Victoria Gazette - Victoria Moments

PEACE POSTER WINNERS. The Victoria Lions sponsor, along with Lions International, an annual Peace Poster Contest. Three area schools participate, Victoria Elementary being one of them. The winner advances to the Lions District Competition. The winners this year are, left to right: Riley Wolf (1st Place), Lily Trcka (3rd Place), and Grace Bloedorn (2nd Place). Riley's poster will advance to the district level competition. The Lions are (l-r): Doug Dyer, Lindsay Schullo, Al Orsen, Laura O'Neill, and Michelle Lewin. Laura, our Victoria Lions President, and Michelle were our local chairpersons.

Doug Dyer

Victoria, Minnesota

NEW SENIOR PASTOR AT MOUNT OLIVET. On November 20th, 2016, the Mount Olivet Lutheran Church congregation voted to extend a call to the Reverend Dr. David J. Lose to be the next senior pastor. His official start date is to be no later than July 1st, 2017. Pastor Lose will be preaching at the West Campus in Victoria on December 18th and at the Minneapolis Campus for the Christmas Eve services.

Born December 21st, 1964, in Pennsylvania, Pastor Lose is a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College (PA), the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, and Princeton Theological Seminary (PhD). He is presently serving as the president of The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. He is married to Karin (McNulty) Lose and is the proud father of Jack, a sailor in the U.S. Navy studying at the Defense Language Institute (Monterey, CA), and Katie, a junior at St. Paul Academy (St. Paul, MN).

In addition to enjoying travel and trying out new restaurants, Pastor Lose is an avid Vikings fan, plays tennis, and enjoys playing board games with his kids.

Deb Kind

Greenwood, Minnesota

RASPBERRY BOCCE TOURNEY WINNERS. Congratulations to Chaz Kleinsteuber of Victoria and Lisa Smith of Chanhassen (left photo) on their title of 2016 Raspberry Bocce Tourney Champions! They defeated Connie Bonk of Victoria and Doug Radke (right photo) in Brownton in the finals of a 28-team bocce tournament in October. Lisa finds herself with her very first championship while Chaz, now a two-time winner, moves one win closer to the prestigious Raspberry Bocce Hall of Fame.

This tourney has been held annually since 1979 and hosted by Tommy and Marilee Hutton of Victoria. Tommy is originally from Hopkins, which is known as the Raspberry Capital. Since the late 1970's, his family has hosted a block party that originally corresponded with the Hopkins Raspberry Festival Parade held each July. Each year guests of the party would play in a co-ed bocce tournament that started out as a small "just for fun" tourney. It soon became the highlight of the gathering and has expanded over the years into the big event it is today. Since moving from Hopkins to Victoria in 1995, the Raspberry Bocce Tourney has moved from a summer to a fall event. Everyone in attendance gathered on the Hutton's lighted front lawn in Victoria to watch and participate in this fall classic.

Tommy Hutton

Victoria, Minnesota

MOLLY KEEPS RUNNING. This is a follow-up on Molly Eastman's performance at the Big Ten Championship over the weekend of November 5th. A resident of Victoria, Molly Eastman (#4 in the photo) finished as Minnesota's eighth runner in her Big Ten debut, running 22.58.4 to come in 72nd overall. She ran her fastest time ever on Minnesota's Les Bolstad Course. The course is pretty tough with rolling hills so most runners do not run an overall personal best time there. This is a photo of Molly (photo by Chris Mitchell/MN Gopher Athletics) from the championship. She will be on Minnesota's NCAA postseason roster as an alternate for the Midwest Regional on November 11th.

Mandy Hansen

Assistant Minnesota Athletic Director, University of Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minnesota

THE NUTCRACKER BALLET. Abby Bjorlin of Victoria is playing the Sugar Plum Fairy in the holiday classic ballet, "The Nutcracker," as presented by River Valley Dance Academy on Sunday, December 11th, the Watertown-Mayer Performing Arts Center. Delaney Davis, also a resident of Victoria, plays the Rat Queen.

The 100-member cast is comprised of a professional dancer from Saint Paul Ballet playing the male lead role of the Nutcracker Prince, along with student and adult dancers from Chaska, Chanhassen, Waconia, Victoria, Eden Prairie, and surrounding communities. Senior Balley Company members will be dancing the roles of Clara, the Sugar Plum and the Rat Queen.

Santa will visit between shows. Donations will again be accepted for Gillette Children's Hospital.

Robert Braudt

River Valley Dance Academy

Chaska, Minnesota

MORE VICTORIA MOMENTS IN PAPER EDITION.

JOHNSON FUNERAL HOME

Waconia 952-442-2121

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