Prairie Wanderers

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Welcome to the Prairie Wanderers Volkssport Club Web Site!

The Prairie Wanderers promotes non-competitive walking and other family-oriented sports activities in the eastern part of South Dakota.

The Club meets every other month at the locations, times, and on the dates listed on the Calendar page. We welcome visitors and new members to join us for our meetings and to come walk with us.

YREs

Prairie Wanderers Year-Round Events - 2024

Walk should be done in daylight hours. Trail includes the Capital, more than a dozen statues of former governors, War Memorials, Mickelson "Fighting Stallions" memorial, Capitol Lake, and Missouri River. Pets on a leash, but not in the Capital building (clean up after pets).

OSB only

Start - Ramkota Hotel - 920 West Sioux Ave, Pierre, SD. There is NO STARTBOX at this location. This event is hosted on the osb only.

Please join us in 2024 for our All Our Events.

Seasonal Events

Prairie Wanderers Upcoming Seasonal Events - 2024

Walk only during daylight hours. Walk is on city sidewalks and recreation trails. Goes past McCrory Gardens and through historic downtown Brookings and the South Dakota State University Campus. Passes by "The Children's Museum" with animated "Momma Rex" in the backyard. Quiet residential neighborhoods.

OSB only

Start - Brookings Hospital - 300 22nd Avenue From I-29 take exit 132 West onto Hwy 14 (6th Street) to 22nd Ave (2nd traffic light). Turn left 4 blocks to Yorkshire Dr. Turn left into hospital parking lots located on south and east sides of hospital. Walk start point is located in far southeast corner of hospital.

Daily, dawn to dusk. Trail is on city Recreation Trails and sidewalks featuring museums and the world's only Corn Palace. The murals made of grain change every year with a new theme. Goes through the campus of Dakota Wesleyan University and past the George McGovern Library. Historic downtown. Quiet neighborhoods.

OSB only

Start - Queen of Peace Hospital - 525 North Foster. From I-90 Exit #332 North on Burr St to 5th Ave. Right to Foster. From SD Hwy 37 go East on 5th Ave to Foster.

Daily, dawn to dusk. This walk will be on city sidewalks and recreation trails, through historic and park areas including the Falls of the Big Sioux River. Walk past many sculptures and through a large city park. The walk will include special event walk credits.

Start - Country Inn & Suites - 200 East 8th St.(Phone 605-373-0153 Reservations Only). From I-29 Exit 81. Follow Russell St. to Main Ave. Right (south) on Main to 8th St. Left (east) to Country Inn and Suites. From I-90 Exit 400 onto I-229. South to Exit 7. Right on Rice St to Cliff Ave. Left to 8th St. Right on 8th St to motel. Do not park in the Cherapa Place Parking Lot as this is now NO PARKING ALLOWED except for patrons.

Route covers the three distinct prairie, riparian and woodland trails within the Outdoor Campus Complex. Goes on recreation trail along Big Sioux River and city sidewalks, through city parks and past historical markers.

OSB only

Start - Outdoor Campus at Sertoma Park - 4500 South Oxbow Avenue. Start box is at Nature Center Information Desk. From I-29 take Exit 77 and go east on 41st St. to Louise Ave. Right on Louise to 49th St. Left on 49th St. to Oxbow Ave, Right on Oxbow to entrance of Sertoma Park. Left into park.

Trail is mostly on recreation path and sidewalks. Follows Big Sioux River, through parks, passes by Bramble Park Zoo, historic downtown and neighborhoods. Passes inspiration points used by famed artist Terry Redlin in his paintings. Walk is in Codington County. 5K will drive 4 miles to Redlin Art Center to start of walk.

Start - Best Western Ramkota Hotel - 1901 9th Ave SW. 605-886-8011 or Best Western Ramkota Hotel. From I-29 exit 177 go 4.2 miles straight west on US Hwy 212. Ramkota will be on right. Ask desk clerk for walk folder.

Please join us in 2024 for our All Our Events.

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Traditional Events

Prairie Wanderers Traditional Events for 2024

The County Walks for 2024 have not yet been sanctioned.

Calendar

Prairie Wanderers 2024 Calendar

JANUARY

1 - Happy New Year

15 - MLK Day

FEBRUARY

2 - Groundhog Day

14 - Valentine's Day

19 - President's Day

MARCH

17 - St Patrick's Day

29 - National Vietnam War Veterans Day

31 - Easter Sunday

APRIL

 1 - All Seasonal Walks Begin

15 - Tax Day

24 - Administrative Professionals Day

MAY

10 - Military Spouse Appreciation Day

12 - Mother's Day

27 - Memorial Day

JUNE

14 - Flag Day

16 - Father's Day

JULY

4 - Independence Day

AUGUST

18 - National Senior Citizens Day

SEPTEMBER

2 - Labor Day

11 - Patriot Day

OCTOBER

14 - Columbus Day

31 - All Seasonal Walks End

31 - Hallowe'en

NOVEMBER

5 - Election Day

11 - Veteran's Day

28 - Thanksgiving Day

DECEMBER

25 - Merry Christmas

News

THE PRAIRIE WIND

Only a few days left to walk Prairie Wanderers seasonal events before they shut down for the year. October is usually a great time to get in a few more kilometers before the snow flies. Your club has renewed the same five seasonal events for 2022.

Our fall club meeting will be held on Saturday October 16th in Watertown. Meet at the Ramkota at 9 AM to do the seasonal walk. Then lunch at Minerva’s followed by the meeting. Be prepared to discuss proposed 2022 walks that you would like to see the club sponsor. The more ideas the easier it is to develop new walks.

Congratulations to Bob Kruger for completing 20,000 KMs.

The six county walks weekend was a successful endeavor. Total participation was as follows: Plankinton – 46; Armour – 46; Tyndall – 47; Wagner – 47; Winner – 47 and Gregory – 57 for a total of 290 participation. We had 14 walk up participants at Gregory. Their Chamber of Commerce asked us to put on a walk in Gregory in 2022. We agreed to do so with the weekend of June 10 – 11 being the probable time for the event. Lesson learned at the Gregory event. Perhaps the local Chamber of Commerce is the best source at getting the word out about our sport. Especially when we do walks in smaller cities. We will keep that in mind for future events.

Many thanks to Gary for making the county walks a success. He dedicated two years of drawing up walk routes, checking them out and then rechecking them again and again. COVID and construction as well as a hotel closure all made for an interesting two years. I know that he put a lot of miles on the Ford Edge during the two years. We also want to thank Sam, our treasurer, for keeping the books and doing the work necessary to file the participation reports with AVA.

The proposed county walks for 2022 are Jerauld, Buffalo, Hyde, Hand, Sully and Spink counties. A plan to add Deuel County to the mix is in the works. Several of the national county walkers are missing Deuel County and would like to get it in their personal logs. Veteran club walkers will remember the Hot Dog Day walk that we did for several years in Clear Lake which is the Deuel County seat.

The following year (2023) is destined to be a big volksmarching year for our club. Events are in the planning stage to finish most of the counties east and west of the Missouri river. When the year is finished we will probably be out of the county walks business. Then it will be up to our club members to come up with new ideas to entice walkers to come to South Dakota and do the Prairie Wanderers events.

I have not received any new input from club members concerning their first ever volksmarch. Since there are no new submissions I will do Ellen’s and my first ever walk.

Our first walk was on October 24, 1977 at Pattonville, Germany military housing area. This was a walk sponsored by the Boy Scouts. Our son was a Boy Scout so we were more or less obligated to do the walk. The walk was not IVV/DVV sanctioned. It was through the meadows and vineyards of the northern Stuttgart area. Our first sanctioned walk was on December 31, 1977 in the village of Magstadt Germany. Magstadt is a small village on the northern edge of the Black Forest. Although only a few short kilometers from our home on the southern edge of Stuttgart the climate was much different. They had snow and cooler temperatures. The hot bratwurst, hot wine and festive atmosphere were enough to entice us into doing more walks. Volksmarching became a weekend must do activity. Various sized groups of friends would carpool to the walks that had the most interesting awards or the best festival. Any friends or relatives that came from the States to visit us were required to do a volksmarch or two. We did not buy IVV record books until we had over 100 events completed. Newly assigned people coming over from the States had never heard of the activity. Our first walk in the USA was in Brookings, SD on July 15, 1985. We have come a long way from 1977 and thinking that nobody would ever pay to walk.

The Big Give, AVA’s annual fund-raising campaign, was a success again this year. They have met, or nearly so, their established goal of $90,000. If you have not donated to the campaign you have until October 31st to do so and be counted for this current campaign. Don’t forget to put the upcoming fall meeting on October 16th on your calendars. See you there.

Dan Peters
PWVC, Vice President

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Our summer has been warm to say the least. We have lost some participation due to the heat. Walkers on the way to and from the convention passed us by. Cooler fall temperatures are near and it will be time to get in the last walks before old man winter arrives. Participation numbers for the Apr – Jun quarter are – Sioux Falls Outdoor Campus 10; Watertown 4; Sioux Falls Downtown 26; Brookings 15 and Mitchell 7. Total 62 participants. These 5 events have been renewed for 2022. Sioux Falls Outdoor Campus, Brookings and Mitchell are On Line Start Box only registration and Sioux Falls Downtown and Watertown remain physical start box registration.

IVV Accomplishments: Jane Legaard 3400 events and although his name was not in the Wanderer it is safe to assume that Ken Legaard also reached the 3400 event milestone.

Our next club meeting will be on August 20th in Sioux Falls. We will meet at Falls Park parking lot west of the tower. We will start walking at 9 AM going past the registration point to sign up for the walk and stamp books etc. We are no longer welcome to park in the Cherapa Place parking lot and often times the lot at the Country Inn and Suites is full. You can still park there if there is space left for your vehicle. After the walk we will dine – probably at the Falls Overlook Café – then have our summer club meeting. Bring ideas for 2022 traditional walk events as well as any ideas you have to make our club a better organization.

From Duane Neugebauer – The volksmarching adventure began for me in 1992 when I was living in Waubay. I had been a golfer and for a number of reasons it had lost its appeal and I was looking for some form of exercise and relaxation. The Aberdeen paper had a news release of a volksmarch that was being held at Richmond Lake State Recreation Area. Volksmarching sounded interesting so I drove to Richmond Lake, did the walk and purchased my first event booklet. I was a slow starter and in 1993 the only volksmarch I did was again Richmond Lake. In 1994 I ended up completing 5 walks, 3 of them in State Parks in the northeastern part of the state. In 1995 the first walk of the year I participated in was Crazy Horse. You might say this is the walk that ignited the volksmarching spirit in me. In 1995 I went on to complete 15 walks and as they say the rest is history. I was hooked and have enjoyed volksmarching ever since.

From Gary Lofswold – It has been so long ago, about 1977 that I don’t remember a lot about it. I was in the Army stationed in Ludwigsburg Germany. Many of my friends used to talk about going to volksmarch events over weekends. Most walks were in the German countryside and villages. A good friend of mine and his wife convinced us to go to an event in Rothenburg, a fortress town in Northern Bavaria. The walk was mostly on top of a wall that surrounded the town. After that I walked many other events before leaving the country. Since I thought that this will never catch on in the USA, I never kept records for distance of events, but I did always get the awards. I have long since lost a picture of my daughter Patty at about four years old with about 4 or 5 of her award medals around her neck. After leaving Germany I never attended another walking event until the late 1990’s when I accidently came across the AVA web site while surfing the web.

I need your input for the fall newsletter. We know that each and every one of you did a first walk at some time in your walking history.

The six county walk weekend from September 10th through the 12th is set and ready to go. There has been a lot of interest shown in the events. We need all club members who can possibly do so attend and help make all the out of state walkers feel welcome. If you have not volunteered to work at least one time slot during the six events please do so. We can always use help filling positions at the start table.

Remember to put the August 20 meeting on your calendar. If you cannot attend but have ideas for walks in 2022 and beyond please contact Gary or me with your ideas. We need ideas and participation. If you are interested in ordering your personal copy of STARTING POINT 2022 you need to let Gary know by the end of August. Price of the book is usually around $25.

Dan Peters
PWVC Vice President

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Outdoor walking season is finally here. Although we had a day in the mid 90’s it has backed off to more seasonal temperatures. Our club’s 5 seasonal events are open and waiting for you. Don’t forget that to do Mitchell, Brookings or the Sioux Falls Outdoor Campus walks you must have an Online Start Box Account. There is no longer a physical start box.

Our next club walk will be on May 15 at the Good Earth State Park which is located southeast of Sioux Falls. Ellen and I have done the walk and know that you will not be disappointed with the trails. Good Earth is the newest South Dakota State Park. The spring club meeting will be held after the walk. The walk starts at 9 AM – 12 Noon. Try to be as early as possible so that the meeting can be held at a reasonable hour. Bring your lunch and enjoy the park. Unfortunately, this will NOT be open house weekend at the state parks. You will need an annual park sticker on your vehicle or pay the $8.00 daily entrance fee. You can purchase your entry sticker at the park’s visitor center. Carpooling is an option.

Gary will be attending the AVA Convention this June in Madison, Wisconsin. He has agreed to be our club voting delegate. The proposed change to the AVA Bylaws passed with a huge majority voting in favor the change.

In the last newsletter I asked for input from club members regarding their first ever volksmarch. To date I have received two replies. The first is from Bob Kruger of Lindsborg, Kansas.

In 1982 I was a grad student at NDSU in Fargo. One morning while at the student center I noticed white piece of paper on a bulletin board with “FREE WALK” printed on it. I read the message because “FREE” is nice when you are a student. The free walk was to start and end In Lindenwood Park in Fargo and was sponsored by a volkssport club. Since I come from a walking family, I decided to ty it. So another grad student and I showed up on a Saturday morning in Lindenwood Park. We were met by Alice Underbakke and several members of the RRVA club in Fargo-Moorhead. They explained what volkssporting was and said we had our choice of walking either 10 km or 20 km and it was non-competitive. So we opted for 20 km. A few hours later we returned to the start point where I bought my first event and distance books and joined the RRVA club. Thirty nine years later I am still doing some walking events and have completed my 20,000 km book and have done 1760 events in 20 states plus Manitoba.

IVV Achievements: Lee Frantz 475 Events and 3000 KM; Butch Spaulding 2200 Events.

Information received from the Nebraska Wanderfreunde Club of Omaha states that all their walks on now on the Online Start Box as well as a physical start box location. There is one exception, the Veterans and Libraries Seasonal Event, which has Online Start Box only registration.

The Prairie Wanderers have agreed to assume management of the Capitol Walk in Pierre. This walk will probably become an Online Start Box at a later date. If you go to Pierre to walk, be aware that there is a lot of construction in the area of the walk start. The visitor’s center was closed. The city is building a new water treatment plant near the center and also in the same area a new bridge is being built across the Missouri River.

Submitted by Ken and Lane Legaard – Crazy Horse – our introduction to volkssporting 1999. Ken had been a member of the staff of Douglas School System at Ellsworth AFB in the early 60’s. We lived in Rapid City and came back to the Black Hills to vacation every year after we left South Dakota. We were staying at a motel in Rapid City and noticed an article in the local newspaper describing this event that was going to take place at the Crazy Horse Memorial. We drove out the next morning, parked, and registered for the walk. As I recall it was $1.50 at the time. We got in line at the start point and followed the crowd when they opened the gate. After what seemed a very long hike, we at last walked out on the arm and viewed Crazy Horse face to face. We enjoyed the views of the local scenery and then progressed back down the road to the finish line. As we approached the finish line, a guy called out “Do you need your books stamped?” We didn’t understand what he was talking about and he gave us a short explanation about volksmarching. He invited us to come out to Palmer Gulch the next day for another hike. At that time, we purchased event books and did three more volksmarches before going home. That’s how we got bitten by the volksmarching bug. We have surpassed 3000 walks but can see the end of our walking days coming.

Some sad news to report. Bonnie Johnson’s son Jesse passed away this past February 24. Jesse was 43 years old. I know that most of our club members know Bonnie. She attends most of our events and has volunteered to help when and wherever needed. If you would like to send a card, email me and I will send you Bonnie’s snail mail address or email if you prefer that method of communication.

Remember to put our September 10, 11 and 12 walks on your calendar. We need attendance from as many club members as possible. Our neighboring club to the south has scheduled an event for September 11 which will cut off participation from that area. We will be asking for volunteers to help staff the start points of each of the six walks.

Don’t forget to put our 15 May walk on your calendar. Also, I am still looking for input from club members on your first ever volksmarch. Every volkssporter has a first ever walk to talk about.

Dan Peters
PWVC Vice President

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Since our last newsletter the American Volkssport Association has changed locations. The new address is: AVA 1008 S. Alamo St. San Antonio, TX 78210. Be sure to make the address change on your IVV event and distance books. As you may be aware the post office only forwards mail for a short period of time. Also it is always a good idea to scan copies of your books into your computer before mailing them off to be processed.

