A Rooftop Garden.  Twice yearly, whistling swans pass through the Waconia area as they migrate to and from the Cana-dian Arctic and Alaska.  In honor of these graceful white birds, also known as tundra swans, Klein Financial, Inc., commissioned Minnesota sculptor Nick Legeros to create "The Flight of the Whistling Swans" rooftop garden at Ridgeview Medical Center.  The swans get the "whistling" name for the slow, powerful beating of their wings in flight.  The majestic birds have a wingspan of six to seven feet, measure more than four feet long, and weigh about 16 pounds.
Patients, family members, and visitors at Ridgeview's Cardiac-Intensive Care Unit can gaze out at the garden from their rooms or the second-floor Garden View Waiting Area.  The garden displays several sculp-tures of these graceful birds in various stages of flight.
The rooftop garden was made possible through a generous gift to Ridgeview Foun-dation from the Klein Financial group, in-cluding First National Bank of Waconia, State Bank of Young America, The Chan-hassen Bank, and Victoria State Bank.
Pictured above (l-r) in the rooftop gar-den:  Kevin McShane, The Chanhassen Bank; Roger Wichelman, First National Bank of Waconia; Robert Stevens, president and CEO of Ridgeview Medical Center; Dave VanDien, State Bank of Young Amer-ica; Dean Friesen, Chair, Ridgeview Foun-dation Board of Directors; Wayne Neubarth, Victoria State Bank. 

The Diethelm Girls were featured at a family reunion on Sunday, August 3rd, 2003, at Lions Park in Victoria.  They are (l-r) Mildred Pribyl, Julianne Wartman, Jeanne Corcoran, Elizabeth Diethelm, Elaine Simon, and Marie Schneider.  These girls had three brothers:  Joe and Dan (both deceased) and Paul.  Paul was a featured storyteller at the reunion, along with Mike Wartman and Barb Farrell.  Elizabeth led a cemetery tour.  Swiss relatives Annemarie and Toni Diethelm were in attendance.  Second and third generations were plentiful. 

Mounted Patrol.  Sheriff Bud Olson, right, swore in Randy Smith of Chanhassen as a deputy with the Carver County Mounted Patrol.  The unit was recently called out to a drowning at Lake Ann in Chan-hassen.  They also just completed security work at Winstock Country Music Festival in Winsted, MN.   They are a voluntary reserve unit trained by the Carver County Sher-iff's Department.  Anyone who has a horse and would be interested in participating or wanting more in-formation is asked to call me at 952-253-5612.  You do not have to live in Carver County.  ~Jayne Meyer, Carver County, Minnesota

Mounted Posse.  Sheriff Bud Olson swore Rayma Smith into the Carver County Sheriff's Mounted Posse.  The voluntary members and their horses are trained at monthly meetings in preparation for regular duties or emergency call-outs.  They patrol Baylor Park and Minne-washta Park and do security at Winstock Country Music Festival and the Carver County Fair.  They do community outreaches where they take their horses to schools and neighborhoods for National Night Out.  They may be called out for emergencies at a moment's notice.

Anyone wanting further information about this reserve unit who does own a horse, please call Jayne Meyer at 952-253-5612.  You do not have to live in Carver County.  We are looking for interested parties.  ~Jayne Meyer, Carver County, Minnesota

I'm going to Disney World!  The River Valley Dance Academy, representing the com-munities of Victoria, Chanhassen, Chaska, Excelsior, Waconia, Carver, Cologne, and Shakopee, performed on stage at Disney World in July.  They auditioned, raised funds, and learned new routines for this trip of a life-time.  The group was led by Director Jocelyn Braudt and Accompanist Pat Schaffran.  Choreography was provided by Gene Caughey and Jocelyn Braudt.
Top row (l-r):  Brittaney Stoffel, Julie Lundquist, Stefani Charter, Amy Hassenstab, Lauren Lewis, Ann Nelson, Allyson Holtz.  Second row:  Tricia Eisen, Kelly Hagen, Ashley Monteith, Danielle Eller, Emily Hassenstab, Christine Nygren, Stephanie Famelis, Amanda Quiring.  Third row:  Andrea Hammann, Angela Stein, Brooke Erickson, Tia Bont, Ellen Schneider, Meagan Gerber, Katrina Flaskerud.  Bottom row:  Hanna Mihalko, Becky Schaffran, Danielle Chamberlain, Melissa Stuckey, and Caitlin Crees.
Jocelyn Braudt, Chaska, Minnesota

State Champions.  The Victoria Lions 18U Junior Olympic Girls Fastpitch team won the Minnesota Sports Federation Class B 18-Under Girls Fastpitch Softball State Championship July 13th in Mound, MN.  Kathleen Bittner and Katie Muehe led the team with strong pitching performances as their teammates kept the defense tight by playing nearly errorless ball.  Offensively, the team outscored their opponents 35 to 8 with Kristina Rice and Holly Kaufhold leading the team in RBI's and each player hitting a homerun.  The team was undefeat-ed, winning games over New Ulm, St. Cloud, Maple River, Owatonna, and Osseo-Maple Grove (twice).

The Victoria Softball team will join 95 other teams as they head for Hastings, Neb-raska, for the American Softball Association Class B Western National Tournament.  Members of the team include (l-r):  Front:  Morgan Baker, Jenny Monroe, Kristin Linforth, Kristina Rice, Katie Lechelt.  Middle:  Holly Wiborg.  Back row:  Coach Scott Bittner, Kathleen Bittner, Coach Kari Dykoff, Katie Hines, Jackie Bruers, Robin Doepke, Holly Kaufhold, Katie Muehe, and Coach Steve Baker.