Elmer Lundstrom, 84, died Saturday after a brief illness. A memorial service will be at Camano Lutheran Church in Washington State on Aug. 2 at 1 p.m. He was the son of the late Leonard and Minnie Lundstrom of Litchfield.

Gordon "Gordy" Heuring, 65, of Litchfield, died at his home in Litchfield on Monday. Memorial services will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Church of St. Philip. Visitation will be from 4-8 p.m. Friday at Johnson-Hagglund Funeral Home with a 7:30 p.m. prayer service. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church. Johnson-Hagglund Funeral Home & Cremation is in charge of arrangements.

David Ruzicka, 79, of Lake MinnieBelle and formerly of Glencoe, died Friday at Lake MinnieBelle. Mass of Christian burial will be Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the Church of St. Pius X in Glencoe. A time of gathering for family and friends will be at 9:30 a.m. until the time of the service on Wednesday. Johnson-McBride Funeral Chapel in Glencoe is in charge of arrangements.

Lyle Larsen, 79, of Dassel, died July 10, 2008 at the Lakeside Health Care Center of Dassel. A funeral service will be Aug. 4 at 2 p.m. at the Evangelical Covenant Church in Dassel. A time to gather with family and friends will be held one hour prior to the service at the church. Memorial arrangements are being handled by the Johnson Funeral Home in Dassel.

A 21-year-old Annandale man died from injuries suffered in a traffic accident July 16 on Minnesota Highway 15 near Dassel.

According to the Minnesota State Patrol, Brett Thompson was driving his 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix at about 7:30 a.m. July 16 when it crossed the centerline and struck a semi-trailer. The accident happened one mile north of County State Aid Highway 21.

Thompson was taken to St. Cloud Hospital and later transported to Hennepin County Medical Center where he died later that day.

Mark Meyer, 37, formerly of Litchfield, fied Thursday, July 17. Funeral was at East Side Community Lutheran Church in St. Paul. His parents are Ed and Mary Lou Meyer of Clearwater, Minn., former long-time Litchfield residents.

Levi Joseph Fallon, 97, died Friday, July 21, at Cedar Crest Residence in Cosmos. Funeral will be 10:30 a.m. Monday at Church of St. John in Darwin. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church, with burial in St. Anastasia Catholic Cemetery in Hutchinson. Arrangements are with Johnson-Hagglund Funeral Home in Litchfield.

Mother Nature gave us an early, threatening indication that this year’s Watercade would not go off as planned.

Less than two hours into the weekend’s first big night of celebrations, the skies turned threatening and sent everyone scurrying from the beach at Memorial Park —  leaving behind the planned beach party and hundreds of cooked and uncooked brats and other festival food.

Enjoy a whirlwind review of Watercade 2008 through the lens of Independent Review staff members.

Emma Jensen, 95, of Willmar and formerly of Atwater died July 8 at the Altera Sterling House in Willmar. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Atwater. Arrangements with the Atwater Funeral Home.

Gavin Grack, 25 days old, of Litchfield died July 8 at Children's Hospital in Minneapolis. A private family funeral was Friday at the Zion Lutheran Church in Litchfield.

The B-17 Flying Fortress Sentimental Journey will be on display July 25-27 at St. Cloud Regional Airport.

Sentimental Journey is the most fully restored B-17 Flying Fortress, a vintage World War II bomber airplane. Visitors will get an up-close look at the piece of aviation history during its visit to St. Cloud.

Pope Benedict XVI has named Rev. John M. LeVoir, 62, as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of New Ulm,. The announcement was made today in Washington by Msgr. Martin Krebs, charge d'affaires of the Apostolic nunciature to the Holy See.

Gavin Robert Grack, age 25 days, of Litchfield died on Tuesday, July 8, at Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis. A private family funeral was held on July 11 at Zion Lutheran Church in Litchfield with Pastor Harvey Nelson officiating.

The son of Amy Lawrence and Wesley Grack was born on June 13 in Minneapolis.

Litchfield’s annual Watercade celebration continues today and Sunday with a full slate of events.

Today’s activities started early, with a Kids’ 1-Mile Run at Lake Ripley Memorial Park at 7 a.m., followed by the 4-Mile Run.

