SOME OF THE VISITOR’S
COMMENTS & MEMORIES OF THEIR DAYS IN FREDERICK
COMMENTS & MEMORIES OF THEIR DAYS IN FREDERICK
Roger Peterson, Richfield, MN – My brother Dale, and I would like to thank Krysti, Pat, and all the folks that helped us look up the history of our family in SD. Your hospitality was wonderful and we are blessed to have met you. Sincerely Roger (November 2010)
Ethel (Maunu) & Chuck Moser – We keep up with you latest news and comments. We get the S.D Magazine, we just recieved the Nov.,Dec issue, and there is a great artical about Frederick and is well done. We encourage everyone who has excess to this mag to read it. Thanks and keep up the good work on your web site. (October 2010)
Darrell Golnitz – Congratulations to the boys on the 4 X 400 Relay Team for placing 1st at the State! Their time of 3:31 broke a school record that has stood for 43 years since 1967 set by Bruce Reisdorff, Darrell Golnitz, Allen Rempher, & Lee Wilson. Records are made to be broken…but theirs will stand awhile! (June 2010)
Greg Gorder – Every now and then I hunt for info and was pleased to find this site. My dad was born and raised in Frederick and left when he headed to college in Aberdeen. Our history shows that the town was named after Fredericka Gorder, who would be a relative from generations back. Was there in I believe 1960 and still remember walking to the park with the local kids and enjoying the small town life. Greg (January 2010)
Marsha Kotila Jensen, Coral Springs, FL – Good Luck on the Opening of Nick’s. It is always nice to have somewhere to “get together” when we go home to Frederick!! (March 2009)
Dallas Wolff – Thanks for the news. I hope to visit frederick this summer. I think of all you people often. (Commenting on the Frederick Lounge reopening as Nick’s – March 2009)
Judith Campbell Iscaacson, Tyler, TX – Class of ’51 – I am proud to have grown up in Frederick. Yes it was small but, a good place to grow up. Go for the gold and keep up the good work. (Commenting on the Frederick Lounge reopening as Nick’s – February 2009)
Richard Pence – I always enjoy getting the Frederick News. Keep it coming! Let us know if the lounge gets occupied! (January 2009)
Kermit Olson, Lakeside, CA – (Aug. 2008) – I grew up on a farm 6 miles east of Frederick. I’m retired Navy–with many memories of Frederick!
Scott Wright, Austin, TX – I grew up in Frederick, but haven’t been back since the early 80’s. So what a surprise to find this web site. Thank you. (July 2008)
Judith Campbell Iscaacson, Tyler, TX – Class of ’51 – I just read about the Finn Festival and saw you were having a Finn Bread contest. Makes my mouth water. My mom used to send me some when I lived in Mich. Clayton Kotilla’s mom made the best. (June 2008)
Barbara Mikkonen, Vadnais Heights, MN- Good Evening, I’m at work (part-time job) and have a few minutes to talk to you all. Finn Fest sounds like it’ll be a blast. I remember so many of them. Good times – all. Wished I lived closer and now with the price of gas….good grief, what a sin that is. I ask Johnny every time I call if anyone has opened the restaurant/bar yet. What a shame that it’s not opened for business. I keep praying that someone will open it again. Boy, I sure was long winded in my last email. I just wanted to share bits and pieces of all of my years in Frederick and how much I love/ed this community. I’m so glad that I was able to grow up in Frederick in those particular years. Judy, I’m sure your dad moved his chair a little so that we kids could see the picture on that TV a little better! Just a short note to say “Hello” and hope all is well. Until next time. Sweet Dreams………Barb M. (June 2008)
Judith Campbell Iscaacson, Tyler, TX – Class of ’51 – I got the biggest chuckle out of Barbara Mikkonen’s comments. I think she saw my parents colored tv before I did as I away at college when they got it. I too remember “Killers Hill” at the park, skating at night with a big bonfire next to the water across from the “little part” and I can remember trying to be the first in the water each spring. (Made it one time in April). I also remember getting on the ice floating down the river in the spring and diving off the north railroad bridge at the BAB beach. The whole town was our playground Oh yes, playing gate tag at the ole stockyard. I’m surprised I grew up. Those were good years to be kids.Barbara Mikkonen, Vadnais Heights, MN – What a cool website. Or maybe as a city girl now would say…………what a “tight” website. It’s what the kids say around here. I try to stay “hip” with them to try to relate better to them. With such a large family as we Mikkonen’s have, you want to try to stay “with it” with the younger relatives. After all, they are our future (and will be the ones to place me where ever they want – when it’s that time). I tell everyone about our community, back when I was young and what is happening now. There are so many people who say to me, “Your little town sounds like it was a lot of fun, do you miss it? Would you move back? You all sound so close whether you were young or old.” I told them we learned how to dance, we went visiting with our parents, it was hard to decide on Sat. town night what to spend your 25 cents on – a lemon slush and popcorn or 5 cents worth of penny candy which ended