Important Changes to the Crazy Horse Volksmarch June 5 & 6. Starting this year admission to the Crazy Horse Memorial grounds will no longer be free. Admission fee will be $10 for one person, $15 for two people and $20 for three or more people in the vehicle. Walkers are still encouraged to bring cans of food for Feeding South Dakota but that is not a requirement for entrance to the Memorial. This is in addition to the $3 fee charged to register for the volksmarch.

IVV Accomplishments: Lee Frantz 475 Events and 3000 Kilometers and Butch Spaulding 2200 Events. Congratulations and keep on walking.

Event participation numbers for our club seasonal events for 2020 are as follows: Sioux Falls Downtown – 41; LeMars – 33; Mitchell – 29; Brookings – 29; Watertown – 28 and Sioux Falls Outdoor Campus – 27 for a total participation of 187 for the year. Numbers are of course down from prior years due to the pandemic. Events were opened at least six weeks later than normal and the pandemic itself kept out of state walkers from venturing too far from home. 2021 will be better as the distribution of the vaccine is underway.

Traditional Events for 2021. They should all look familiar as the club voted to move the events scheduled for 2020 to 2021. The Good Earth State Park walk will be on Saturday May 15. We will have our club meeting on the same day so come early to do the walk. Bring your lunch and plan on contributing your ideas for 2022 to the meeting. On September 10, 11 and 12 we will sponsor the six county walks previously scheduled for September of 2020. The direction sheets and maps are available for club members to pre-walk these events so that you will be able to lend a hand in helping at the events the days they are open to the public. Contact Gary or me and we will forward copies of the walks you would like to do in advance of the actual date of the event.

If any of you are still working on doing all 50 states and/or all 51 capitals Ellen and I along with our 4 children and their spouses plus several others are going on an Alaskan Cruise starting on August 27, 2022. We will be walking the three Alaska walks at the ports where the ship stops. If anyone wants to join us get in contact with me and I will give you the needed details. It is always more fun to walk with a group especially when doing a new walk. This will be our third trip doing these walk so we can be of some assistance in getting organized.

Is any club member interested in contributing to future newsletters? The club down in Omaha has a feature where walkers tell about their first ever volksmarch. Why they went to the walk and why they continued to participate after the first walk. If you will send your story (by necessity keep it short) to me I will start including them in future letters.

We survived 2020 and are looking forward to a much more active and safer 2021. There will be several good walks this year. The kick off for our area will be on March 6 in Omaha. This is normally the “soup walk” but this year will be walk only. On Friday August 27 there will be a Memorial Walk for Verna Herker (Lohse) in Barnesville, Minnesota. Verna was a long time mover and shaker with the Fargo club. Verna passed away at a much too young age in December of 2019. Then on Saturday, August 28 the Saint Cloud, Minnesota club will be hosting their last ever walk. Chuck and Lois Head have been holding the club together for the past several years and have decided to disband the club at the end of 2021.

Also remember the AVA Biennial Convention in Madison, Wisconsin which runs from June 29 through July 2 with added events on the weekend prior to and the weekend after the formal convention. The AVA has been selected to host the IVV Olympiad in 2023. Dates and details to be determined.

Thanks

Dan Peters
Vice President

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Summer is gone and we are in the best walking time of the year. Make every effort to get out and do some of our clubs seasonal events before the end of October. When the Halloween ghosts and goblins disappear at midnight October 31st our seasonal walks disappear not to be seen until April 1st of 2021.

Our next club meeting will be on Saturday, October 17, 2020. We will meet at the Ramkota Hotel in Watertown at 9:45 AM to register for the seasonal walk. After the walk we will have lunch, probably at Minerva’s and then have a short meeting. Be prepared to discuss events for 2021.

The Autumn Crazy Horse walk was held the last weekend of September. The two day event drew 4116 participants. A fairly good turnout considering all the issues facing the public at this time. Let’s hope that things will have quieted down by the time the June 2021 event is scheduled to be held.

As all of you are aware we had to postpone our 6 county walks weekend until September 2021. We will use the six counties scheduled for this year but we may have to make changes in the sequence of the events. We are still counting on the Fort Randall Casino Hotel to be our main lodging and social activity location. If they do not completely reopen their facilities we will make changes. This will require a little extra driving but is entirely doable on lightly traveled highways.

The Big Give Fund Raiser for the AVA was a huge success. Your club donated $500 to the program. As you are all aware walk participation is down considerable this year. Many traditional events were cancelled and year round/seasonal events were delayed or suspended. Several of the walks are still not open as the host businesses have not reopened their facilities to the public.

Participation at the Prairie Wanderers seasonal events is down considerably from past years. There are not of a lot of travelers passing through our area. At this writing we are at just over 50% of the participation rate we had in 2019. If you are able please consider doing at least a couple of events before the close on October 31st. Participation is the life blood of our organization. This is the last year for the LeMars Iowa walk as it was not renewed for 2021. A complete breakdown of participation numbers will be in the winter newsletter.

Bad news for our club members who like to travel and do events sponsored by member clubs in our region. The Lincoln Nebraska Club will be folding after December 31 of this year. They are sponsoring their last walk on October 24th. The Red River Club located in Fargo North Dakota will also be closing their club on December 31st of this year. Both of these clubs have sponsored some excellent events over the years. We will miss them.

We renewed five seasonal walks for next year. Sioux Falls Downtown and Watertown will again be with on location start boxes. Sioux Falls Outdoor Campus, Mitchell and Brookings will again be available by utilizing the On Line Start Boxes. If you have not already done so please register with my.ava.org and establish your account. Once your account is established it is simple matter to register for a walk and print your insert card(s). Inserts only need to be printed when a card is full. Cards hold up to eight events.

This is the last Prairie Wanderers Newsletter for 2020. I will be awake at midnight on December 31st of 2020 not so much to see 2021 come in but to be sure that 2020 leaves. Be safe and have a great fall and holiday season. Don’t forget the club meeting in Watertown on October 17th.

Dan Peters
Vice President

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Our summer is passing by too quickly. It has been a tough year for walkers. Lots of walks opened late in the season and some around the country are not open or have just opened. Our club managed to get three of the seasonal walks open on May 15 – Watertown, Sioux Falls Downtown and LeMars. These three walks opened with start boxes at their normal registration locations. Three of the walks – Mitchell, Brookings and the Sioux Falls Outdoor Campus are online registration only. If you have registered for an online account with AVA please let me know as I would like to have a head count of our participants. If you have not registered please do so. There is a step by step registration procedure on the back page of the June 2020 edition of The American Wanderer.

We have been forced to delay our six county walks scheduled for September 11, 12 and 13 of this year until September 10, 11 and 12 of 2021. We anticipate the schedule to be much the same as planned for this year. Remember that you can walk these events up to three times for event and distance credit. Gary has the walk directions and maps finished so you can contact him and he will email them to you. He needs trail checkers to do the walks and look for things that may need to be changed or clarified. Our next club meeting will be at the Ramkota in Watertown on October 17th. We will meet at 9:30 A.M. to register for the seasonal walk. Then lunch, probably at Minerva’s, followed by a short meeting. Be prepared to discuss events and activities you want the club to do in 2021.

IVV Achievements: Gary Lofswold 1400 and 1450 events and 15,000 K distance

We have renewed five of our club’s seasonal events for 2021. The five South Dakota walks were renewed. LeMars Iowa was not renewed so if you have not done the walk your chance will end on October 31st.

The final day of the AVA’s fund raiser – The Big Give – is scheduled for September 10th. Donations are needed as due to COVID – 19 participation numbers are down considerably this year. You can donate by check or credit card any time. On the final day you could help earn extra dollars with your credit card donation. Please refer to the AVA Web Pages for all details concerning this program. At the July 10th club meeting the membership voted to donate $500 to the Big Give Program.

If you want a copy of the Starting Point 2021 book please let Gary know soon. If there is not enough interest in the book AVA may decide to terminate this publication. Perhaps this handy book has been overcome by technology. The number of copies requested in the past several years has continued to decline.

The annual audit of the club’s books has been completed. The tax report has been filed with the IRS. The club’s financial report for last fiscal year has been finished, signed and forwarded to AVA. As most of you know the AVA changed their fiscal year to a calendar year basis. Clubs have the option of keeping the July 1 to June 30 fiscal year of changing to agree with the AVA. The Prairie Wanderers opted to keep our system on July – June basis as it is easier to get all the requirements done in the summer rather than the winter months.

Long time club member Sharon is on the injured list. She had the misfortune of falling and fracturing a shoulder. She is mending and hopes to be back on the active list by the time our fall walking season rolls around. This was not the way she intended to start her life membership with the Prairie Wanderers.

On a personal note I want to thank everyone who sent cards, notes and emails and for phone calls after my heart procedure this past May. The stent is working just fine and the recovery time was limited to a month verses up to three months with heart surgery. Managed to get 55 miles walked last week so back to the routine.

Do not forget our next club meeting on October 17th. We need more members to participate in meetings and more ideas from the membership as to events and activities they would like to the club sponsor.

Dan Peters

Vice President, PWVC

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ATTENTION: It has been decided that ALL Prairie Wanderers Seasonal Events will not start until May 15th at the earliest. This is due to the Chinese Coronavirus pandemic. Our start points at the two hospitals are not available until further notice. We will make an announcement prior to May 15 if and when our events will be open to walkers. Also our spring club meeting has been postponed indefinitely. The May 16 walk at Good Earth State Park is still on the agenda but again we will let club member know if the walk will take place.

Unfortunately we will miss out on some of the best walking weather. Stay in shape by walking your neighborhood if the community allows. Since I live in the country there are plenty of places to walk and avoid the crowd.

Gary spent part of his winter in Argentina and Antarctica. He got the chance to walk with the penguins. He has a personal goal of walking on each of the seven continents. Ellen and I were not as adventurous. We opted for walks in the southeastern United States including Key West, Florida. We have now walked in the four far corners of the continental United States.

IVV Achievements: Events – Jennifer Nathem 250; Donna Campbell 450; Lee Frantz 450; Sandy Spaulding 2000 and Butch Spaulding 2100. Distance: Jennifer 2500 KM and Sandy 21,000 KM.

AVA is running the Big Give campaign via snail mail. You can make your donation via check to the AVA Headquarters. If you are an online donor the date has been moved back to September 10. But stay tuned as this date is not set in concrete and could be pushed back even further into the year.

Our distribution of the South Dakota BHVA Event Books will be delayed. The BHVA Spring Meeting was originally scheduled for April 4th. The meeting has been rescheduled for May 2nd. We plan on attending the meeting and will pick up our clubs supply of the 2020 BHVA Event Booklets. We will have them for distribution at our May 16 walk. Usually the BHVA mails copies to their club members so if you are a BHVA member you may receive your copy through the snail mail. If you do not receive a copy and will not be attending the May 16 walk contact either Gary or me and we will get a copy to you.

We are still planning of hosting our September County Walks. We hope by that time all this pandemic will be over with and we can go back to business as usual. It will be later this summer before we ask for volunteers to work the events as well as to help us with getting the walk routes set up and checked out for accuracy and usability. Winner will be the farthest distance from the Prairie Wanderers home base. The other cities are a little closer but still a fairly lengthy drive for most of us.

It is also time to think about what walks we want to host in 2021. I know this is early but we need to work on dates and sanctions. We need to have everything completed by the end of August. If we do county walks in 2021 they will be farther away from our home base and take more effort and dedication from club members. We also need to host a spring walk somewhere in the Sioux Falls or Brookings area.

Another late change – the Iowa State Parks walk 20 in 2020 Kick-Off Event originally scheduled for the first weekend of May has been postponed. Check the Greater Des Moines web site for posting of the rescheduled date if and when they decide on a new time for the Kick-Off.

The Omaha Bock Fest walk originally scheduled for April 4th has been moved to May 9th. The walk originally scheduled for that date will be moved to sometime in 2021. The Bock Fest should be a great walking adventure.

I started on this letter about 2 weeks ago. Things are in a constant state of flux. About the only thing that is left from the original letter is the IVV Achievements list. Everything else has changed at least once and will probably change again several times before this pandemic is over. Please stay safe. See you on the trails.

Dan Peters, PWVC Vice-President

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Another year nearly gone. Time flies by very quickly. It seems that only yesterday we were preparing for the 2019 walking season and now it is in the history books. We hope that Santa brought everything that everyone wished for this Christmas.

IVV Achievements: Ken and Jane Legaard has reached the 3200 event milestone. Congratulations to the two of them. They are truly dedicated volkswalkers.

Here are the participation numbers for the Prairie Wanderers Seasonal Events for the 2019 walking season. Numbers are down somewhat from prior years but we can blame the weather. We lost countless walking opportunity days due to flooding. With the exception of the LeMars Iowa event our walks all had days that they were closed due to flooding. Numbers are as follows: LeMars 74; Sioux Falls Downtown 57; Mitchell 45; Rock Valley 40; Brookings 36; Sioux Falls Outdoor Campus 34 and Watertown 31. The participation grand total for 2019 was 317. Not bad considering all the lost walking opportunities. The Sioux Falls Outdoor Campus walk lost several days due to the September tornados that struck that area of Sioux Falls. As I am sure all of you know the Rock Valley walk was not renewed for 2020. A hearty thank you to all the club members who served as a point of contact during the past year.

We have scheduled seven traditional walks for 2020. Our first walk of the year will be at Good Earth State Park just to the southeast of Sioux Falls. This is the newest State Park in South Dakota and will of course be our first walk at this facility. The walk will be on Saturday May 16. The on September 11, 12 and 13 we will again be hosting six county walks. The walks will be in Winner (Tripp County), Gregory (Gregory County), Wagner (Charles Mix County), Tyndall (Bon Homme County), Armour (Douglas County) and Plankinton (Aurora County). As in previous years we need your help in putting these walks together and hosting them during this weekend is September. We can use volunteers to check the trails and written instructions/map for accuracy. Also we need volunteers to be at the start points each day to help the walkers get on the trails. As you are aware the six towns are all small and laying out a 5K and 10K trail is no easy task. Gary does a marvelous job in putting together routes for these walks.

AVA has moved the online start box from the California State Association to the AVA Headquarters. Walkers are now able to register for walks listed in the online start box and pay using a credit card rather than PayPal. We will try the system after January 1st when the 2020 walks appear on the registration page. We have used this method of registration for the past two years as the Mississippi walks were mostly on this system. The only drawback is that you will have insert cards but you can wait until the card is full before you do the print out.

Attention Amazon Shoppers – if you change your Amazon Smile Charity to AVA Headquarters a small portion of the money for your purchase will go to the AVA General Fund. To date more than $660 has been raised by walkers designating AVA Headquarters as their charity. Remember every dollar helps keep AVA solvent. Participation is steadily dropping so we need outside funds.

Welcome to our newest club member Ann Galbraith. Ann recently retired and is ready to join us in fun, fitness and fellowship. Ann lives in Bryant, South Dakota. We look forward to seeing Ann on the trails this spring.

Our next club meeting will be in April of 2020. Date and time will be announced. Historically we have had our spring meeting in Brookings. Official announcement will be in the spring 2020 Newsletter.

Our club President is going to Antarctica this January to see what summer is like down there. Ellen and I will be out of the area from early January until about the middle of February. Our annual trip to the southeast to visit friends and relatives and hopefully get a lot of walks in the record books. Plus a Caribbean cruise.

Best wishes for a prosperous and healthy 2020.

Dan Peters, Vice President, PWVC

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Apparently October 1st means the start of fall. We are experiencing much cooler weather and a lot of rain. The rain is a continuation of what we have been experiencing for the past year or perhaps longer.

Our next Prairie Wanderers club meeting will be on Saturday October 19th. We will meet at the Ramkota in Watertown at 8:45 AM to register for the seasonal event. After we are finished walking we will have lunch at an agreed upon restaurant and then hold our last meeting of the year.

We will be hosting six county walks again in 2020. The counties of Tripp, Gregory, Charles Mix, Bon Homme, Douglas and Aurora are the counties we have selected. As in the past we will try to utilize county seat cities as much as possible. The weekend of September 11, 12 and 13 have been designated as the weekend we will host the walks.

We need someone to step forward and host a walk in the spring of 2020. We have decided not to have the walk at Hartford Beach. Any ideas you may have would be greatly appreciated. The club officers are willing to help we just need some ideas. Dust off an old walk and redo it would work just fine.

As most of you know our six county walks last month met with record flooding and road closures. On Friday morning we opted to let the walkers register and do the walks entirely on their own. We told walkers in various cities to find their way out of the area and we would work with them so that they could get the counties in their record books. With the situation as it was that morning there was no way a support staff could be in place at each of the walks. The dedicated walkers drove around “Road Closed” signs, through water flowing over roadways and on gravel roads to get to Parker. From there they used their GPS, cell phones and good old paper highway maps to navigate from city to city to city. Have heard from several that managed to complete all six walks. Some will come back later this month and even next spring to finish what they have started.

The participation totals for the county walks and the third and fourth quarters for the seasonal events will be included in the winter newsletter.

Both Sioux Falls walks, Watertown, Brookings, Mitchell and LeMars, Iowa seasonal walks were renewed for 2020. The Rock Valley walk was not renewed. If you want to do Rock Valley you have until October 31st to do the walk. After that is goes off into where ever discontinued walks go.