Also today will be the kiddie parade and Art in the Park, where there will be many interesting things to buy, good food to eat, and entertainment all day long. At noon on Lake Ripley beach, the annual sand sculpture building contest takes place. A lip sync contest starts at 1:30 p.m. The Grande Day Parade begins at 6 p.m.

With a name like Watercade, it’s hard to forget the key element of Litchfield’s annual community celebration, which takes place today through Sunday.

Water — specifically Lake Ripley — plays an important role in this weekend’s events. Moves made by the Watercade Board of Directors last year gave Lake Ripley an even more prominent place in the activities.

While decisions to move events like Art in the Park and the lip sync contest from Central Park to the shores of Lake Ripley faced some objections, the moves are easily defended.

Ron Christensen does not dwell on the latest cancer research, nor does he try to figure out just where his personal battle with the disease fits into the myriad of statistics concerning survival rates.

Emma Geneva Jensen, 95, of Willmar and formerly of Atwater, died Tuesday, July 8, at Altera Sterling House in Willmar. Funeral will be 10 a.m. Thursday, July 17, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Atwater with the Rev. Grant O. Fischer officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery.  Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church on Thursday. Arrangements are with the Atwater Funeral Home.

Greater Litchfield Opera House Association Inc., Litchfield Public Library and the G.A.R. Hall will stage a Watercade Block Party from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 12. Each of the three locations will have displays and events.

Litchfield Public Library plans a book sale, while refreshments and a display are planned at the G.A.R. Hall. Litchfield Opera House will have a display promoting Meeker County's dairy and meat industries. Foot-long hot dogs, chips and beverages also will be sold at the Opera House. 

State Rep. Dean Urdahl, R-Grove City, announced Tuesday that the Minnesota Public Facilities Authority has approved a financing package of nearly $1.5 million for Grove City to use in the construction of a new well, water treatment plant and meters.

The Drinking Water Revolving Fund is a 20-year loan at an interest rate of 1.258 percent. The MPFA estimates the favorable financing conditions will save local taxpayers nearly $440,000 in interest costs when compared with current market rates available for general obligation bonding.

A mini-documentary titled “Just Imagine” produced by the Southwest Initiative Foundation received the Marketing Award during the June 16 summer conference of the Economic Development Association of Minnesota at Ruttger’s Bay Lake Lodge in Deerwood, Minn.

Cenex Consumers Co-op  at 1025 E. Frontage Road in Litchfield will offer a deal that sounds almost too good to be true – cutting the cost of E85 fuel by 85 cents per gallon from 2 to 5 p.m. Thursday, July 10. The ethanol-based fuel is intended only for flex fuel vehicles (go www.CleanAirChoice.org to see if your vehicle is a flex fuel vehicle). There is a 25 gallon limit per customer. Those who take advantage of the deal will not only save money, they are also helping to save the environment, according to event organizers.

Three checks totalling $2,600 might not seem like a big deal when compared with grants given by other, more-established foundations, but they represented a major milestone for the Litchfield Area Community Foundation.

Phronsie Swanson, 87, of Hutchinson, died July 3 at the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. A memorial service will be Saturday, July 19 at 11 a.m. at the Grace Lutheran Church in Hucthinson. A time to gather with family will be held at the Grace Lutheran Church in Hutchinson one hour prior to the service.

Funeral services will be held for George Ruprecht, 85, of Eden Valley at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at Assumption Cathoic Church in Eden Valley. He died Friday at Assumption Home in Cold Spring. Friends may call from 4-9 p.m. Monday at Dingmann's Eden Valley Funeral Home.

Jerry Beckman, 65, died at his home in Litchfield on Thursday. A memorial service will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Zion Lutheran Church in Litchfield. Visitation will be from 5-8 p.m. Tuesday at Johnson-Hagglund Funeral Home and will continue one hour prior to the services at the church.

Stephen Timothy Blake, 60, of Litchfield died June  21 at his home. Burial will be Monday, July 7, at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis. Johnson-Hagglund Funeral  Home in Litchfield is in charge of arrangements.

Andrew Johnson, 90, of Willmar, died Monday at Bethesda Heritage Center in Willmar. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Willmar. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday at Peterson Brothers Funeral Home and will continue for one hour prior to the service at the church on Thursday.

Dellard Peltier, 85, of Litchfield, died Thursday at the Emmanuel Home in Litchfield. A funeral Mass will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Church of St. Philip in Litchfield. Visitation will be two hours prior to the service at the church.