proposed student trip to Germany during spring break of the 2022-2023 school year. Things have changed greatly since the last LHS student trip to German, Larson said, and because of some changes, she is taking a different approach to the next trip.
"Unlike years past, I have decided to take a break from my beloved GAPP program," Larson, who has run the program since 2008, wrote in a memo.
The German American Partnership Program has seen Litchfield students stay with host families and attend school in Karlsruhe, Germany, in the past. This time, however, Larson said that she is planning a trip through EF Educational Tours "to provide the students with high-quality travel abroad experience that will allow them to immersing themselves in new cultures...."
- Several personnel moves were approved, including:
Tyler Storm was hired as a physical education teacher, beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, replacing Grant Solem and Andy Weber, who will remain at Lake Ripley Elementary.
Emily Allen was hired as an ELL teacher at Lake Ripley Elementary to replace Ashley Alsleben.
Resignations were accepted from elementary special education para Mary Black, middle school special education para Stephanie Groskreutz, fifth-grade teacher Matt Hogg, special education teacher Allison McGraw, and co-head dance coach Marilin Benn.