IVV Achievements: Duane Neugebauer 700 Events; Gary Lofswold 1300 and 1350 Events and 14,000 KM

The number of registered walkers at the fall Crazy Horse event was 3707. Ellen and I worked the front gate passing out registration cards. Most all of the walkers were first time Crazy Horse participants. They were determined not to let the fog and rain with nearly zero visibility deter them from walking up the mountain. Fortunately the rain stopped and the fog lifted around 11 AM so the late walkers got to see the spectacular mountain. If you have never helped at the Crazy Horse event they are always looking for help. It is a very worthwhile experience.

The seasonal and year round online registration box has been moved from the California State Association to the AVA Headquarters. Walks that are listed on the online start box are only available through that system. They have no physical start box. That means no longer having to go to a convenience store and get a totally blank look when you ask for the “walk box”. As the system catches hold more events will use this system. Some of our club members have used the online system in the past and it does work with perhaps a false start or two.

The Nebraska Wanderfruende Club has lost the start point for their annual Christmas Lights Walk. They will be hosting walkers at the Prairie Wanderers Seasonal Walk in LeMars, Iowa on December 7th. The schedule for the activities that day will be sent under separate cover. The end date for the LeMars Seasonal Event has been extended to December 15th. If you can’t make the December 7th walk give it a try in November. May be warm enough for an ice cream stop along the walk route.

Upcoming walks in our extended area: November 2nd Lincoln Nebraska Autumn Walk; November 9th Pie Walk in Omaha Nebraska. Both of these walks are well worth the trip. Part of the Lincoln walk tours the Wyuka Cemetery. The Omaha pie walk needs no explanation.

Thanks
Dan Peters, PWVC Vice-President

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Walking opportunities are being limited by the weather. We in the upper Midwest cannot catch a break this year. A cold and very wet spring followed by high temperatures and excessive humidity. It will get better.

The Prairie Wanderers next club meeting will be on Thursday August 8th in Brookings. Meet at the hospital start point to register for the walk by 2:45 PM. After the walk we will eat at a local restaurant then off to Sam Vaughn’s home for our meeting. Be prepared to discuss events for 2020. Seasonal event POC’s this is your final date to say yes or no for keeping your event active in 2020.

IVV Achievements as listed in The American Wanderer – Events Jennifer Nathem 200 and 225. The distance event achievements may possibly repeated from previous letters due to computer problems at AVA – Betty Vaughn 2000 KM; Donna Campbell and Lee Frantz 2500 KM; Gary Lofswold 13,000 KM; Sandra Spaulding 20,000 KM and Butch Spaulding 22,000 KM Congratulations to all.

Okay Prairie Wanderers it is time for your help in checking the written directions and maps for the six county walks coming up this September 13, 14 and 15. Gary has all the walk routes written and mapped out. Now we need volunteers to check out the directions to be sure they are accurate. Walks are in Parker, Parkston, Woonsocket, Howard, Alexandria and Salem. As the events are scheduled for three days you can get event and distance credit up to three times for each event. We also will need help on the days of the events. On Friday morning in Parker we will need volunteers to stamp books, help fill out start cards and get the proper walk instruction sheets into the participants hands. At the other 5 walks we will need volunteers to be at the sight early to handle meet and greet and registration duties until the POC staff arrives. Everything worked out great last year. Volunteers had time to walk the event and move on to another event. We have spoken with and visited with all six of the city personnel involved and have been assured that the restrooms will be open. We had 45 participants from around the country last year and indications are that there will be more people coming for the 2019 events. A good showing of Prairie Wanderers club members, especially at the first registration day in Parker, would be greatly appreciated by your club officers. Wear your club T-shirts especially Friday. To obtain a copy of any or all of the six walks email Gary or Dan. We need to have all walks checked out and final copies printed by the end of August. Thanks in advance for your help.

We are planning on a meet and greet on Friday evening September 13 in Mitchell. The event will probably be at the Pizza Ranch starting at 6 PM. On Saturday we will probably gather at Whiskey Creek for dinner. Time to be determined.

At the June meeting membership voted to send a donation to AVA when a club member passes away. This will be done in lieu of flowers for the funeral or memorial service. A sympathy card will be sent to the member’s family.

Election of club officers was held at the June meeting. Gary Lofswold is the newly elected president, Dan Peters is vice president, Janet/Larry Gerjets secretary and Sam Vaughn is treasurer.

The AVA online registration system for year round and seasonal events is up and running. To access the site go to my.ava.org. There are quite a few events listed on this web site. When you are looking for an event and it says go to www.cva4u.org go to the my.ava.org site as it has replaced the California site. You register for the walk and pay for the walk using a credit card. There will no longer be a need to have or use a PayPal account. Eventually most if not all of the year round and seasonal events will be at this site. No more going to a convenience store and asking for the walk box. In the future the traditional walks will probably have the option of pre registering and paying by credit card in advance of the walk date or registering and paying electronically at the event registration site. Stay tuned for updates as they occur.

Upcoming events sponsored by neighboring clubs: August 17 - Balloon Festival, Mitchell, NE; August 24 – Potato Days in Barnesville, MN; September 21 – Papillion, NE. Check the AVA Web pages for complete details.

If you have not paid your club dues for the 2019-2020 membership year they are past due. Send you check to Sam or bring to the next club meeting.

Thanks for your time

Dan Peters, Vice President Prairie Wanderers

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Perhaps after several false starts spring and the start of our walking season is upon us. We are starting to think seriously about getting out on the trails and catch up for lost events during the past couple of weeks.

The Prairie Wanderers will be hosting a group walk at Brookings on April 27th. Meet at the Brookings Hospital between 1:30 and 1:45 PM to register for the walk, stamp books and purchase IVV record books or new walker packets. We will start walking at 2 PM and you will have your choice of 5 K or 10 K routes. If you haven’t dusted off your walking shoes so far in 2019 this will be a great opportunity to walk Brookings and get the shoes back in shape.

The next traditional event will be our Border Crossing Event in Yankton, South Dakota on May 18. Start time is from 9:00 AM until noon and finish by 3 PM. We will have our spring club meeting after the walk. Bring your lunch as we will be using a picnic shelter in Riverside Park for our activities on that day. Sharon Hofstad has consented to chair the nominating committee. All four elected officer positions are open. Sharon has a list of club members who have stated they will seek election to club offices at the June meeting. Do not be afraid to throw your hat in the ring. Serving as a volunteer club officer is a rewarding endeavor. Think about running for one of the four positions.

Our June club meeting will be in Sioux Falls on Thursday June 27th. We will meet at the Country Inn and Suites at 2:45 to register for the Sioux Falls Downtown Walk. We will depart on the walk at 3:00 PM. After the walk we will dine at the restaurant located at the start point. Our club meeting will start at 6:30 PM at the Sioux Falls Downtown Library located at 200 North Dakota Avenue just a couple of blocks west of our walk start point. The primary business at the meeting will be a short synopsis of convention activities. There are several agenda items which will have an effect on all AVA clubs. Also be prepared to discuss seasonal walks for 2020. Another topic on the agenda will be the election of club officers to serve the next two years.

Gary Lofswold, Ellen Peters and Dan will be attending the AVA National Convention in Albany, New York. The convention is scheduled for June 12 through 14 with pre convention walks and post convention walks in a variety of areas in New England and New York State. I do know that several members of the Black Hills Club will also be in attendance.

IVV Achievement Awards: Events – Donna Campbell 425, Lee Frantz 425, Butch Spaulding 2000, Dan Peters 2500 and Ellen Peters 2500. Also Butch has completed 21,000 K’s. Congratulations to all and keep on walking.

Unfortunately we lost another longtime member of the Prairie Wanderers. On March 31 Rod Bell passed away. Rod and his wife Fayne were very active members when they lived in Brookings. Several years ago they moved to Lodi, California to nearer to family. They continued to be active walkers for several more years.

There are several walking opportunities being hosted by clubs within easy driving distance. May 11 in Bellevue, Nebraska; June 1 and 2 Spring Crazy Horse. If you have never done the Crazy Horse walk now is the time to consider doing the walk. Also the Black Hills Club has a full agenda of traditional walks for 2019 as well as a host of seasonal and year round events. Check the AVA web site at ava.org and look up walks that you may be interested in doing. Don’t forget to mark September 13, 14 and 15 on your calendars. Your club will be hosting the six county walk weekend. We will need volunteers to staff start/finish points at five of the walks. Plans are to use the same format as last year. Consider volunteering to help out with your club’s events.

Membership dues can be paid at any time. Our membership year runs from July 1 through June 30. Dues are $5 per person. Pay at club event or send to treasurer.

This is my last newsletter as President of the Prairie Wanderers. I have been club president since 1995 with break while I served as North Central Regional Director. I will be sending out walk and meeting reminders until the end of June. Thanks to all of you for being Prairie Wanderers over the years. I am not going to totally disappear from the scene. My hat is in the ring as a candidate for the position of Club Vice-President.

Thanks for your time.

Dan Peters, President

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There is no doubt that winter is upon us. Not much snow but the temperatures and cold winds are telling us that winter is here. Think spring and the beginning of the 2019 walking season. (Or sneak off to warmer climates and get an early start on the season).

Our event participation numbers for the 2018 events are as follows: Traditional Events - Oakwood Lakes 9; Corona 42; Webster 42; Clark 46; DeSmet 46; Estelline 42 and Flandreau 46. We had a total of 264 participation at our three-day six county walk events. Seasonal Event participation is as follows: Sioux Falls Downtown 44; Sioux Falls Outdoor Campus 43; Brookings 43; Rock Valley 40; Mitchell 36 and Watertown 26 for a total participation of 232. This is the lowest participation number the Prairie Wanderers have ever had for their seasonal and/or year-round events.

IVV Achievements: Gary Lofswold 1200 and 1250 Events and 13,000 Kilometers.

On December 17th a beloved member of the Prairie Wanderers passed away. Eunice McGee was a long-time member of our club and an avid walker. She joined the club when she was 68 years young and continued membership until her passing. Ellen and I have many fond memories walking and talking with Eunice. We first met the McGee family when they hosted a volksmarch at their farm in July of 1990. Eunice will be greatly missed by everyone that knew her.

Our club event schedule is firm for 2019. We will have a Border Crossing Walk at Yankton on May 18. Sam is working on setting up the trail. It will cross the Meridian Bridge into Nebraska. The weekend of September 13, 14 and 15 we will host six county walks. Gary Lofswold will be the point of contact for the walks. We can use volunteers to walk the trails and check out the instructions prior to the final publishing of the instruction sheets. If you can help contact Gary and we can set up dates and times to do the trail work. We will also need help with staffing the start points at some of the walks. Current plans are to run the operation in the same manner as we did for the county walks in 2018. The primary registration site will be on Friday morning September 13 at the start of the Parker (Turner County) walk. Having walkers register for all the walks they plan on doing at one registration site saves time and paperwork for everyone involved.

I have coordinated with our neighboring clubs and they have all agreed not to have a traditional walk on the weekend of our six county walks weekend. Last year we had a conflicting walk at another club which in all likelihood kept our participation numbers down.

We will operate the same six seasonal events in 2019 that we did in 2018. We will also add a new seasonal event in LeMars, Iowa. If we can work out the schedule with other neighboring clubs, we will host a kick-off day for this walk. Club members serving as points of contact for the seasonal walks are as follows: Gary Lofswold – Brookings and Mitchell; Sam Vaughn – Watertown; Sharon Hofstad – Sioux Falls Downtown; Bruce Feistner – Sioux Falls Outdoor Campus; Pat Kosters – Rock Valley; Danny and Angela Gotschall – LeMars. Make sure you put these events on your activity calendar and do each walk at least one time during the season. If possible, we would like to have a group walk at each event in 2019.

The Big Give Fund Raiser will be on March 28, 2019. This is your chance to donate to the AVA either online or with a check. As many of you know AVA’s participation numbers are falling and no longer generate enough revenue to cover the operating costs of the organization. There will be more information to follow as to donation web site and information as to where and when to send your check.

All AVA Life or Associate Members can now submit their completed IVV Event and Distance books online. Details were in the Checkpoint passed along last week. Members have their choice of either online or post office delivery.

We will have a spring club meeting sometime in April. Be prepared with your recommendations for seasonal and one day walks for 2020. We need to start early with this project in order to have all the details completed by the end of this year. Also, we will poll the membership regarding willingness to serve as club officers for the next two-year term which starts at the June club meeting.

Thank You for your time.

Dan Peters, President
Prairie Wanderers

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The seasons are rapidly changing in our area. October is the last month to take advantage of our club’s seasonal events. So far this month we have had wet and cool weather. It will get better and allow us to take advantage of the remaining days and be able to see all the fall colors.

Our next club meeting will be on Saturday, October 20th in Watertown, South Dakota. We will meet at the Ramkota Hotel start point for the seasonal event. Try to be there by 9:45 a.m. to register for the walk. After the walk we will have lunch at Minerva’s. Last item for the day will be our fall club meeting. Be prepared to discuss proposed events for 2019. We need your input and ideas for new walks for 2019 and beyond. Also 2019 will be the election of club officers. Don’t be afraid to put you name up for consideration. All four club officer positions are open every two years.

We had a great turnout for our six county walks weekend. A total of 45 walkers did 249 events. Twenty walkers came from South Dakota, two from Wyoming, six from Minnesota, two from Iowa, two from Nebraska, two from Colorado, one from Virginia, four from Missouri, one from Illinois, two from Alabama, two from Kansas and one from Pennsylvania. That is a total of 12 states represented at our weekend events.

Special thanks for Gary for all the planning, organizing and executing of the plan for the entire weekend. Thank you to those who gave of their time to be at the events and help with the myriad of tasks that needed to be done. We were able to have a club member at each morning start point before walkers arrived and we had members at the afternoon walks when the last walker finished the route. We had a couple of glitches but everyone survived thanks to the friendly folks at the Cenex Gas Station down the street from our Estelline walk start point. The park bathrooms that are “always open” we discovered are never open.

We have renewed our seasonal walks in Sioux Falls, Mitchell, Watertown, Brookings and Rock Valley, Iowa for 2019. In addition we have added a new seasonal event in LeMars, Iowa. As most of you know LeMars is the home of Blue Bunny Ice Cream and claims to be the “Ice Cream Capital of the World”. The walk route will go past the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor so walkers will have the opportunity to stop in and enjoy a treat.

For those of you who remember John Hamper (John came to most every Dakota Dozen and other PWVC walks) here is a recent update of his activities. John has done at least one 10K volksmarch every weekend since January 1996. That is 22 years and 8 moths of consecutive weekends. He is nearing the 90,000KM milestone. John did several walks at our recent county walks weekend.

IVV Achievement Awards: Steve Folkens 10 Events, Jenny Folkens 150 Events, Sam Vaughn 150 and 175 Events and 2000 KM, Jane Legaard 3100 Events and Ken Legaard 3100 Events.

Welcome to our newest club members Angie and Danny Gotschall from LeMars, Iowa. They will serve as point of contact for our new LeMars seasonal event which will open April 1, 2019. Steve and Jenny Folkens from Larchwood, Iowa. Steve is new to volkssporting, Jenny began back in Germany in 1977. Marilyn Hanson from Big Stone City, South Dakota. Marilyn joined at our county walk at Hartford Beach during our county walks weekend. Butch and Sandy Spaulding from Council Bluffs, Iowa. Butch and Sandy are experienced volkssporters extremely active in their local club as well as AVA regional and national activities. The two of them have worn out many pairs of shoes along the trails. Kathy Voorst-Patzer and Stan Patzer from Canton, South Dakota. They picked up information at the Hartford Beach walk. We look forward to seeing each of you on the trails in the near future.

Participation for our six seasonal events was 104 for the 3rd quarter of 2018. Numbers are down from previous years but we lost April to snow and cold and July was quite warm and humid which keeps walkers away. We will have a breakdown by event after the season ends October 31.

Several of our club members participated in the Southeast Nebraska Four County walks weekend. The weather ranged from wet to very wet and far too cool for this time of the year. Our thanks to the Nebraska Wanderfruende for the events.

Upcoming area walks of interest – November 3 in Blair, Nebraska – Annual Pie Walk and Rita Eldridge Memorial Walk. December 2 – Omaha, Nebraska – 2018 Night of Lights Walk. This may be the last Christmas Lights Walk in Omaha. Check with ava.org or The American Wanderer for the latest details. Thanks for your time.

Dan Peters, Club President

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Summer is moving along rapidly. As is usually the case walking activity slows down due to the heat, humidity and other issues that take priority. Our participation numbers for the April – June quarter were very low. We had cold wet weather and a lot of snow in April which accounted for almost no participation in a month that is normally one of our best months.

Our next club meeting will be on Thursday August 16 at 6:30 pm at the downtown Sioux Falls Library. For those of you interested we will meet at the start point for the downtown walk at 3 pm to register and do the walk. It is your choice as to 5 or 10 k trail. After the walk we will have dinner probably at the Falls Landing Restaurant located at the start point.

