From the archives of the dodge county independent

50 years ago
December 13, 1972
Folmer Carlsen, Publisher
Almost Perfect
Maj. Ole Nelson, weapon system officer, top, and Capt. Russell Brownlee, F-4E pilot, prepare to enter one of the 32nd Tactical Fighter Squadron’s F-4E Phantoms. The front and backseater combined their efforts last week and scored the best bomb in the Radar Bombing Competition held at Ramstein in Holland. The bomb hit 75 feet from the directed target. Major Nelson was one of the last to graduate from Mantorville high school and is the son of Mrs. Richard Olive, Kasson.
30 years ago
December 9, 1992
Randy Carlsen, Publisher
Kasson Food Shop changes ownership
The Kasson Food Shop changed ownership December 1 and will now be the “Pump’n Munch.” The service station will still be Amoco. Jerry Dallmann and Jerry Snow built the first convenience store/gas station in the area at the present location in 1978. Dallmann later bought out Snow and has owned the business until now. The Kasson Food Shop has been purchased by BFC, B & F Companies of Rochester. They currently have 21 locations, including stations in West Concord, Dodge Center, Rochester and Owatonna. A majority are in southern Minnesota and Twin Cities area along with stores in Iowa and Wisconsin. BFC (Birdseye Family) has been a supplier of gas the past 10 years. Dallmann will still own the land, along with property adjacent to the business, including the future site of the Subway Sandwich Shop. In the summer Dallmann intends to construct a drive-through car wash adjacent to the sandwich shop. One of the new faces at the Pump’n Munch is manager Brian Crews. There are no other employee changes planned. The business will continue to operate 365 days a year, seven days a week. Very few changes are planned inside. The new owners say they like the general layout and would concentrate primarily on getting the new name up outside. At the most, a few of the display racks will be changed. A grand opening is planned for the Pump’n Munch when the weather warms up-which translates into some time next spring.
20 years ago
December 11, 2002
Randy Carlsen, Publisher
Dodge County’s first traffic light is a ‘GO’ for Kasson
Dodge County’s first traffic light will be at the intersection of Highway 57/Mantorville Avenue and Main Street in Kasson. The project will be coordinated this spring with the downtown reconstruction project to cover a five block area. The Dodge County Board of Commissioners recently signed an agreement and resolution for a traffic light installation and the city of Kasson has also moved forward with the resolution and signed an agreement at their last meeting. The bids for the reconstruction project were to be opened Tuesday afternoon (December 10) and presented to the council Wednesday, December 11 at the regular meeting at 6 p.m. The total cost is expected to be $175,667, of which the state pays approximately $87,834, the county $47,430.09 and city of Kasson $43,916.75. There will be additional work around the radius of the area. Reconstruction of Main Street is to begin with the sewer and water first and the street light project is expected to begin shortly after that. The traffic light is expected to be installed in June or July of 2003. The reconstruction project will continue through the summer and every effort is going to be made so that there is access to every Main Street business when the work is going on. The corner where the stoplight is being installed does involve a shared ownership with the state, county and city. Main Street to the east of Highway 57 is regarded as a county state aid road, therefore the county is involved. The State Department of Transportation, County of Dodge and City of Kasson have entered into a joint agreement for the traffic light project. The state has determined there is justification and it is in the public’s best interest to install a new traffic control signal, including street lights and signing. Also included will be a railroad/traffic signal interconnect to the DM & E Railroad crossing. As part of the traffic light project, the city will include radius modifications at the Southwest corner of Trunk Highway 57 at Main Street. The three parties involved will also participate in the maintenance and operation of the new traffic control signal and interconnect.
10 years ago
December 12, 2012
Randy Carlsen, Publisher
Two local soccer players play for top international team
Two local soccer players, Conner Forrest and Kelly Lattner from the Euro Football Club based out of Rochester, MN were invited to guest play for the internationally recognized Brazilian Santos Futebol Clube (Meninos da Vila) youth team at the Disney’s ESPN Junior Soccer Showcase this November 23-25, 2012. Director of Coaching for Euro and Tetra Brazil – Rochester, Wesley Costa states, “This is two big steps for our programs based out of Southern Minnesota. First the opportunity to send our players to play for a pro sponsored youth development program like Santos FC is a level of play we are delighted to see. Many in the U.S may be unfamiliar with the Santos Futebol Club based out of Santos, Sao Paulo, Brasil, but they are a top professional team and have had legends of soccer like Pele’ and Neymar play for them. Secondly, to have our players complete in the top-notch and internationally recognized Disney’s ESPN Junior Soccer Showcase is a great way to build on our club’s resume and show the skill of our players.” As to how our local players fared, Coach Wesley stated, “The Santos FC Head Coach, Marcio Alexandre and other coaching staff were pleased with the skills of Conner and Kelly. They worked hard in practices, showed a positive attitude, and played well in games. They also commented on the positive bond with the team and the lasting friendships that have come from this cultural interchange. This is what soccer does. It is an international game and builds positive relationships throughout the world.” Both players are grateful for this opportunity. They wish to thank Coach Wesley Costa, Tetra Brazil, and their many coaches in Euro and at school for the training they provided that prepared them for this experience. They’re grateful for the high level training and competition provided by their coaches and teammates with the Santos FC. They’re appreciative of the long hours put in by the committed staff at Disney and ESPN required to host the top 300 teams from around the world.