2021 promised to be the “recovery” year following COVID-19 that began in 2019 and carried over through the entire 2020 year. However, 2021 was not the recovery many had hoped for and was, in fact, just as turbulent and unpredictable as previous years. Many businesses are still struggling, some closed and workers were few and far between. 

The politics of enforced vaccinations and their effects, along with the in metamorphosis of new variants has continued to ignite fear and concern in a world where booster shots is slowly becoming a fact of life.

Despite the dour situation most of the world has faced in 2021, we at the Patriot found loads of great news we’ve covered in the last calendar year and present them to you with fond hopes of a better 2022 and beyond...

January

Big Lake High School’s Assistant principal Angie Charboneau-Floch was named Minnesota Assistant Principal of the year in early January. The award is given by the Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals (MASSP), an organization which looks to improve students’ education by supporting principals and assistant principals around the state.

Colder temperatures in January of last year after a tepid close to 2020 meant the lakes in Central Minnesota saw a flurry of action in January. Becker resident Bill Klatt brought his son (Cody) and a friend to Camp Lake and drilled a few holes in search of fish. Other area lakes were busy as well, with accesses at both Briggs Lake and Elk Lake filled to capacity.

Xcel Energy said in January they want to add around 500 megawatts of new large-scale solar generation near its existing Sherco Power Plant in Becker. The project would create 400 union construction jobs and around 25 permanent positions, pending approval by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission.

February

In early February, dozens of concerned citizens ventured onto the ice of Elk Lake to share their input about Sherburne County’s proposal to establish a 430 acre regional park along the north shore of the lake located in Palmer Twp. 

Steve Radeke of Becker was awarded the Purple Heart award by the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office last February. The Purple Heart is an award given to those who have been wounded while on duty. Correctional Officer Radeke was awarded the very first Purple Heart award given by Sherburne County.

Sherburne County 4-H Ambassadors coordinated a county-wide drive on Feb. 8 to collect items for the foster care community. 4-H families and community members donated many needed items in a drive-up style drop-off.

March

Nate Bucher, long-time second-grade school teacher at Becker Primary School and high school tennis coach, accepted  the senior pastor position with Becker Baptist Church following a long search to replace beloved Pastor Rob Olsen.

Captain Dan Anselment of the Wright County Sheriff’s Dept., whose final day of work after 33 years with the Sheriff’s Office was in March, was honored at a county board meeting for his exemplary service to the county. He was joined by an eight-year employee who has also served the residents of Wright County – K9 officer Vader.

A new high school opened in Elk River last fall. Good Shepherd Lutheran High School (GSLHS) offers faith-based learning to students in grades 9-12. Classes are held in the Lord of Glory Lutheran Church in Elk River.

April

Dairy2U, a modern-day milkman company that was founded by St. Cloud’s Brad Hagfors in 2019, began to offer services within the areas of Patriot readership, including Clear Lake, Clearwater, Becker, Big Lake, and surrounding townships. 

12-year-old Samantha Lumley of Becker was a wrestling dynamo as she wrestled in the 127-lb. weight class and became a two-time Minnesota USA State Champion in the 14U bracket. In 2019, she pinned every competitor in every match she wrestled in in her class and went uncontested the entire year meaning that at every wrestling meet, not a single opponent challenged her at her weight class.

Kim Noding was the victor in last April’s special election in Big Lake. Noding had the most votes at 264, beating out opponents Ketti Green (215) and Donna Pouliot (37).

May

High School athletes in Minnesota received much appreciative news last May as they were told by the MSHSL they are no longer required to wear a mask or face covering during competition at outdoor activities.

Nearly 300 citizens from all across the State of Minnesota gathered for a Town Hall meeting in May  at South Santiago Lutheran Church for information gathering on the grassroots effort of the Convention of States (COS).

Becker City Hall saw over 1,200 voters turn out for last Spring’s election for a school referendum. The referendum — requesting approval for improvement of infrastructure spaces, and building a new transportation facility, along with providing more space for programs, renovations and improvements to existing spaces including FFE, athletics lighting, and installing synthetic turf on the multi-purpose field was voted down by a mere 11 votes. The final tally was 601 for, and 612 against. The school held another referendum just this past fall where voters in the Becker School District approved both referendums by an unofficial margin of 1,403 “yes” votes to 763 “no” votes for question one, and 1,199 “yes” votes to 966 “no” votes for question two.

Dillon Radunz, who played for the Bulldogs under Dwight Lundeen, then played at NDSU under two coaches, was selected in the second round (53rd overall) in the 2021 NFL draft held last April. Dillon, standing at 6’6” and 300-lbs., currently plays right tackle for the Tennessee Titans of the AFC.

June

Becker Softball Head Coach Jason Baune reached an impressive milestone last June when his Bulldogs shutout the Willmar Cardinals in the opening round of the MSHSL softball playoffs, and the win was his 300th as head coach of the program.

Big Lake resident Darlene Ganz turned 95 in June of 2020. Darlene owned the Coffee Cup in Becker from September 1978 to September 1985 and has been very active in her community her entire life.

Last June at Lions Park in Big Lake, several bikers participated in the fifth annual Running for Justice Bike-a-Thon. The riders get sponsored by companies and individuals in an effort to raise money to go towards helping victims of human trafficking and raising awareness of the issue. 