The meeting agenda will include discussion of our seasonal events and renewals for 2019. Also the topic of traditional events will be discussed. Bring your ideas for traditional events. There are a lot of walking possibilities in our state.

Club members were saddened by the news of the passing of Roger Pickett. Roger was one of the earliest members of the Prairie Wanderers. He excelled in volunteerism especially when it came to assisting with the Dakota Dozen events which were held in Brookings over a 10 year period. Our sympathies to Gwen and his extended family.

Items of note from The American Wanderer: IVV Achievements – Donna Campbell 375 and 400 events; Lee Frantz 375 and 400 events; Duane Neugebauer 650 events; Janet Gerjets 1000 km and Jennifer Nathem 2000 km. Also noted is that Sharon Hofstad was mentioned for being the point of contact for the downtown Sioux Falls walk for 25 years. Gary Lofswold completed the Centurion Challenge again in 2017.

The Big Give was a huge success. The goal of $70, 000 was surpassed. The latest word is that in excess of $74,000 has been donated.

If you are planning on attending the AVA Convention in Albany New York you may want to think about making your hotel reservations. AVA has a block of rooms set aside at the convention area. These rooms will go quickly.

Our next traditional events will be the six county walks in northeast and eastern South Dakota. Walks are the weekend of September 14 through 16. We have a rough draft of where and when workers will be needed. We will have a final copy at the August club meeting. If you are unable to attend we will email a copy to you if you are on the workers list.

Our club’s financial report and annual audit have been completed. Thanks to Sam for the outstanding job she does in keeping the financial records. Gary and Ellen combed through the records and found everything in spotless order. The annual tax return has been filed with and accepted by the IRS. The annual membership report has not yet been filed as we are awaiting club dues from members who have not yet renewed. As a reminder our club’s membership year runs from July 1 to June 30. We do this to match the AVA fiscal year. There is a possibility that AVA will switch their fiscal year to a calendar year business cycle. If this occurs we will probably adjust our membership year accordingly.

Received word that the Rock Valley Seasonal Event has been reopened. The registration folder is at the start point. Everyone needs to do this walk before the end of the season. It is a top notch walk.

The North Central Region meeting in the Twin Cities is just around the corner. The schedule of events will run over the weekend of September 7th through the 9th. If anyone if planning on attending and did not save the brochure send a note to me and I will forward a copy to you. The highlight of the meeting will be our Vice President Gary Lofswold accepting the Prairie Wanderers 35 year award from the Regional Director. Thanks to all of you for keeping our club going all these years.

See you on the trails.

Dan Peters, Club President

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Today it finally looks like spring may be arriving. The month of April has been in a word “awful”. We have had 31+ inches of snow so far and the average temperature is 7.8 degrees below the lowest average April temperatures ever recorded. But fear not in a couple of months we will be walking and grumbling about the heat. Such is the life of the dedicated walkers.

Our next club meeting will be this Saturday April 28. We will meet at the Brookings hospital around 1:45 pm to be registered and ready to walk at 2 pm. Walkers have their option of doing 5 or 10 km which ever distance suits them. Then we will have a meal and finally gather at Sam’s home for our meeting. Be prepared to discuss event planning for 2019.

IVV Achievements: Ellen and Dan Peters 2400 Events. We scanned the TAW twice and could find no other names. That is what happens during a long cold winter. One club member had IVV books stolen or there would probably be another name on this list.

Gary represented the Prairie Wanderers at the Missouri Boot Heel events in mid- April. By coincidence we met Gary at the Caruthersville walk start point. He drove down from Cape Girardeau and we came over from Nashville. Just happened that we all arrived at the start point at the same time. The weather there was no bargain as it was 45 degrees and windy. The next two days Ellen and I walked events in the boot heel. The morning walks stated in below freezing temperatures.

As of the latest report the Big Give has raised $68,615.66. They are getting very close to the established goal of $70.000. The Prairie Wanderers donated $100 to the cause. Some of the money is earmarked for AVA Web Site improvements. If you use the site as often as I do any improvement would be great. They made strides in fixing the system in the last month. Perhaps they can keep the site in a useable condition.

AVA is also contemplating making a bid for an upcoming IVV Olympiad. The rough sketch idea is to hold it is the Washington D.C. area. If and when the bid is approved participants will have the opportunity to rub elbows with fellow volkssporters from across the globe.

AVA has formed a new partnership with Red Roof Inns. They are offering a discount to AVA members and donating 5% of room revenues to the AVA. The best way to make reservations is to go to the AVA web site and click on the Red Roof web site.

Upcoming Prairie Wanderers Events: May 19 at Oakwood Lakes State Park Start Time is from 9 am until noon. Finish by 3 pm. September 14, 15 and 16 we have the six county walks scheduled. We will be working with club members in the near future to set up a work schedule. We will staff each of the six walks at the start times listed.

Area Walks

• May 12 West Omaha, Nebraska, at the Wild Bird Habitat Store in the Harrison Village Shopping Center, located near 168th and Harrison Streets. Start 8 – 11 am Finish by 3 pm.
• June 2 and 3 - Spring Crazy Horse. Start from 8 am to 1 pm. Finish by 4 pm.
• September 7, 8 and 9. North Central Region Conference in the Twin Cities. Several walks are scheduled as well as social events and meeting(s).
• September 29 – Hill City. Start 8 – 11 am Finish by 29 pm.
• September 30 – Fall Crazy Horse. Start 8 am – 1 pm Finish by 4 pm.

Club Dues - Remember that our membership year runs from July 1 through June 30. The time is fast approaching to renew your memberships. Dues are $5 per person. Bring them along to our meeting this Saturday or mail them to Sam.

Our seasonal walks are up and running. The first time you walk the event this season the fee is $3.00 then the fee is $2.00 for the remainder of the season.

See you at this Saturday’s gathering in Brookings.

Dan Peters, Club President

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Winter is no doubt making its appearance in our area. The thermometer has dipped to less than 25 degrees below zero on more than one occasion. Our electric co-op on the bill for January listed the average temperature as 9 degrees lower than the January temperature in 2017. Probably the main reason our club does not sponsor year round walks. Spring will be here in due time and we can again start filling those IVV books with stamps.

We spent January in the Southeastern United States. Managed to do 20 walks while we were away. Did several new walks as well as repeating some of our favorites especially those along the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf Coast. Fellow club member Gary joined us for a couple of walks on the Jekyll Island Georgia area. We did one walk with Judy Chioli who some of our long time members may remember as she was a regular at Dakota Dozen.

The new IVV event stamp is a great improvement over the previous edition. The nicest feature for those who keep track of where they walk, is that the location is already on the stamp. One no longer needs to find a space to write the name of the city and state in the book. To date the new stamps for the Prairie Wanderers have not arrived. I will be in touch with our seasonal event points of contact when they arrive. We ask that you not over ink the ink pads used for the stamping process. We ran into a couple of pads that were over inked and the stamp tended to smear the imprint although not as much as the old IVV stamps would smear in your books.

IVV ACHIEVEMENTS - Events – Larry Gerjets 100 & 125; Janet Gerjets 125 & 150; Jennifer Nathem 125 & 150; Donna Campbell 350; Lee Frantz 350; Jane Legaard 3000 and Ken Legaard 3000. Congratulations on your accomplishments.

Event participation for 2017 was as follows: Sioux Falls Downtown 81; Sioux Falls Outdoor Campus 51; Mitchell 50; Brookings 47: Watertown 45 and Rock Valley 44. We had a total of 318 participants during our seasonal events. Down slightly from 2016 but considering the weather in April and October was not conducive for walking the totals are quite good.

AVA FUND RAISER - The annual fund raiser for the AVA will again be part of the Big Give SA. This year the main event will be on March 22. This is the date you can log on and make your donation. Instructions are posted in The American Wanderer, the AVA internet pages as well as the AVA Facebook page. The Big Give normally sets time frames during which people can donate to their organization. Cash prizes are awarded to categories based on number of donations etc. The open period for the Big Give is Mar 15th through the 22nd. If you would rather send a check you can send your check directly to AVA any time before April 30 and it will counted as a Big Give donation. AVA needs the funds raised to remain viable. Revenue from event participation and merchandise sales is not enough to keep the organization above water.

The Prairie Wanderers did not make a donation in 2017. As a club we should make a donation each year to our parent organization. Let me know your ideas as to if we should or should not donate. If your idea is to donate how much should we donate?

Everyone please mark your 2018 calendars for the traditional events. Our first event is May 19 at Oakwood Lakes State Park. This is a great walk. The Gerjets will again be hosting the walk. Details can be found on the club web pages or at the AVA web site. The next scheduled traditional walks will be the weekend of September 14, 15 and 16. This is our six county weekend. If you have already contacted me to volunteer to help out as these events – thank you. Job assignments will be posted in August. If you have not yet volunteered there is still plenty of time to do so. We brought 12 copies of our brochure for these walks to Jekyll Island and they were all picked up by walkers. We hope to see some of them in Eastern South Dakota.

Seasonal events will open on April 1st. Again the rules are that walkers pay the $3.00 fee the first time they do each walk. When you repeat the walk the fee drops to $2.00.

Club membership dues are $5.00 per person. Our membership year starts on July 1st. If you are age 80 and beyond you do not have to pay dues. Just let Sam know that you are of that age and the club will list you as a lifetime member. Lifetime members maintain all the privileges of dues paying members.

AVA has asked that we poll our club members to find out how many are AVA associate members. So here are the questions that I need answers to in order to comply with their request.

1. Do you receive The American Wanderer.
2. Are you an AVA Associate Member?
• If so individual or family membership.
• Yearly or lifetime membership.
3. Are you a member of other AVA clubs?
• If so to how many clubs do you belong?

Next club meeting. No official date has been set for our next meeting. Traditionally we have a spring meeting in Brookings. Let me know your ideas. Does April 21 work for a majority of you or would April 28 be a better choice of dates. If Saturday is not a good day of the week then we will see if there is a consensus for another day to have our meeting.

Thanks Dan Peters

Prairie Wanderers Club President

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Members of the Prairie Wanderers Volkssport Club were deeply saddened by the passing of two of our long time members. Bill Hofstad, former club Vice-President and biker extraordinaire, passed away in late September. Allen Nelson, who traveled the country after retirement and enjoyed walking in many of the states, passed away earlier this month. Both men will be missed by all who knew them.

Our next club meeting will be on Saturday October 21st in Watertown. Be at the Ramkota start point for the seasonal walk early enough to register for a 10:00 AM start of the walk. There will be groups doing the 5K and 11K. After the walk we will have lunch at Minerva’s and then a short club meeting.

Topics will include our 2018 traditional event schedule and a look forward into 2019. We have seven traditional walks on the agenda for 2018. We have sanctioned six county walks in Eastern South Dakota. We will need the help of a lot of club members in order to successfully host these walks. The walks are scheduled for September 14, 15 and 16. We will need a club member to be present at the start/finish of the walks to assist walkers to get on the trails.

IVV achievements – Donna Campbell and Lee Frantz 325 events. Duane Neugebauer 575 & 600 events. Congratulations on your achievements. We look forward to seeing you on the trails.

The Big Give, AVA’s annual fundraiser, will be on March 22, 2018. A topic at our October club meeting will be our club’s donation to this effort.

Each November on Black Friday the AVA pushes the Opt Outside walking program. Clubs are encouraged to either sanction a traditional walk or host a group walk(s) for one of their year round or seasonal events. Our club events are finished at this time of the year and it is not practical to schedule a traditional event due to our winter weather possibilities.

AVA is looking into changing their accounting year. There is a good chance that they will change to a calendar year basis rather than a fiscal (accounting) year basis. When the AVA changed their system several years ago the Prairie Wanderers did the same. If AVA changes we will need to decide if we want to change again in order to be in sync with the AVA system.

Newly designed event stamps are coming soon. Reportedly they will be more unique to each club and event. The anticipated release date for the newly designed stamp kits is early December. Once the kits arrive we will determine what needs to be done to make our event stamps. There is plenty of time to accomplish this as seasonal events don’t start until April 1st.

The 3rd quarter participation for our seasonal walks was 99. A breakdown of the numbers for each event will be published in the winter newsletter. Remember that our seasonal events end on October 31st. There is still plenty of time left to do several of the events before the end date.

The fall Crazy Horse event drew 4148 paid walkers. The weather was good and many first time walkers come to the event. The Outlaw Ranch walk the day before Crazy Horse drew 81 participants. Our own Duane Neugebauer was the POC for this event.

There were at least ten members of the Prairie Wanderers Club in attendance at the Solar Eclipse Events in and around Grand Island, Nebraska. The eclipse itself was spectacular. We were able to see the entire event unfold into “totality” as there were no clouds to interfere with the line of sight. Many thanks to the Nebraska Wanderfreunde Trailblazers for the great job they did in putting together this great weekend of events.

Thanks for your time.

Dan Peters, President PWVC

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There is no doubt that summer is upon us. A lot of heat and humidity and even a few thunderstorms in our area. A lot of days are only good for a morning walk

Our next club meeting will be in Watertown on Saturday October 21, 2017. We will meet at the Ramkota to register for the seasonal walk. Please be there and registered by 10 a.m. so we can get the walk in before lunch. Lunch will be at a location agreed on by those present – usually Minerva’s. Then we will have our 2017 wrap-up meeting following lunch.

Our next traditional event for 2017 will be at Newton Hills State Park south of Canton on Saturday, September 16, 2017. Walk registration will be from 9 a.m. to noon and finish by 3 p.m. We have changed the start of the walk to picnic shelter number 5. For those of you who did that walk last year this is the shelter we used for the checkpoints along the walk. Is there any interest in having a club picnic in conjunction with the walk? Ellen and I will be celebrating the completion of 40 years of volksmarch participation.

Our May 20 walk at Oakwood Lakes drew 7 participants plus Larry and Janet who set up the walk. This is the fewest participants to ever show for a Prairie Wanderers event. Thank you Larry and Janet for putting this walk together. Our June 24th meeting drew a total of 4 club members. This also was the lowest attendance ever at a club meeting.

IVV Achievements - Distance - Donna Campbell 2000 K; Lee Frantz 2000 K; Gary Lofswold 12,000 K and Dan Peters 25,000 K. Events – Gaye Grider 50; Gary Lofswold 1100 and 1150; Ellen Peters 2300 and Dan Peters 2300. Centurion Program Completion – Gary Lofswold in 2016.

Participation in seasonal events for the second quarter was as follows: Sioux Falls Downtown 58; Mitchell 33; Rock Valley 26; Brookings 26; Sioux Falls Outdoor Campus 25 and Watertown 23 for a total of 191 participants. This is the highest second quarter total in several years. No doubt having the convention in Montana helped draw walkers passing through our area. We received several favorable comments on the quality of our walks.

In case you have not seen the participation results – the Crazy Horse walk drew 9005 this year. Not a record but a good turnout none the less.

The new club T-Shirts have been delivered to those who ordered them. If you missed out you can contact Janet at jlgerjets@swiftel.net and place your order. If you would rather have a polo or sweatshirt they are also available. If you don’t care for the club color it is okay to select a color other than the yellow which the club members chose for the new color.

The June 24th club meeting was our biennial election of club officers. The following were elected to serve for the next two years. President – Dan Peters, Vice-President – Gary Lofswold, Secretary – Janet (Larry) Gerjets and Treasurer – Sam Vaughn.

Gary briefed those present on the recently completed AVA Convention. You can read all about the convention in the latest edition of The American Wanderer or go online to the AVA website

I have made the decision that this will be my last two years of service as club president of the Prairie Wanderers. I have been serving as club president and/or North Central Regional Director since 1995 with a 16 month break from July 200l to December 2002. It is time for new blood while I can still pass on corporate knowledge to the successor. The position is not difficult once one learns the tasks that need to be accomplished to keep the club running smoothly.

We are by no means quitting the sport. We will continue to be active members as long as we can possibly contribute. I recently purchased a 5000 KM distance book. At the rate of 100 walks per year it will take at least five years to fill this book.

Dan Peters, President Prairie Wanderers Volkssport Club

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NEXT CLUB MEETING: Saturday, April 22. We will meet at the Brookings Hospital, the start point for the Brookings seasonal walk, at 1:45 PM. We will start the walk at 2 PM with a group for the 10 K and another group for the 5 K. After the walk we will have dinner at the restaurant agreed upon by the walkers. Approximately 5:30 PM we will gather at Sam Vaughn’s home for a club meeting.

NOTE – The start point at the hospital has moved from the west side to the far southeast corner of the building. There is parking available on either the south or east side of the building. It is best to enter the hospital complex from Yorkshire Drive, first street south of the hospital, to avoid the construction activities.

NEXT CLUB EVENT: Saturday, May 20 at Oakwood Lakes State Park near Bruce, South Dakota. Registration is from 9 AM until noon and off the trail by 3 PM. We may have some new walkers so any club members willing to walk with them would be greatly appreciated. This is Open House Weekend at all South Dakota State Parks so the entry fee into the park is waived.

IVV ACHIEVEMENTS: Donna Campbell and Lee Frantz have each completed 300 events. We note that Lee is now the President of the Nebraska Wanderfruende Volkssport Club. Ken and Jane Legaard have completed 2900 events. Congratulations to all and thank you for your participation in our sport.