up like 15 pieces if you picked the right kind that had 3 pieces for 1 cent and then you had enough for popcorn and a pop. Of course the younger generation say, “You paid 10 cents for pop?” I loved growing up in Frederick, it was the best even when you didn’t have anything but love from your parent/s, siblings, friends, and neighbors. Mowing the lawn, playing games with the neighbor/town kids, watching Bob and Irene Campbell’s color TV through their living room window (first one in town), having a crush on someone for the first time, learning how to swim in the Maple river, paying 50 cents to ride the fan bus to out of town games (and having 2 fan buses plus a team bus), watching movies on the side of the auditorium or the old lumber yard (that’s not there anymore), watching the cars coming down the hill and having Marsha Kotila Jensen know who was coming into town (Merlon taught her what kind of car it was by the head lights), watching the World Series in study hall (that’s when they played during the afternoon), eating sunflowers seeds by the bushels watching our own baseball teams, marching in band up and down the hills of Frederick, going to church, Luther League and Methodist Youth events, the hay rides – at that time at Webster ranch (Cutlers – now), Homecoming events, sledding down “Killers Hill” at the park, staying home on snow days, having an all school Christmas program, decorating the gym for Prom and for the Tea for Mother’s day that would be on the following Sunday showing off our Home Ec. outfits that we had sewed, and the food we had learned to prepare. But most of all – the people you knew were part of your home, even though we may move away, Frederick will always be home because of the people who were and the ones that are still there making you welcome when you go back. Sometimes it seems you pick up the sentence where you left off the last time you saw someone…….that’s what home is about.
I do have a computer at home, but decided to show my co-workers the pictures of MY home town. I started to write this because I had a joke in mind, but that can wait for another time. I needed this today, I’m missing home and family. (Mar. 2008)
I do have a computer at home, but decided to show my co-workers the pictures of MY home town. I started to write this because I had a joke in mind, but that can wait for another time. I needed this today, I’m missing home and family. (Mar. 2008)
Matthew Gustafson, Sioux Falls, SD – Surprised to see my hometown has a website! Looks very professional…Good job! (Mar. 2008)
Charlie Taskrud – Congratulations on Lyle’s (Podoll, Postmaster in Frederick) retirement. Hope you enjoy the rock’n chair money! Now who will bring the mail to the store when I visit? Thanks for your service and dedication to the community. Even though we don’t get back very often we appreciated your service. Enjoy retirement. (Feb. 2008)
Davy Engle, FHS Class of 1945 – While we no longer have family in the area, I do enjoy reading other people’s comments. I guess you never forget where it all started. So keep the web site going. When I brought my wife back for Christmas in 1970, she had never seen frost on the windows, or walked on snow at 20 below zero. We have to settle for rain in the winter these days. (January 16, 2008)
Richard A. “Dick” Pence, Fairfax, VA – FHS Class of 1950 – My hat’s off to those who planned and carried out the latest reunion. As usual the local people were great hosts to us expatriates. I saw all 8 living members of our class of 1950 (only one is deceased) and it was a joy. It is sad, though, to note the passing of at least one more business since our last visit to Frederick – the Co-op Oil Station. I well remember the summer the “new” building was built – 1948. That was a “boom” year and labor was hard to come by and I was one of the kids they hired to work on the building. I was 15! We got to work a few extra weeks because the state of school was delayed because of a polio epidemic. I hope the Frederick Folks can find some way to keep the bar and restaurant going. It would be a shame if that nice new facility were to stand idle. I guess the Alumni Association only has a handful of copies of my book, _Two Longs and a Short_ – then they will be gone. I am thrilled that it was able to contribute quite a bit to the Alumni Scholarship Fund. Although the books are about all gone, I did tell some of the stories that are in it on a program last year and made a CD of that. I left some copies at the Community Store. If you are in the neighborhood, pick up a a copy. They are free for the taking – but if you enjoy listening then you might consider making a small contribution to the FHS Alumni Association Scholarship Fund. My warmest regards to all in Frederick – and thanks to those who have done this great web site. (July 2007)
Darrell Golnitz, Blairsville, GA – I’ve been blessed to serve as a pastor all over the country and have been privileged to go on a sabbatical around the world…. yet Frederick is the home I tell people about. Thank you for bringing Frederick into my living space. (June 13, 2007)Catherine (Achen) Dorsey, Loup City NE – You have a great website. It is nice to know that the town I grew up in is striving to survive and doing an excellent job to keep everybody involved.