July

Bob and Judy’s Farm Market, a business that has been an integral part of Big Lake for more than 20 years, closed their doors permanently in early July. The owners continued to operate through the 4th of July holiday weekend before shutting down for good.

The Santiago Lions held a benefit in July for Santiago man Andrew Reid. Reid was recently diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma, an extremely rare form of brain cancer. Reid’s father, Steve Reid, is a firefighter with the Becker Fire Dept. 

Brooke Brower, former Becker student and gymnast from Clearwater, gained quite a standing in the world of physical fitness and bodybuilding. At 23 years old, she has captured two successful, back-to-back fitness competition crowns in the summer. Brooke currently works as a personal trainer, nutrition coach, sports coach and continues to compete.

August

Daisy Kent headed off to Germany in August to seek treatment for her Lyme’s Disease. Kent, 22, has been dealing with mysterious, chronic episodes and conditions all through her grade school, high school and college days and prior treatments have failed. According to reports, Kent is fully healed and back living in Southern California where she has a job and tons of friends from college.

Caleb Quernemoen held a golf outing June 28 where he accepted donations for the Becker Backpack Buddies organization based on per hole sponsorships and donations from community members and businesses. Quernemoen raised $1,696 for Becker Backpack Buddies and donated the funds to the organization in August.

Eight Pitmaster ‘Smokers’ vied for three top prizes and ‘People’s Choice’ awards at last August’s Pulled Pork Cook-Off at Lupulin Brewery in Big Lake. All of the smokers presented hungry attendees and the judges with excellent smoked pork samples and sauces, taking great pride in their recipes, skills, and presentation.

September

In late August, the Becker Sons of the American Legion hosted a Country Music Concert that featured the Purple Hulls and Monroe Crossing. The concert was held to benefit the Minneapolis Fisher House, a foundation that builds comfort homes where military and veteran families can stay free of charge, while a loved one is in the hospital.

The Becker Community Center campus made public some exciting new outdoor activities in September, free for community use. A new splash pad was constructed outside the BCC as well as a new basketball court and two new pickle ball courts. These new attractions were brought to the community by the City of Becker and the Parks and Rec. Dept. 

The second annual (of many, many future) Taste of Terror haunted house event (TasteOfTerrorMN.com) took place the last two weekends of September in the 4-H building at the Sherburne County Fairgrounds. This event, run by the Big Lake Cheer Booster, is a truly terrifying and fun way to raise money for the student athletes to compete around the nation.

October

In early October, the parking lot at McPete’s in Big Lake was overflowing with unique, classic cars for the fifth year that McPete’s has teamed up with Tri-River Rodders, a club active in the communities of Big Lake, Elk River, and Zimmerman. A total of 221 cars were registered at the show.  

It took a year longer than originally planned, but the Becker American Legion was able to celebrate its milestone 100th birthday last October, as a good crowd showed up to mark Post 193’s 101st year in existence. An original celebration planned for last year had been postponed due to the pandemic, but this year many veterans and their families showed up to honor a century’s worth of service to the Becker community.

Becker resident Jim Aleckson was named Minnesota Pitcher of the Year at a Minnesota Gopher State Horseshoe Pitching Association meeting last October. This award is given to the person who has pitched in the most tournaments in the state and placed first, second or third positions during the 2020-21 season (August to August).

November

Francisco Martinez of Big Lake decided to join the United States Marines on Sept. 10 of 2001 to pursue boxing with the armed forces. The next day the Twin Towers crumbled to the ground. Martinez had no idea how fighting in the ring would become fighting for his country in such a short time.

Carol Payne, a Licensed Social Worker from Clear Lake, was selected by the Association of Social Work Boards to receive the 2021 Sunny Andrews Award for Outstanding Commitment to Social Work Regulatory Board Service. She received the award Nov. 20, 2021, where  she was honored during the ASWB Annual Meeting of the Delegate Assembly.

Big Lake High School held a REAL event at the high school auditorium in November. Eleven students attended along with a number of businesses and organizations who are helping kids prepare for the workforce following graduation.

December

The Becker High School Drama club held their opening night performance of Elf in December to massive crowds. This was the first drama club performance to take place in the Performing Arts Center (PAC) since 2019 due to COVID-19, and students were excited to be back on the main stage, instead of performing in the parking lot.

Mike Garland from Becker made another trip to the Twin Cities to donate $1,300 of supplies to the American Cancer Society’s Twin Cities Hope Lodge. Garland raised funds for these supplies through a recent chili cookoff. 

Becker City Administrator Greg Pruszinske accepted an offer to be the CA in Hibbing and began serving the Northern Minnesota city this past Monday. Pruszinske had been the CA at Becker for the last 12 years and was Asst. CA for 13 before that.

2022 and Beyond...

A survey by Nature Portfolio last January shows of the 100 scientists interviewed, many (90%) expect the virus that causes COVID-19 to become endemic (regularly found), but it could pose less danger over time.

The future of the virus will depend heavily on the type of immunity people acquire through infection or vaccination and how the virus evolves. Influenza and the four human coronaviruses that cause common colds are also endemic: but a combination of annual vaccines and acquired immunity means that societies tolerate the seasonal deaths and illnesses they bring without requiring lockdowns, masks and social distancing.

So let’s raise those glasses of champagne and pledge a toast to — instead of eradicating the virus — we eradicate the fear surrounding it. Instead of worrying, let’s declare hope. Instead of misery, let’s promote joy.

Cheers!