Gary Lofswold will be our club representative at the AVA National Convention in Billings, Montana. We will discuss agenda items at the meeting and also the candidates for national office. We should have some guidance as to how the club would like to have their votes cast.

A hearty welcome to our newest club members – Stan and Becky Frislie from Watertown, South Dakota. Be sure to introduce yourself and say hello to them when you see them on the trails. Also Dan and Barb Ripperger joined us last fall. They are also from Watertown and have finished their first 10 event IVV book.

AGENDA ITEMS: It is the time of the year we start thinking about what events we as a club want to sponsor during 2018. If you are the POC for one of our seasonal walks let me know if you wish to renew for next year. If you are or are not a POC and would like to host a walk in a new location be prepared to present your idea(s) at the next meeting.

The idea to have several county walks in the northeastern part of South Dakota is being worked on at this time. The idea is to have one day traditional walks. Proposed counties are Roberts, Day, Clark, Spink, Hamlin and Kingsbury. Roberts and Kingsbury have had walks in prior years (many moons ago). We need to discuss the best time to hold these events taking into consideration weather, competition from other events in the area, etc.

Please read the proposed AVA By-Law changes that will be voted on at the June convention. If adopted the new rules would greatly alter how AVA is governed. Let your thoughts be known at the meeting or if you cannot attend send an email to me. Also read the biographies in TAW concerning the candidates for AVA President and AVA Treasurer. We need to give Gary the necessary guidance to cast our ballot at the convention.

It is time for the biennial election of club officers. Elections are held in June of odd numbered years. If you would like to be a candidate for any of the four elected offices please get in touch with me. Club dues are payable at this time. Our membership year runs from July 1 through June 30. Dues are $5.00 per person per year. Bring you money to the next club meeting or the next walk. If you are unable to attend either of these events mail to: Sam Vaughn; 3310 Pine Ave; Brookings, SD 57006. If anyone has anything they would like to have included in future newsletters just send an email to me and it will be included.

Dan Peters

Club President

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Winter is moving along although not as rapidly as we walkers would like. I am working on this newsletter between trips to the south. Much more conducive to walking outdoors and much more interesting than doing the treadmill.

Congratulations to the following for their IVV Achievements: Donna Campbell 275 Events; Lee Franz – 275 Events; Duane Neugebauer 525 and 550 Events. Jim and Martha McGahan have completed 22,000 Kilometers.

Our seasonal event participation for our 2016 Seasonal Events was as follows: Sioux Falls Downtown – 59; Sioux Falls Outdoor Campus – 70; Brookings – 45; Rock Valley – 48; Mitchell – 41; Chamberlain – 36 and Watertown 41. The 340 total participation is the most in several years. Thanks to each and every one of you for your support. We have renewed all of the seasonal walks for 2017 with the exception of Chamberlain.

We have sanctioned two traditional events for 2017. On Saturday May 20th we will walk at Oakwood Lakes State Park near Bruce. On Saturday September 17th we will walk at Newton Hills State Park near Canton.

A challenge for all of you who serve as a point of contact for our seasonal events. How about picking a day to host your seasonal event. This will provide additional opportunities for club members and others interested to get together and walk, talk and perhaps eat after the walk. For all club members let me know if you are interested and what days and times work best for you.

The Omaha Nebraska club is hosting a Total Solar Eclipse 2017 series of events in and around Grand Island, Nebraska. The events are the weekend of August 18 – 21. This is a great chance to get in a few walks and to get to know your fellow volkssporters. If you are interested in a brochure let me know as we do have a supply. As a warning if you are thinking about attending make your hotel/motel reservations soon and they will sell out in the entire mid Nebraska area.

The spring Crazy Horse event is scheduled for June 3 and 4, 2017. The fall event is scheduled for Sunday October 1, 2017.

Club members are encouraged to take a look at all of the seasonal walks in Western Minnesota in 2017. The clubs from the Twin Cities area have sanctioned several walks that are within easy driving distance of our Eastern South Dakota members. There are also several really nice year round walks in the Omaha/Council Bluffs area. All of the above make for a neat overnight trip.

Janet has volunteered to work on new Prairie Wanderers Club T-Shirts. They are in the design stage and she will have a rough idea of what they will look like and what the cost will be at our next club meeting. The meeting will be sometime in April.

The AVA Biennial Convention will be held June 7 through 9 in Billings Montana. As is the case at every convention an item on the business agenda will be the election of officers to lead us during the next two years. Candidates for national officer positions have their biographies in the March/April edition of THE AMERICAN WANDERER. Please read these bios and be prepared to tell our clubs delegate to the convention who we should receive our vote. Another item to be voted on will be a huge change to the AVA By-Laws. Be prepared to let your club delegate know where you stand on this issue.

As most of you are aware I am Chair of the North Central Regional Director Nominating Committee. As of today we have a candidate for Regional Director – Jerry Wilson – the incumbent. We also have a candidate for the newly created position of Deputy Regional Director. Butch Spaulding of the Nebraska Wanderfreunde Trailblazers has thrown his hat into the ring. The nominating period is still open so if anyone wants to be a candidate just let a committee member know and we will work with you to get on the ballot.

This is also the year that the Prairie Wanderers hold their biennial election. Think about serving your club as an elected officer. The election will be held in June at our meeting which will be after the national convention. Ellen and I will be out of the area from January 30th until early March. Weather determines our date of return to South Dakota. We will do several walks in the Southeast and participate in the President’s Day Weekend walks at West Panama City Beach, Florida. The club had their initial set of events last year and had a good turnout. This year they have moved to a larger facility and have at least on bus tour group signed up for the weekend. Always a lot of fun to walk with new and old friends and to walk in warm Florida weather.

The Prairie Wanderers will be doing a “What is Volksmarching” presentation in Watertown. Date and time will be determined. We need a lot of club members to help out with this gathering as one on one contact is much more conducive to get the message across.

Our next club meeting will be in April. We will determine date, time and place when we return from the south.

Thanks for your time

Dan Peters, President PWVC

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Our next scheduled walk will take place on Sunday September 25 at Newton Hills State Park. Start times are 9 AM until noon. Finish by 3 PM. We are hosting the Black Hills Volkssport Association’s bus tour at this event. Come out and renew acquaintances with our friends from the Black Hills. The last time we had a club walk in Newton Hills was in October of 2000. There have been a lot of positive changes in Newton Hills since that time. Come and check them out. It will be well worth your time. Gary has laid out a challenging trail through the best that the park has to offer. Don’t wear your new white shoes. Hiking boots/shoes or old shoes should be the footwear of choice. In case it is really wet Gary has a trail set up that is entirely on hard surface. 5 K options are available.

Next Club Meeting: Saturday, October 8 at Watertown. We will gather at the Ramkota Hotel start point for the Watertown seasonal walk at 2:30 PM. After the walk we will have a short business meeting. At the meeting we will finalize plans for our traditional walks to be held in 2017. After the meeting we will gather at Minerva’s for dinner unless the attendees have another place they would rather dine.

IVV Achievements: Jennifer Nathem - 125 Events and 1000 and 1500 Ks; Donna Campbell, Lee Frantz - 250 Events; Bonnie Fuerst – 250 Events and 2500 Ks. Gary Lofswold – 1000 and 1050 Events and 11,000 Ks; Jane and Ken Legaard 2800 Events

Our Huron/Mitchell weekend was a great success. Our participation was 174 for the five events. The average of 35 per event was more than enough to make the effort worthwhile. Participants walked anywhere from one event to five events. The vast majority walked all five events. The weather was absolutely perfect for the entire weekend. Thank you to Duane for setting up the trails. Setting up five 10 K and five 5 K trails is no easy task especially when the trails are hundreds of miles from his home. Thanks also to the Legaards, McGahans, Gerjets, Jennifer, Gary and Sam for their work during the events. Special thanks to Ellen for pre walking all of the events (some several times) to help tweak the written instructions and the maps. She also spent many hours at the start/finish table. We heard numerous favorable comments on the fun weekend.

Setting up the start/finish across the street from the Corn Palace was a great idea. Interest was generated from people stopping by to visit the Corn Palace. Most of them had Volksmarched in Germany and did not even know that the program exists in the United States. We had a good number of people from Mitchell stop by for information and a handful did the walk and left their email address, phone number or snail mail address. We will contact all of them to see if we can interest any of them into becoming dedicated volksmarchers. A special thanks to the Mitchell Chamber of Commerce for allowing us to use their front patio to set up our start/finish point. Also thanks to the Mitchell Public High School for scheduling their homecoming parade on Saturday and parading right past our start point.

We need your ideas for traditional events for 2017. Having multi event weekends is the best way to draw participants. We are long distances from the volkssporting population centers and having several events makes it worth their time to come our way. One idea I have come up with would be to have a start point in Watertown and do four or perhaps five counties in the area. Roberts, Day, Clark and Hamlin are easily reachable from Watertown. Other clubs, whose events we have walked, use this strategy for multi event weekends. By doing this the workers can stay at one start point while the participants travel to the places where the walks take place. There are several walkers from around the country who are attempting to walk in each of the 3069 counties in the United States. If a club schedules a weekend with several new counties they will come to your events.

This is just one idea. Several ideas were tossed around at the last club meeting. We need your ideas for traditional walks. We have club members that are willing to help find suitable start/finish points and set up trails etc.

If you are planning on going to the 2017 AVA Convention in Billings Montana it is a good idea to make your hotel reservations early. Billings is not a large city and has a lot of tourist traffic stopping by for the night. By making your reservations soon you can guarantee your room for the entire length of the convention.

Most of our veteran club members remember Rita Eldridge a walker from Omaha who never missed a Dakota Dozen. She recently fell and broke a femur. She is in rehab. If you would like to send a card to her contact Dan and he will send her address to you.

Remember that our seasonal events are open until October 31. Fall is here and great walking weather comes with fall. Support your club by doing as many of these events as you can during the remainder of the season. Your club counts on your support.

If you will need new IVV event and distances books for your winter adventures they will be available at the Newton Hills walk or at the club meeting in Watertown. If you are not an AVA Associate Member please consider joining. You will save more than the cost of joining when you register for the 2017 AVA Convention.

Hope to see everyone at Newton Hills Sunday.

Dan

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We realize that we missed sending out a newsletter prior to the June meeting which has been the custom in past years. Travel, computer problems and medical appointments have delayed this edition.

As you are all aware we are in the middle of the good old summer time. Most days it is safer to walk in the morning hours and avoid the midday heat.

UPCOMING TRADITIONAL EVENTS: September 16th we have two walks in Huron; September 17th and 18th we have three walks in Mitchell (you can do all three walks each should you so desire); September 25th we do our final walk of the season in Newton Hills State Park near Canton. We will be in touch with our volunteers to work with them on a workers schedule for all six of the events. Check the AVA web site for details on each walk or refer to your 2016 BHVA Event Book.

IVV Accomplishments – Donna Campbell and Lee Frantz 225 Events and 1500 Kilometers. Bob Kruger – 1700 events and Dan and Ellen Peters 2200 Events. Congratulations on your accomplishments and keep up the good work.

The participation for our seven seasonal walks was down from last year. During the first three months this season we had 118 participants. We need to do a minimum of 300 participants each year to keep the event operating in the black.

Candace (Candy) Purcell long time Finance & Operations Director at AVA Headquarters has retired. Candy has been with the organization for many years and served us well. She served as interim Executive Director on several occasions. She was the go to person with a plethora of corporate knowledge. Her departure leaves a huge gap at the headquarters. We wish her well in her retirement and thank her for her many years of service.

Your club has started work on events for 2017. The POC’s for the seasonal events have been contacted and responses are coming into the system. We are still looking for club members to step forward and volunteer to do the work and host traditional events during 2017. A lot of ideas for walks were brought up during the June meeting. Now we need everyone to take a look at what they would like to do in 2017.

Sharon Hostad has relinquished her duties as our club secretary. Janet and Larry Gerjets have volunteered to take over the duties. Janet will be the official club secretary for signing legal documents etc., and Larry will help out where needed. We thank Sharon for her many years of service to the Prairie Wanderers.

Gary Lofswold and Ellen Peters have volunteered to audit the clubs financial statements at the end of the fiscal year. Sam will close the books after June 30 and notify the team when she is ready for the audit. UPDATE: The audit was finished on July 11. The paperwork will be finished as soon as the AVA web site is repaired and back online.

Thanks to all of you who donated to the Big Give San Antonio. The donations totaled in excess of $53,000 and will help keep the AVA solvent for another fiscal year. With dwindling participation and active clubs fundraisers are the only way to keep the organization solvent. Club member Gary Lofswold’s donation was selected for an additional $1500 for the AVA.

It is time to start planning for the AVA Biennial Convention in June of 2017. The convention will be held from June 7th through 9th with additional walks the two days before the actual meeting dates and the two days immediately following the meetings. The Rocky Mountain Region is hosting the convention in Billings, Montana. As most of you are aware they need a lot of help in hosting this convention. Go to the AVA web pages and click on the convention web pages for your chance to volunteer your assistance.

We have started the process of renewing our seasonal walks for 2017. We will not have a walk in Chamberlain next year. Duane has opted out of being POC. Participation has been declining for the past several years thus making this a good time to let the walk go by the wayside.

Eight club members attended the June 23rd meeting. It was voted to renew a Certificate of Deposit for $6,000 and put the remaining $465+ into the checking account. We operated the past fiscal year in the black but with declining membership and participation at our events the black may soon turn to red.

Our next club meeting will be in October. The tentative date is October 15. If this date holds we will meet and do the Watertown seasonal walk, have lunch at Minerva’s and then have a short meeting. Primary topic will be traditional events for 2017.

Dan

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Spring is finally here! Our Seasonal Walks will open on April 1st (no fooling!) This year we have walks in Brookings, Chamberlain, Mitchell, Watertown and two in Sioux Falls. Also, Rock Valley, Iowa. As in past years, the participation fee for the first time you do each walk is $3. Each additional time you do the walk the fee is $2.

Our Traditional Events for 2016 will take place on September 16th with two walks in Huron and on September 17th & 18th we will host three walks in Mitchell. On September 25th we will host a walk at Newton Hills State Park south of Canton. This walk will be in conjunction with the Black Hills Club's annual bus tour. At last count they had 35 walkers signed up for the trip. We will do a "worker's walk" on Monday, September 19th for those who are working the event or just want to walk with us on that date.

For planning purposes, the spring Crazy Horse walk will be on June 4th and 5th. The fall (Buffalo Round-up) walk will be on Sunday, October 2nd. Note that the fall walk is one day only.

The Big Give San Antonio will take place on May 3, 2016. This program was highly successful in 2015 in that it raised nearly $60,000 for the AVA. You can either log on to the Big Give website on May 3rd or you can send a check directly to AVA and they will process it into the system. This is the opportunity for all walkers, even those of you who no longer participate in AVA events, to make a contribution to help sustain the organization.

The AVA 40th Anniversary Celebration Events will take place in Fredericksburg, Texas (the birthplace of volksmarching in America) on June 10th through the 12th. Check the AVA web pages or read the articles in The American Wanderer for more information. Also, anniversary T-shirts and patches are available for purchase. If there is enough interest in a patch, we can order them for a club event in September.

It is time to think about Traditional Walks for 2017. If anyone has any ideas for a walk or walks, contact Dan. We need to start working on them soon in order to establish the dates and locations for our walks.

Sick call: This has been a rough winter for some of our members. Jim McGahan has bypass surgery and is recovering very well. Bill (broken shoulder) and Roger (broken hip) suffered falls and spent time in the hospital. We wish them all a speedy recovery.

IVV Achievements: Bob Kruger has completed 1700 Events and Lee Frantz has completed 1500 KM. Congratulations and keep up the good work!

Our next meeting will be on April 30th in Brookings. Meet at the hospital start point and sign up to do the Brookings Seasonal Event. Be ready to walk at 2 PM. After the walk we will find a place for dinner and then off to Sam's home (3310 Pine Ave.) for our club meeting.

Sharon Hofstad, Secretary

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All of us in South Dakota are getting out our snowshoes! We have lots of snow and more on the way.

As I, as Secretary, have nothing to report, I am sending you the President's Notes verbatim:

Congratulations to Bob Kruger for completing 19,000 Kilometers!

Participation for our club Seasonal Events was up slightly for 2015. Counts are broken down as follows: Sioux Falls Downtown 71, Rock Valley 57, Sioux Falls Outdoor Campus 51, Mitchell 42, Brookings 40, Watertown 34, Chamberlain 27 and Roy Lake 16. Total for the year was 338 versus 293 in 2014. Thanks to everyone for your support.

A special thank you to those who volunteer their time to be a Point of Contact for our events. Also a big shout out to the club officers. If we did not have great volunteers we would soon cease to exist.

We have sanctioned all of the Seasonal Walks, except Roy Lake, for 2016. All will open on April 1st and run through October 31st.