Judith Campbell Iscaacson, Tyler, TX – Class of ’51 – I still remember my days as the lifeguard at the old swimming hole. Never did learn to swim with my eyes open cause you couldn’t see anyway. Have not been back since my mom’s death in 1988 due to my husbands health, but I do remember a lot of funny things about growing up in Frederick. Brother Bob and nephew Scott keep me informed. Down here in Texas I tell them I am from the northern suburbs of Texas. At least they don’t call me a Damn Yankee that way. (June 10, 2007) She also added: If Dickie Pence shows up ask him if he remembers the mink cage wars in back of his house. (June 12, 2007)Deanne Olson, Ventura CA:Great website….looking forward to coming back for the big celebration. (May 2007)
Lucas Steiner Quidersbach, Germany – Found your site through the Aberdeen American News website and thought it was great! I grew up in Lily, SD, played basketball for Bristol and I still remember coming to Frederick for games, it’s a nice little community. Too many nice, quiet SD towns are dwindling in population simply because there’s nothing to do, nothing to interest people in hanging around, hats off to you for trying to turn that trend around! I’m Active Duty Air Force stationed in Germany and I plan on returning to my roots whenever it is I get out and I hope projects like yours succeed across SD so my kids have something to do when we move back. Sincerely, Lucas Steiner. (Mar. 23, 2007)
JuneKaye Knott, Barberton, OH – I was born in Frederick, but moved to Ohio when I was a toddler. We spent part of every summer visiting friends and relatives in Frederick and I have wonderful memories of those summers. (Mar. 1, 2007)
Alan & Ann Erickson, San Diego, CA – We have been planning for the Quasquicentennial and reunion for over a year now and are very thankful for your website that keeps us informed. We will be registering soon for all the events and looking forward to Frederick’s celebrations and the Groop family reunion as well. See you all in July. (Feb. 28, 2007)
Tim Vann – When will Marie Schlosser and the rest of the Chicken Plucker Band be competing in “American Idol”? (Feb. 5, 2007)
Helen Marttila Kotila Kolehmainen – Hello–Just a note to tell you how much I enjoy reading about my home town of Frederick. See you next summer. (Feb. 2, 2007)
Greg Witala, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Haerzegovina – An excellent web site that provides comprehensive information on Frederick. Keep up the good work. Nice to be able to access this information while I am living in South Eastern Europe. (Feb 2, 2007)
Karin Kukis, Naperville, IL – Hi -My mom grew up in Frederick and I’ve visited most every summer of my childhood and into adulthood. Great Job though, its nice to have access on-line!Ericca Anderson, Pembroke Pines, FL:Dear Krysti and everyone who helped with the Frederick web page; THANK YOU!! I am Shirley Anderson’s niece and it has been an extremely long time since I have been “back home.” Just seeing the pictures of Simmons Park arch; that my dad stood upon long ago; and the Community Store; that my grandfather would send me to, to pick up groceries for him; has put happy tears in my eyes and a great big smile on my face. THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!!Catrina Hruby (Crawford) Webster, SD: This is fabulous!Florence Noess, Java, SD: Appreciate your effort. Small towns are hard to beat.
Chuck & Ethel (Maunu) Moser, Spokane, WA – We Rec this Web site from Sally (Neff) Pawlovich, we found this very interesting Thanks
Myrna Swearingen, Murrieta, CA – Thanks for a great website! I’ll put this in my favorites.