Coming events
PARKSTON
Weekly
Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon will meet Friday at 8 p.m. at the Avera St. Benedict Health Center Meeting Room. For more information, call 928-3182.

TRIPP

AREA
Weekly
Alcoholics Anonymous will meet Sunday at 7 p.m. at the Ethan Methodist Church basement. For more information, contact Jean at 928-7266 or Joe at 227-4303.

Blood drive April 24 in Parkston
Generous volunteer blood donors are the foundation of a stable community blood supply. In fact, more than 38,000 volunteers are needed to give blood to ensure an adequate blood supply for local hospitals and patients. Giving blood is safe, simple and saves lives.
Make a difference in your community and give a life-saving gift to someone in need by giving blood at an upcoming blood drive: Parkston Community Blood Drive, Thursday, April 24, from 12 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Avera St. Benedict Health Center, 401 W. Glynn Drive.
Eligible blood donors must be at least 16 years old, should weigh at least 120 pounds and should be in general good health.

Low Iron the Cause for Fewer Blood Donations
Iron. It’s in your blood. In your hemoglobin, to be exact.
Hemoglobin carries oxygen to your body tissues and gives blood its red color. And not having enough hemoglobin can mean that you can’t donate blood.
Fortunately, low hemoglobin (or iron deficiency) often is temporary. It is developed when too little iron is absorbed from food to replace iron lost from the body due to heavy menstrual flow, gastrointestinal disease or surgery.
It also can be caused by eating or drinking the wrong combination of foods, beverages or minerals. For example, the calcium in milk and other dairy products can block iron absorption, so it’s better to drink a glass of orange juice with that hamburger and have your milk a few hours later.
When you plan to donate at your next area blood drive, make sure you have plenty of iron in your system. Eating foods high in iron, like meat, fish, poultry, green leafy vegetables, peas, beans, whole grain bread and even milk chocolate will help you maintain a healthy level of iron.

RE and mobile home taxes due
The first half of real estate taxes and mobile home taxes are due and must be paid or postmarked on or before April 30, 2014, reminds Tamara Miller, Hutchinson County Treasurer.
Interest will be charged May 1.
Office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and open during the noon hour.

Start the Hunt
Tate Van Laecken, Tea, grandson of Rob and Joanne Van Laecken, gets a start at the annual Parkston Easter Egg Hunt. With winds gusting to almost 45 miles an hour the day before the April 19 event, the weather cleared and the couple of hundred youths enjoyed the dash to collect eggs and possibly find the special prize eggs that were scattered around Rose Bormann Memorial Park.

Plant a tree on Arbor Day
Plant a tree and help beautify your home and community.
Free.

Parkston Municipal Airport receives award
The Parkston Municipal Airport received the award for Best Maintained Small General Aviation Airport in South Dakota at the annual South Dakota Airports Conference in Spearfish.

Parkston unit competing for national maintenance award
Parkston’s Forward Support Company, 153rd Engineer Battalion, is competing for the 2013-2014 Army Award for Maintenance Excellence and underwent an inspection this month to validate the unit as having one of the best maintenance programs in the National Guard.

Hurley essay awarded in contest
Parkston High School senior Jalen Hurley was awarded a check for $500.00 from the SD Division of Securities Essay Contest.

Prunty, Sudbeck end season with strong finish at State
Two local girls competed in the South Dakota State Gymnastics Championships in Watertown, March 22 and 23

Parkston baseball starts out 3-0
The spring baseball season got under way for Parkston, April 7, with a win on the road at Tabor.

Livestock Disaster Assistance programs available
The Livestock Disaster Assistance Programs for 2012, 2013 and 2014 signup started April 15 and runs through Jan. 30, 2015.

First buffalo calf of the season spotted at Custer State Park
The first buffalo calf of the spring, a bull calf, in Custer State Park was spotted April 8. It was found by park staff off of Fisherman Flats Road in the interior of the Park.

Tripp Star-Ledger

On the Hunt
Dozens of children searched for eggs at the annual Easter egg hunt. The children gathered at the Good Samaritan Society, Tripp, to look for the eggs. Following the hunt, the group headed downtown to eat at a breakfast hosted by the Tripp Women’s Civic Club. A free movie, Yogi Bear, at the Idle Hour Theatre, ended the morning’s activities.

Hutchinson County wind farm project doubles in size
The sky’s the limit for B&H Wind.
The company received unanimous approval from the Hutchinson County Commission for a conditional use permit for 10 additional turbines, April 7.

Home Creations and More finds home
Tripp’s Main Street became home to a new business--Home Creations and More. Designer and store owner Brenda Ziegler is using her business for furniture refinishing/repurposing, as well as selling home décor.

Easter winners
The Tripp Women’s Civic Club hosted the Easter Bunny Breakfast at the Tripp Emergency Services Center on Main Street this past Saturday. In attendance were 45 kids plus parents, grandparents and others. Winners of the children’s Easter baskets were (left to right) Mindy Oleson and Mason Reiner. Other events of the morning included an Easter Egg Hunt for the children at the Good Samaritan Society, Tripp, where the residents enjoyed watching the children search for eggs. That was followed by the movie Yogi Bear at the Idle Hour Theater. Both events were sponsored by the Tripp Commercial Club.

Anniversaries
Good Samaritan Society, Tripp, staff anniversaries for March 2014 include: (left to right) front row-LaDonna Way (11 years) and Marcia Murtha (seven years); back row–Harry Guthmiller (10 years), Russell Neugebauer (15 years) and Tammy Varilek (seven years). Not pictured: Trisha Kaufman (two years).