We have also sanctioned six Traditional Walks for 2016. We will do two walks in Huron on Friday, September 16th. These walks will feature streets with State names. Huron has a plethora of such streets and should draw participants working on that Special Program. On September 17 & 18 we move to Mitchell. We have three walks over the two-day period. Walks will go to different parts of the city including the Prehistoric Indian Village.

On Sunday, September 25th, we have a walk in Newton Hills, south of Canton. Gary has set up trails that will match your ability and desires. If you like a challenge, Newton Hills provides that for you. If you like an easier trail, that will also be available. We will be hosting the Black Hills Club on the last day of their fall foliage tour. To date they have 35 signed up for the bus tour. We ask that all PWVC members make an effort to attend this event. A great opportunity to walk with your friends from the Hills. Some of the Newton Hills trails will remind them of walking in the Black Hills-except no elevation or rattlesnakes!

For our out-of-state club members and others unable to make it to Newton Hills on the 25th, we will be hosting a workers' walk on Monday, September 19th. You will be able to tie in with the three-day weekend at Huron and Mitchell and not have to make an extra trip to our area in order to get the walk done.

Our next club meeting will be in April. We can do any day but perhaps a Saturday would work best. Ellen & I will be out of town doing the Las Vegas and Laughlin, Nevada walks in early April. Weather permitting, we will be back in the area by April 15th. Any volunteers to host a meeting? Works best to do one of our Seasonal Walks before the meeting. NOTE-we will also be gone the entire month of February enjoying the walks in the warmer areas of the country.

Dan Peters, President

Sharon Hofstad, Secretary

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Walking events seem to be winding down. There's still time to take advantage of the beautiful Fall season to any of our eight club events you may have missed. If you can't do all of them, do at least one or two. Every participant helps the AVA remain financially solvent. Our participation numbers for the season are running a little ahead of the past two years. With strong numbers in October we can have the best numbers since 2012.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Some of our club members have achieved walking goals this summer:

• EVENTS:
• 30--Kelstin Olson
• 75--Pat Kosters and Jennifer Nathem
• 100--Jennifer Nathem
• 500--Duane Neugebauer
• 900--Gary Lofswold
• 2700--Jane and Ken Legaard
• DISTANCE:
• 10000 KM--Gary Lofswold

Way to go Walkers!!!

Black Hills Volkssport Club sponsored a second Crazy Horse walk on September 27th. There were 4,029 registered walkers. This was the largest number of participants of any autumn event at this location.

The September 16, 17 and 18, 2016 walks in Huron and Mitchell are set. The trails have been established and by the time we have the meeting, trails, written directions and maps will be checked and put into final form. Now we need everyone to mark the dates on their calendars and plan on attending your club walks.

We have been asked by the Black Hills Club to do a walk in Newton Hills. This walk would be in conjunction with their bus trip in September 2016. The tentative date is Sunday, September 25, 2016. The date is subject to change and will be confirmed once the date for the autumn Crazy Horse event is announced. Gary Lofswold will be the POC for the Newton Hills walk.

Everyone is asked to fill out the survey referenced in the AVA CHECKPOINT. If your copy of the CHECKPOINT did not come through, you can find the survey on the AVA website. It only takes a few minutes to complete the survey. This is your chance to provide the Strategic Planning Committee with your ideas. The committee members have already dedicated a lot of time to this project but they need your input.

The final meeting of the year will be on October 17th in Watertown. We will meet at the Ramkota Best Western at 10 AM and do the Watertown Seasonal Walk. Following the walk, at about 12:30, lunch at Minerva's which is located in the Ramkota. After lunch we will have a short meeting. (the location to be determined)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Sharon Hofstad, Secretary

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NATIONAL CONVENTION The proposal for AVA to join the IVV Americas was defeated by YES 57 and NO 143. National officers elected: Dennis Michele, President; Holly Pelking, Vice President; Sam Korff, Secretary; Larry Lehman, Treasurer. Jerry Wilson, Madison, Wisconsin club, is our new Regional Director. Gary Lofswold, our club delegate, will give a short briefing at the next meeting.

A newly formed Strategic Planning Committee will work on ideas to increase membership and increase revenue flow. Jeanne Miller from Bennington, NE. a member of the Omaha club, will be the North Central Region Representative. Jeanne is the daughter of Rita Eldrige. She will do an excellent job tracking these very difficult issues.

WALKS FOR 2016 Our Seasonal Walks for 2016 have been sanctioned. Walks will be in Brookings with POC Gary Lofswold (thanks to Janet Gerjets for her many years of monitoring this walk), Chamberlain and Mitchell with POC Duane Neugebauer, Rock Valley with POC Pat Kosters, SF Downtown with POC Sharon Hofstad, SF Outdoor Campus with POC Bruce Feistner, two Watertown walks with POC Sam Vaughn. We will not be having any Year-round walks. Roy Lake Walk has not been renewed. You still have until October 31st if you have not done this walk.

The Twin Cities and Lake Country Walkers clubs have asked us to participate in the Minnesota County Kick-off Weekend on April 30-May 1, 2016. The weekend will be headquartered in Luverne, MN. The Twin Cities club will host a guided border crossing walk from Hills, MN into Iowa. They would like to have the PWVC perhaps do a hosted/guided walk from one of the Sioux Falls walks and the Rock Valley, IA walk.

Duane is working on Traditional Events for 2016. We are setting aside the weekend of September 16-18, 2016. Tentative plans are to do two walks in Huron on Friday and then three walks in Mitchell on Saturday and Sundry. Please mark your calendars and plan on attending. There will be more details at a later date. Many thanks to those who have already volunteered to help work these events.

Thanks to all who renewed their club membership for the coming year!

ELECTION OF OFFICERS A unanimous ballot was cast at the meeting on June 11th to retain our current slate of officers: President Dannie Peters, Vice President Pat Kosters, Treasurer Sam Vaughn and Secretary Sharon Hofstad. Officers will serve a two year term.

CONGRATULATIONS! Dannie & Ellen Peters have walked 2100 Events, Dannie has walked 22000 KM, Donna Campbell has walked 175 Events, Lee Frantz has walked 175 Events. Bob Kruger managed to do all 10 of the South Dakota events while he was here for the Big Stone City weekend. Way to go walkers!

Our next meeting will on Thursday, August 20th in Sioux Falls. Members wishing to do the Downtown walk will meet at the Overlook Café at the Falls at 3 PM. We will have a meal at the Overlook following the walk (approx. 5 PM). The meeting will be at the Downtown Library (8th & Main) at 6:30 in the Conference Room.

Sharon Hofstad, Secretary

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Almost another year of volkssporting has come and gone. Here are the totals for the Seasonal Events: Sioux Falls Downtown - 60; Sioux Falls Outdoor Campus - 49; Rock Valley - 37; Mitchell - 32; Watertown - 26; Roy Lake - 20; Oakwood Lakes - 6. Oakwood Lakes was not renewed for 2015. The totals for the Year-Round Walks will be published in the next newsletter.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE: Dannie is again chairing the North Central Regional Director Nominating Committee. So far, Jerry Wilson from the Madison, Wisconsin club is the only candidate. As in the past when I find one volunteer candidate, I no longer look for additional candidates. However, if anyone is interested in being a candidate, they can contact me and have your name put on the list.

Issues with our club website have been resolved. Frank Sayers will continue to maintain the site for us. We will be updating the events and calendar listings soon.

There were nearly 70 registered for the North Central Region Rendezvous weekend events. The rain, wind and cold on Friday and Saturday kept the walk-in numbers low. Sunday was a sunny day and the total for the weekend was close to 250. Five PWVC members attended.

OLD BUSINESS: There were enough interested members responding positively to sanction the Big Stone City walk on July 11, 2015. You can check the AVA website for more details for special programs, start/finish times, etc. We will be using two checkpoints along the route as well as the usual start/finish duties. Several members have already volunteered to assist at the event but we can always use more helpers.

NEW BUSINESS: There will be three new seasonal events in southwest Minnesota in 2015. They will be sanctioned for 2015 only. A walk will be in Worthington and a walk and bike starting in Hills. Check out the details on the AVA website or in your copy of the Starting Point 2015.

The National Convention will be in Salem, Oregon, on July 15-19. Dannie and Ellen are tentatively planning to go. The club will need a delegate to attend the business meetings. If you are planning to go and would like to be the PWVC delegate, contact Dannie as soon as possible so paperwork can be finalized. The convention committee is soliciting donations for the Silent Auction. A cash donation from our club is the easiest way to go. Also, Phyllis Olson, NC Regional Director, will be soliciting cash donations for the Executive Council fund raiser. Members can voice their opinions and let Dannie know what the appropriate amounts should be.

Congratulations for Achievement Awards: Gary Lofswold 800 and 850 Events and 9000 KM; Ellen Peters 2000 Events; Dannie Peters 2000 Events and 21,000 KM; Sharon Hofstad for being POC for the Sioux Falls Big Sioux River Walk for 20 consecutive years. Way to go walkers!

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Sharon Hofstad, Secretary

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Almost another year of volkssporting has come and gone. Here are the totals for the Seasonal Events: Sioux Falls Downtown - 60; Sioux Falls Outdoor Campus - 49; Rock Valley - 37; Mitchell - 32; Watertown - 26; Roy Lake - 20; Oakwood Lakes - 6. Oakwood Lakes was not renewed for 2015. The totals for the Year-Round Walks will be published in the next newsletter.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE: Dannie is again chairing the North Central Regional Director Nominating Committee. So far, Jerry Wilson from the Madison, Wisconsin club is the only candidate. As in the past when I find one volunteer candidate, I no longer look for additional candidates. However, if anyone is interested in being a candidate, they can contact me and have your name put on the list.

Issues with our club website have been resolved. Frank Sayers will continue to maintain the site for us. We will be updating the events and calendar listings soon.

There were nearly 70 registered for the North Central Region Rendezvous weekend events. The rain, wind and cold on Friday and Saturday kept the walk-in numbers low. Sunday was a sunny day and the total for the weekend was close to 250. Five PWVC members attended.

OLD BUSINESS: There were enough interested members responding positively to sanction the Big Stone City walk on July 11, 2015. You can check the AVA website for more details for special programs, start/finish times, etc. We will be using two checkpoints along the route as well as the usual start/finish duties. Several members have already volunteered to assist at the event but we can always use more helpers.

NEW BUSINESS: There will be three new seasonal events in southwest Minnesota in 2015. They will be sanctioned for 2015 only. A walk will be in Worthington and a walk and bike starting in Hills. Check out the details on the AVA website or in your copy of the Starting Point 2015.

The National Convention will be in Salem, Oregon, on July 15-19. Dannie and Ellen are tentatively planning to go. The club will need a delegate to attend the business meetings. If you are planning to go and would like to be the PWVC delegate, contact Dannie as soon as possible so paperwork can be finalized. The convention committee is soliciting donations for the Silent Auction. A cash donation from our club is the easiest way to go. Also, Phyllis Olson, NC Regional Director, will be soliciting cash donations for the Executive Council fund raiser. Members can voice their opinions and let Dannie know what the appropriate amounts should be.

Congratulations for Achievement Awards: Gary Lofswold 800 and 850 Events and 9000 KM; Ellen Peters 2000 Events; Dannie Peters 2000 Events and 21,000 KM; Sharon Hofstad for being POC for the Sioux Falls Big Sioux River Walk for 20 consecutive years. Way to go walkers!

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Sharon Hofstad, Secretary

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Attention Members!!! Only one month left to do most of our club walks. Now that the weather is cooler, it's time to get out and do some walking. Brookings and Chamberlain will still be available until the end of December.

Year-round and Seasonal walks have been sanctioned for 2015. Brookings, Chamberlain, Mitchell, Rock Valley, both Sioux Falls walks and Watertown will be open in 2015. Chamberlain will be changed to a Seasonal walk--April 1st-October 31st. Oakwood Lake will be dropped due to low participation. The status of Roy Lake is pending.

PIERRE WEEKEND: There were 48 participants at the Anniversary Event. Their participation totaled 107 events. Thanks to Duane Neugebauer for serving as Trailmaster; Ellen Peters and Gary Lofswold for checking directions, maps and trails; Ken & Jane Legaard, Jim & Martha McGahan and Janet & Larry Gerjets for working Checkpoints; and Sam Vaughn for working the Registration Table from start to finish all three days! There were walkers from eight states. The Nichols came the farthest distance from Wetumpka, Alabama. There were many favorable comments on the trails taking even those familiar with the Pierre area into places they had not seen before. The only minor complaint came from someone who apparently did not understand what turn right at the first traffic light meant.

Dan & Ellen have checked out and measured a walking trail event in Big Stone City and Ortonville. The event would be a border crossing from South Dakota into Minnesota. There would be a total of 10 Special Events included in the walk. Proposed date of the event is July 11, 2015, to coincide with the 130th Anniversary Celebration for Big Stone City. Before Dan can commit the club to sponsoring a volksmarch in that area on this date, he needs enough club members to commit to attending the event. If he doesn't get a positive response, the walk will be dropped.

Dan is again serving as Chair of the North Central Regional Nominating Committee. This committee will find viable candidates to serve as our Regional Director on the next AVA Executive Council. Anyone interested?

The club expresses condolences for Jim Kjar (Pierre Club), Bonnie Miller (BHVA) and our own Helen Bechtold. Helen was a Charter Member of PWVC and had been a member for 31 years. She was an enthusiastic walker, participated in all club activities, road trips, helped with Dakota Dozens and recruiting new members. We will miss her. Some good news! Allen Nelson is in remission and Allen & Bev went on an Alaskan cruise!

Congratulations to Sam for achieving 125 Events and 1500 KM and to Ken & Jane Legaard for 2500 Events. Way to go walkers!

Because of lack of interest, there will be no further PWVC meetings this Fall. Club meetings will resume in 2015.

Sharon Hofstad, Secretary

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Wow! Summer is half over! How are the walks going? There should be no cobwebs gathering on anyone's shoes!

The Audit Committee of Gary Lofswold and Ellen Peters met with Treasurer Betty Vaughn to complete the 2013-2014 yearly audit for the fiscal year which ended on June 30, 2014. Finances are in good shape and Dan has filed the Financial Report, Officers Update and Membership Roster electronically to AVA Headquarters. He has also filed the tax return for the fiscal year to the IRS. Thanks to all who participated in the financial report. Betty has expressed concern that not all POCs have been sending her the quarterly reports on time. She would like all reports sent, along with fees, as soon as possible at the end of March, June, September and December. She will be working on a standardized form to be used by all POCs.

Second quarter participation: Sioux Falls Downtown - 29, Sioux Falls Outdoor Campus - 22, Rock Valley - 17, Chamberlain - 14, Watertown - 14, Brookings - 13, Roy Lake - 12, Mitchell - 10, Oakwood Lake - 6. Total to date - 140.

Several of the walks for 2015 have been finalized: Watertown, both Sioux Falls walks, Rock Valley, Mitchell and Chamberlain. Chamberlain will be a Seasonal event instead of a Year-round event. Duane Neugebauer will continue as POC for both Mitchell and Chamberlain even though he will be moving to Hermosa. Dan will check the status of Brookings, Oak Lake and Roy Lake walks. POCs must include Emergency Information on all route instructions and all walkers must use a Start Card. We will need to schedule a one-day event to avoid paying a $100 fee to AVA. Discussion about a one-day event is to be discussed at the August meeting.

We have been approached about doing a one-day traditional walk in Big Stone City, SD. The walk would be on either the 2nd or 3rd Sunday in July. It would be in conjunction with their 130th anniversary celebration. Dan has a couple working on a possible walk route using the list of requirements for a sanctioned walk and including as many special programs as possible. This would be a good Border Walk opportunity with Ortonville, MN about a mile east of Big Stone City.

Plans are finished for the SD 125th anniversary weekend in Pierre on September 12-14. PWVC will be responsible for the 2 walks on Saturday. Duane has set up two great trails and they have been checked out by Dan and Ellen. You will get to see parts of Farm Island that you didn't know existed. For some it will be their first visit to Oahe Downstream Park. Dan will complete a work schedule for members volunteering to help with registration, book stamping and checkpoints.

Pierre Weekend schedule: Fort Pierre Walk on Friday the 12th with start time 3-5. The Meet and Greet will be at the Start Point after the walk. PWVC in charge of the walks on Saturday the 13th. Farm Island start 8-10 and finish by 12:30. Oahe Downstream start 10-1 and finish by 3:30. Birthday cake and refreshments available most of the day. Pierre Walk on Sunday the 14th start 8-11 and finish by 4. The Pierre Seasonal and the above four events will be open all three days. Following the rules yu can walk each of the walks once a day for event credit and as many times as you like for distance credit. All events offer 5KM and 10KM routes.

The cost of Event and Distance Books for members continue to be $5 instead of the $6 set by AVA.

Congratulations to Jennifer Nathem for achieving 10, 20, and 30 Events and 500 KM. Way to go!

Our club welcomes two new members: Karen Greigerson and Gena Keller, both of Watertown. Glad to have you aboard and looking forward to walking with both of you in the future.

Our next meeting will be in Sioux Falls on Thursday, August 14th. Members interested in walking the Downtown Walk will meet at the Country Inn and Suites at 3 PM. Supper will be on our own after walking. The meeting will be at the Main Library (two blocks west of Country Inn) in the Conference Room at approximately 6 PM.

REMEMBER ANNUAL DUES OF $5 PER PERSON ARE NOW DUE FOR THE 2014-2015 SEASON. SEND DUES TO BETTY VAUGHN, 3310 Pine Ave., Brookings, SD 57006.

Sharon Hofstad, Secretary

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May is nearly gone but at least we finally have some decent weather to get out and walk! I hope all of you are taking advantage of the warm, sunny days.

The Kick-off at Roy Lake was not successful. Only 4 members--Duane Neugebauer, Dannie & Ellen Peters and POC Jennifer Nathem--did the walk. Jennifer brought food and had to take most of it home. It was even free State Park weekend! We'll have to do better to keep interest in having our Year-round and Seasonal Events. Lack of interest is very disappointing for the POCs. Dan states he has made his last attempt to promote Kick-off or hosted Seasonal and Year-round walks!

Plans area being finalized for the 125th South Dakota Anniversary weekend in Pierre. PWVC, BHVA and the Pierre Club are coordinating the events:

Friday, September 12th--Kick-off Walk and Meet and Greet--POC Chip Elverud. Saturday, September 13th--Oahe Downstream and Farm Island Stroll--POC Duane Neugebauer Sunday, September 14th--Pierre City Walk--POC Ken Kjar All four walks will be open every day with registration at the Chamber of Commerce Visitor's Building.

Duane is working on setting up the trails at Farm Island and Oahe Downstream. The PWVC is committed to providing start points, checkpoints and book stamping on Saturday 13th. Dan will include the work schedule in the July/August newsletter from the list of club members who have volunteered to help. Please let Dan know ASAP if you have a preference as the where you would like to help.

Set aside this weekend and join walkers from all over the state (and many other parts) for Fun, Fitness and Friendship!

The North Central Region Rendezvous is October 3-5 in Madison, Wisconsin. If you are planning to attend you will need to make your hotel reservations soon. Rooms are going quickly and will be sold out long before October.

If anyone anticipates needing IVV Event and/or Distance Books during 2014, let Dan know as an order needs to be placed within the next month.

Congratulations to Pat Kosters for achieving 50 Events and 500 KM. Keep walking!

Our next club meeting will be hosted by Dannie & Ellen on Thursday, June 12th at 46527 280th St., south of Lennox. Agenda will include Year-round and Seasonals for 2015. Take a look at the Special Programs. Make sure that any new programs are included in your walks. Also, we need a volunteer to host a one-day walk sometime during 2015.

Sharon Hofstad, Secretary

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Spring is finally here! Let's make an effort to get out in the open air and do some serious walking.

Our two Year-round Walks, Brookings and Chamberlain, have been open since January 1st. The Seasonal Walks, Mitchell, Oakwood Lake, Rock Valley, Roy Lake (new), Sioux Falls Outdoor Campus, Sioux Falls River Walk and Watertown (new) will all open on April 1st.

We have added two new walks for 2014. On Saturday, May 17, PWVC will be hosting a Kick Off for the new Seasonal Roy Lake Walk. Club members will be present from 10 AM until 1 PM to host interested walkers. This is Open House Weekend at SD State Parks so entry fees are waived. Also, be sure to plan to walk Watertown and visit the Terry Redlin Art Center sometime this summer.

PWVC will coordinate with the Black Hills Volkssport Association for a special weekend in Pierre, September 12-14, to celebrate 125 years of Statehood for South Dakota. The weekend will include 5 walks. Our club will need volunteers and lots of walkers to make this a memorable weekend. Schedule of events as follows: Friday 12th - Fort Pierre - start 3-5 PM. finish by 7 PM. Sponsored by the Pierre Club. There will be a Meet and Greet starting at 7 PM at the Pierre Chamber of Commerce. Saturday 13th - Oahe Downstream - Start 8-11 AM, finish by 3 PM. Farm Island - Start 10 AM - 1 PM, finish by 5 PM. Both walks are sponsored by PWVC. We will need staff checkpoints and walk registration services. Sunday 14th - Pierre - Start 8-11 AM, finish by 3 PM. Sponsored by BHVA. The Pierre Capital Seasonal Event will be open to be walked at any time. Walkers can do any or all of the four traditional walks once during each of the three days. A dedicated walker would be able to get credit for 12 traditional walks during the weekend.

Congratulations to Gary Lofswold. Gary completed the Centurion Personal Achievement Challenge by walking 100 events in 2013. Way to go, Gary! He is also listed in The American Wanderer for completing 750 Events with a total Distance of 8000 KM. Ken & Jane Legaard haven't been just sitting around, either. They have completed 2400 Events! Want an inspiration for the rest of us to get out there and do some walking!

Attention POCs! There is a new Registration Log that must be used this year. Walkers must also carry a Start Card . Be sure your walk boxes/binders are up-to-date.

Now is the time to start looking a Year Round and Seasonal Events for 2015. If you plan on renewing your walk for next year, take a look at the Special Programs either online on in The American Wanderer. It is much easier to work on a route to include the programs early in the year rather than waiting until August. Also, anyone who wants to propose a traditional event for 2015, now is time to work on that so that it can be approved and put on the calendar. We need to have at least one traditional walk each year or pay a $50 penalty on our club's annual dues to AVA.

Membership dues are payable and overdue on July 1st. Dues are $5 per person per year. Send your check to Betty Vaughn, 3310 Pine Ave. Brookings, SD 57006.

There will be no club meeting in April. The next scheduled date is Thursday, June 12th.

Sharon Hofstad, Secretary

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South Dakota will be 125 years old on November 2, 2014. To commemorate this event the Prairie Wanderers along with the Black Hills Volkssport Association and the Capital City River Ramblers will host a walking weekend in Pierre. Set aside the weekend of September 12 through 14 and join us as the clubs will sponsor five walks during the weekend. All walks register at the Chamber of Commerce Visitors Center. Some events will require the participants to drive to the start of the walk. Two of the walks planned will be at Farm Island State Park and the Oahe Downstream State Recreation Area. Check out the AVA and clubs web sites for information as more walks are sanctioned.

The Prairie Wanderers have two seasonal events that are new for 2014. One of these walks will be at Roy Lake State Park which is located near Lake City or approximately 20 miles west of Sisseton, SD. This will be our first ever seasonal walk in this part of the state and the first walk in Marshall County. The club will host a “kick-off” for this event on May 17. Club members will be hosting participants at the park shelter from 10 AM until 1 PM. Bring along a picnic lunch and plan on a fun day. This is Open House Weekend at the State Parks which allows free entry into the park anytime during the weekend. Also no fishing license is required so you can catch your own lunch should you so desire.

The second new walk is in Watertown (Codington County). The walk will highlight three inspiration points used by renowned wildlife artist Terry Redlin. Trail will follow the Big Sioux River and through historic downtown areas. While in Watertown be sure to visit the Terry Redlin Art Center. Admission is free and nearly all of Redlins works are on display. Check our web site for information of a group walk later in the year.

Dan Peters, President

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Except for our two Year-Round Walks, Brookings and Chamberlain, walks are done for the year. I hope everyone has had a chance to get out for a few kilometers. Participation for the year was: Mitchell Seasonal 29, Oacoma Seasonal 41, Oakwood Lakes Seasonal 25, Rock Valley Seasonal 57, Sioux Falls Outdoor Campus Seasonal 52, Sioux Falls River Walk Seasonal 62.

Several members were listed in The American Wanderer for their achievements:
EVENTS: Bill Hofstad 425 & 450, Duane Neugebauer 425, Sharon Hofstad 650, Dannie & Ellen Peters 1900.
DISTANCE: Bill Hofstad 4500 KM, Sharon Hofstad 7500 KM, Jim & Martha McGahan 20000 KM, Dannie & Ellen Peters 20000 KM. Congratulations everyone!

The Prairie Wanderers will join the Black Hills Volkssport Association for a venture to commemorate the 125th Anniversary of statehood for South Dakota in 2014. The event will be held September 12-14, 2014 in Pierre. The weekend will include several walks and a chance to get together with other walkers for Fun, Fitness and Friendship. Our club will need the help of all members to make this a memorable event. Duane will be POC, Jim & Martha, Ken & Jane, Larry & Janet and Gary have volunteered. Sam will be the money handler. Pat will help with publicity. The Hofstads will help when possible. Dannie is coordinating with BHVA and will keep us informed.

The AVA ended the fiscal year with a deficit of $44,000. Starting January 1, 2014 annual dues for clubs will be $100 if a club is not holding a one-day event, $50 if a club holds at least one one-day event. Also starting on January 1st, Start Cards will be mandatory for all walkers. The cards must be signed and a waiver printed on the card. The Registration Logs will be changed to include the new information. Cards will be ordered for the POCs to put in their start boxes.

Janet would like to see a second Brookings route for 2015. This may incorporate the new Nature Center and Shirley's memorial for a southern route. A northern route may include the Visitor's Center at McCrory Gardens. A proposal was made concerning different walk instructions for summer season and winter season when some routes are closed because of snow and ice. If there are multiple routes, they will use the same stamp.

There will NOT be a December Prairie Wanderers Club meeting. We took a poll to determine the interest among the club members and the result was that 2 members indicated they would attend (thanks Larry & Janet) in addition to Roger & Gwen offering a meeting place. The next meeting will be in April 2014.

Happy Thanksgiving and a Blessed Christmas to everyone!

Sharon Hofstad, Secretary

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I'm going to scold each and every one of you--only five members made it to our meeting in Lennox on June 13th. And, participation at all of our walks is way down. Now that the weather is nice there is no excuse for not going out to walk!

The AVA Convention in Orlando, Florida went well with 266 clubs represented, 230 eligible voters registered and 400 participants present. The IVV proposal to unite AVA with the America's organization was deferred until issues with non-profit tax status (501-3C) is clarified. Participation in walking events is decreasing both locally and nationally. Multi-event weekends are the only walks showing an interest.

OLD BUSINESS: Pictures are still needed to be included on the club's website.

Dan needs confirmation of Year-Round and Seasonal Walks and new events for 2014 by August 10th to be sanctioned and included in Starting Point 2014. Take a look at the AVA Special Programs and include those that apply to your walk route. Make sure that the copyright symbol is on your trail directions as required by AVA. We will have two new events in 2014. Sam will be serving as POC for a Watertown Seasonal. Jennifer Nathem, a new club member, will be POC for a Seasonal at Roy Lake. A big THANK YOU to Gary Lofswold for assisting with setting up this walk.

NEW BUSINESS: BHVA has extended their VIP Program. Walkers can complete 10 events in the SD Booklet to receive a patch. An additional 10 Events, not repeating any of the first 10 walks, need to be completed to earn a fleece vest.

Second Quarter Participation Report: Rock Valley-30, Sioux Falls Downtown-28, Oacome-25, Sioux Falls Outdoor Campus-21, Chamberlain-14, Brookings-14, Oakwood Lake-13, Mitchell-10.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS: The present slate of officers--Dannie Peters-President; Betty (Sam) Vaughn, Treasurer; Sharon Hofstad, Secretary--will continue for 2 years. Pat Kosters has agreed to hold the position of Vice President for the next 2 years. Thanks to Pat for agreeing to serve as an officer.

As Duane Neugebauer is retiring, the status of the Year-Round Walk in Chamberlain, the Seasonal Walk in Oacoma and the Seasonal Walk in Mitchell is undecided for 2014. Duane is currently the POC for all three of these walks. Dan suggested that the Oacoma Walk be discontinued due to the bad surface of the trail.

CONGRATULATIONS! Donna Campbell--150 Events, Jane & Ken Legaard--2300 Events, Bob Kruger--1450 Events. Way to go!

Bob Kruger, our member from Kansas, will be in the area on the Labor Day Weekend. Bob, Dannie & Ellen will be doing walks as follows: September 2nd at 9 AM at Oakwood Lake, (lunch at Pizza Ranch in Brookings), Brookings Year-Round after lunch; September 3rd at 8:30 AM Sioux Falls Outdoor Campus Walk, (lunch at Olive Garden), Sioux Falls Downtown after lunch; September 4th at 9 AM at Rock Valley, (lunch to be determined), then walk the Adams Homestead near North Sioux City after lunch. All walkers are welcome to join us for any of all of these walks.

ATTENTION ALL MEMBERS!!! There will be a group walk/meeting in Sioux Falls on Saturday, August 10th. Walkers will meet at the Outdoor Campus at 10 AM to do the walk (5K or 10K). We will then assemble again at Falls Park for lunch (noon?) and a short meeting. Afterwards walkers will do the Downtown Walk. It's going to be perfect weather (we hope!) and expect to see many club members, family and friends.

Sharon Hofstad, Secretary

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Does anyone think it is really summer? The past two months have had snow, rain, wind, low and high temps and many, many changes.

We haven't had a meeting since last December! We decided to not meet in February and then the April/May meeting in Rock Valley was cancelled. Maybe we'll have more luck next week.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE: Great news! Wanda Moranti (BHVA) has been declared cancer free by her doctors.

The new AVA officers are: President-Dennis Michele from North Carolina, Vice-President-Holly Pelking from California, Secretary-Bonnie Johnson from Minnesota and Treasurer-Bob Morrison from Washington.

Crazy Horse 28 drew 10,094 participants.If you missed it, there will be a Fall event on September 29th (Sunday) and 30th (Monday). The event will be held the same weekend as the Buffalo Round-Up at Custer State Park.

We received a thank you note from our Regional Director, Phyllis Olson. Our club contributed $50 toward the Executive Council fund raiser. Phyllis raised $1.000 which ranked third among the 14 EC members.

The Black Hills club is working on a bus trip for 2014. Details will follow. If you are interested, you must be a club member of BHVA. They do some great trips. Also, the Madison, Wisconsin club has an Alaska trip scheduled for June 2014. The tour starts in Fairbanks and works its' way down to Seward. There they will board a cruise ship for Vancouver, BC. If you are interested, let Dan know and he will put you in contact with the POC. A passport is required as the ship will dock in Canada.

The 2015 AVA Convention will be in Salem, Oregon. They have returned to a June time frame. Billings, Montana will make a bid for the 2017 convention.

CLUB NEWS: If you want a copy of Starting Point 2014, let Dan know by July 15th. Copies will be available by pre-order only. We can have them shipped directly to the club and save you money on shipping costs.

Our membership year is from July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2014. Dues are $5 per person and can be paid at our next meeting or send a check to Treasurer Betty Vaughn, 3310 Pine Ave., Brookings, SD 57006. The following members are paid through June 2014: Roberta Geisen, Bob Kruger, Ken & Jane Legaard, Jim & Martha McGahan, Duane Neugebauer and Life Members Helen Bechtold and Eunice McGee.

Congratulations to Lee Frantz for achieving 150 Events. Way to go, Lee!

Let Dan know by July 1st if you do or do not intend to renew your Year Round or Seasonal Event for 2014. We need to submit the renewal data to AVA by the end of July to meet their deadline. Betty (Sam) has indicated that there will be a new Seasonal Event in Watertown in 2014.

Hope to see all of you on Thursday, June 13th at 7 PM at Dannie & Ellen's home at 46527 280th Street (just south of Lennox, SD). This meeting will be for the election of club officers to serve for the next two years. The time has come for new club leadership! Agenda will also include discussion concerning the renewal of Year Round and Seasonal Events for 2014. If you need IVV Event or Distance Books, they will be available at the meeting. Since there are no one-day events this year, this is your opportunity to buy new books.

Sharon Hofstad, Secretary

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If any of you made New Year's Resolutions, I'm sure they're all broken by now! We don't really need to have any resolutions except for one--try to do more walking!

Eleven members attended the December 2nd meeting/Christmas gathering. A big THANK YOU to Rog & Gwen for, once again, hosting us in their apartment complex. The food was delicious and it was a good way to end the year.

Dan reported that Oacoma will remain as one of our club walks for 2013. Although there was some damage to the trail with the flooding last Spring, the trail is still good for walking. Oakwood Lake is being added in 2013 and a Watertown walk is being proposed for 2014.

Our new website is up and running. Some pictures from members would be appreciated to make it more interesting. Dan can give you instructions as to how to submit any pictures you might have.

Volunteers are needed for the following events:

• Suggestions for the club's 30th anniversary coming up in April.
• Two volunteers for the Nominating Committee to present a slate of officers for the election in June. All four offices will expire then.
• A club delegate for the AVA Convention in Orlando in April. Sam has expressed some interest but her plans aren't finalized as yet.

Discussion was held concerning having more group activities or possible bus trips. There are still some seats available on the bus going to Orlando in April. Contact Phyllis Olson of the Des Moines Club if you are interested.
The BHVA usually has a bus trip each year.
The Madison, WI club will be touring Alaska in 2014.
Jennifer Nathem from Sisseton has done some of our club walks. She would like to see possible walks at Sand Lake or Waubay.

Notes from the President: Participation numbers for 2012: Chamberlain-30, Brookings-40, Oacoma-25, Sioux Falls Downtown-106, Sioux Falls Outdoor Campus-44, Mitchell-31, Rock Valley-56.

National Executive Committee Meeting:

1. There will be nine new special programs beginning in 2014. Check upcoming editions of TAW to get details.
2. The agenda item requiring clubs to pay the AVA participation fee for all walkers, including free walkers, failed.
3. The agenda item to raise the participation fee from $3 to $4 also failed.

Congratulations to: Ashley Peters-10 Events, Jane & Ken Legaard-2200 Events. Way to go walkers!

There will be no meeting in February. Our next scheduled meeting will be held on Saturday, May 4th in Rock Valley, Iowa. Register for the Seasonal Event at 10 AM. Walk 5K or 10K depending on your desires. Lunch will be potluck or dining in a restaurant in Rock Valley. Pat Kosters will host the meeting.

Sharon Hofstad, Secretary

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Whew! We all managed to survive Election Day! Even though the outcome didn't please everyone, we can all be grateful for an end to the political ads!

Now, it's PARTY TIME! The December Club Meeting/Dinner details have been finalized. We will gather at the Pickett's apartment building, 2400 Sunrise Ridge Circle in Brookings, on Sunday, December 2nd. The meeting will be at 3 PM followed by a catered dinner at 4:30 PM. Ellen will bring a pecan and a pumpkin pie. Others can bring treats if they want to but there is probably no need for additional food. There will NOT be a gift exchange this year. Members who have indicated they will attend: Bill & Sharon, Gwen & Roger, Janet & Larry, Dan & Ellen, Eunice S., Beverly B. and Sam. If any others are planning to attend, you MUST call or email Gwen, 605-692-5495 or roggwen@mchsi.com, prior to November 23rd so that she can make the necessary food order with the caterer.

The last one-day walk of the year was held in Huron on October 6th. It was a cold, blustery day and only 14 walkers registered. They experienced one dog bite, one sprained ankle and one trip and fall! Walkers came from Oregon, Washington, Minnesota and Connecticut--there were even a couple club members present! Because of the low numbers, no regular meeting was held.

Seasonal events for Rock Valley, both Sioux Falls Walks, Mitchell and Oacoma have ended for the year. There is still an opportunity to do Brookings and Chamberlain until December 31st.

AVA Special Events Programs that are ending on December 31st are:

• Carnegie Libraries
• Forts of the United States
• Honoring Law Enforcement

If you are currently enrolled in these programs, there is still time to get your books stamped.

ACHIEVEMENTS: Congratulations to Dannie and Ellen Peters for walking 1800 Events and to Dannie for 19000 KM. Way to go!

AVA National Report: Candidates for AVA Officer positions have been proposed for the four positions with two declared candidates for the President's job.

IVV Americas is being formed with the idea of gaining some independence from IVV Europe and their ideas.

PWVC: If anyone wants to do a one-day event in 2013, Dan needs to have all of the information by December 15th in order to sanction the event and get the information to the SD Calendar of Events Booklet.

We need two volunteers to be on the Nominating Committee to present a slate of candidates for the Election of Officers at the June 2013 club meeting.

Karen Elverud has been elected as the new President of the Black Hills Volkssport Association.

See you all at the December meeting!

Sharon Hofstad, Secretary

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Has anyone heard the phrase "Is it hot enough for you?" lately? Seems like the entire country is having a heat wave--the Bells in California report 100+ temps, the Parsons in Alabama report 100+ temps and it's been extremely hot here in South Dakota, too!

The Peters hosted our June 7th meeting in Lennox. Members came from all over--Bob from Kansas, Pat from Iowa, Eunice from Clear Lake, Eunice from Lyons, Duane from Chamberlain, Gwen, Janet & Larry from Brookings and Bill & Sharon from Sioux Falls. We are really a far-flung club! Delicious brownies and zucchini bread were served after the meeting.

Dannie took orders for Start Point 2013 books. They needed to be ordered by June 30th.

Dannie is on the North Central Nominating Committee and also the National Nominating and Auditing Committees. Anyone interested in a position for North Central Director or other national positions can contact him.

The AVA Executive Committee met in Orlando, FL on July 6th & 7th. Some items of interest were discussed and/or voted on:

• Do local club directions need to have a copyright
• The AVA Policy Manual needs to be simplified
• The American Wanderer is considering going to an electronic version

PWVC Business: Dannie has been contacted by the Honey Day Committee in Bruce, SD, about the possibility of having a walk in conjunction with this event. It is too late for 2012 but may be a consideration for 2013.

Janet is interested in being POC for a Seasonal Walk at Oakwood Lake for 2013. Discussion was held about having the Start Box at the Brookings Hospital and walkers then driving to Oakwood Lake to do the walk. Janet will do some follow-up by talking to the rangers at Oakwood.

The club's new website is up and running. Frank Sayers from Colorado has been working the site for us. Duane has graciously volunteered to continue to be the POC for our club's input into the system. Check us out at: www.AVAClubs.org/prairiewanderers

Pat thanked everyone for helping and walking at the Rock Valley Kick-off on May 19th.

Gwen, Janet & Larry have volunteered to be on the Auditing Committee with Betty Vaughn.

Duane would like some help with his Traditional Event in Huron on Saturday, October 6th.

A reminder to all members that $5 dues need to be paid by July 1st. We would like to hear from Roberta Giesen, Cindy Jacobson, Brenda Johnson, Cynthia Johnson and Margery Oehlke. Remit your dues to: Betty Vaughn, 3310 Pine Ave., Brookings, SD 57005.

August 13th is the due date for renewing walking events for 2013.

Members attended the memorial service for Paul Bergman on Sunday, June 24th in Brookings, SD.

IVV Achievement Awards: EVENTS--Pat Kosters-10, Donna Campbell-125, Lee Frantz-125, Bruce Feistner-150, Jane Legaard-2100, Ken Legaard-2100. DISTANCE--Lee Frantz-1000 KM. Congratulations to all these enthusiastic walkers!

Our next meeting will be on Friday, August 17th at the home of Eunice Solem, 711 3rd Ave. S, Clear Lake, SD. Members can attend the meeting at 2 PM, do the walk from 3-6 PM and then fill up on FREE hot dogs in downtown Clear Lake starting at 6 PM.

Sharon Hofstad, Secretary

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Our club is saddened by the passing of Paul Bergman on Saturday, April 14, 2012. Paul passed away while wintering with his wife, Bev, at their daughter's home in Round Rock, TX. The family held a private visitation in Round Rock, TX on Monday, April 16, 2012. Committal rites were held at 10 AM, Friday, April 20, 2012, at the Black Hills National Cemetery, Sturgis, SD. A memorial service is scheduled for 2:00 PM Sunday, June 24, 2012, at Our Savior Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brookings, SD. Our condolences go out to Bev and family.

Seven brave members did the Brookings YRE on Sunday, April 15th. We walked through torrential rain, howling winds, hail, thunder and lightning to complete the route. Later we dried off and warmed up with a meal and meeting at the Pizza Ranch in Brookings. What we won't do to get that little stamp in our books!!!

Dannie reported the POCs should use correct terminology when describing their walks. SPECIAL PROGRAMS include Carnegie Libraries, Grist Mills, Hillside Letters, etc. A one-time event should be listed as a TRADITIONAL EVENT. Other walks are YEAR-ROUND EVENTS or SEASONAL WALKS.

The AVA website is currently under construction. Changes should be finished by August or September. Our club website will need updates and may require work by a professional.

AVA has a new procedure for ordering STARTING POINT BOOKS--deadline for ordering the 2013 edition is June 30, 2012 with a cost of $20.Contact Dannie if you want a copy.

The 2013 AVA Convention will be in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, April 27 through Sunday, May 5.

The Mid-Nebraska Trail Seekers, headed by Jim & Martha McGahan, is closing at the end of the year. Clubs in Hastings and York, NE will also close.

PWVC will celebrate it's 30th Anniversary in 2013. If anyone has ideas on how to celebrate this event, all suggestions are welcome. Dannie wants everyone to be thinking about YRE, Seasonal and Tradional Events for 2013.

Club dues are payable by July 1st. Dues are $5 per person and can be paid at the June 7th meeting or sent to: Betty Vaughn, 3310 Pine Ave., Brookings, SD 57006.

The club is in need of a Vice President to fill the unexpired term of Dee Parsons. Term ends in June of 2013. We also need two volunteers to assist with the annual financial audit. Fiscal year ends on June 30th. Sam would like everything wrapped up by mid July. The audit takes about 2 hours and is required to keep the club in good standing with the AVA and IRS. Please help!

The Oacoma trail is open to walkers. When planning to do the Chamberlain walk, remember to use Exit #265.

The first club walk for 2012 was in Rock Valley, IA on May 19th. Thanks to Pat Kosters, a new club member, for serving as Point of Contact for both the Rock Valley Seasonal and May 19th events. There was a total of 21 walkers coming from South Dakota, Iowa, Colorado and Nebraska. The weather cooperated and Pat, with help from Dannie & Ellen, planned a great route with many historic places and a variety of trails to walk on.

Our next meeting will be on Thursday, June 7th at the home of Dannie & Ellen, 46527 280th St. in Lennox, SD 57039.

Sharon Hofstad, Secretary

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READY-SET-GO! Now that spring is here, we should all be anxious to lace up those walking shoes and hit the trails. Get outside and see all those robins, tulips and soon-to-be lilacs. Walkers have the added incentive of paying $3 for the first walk on any given route and only $2 for walking that route again. Let's get going!

Our proposed walk on April 21st has been cancelled. While wintering in Texas, Paul and Bev Bergman have been having some problems. Paul has been in the hospital and is now in rehab. They will be staying in Texas for an extended period. Our best wishes go out to them and we hope for a speedy recovery for Paul.

CONGRATULATIONS!

• Margery Oehlke for attaining 1300 Events
• Bob Kruger for his achievement of 1350 Events and 16,000 KM.

Way to go, walkers!

Survey: How many of you use our web pages on the AVA website? If you use them, how frequently do you access the site--weekly-monthly-yearly-never? The reason this information is needed is that AVA will probably be making some big changes to their website. This will, or may, require our club to do major renovations to our site. We would probably have to hire a professional firm to do the renovation at a fairly significant cost to the club. We will need to decide if having club web pages would be worth the cost. Please reply to Dannie pdannie41@yahoo.com with your thoughts!

The first club walk for 2012 will be in Rock Valley, Iowa on May 19th. Start time will be from 9 AM - noon and finish by 3 PM. Walkers will also have the opportunity to do the newly sanctioned Rock Valley Seasonal Event at their leisure. Both walks offer 5 and 10 KM routes. The walk will start at the Rock Valley City Park Shelter (1303 10th Street is the nearest GPS location). Bring your lunch (the park shelter is enclosed) or plan on eating at one of the many establishments in Rock Valley. Pat Kosters, a new club member, is serving as point of contact for both events. Let's have a great turn-out for this event and welcome Pat to the sport of volkssporting.

The next club meeting will be on Sunday, April 15th. We will meet at the Brookings Hospital at 2 PM to do the Brookings Year-round Walk. After the walk we will gather at the Pizza Ranch for dinner. We will have a short meeting after we eat. Dannie hopes to have the Dakota Calendar of Events Booklets to pass out to members at that time. If you are unable to attend and would like a booklet, let Dannie know and he will mail a copy to you.

Sharon Hofstad, Secretary

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After our brown Christmas and New Years, we woke up to our new "marshmallow world" this morning! Will it be welcomed or hated? Time will tell. It certainly isn't good for outdoor walks!

Ten members were present at our annual Christmas meeting/dinner/party on Sunday, December 4th at Brookhaven Estates in Brookings. Thank you to Gwen & Roger for inviting us into their home for our festivities.

Dan read a letter of resignation from Dee Parsons, Vice President. As everyone is aware of by now, the Parsons have left our area and have moved to Huntsville, Alabama. They are getting settled in their new home at 127 Henson Drive, Huntsville, AL 35811. The club needs a volunteer to fill the VP position until the next scheduled election of officers in June, 2013.

Dan sends his thanks to all the officers, POCs and walkers for participating in PWVC events in 2011.

The Chamberlain and Brookings Year Round Events are open and awaiting participants. Both events have new trails this year. Remember the new AVA policy that allows walkers to stamp their event and distance book every time they do a walk. Also, the new PWVC policy on fees--the first time you do an event during the calendar year the fee is $3. Each subsequent time you walk, the fee is $2.

The Kick-off Walk for Rock Valley, IA will be on May 19th. POC Patricia Kosters has submitted an article and picture in the latest issue of The American Wanderer. The Rock Valley walk will also be a Seasonal Walk starting April 1st. We urge all members to come to the Kick-off and support our newest walk and first time POC, Pat Kosters.

There will be no walk in Vermillion this year. Dan has talked to several Vermillion residents and no one has offered to sponsor an event.

AVA has compiled Starting Point Books from 1994 through 2012. They are recognizing POCs who have served as start point contacts continuously for that time period. The South Dakota volunteers recognized are: Sharon Hofstad, Sioux Falls; Doug Kapaun, Rapid City; and Rita Thovson, Hot Springs.

CONGRATULATIONS:

• Helen Bechtold for 350, 375 and 400 Events and 4500 and 5000 KM;
• Gary Lofswold 525 and 550 Events and 6000 KM;
• Ken Legaard 2000 Events
• Jane Legaard 2000 Events.

Way to go walkers! Keep on the trails!

Paul Bergman is going to check out the possibilities for a walk in Gary, SD in 2013. He has also been listening to a radio program on KBRK in Brookings, Homespun Medicine, concerning health and fitness. He will contact the dietician at HyVee to see if walkers in their club would be interested in joining PWVC walkers in 2012. After discussion, our members have set Saturday, April 21st as the date of our next meeting which will be combined with possible group walks and lunch at HyVee to be followed by our meeting. The walk would begin at 9 AM, lunch at HyVee at noon and our meeting to follow. More details to follow.

Dan & Ellen will be departing on January 30th for an extended trip to points south and will be gone at least until the end of February. If anyone has any questions or problems concerning volkssporting, feel free to get in touch with Sharon or call Dan at 605-670-0861. There will not be a PWVC meeting in February.

Sharon Hofstad, Secretary

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Officers

Prairie Wanderers Volkssport Club Officers

Links

The American Volkssport Association - America's Walking Club

The American Volkssport Association (AVA) is a noncompetitive sports organization with a national grassroots network of some 200 clubs conducting about 3,000 Volkssport events annually in 50 states. Fifty thousand plus participants can enjoy walking (includes jogging and running), swimming, cycling, snowshoeing, cross country snow skiing and roller skating.

The AVA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to the promotion of a healthy lifestyle through fun, fitness and friendship for people of all ages and abilities.

The International Federation of Popular Sports

The International Federation of Popular Sports (IVV) is an international organization composed of national associations and clubs that organizes popular sports (volkssports) events. The Federation is a not-for-profit organization. It was founded in 1968 by clubs from Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Austria. It was registered by the Court of Munich, Germany on January 20, 1972, and entered into the Register of Associations under No 7820 at the Office of Records.

Awards

• 50 States/51 Capitols


• Shirley Luther, Brookings
• Dee Parsons, Sioux Falls
• Quent Parsons, Sioux Falls
• Dan Peters, Lennox
• Ellen Peters, Lennox
  
  
• A to Z Walks


• Dee Parsons, Sioux Falls
• Quent Parsons, Sioux Falls
• Duane Neugebauer
  
  
• College Campus Walking PhDs


• Shirley Luther, Brookings
• Duane Neugebauer
• Dee Parsons, Sioux Falls
• Quent Parsons, Sioux Falls
  
  
• Lewis & Clark Walks


• Dee Parsons, Sioux Falls
• Quent Parsons, Sioux Falls
• Duane Neugebauer
  
  
• National Heritage Walks


• Shirley Luther, Brookings
• Duane Neugebauer
  
  
• Route 66 Walks


• Dee Parsons, Sioux Falls
• Quent Parsons, Sioux Falls
  
  

• AVA Distinguished Achievement Award


• Dan Peters, Lennox
  
  
• AVA Meritorious Service Award


• Shirley Luther, Brookings
• Charles (Chuck) Bechtold, Brookings
• Helen Bechtold, Brookings
• Fayne Bell, Brookings
• Gwen Pickett, Brookings
• Sharon Hofstad, Sioux Falls
• Eunice McGee, Colton
• Ellen Peters, Lennox
• Lynne Grabowska, Brookings
• Eunice Solem, Clear Lake
• Janet Gerjets, Brookings
• Bill Hofstad, Sioux Falls
• Duane Neugebauer, Chamberlain
• Sam Vaughn, Brookings
• Dee Parsons, Sioux Falls
• Quent Parsons, Sioux Falls
  
  
• AVA Certificate of Service Award


• Dan Peters, Lennox (2003 & 2005)
• Fayne Bell, Brookings
• Rod Bell, Brookings
• JC McGee, Colton
• Roger Pickett, Brookings
• Donna Campbell, Brookings
• Gary "Lee" Frantz, Brookings
• Larry Gerjets, Brookings
  
  

• Gold Star for 1996 and 2000
• Silver Star for 1994, 1998 and 2002
• Bronze Star for 1992