Published Saturday, June 14, 2003

St. Ansgar prepares for sesquicentennial

ST. ANSGAR, Iowa -- The Rev. C. L. Clausen must have been something else.

Not only did he found First Lutheran Church, but he also founded the community of St. Ansgar, Iowa. First Lutheran Church is the oldest church west of the Mississippi River and has had the longest continuing services of any church.

St. Ansgar is ... well .... St. Ansgar. One of the best small towns in Iowa.

At least, that's what Anita Sponheim and Lori Mayer say.

They are members of the committee of volunteers, planning the celebration to last a lifetime.

"Yes, I would say St. Ansgar is the best darn place to live in Iowa," Mayer said.

"It's a very caring community," Sponheim added. "People are friendly and they will really help you if you have a need. Everybody takes a lot of pride in this town."

Mayer and Sponheim said the celebration committee they serve is an example of St. Ansgar' finest.

"It takes a lot of hard work to make things come together and it takes a lot of thorough, preparation and time," Mayer said. "You really have to have a heart for St. Ansgar."

"We started about a year ago and all the volunteers have been great," Sponheim said. "It's not just the people you see, but it's the people behind the scenes, too."

Mayer grew up on a farm east of St. Ansgar, graduated from high school here, married her high school sweetheart, Tony, and had three children and went away to college only to return to settle down with her husband and family.

"We live in a picturesque community full of caring people," she said.

Sponheim is a "foreigner" from western Iowa. Her husband, Wayne, a farmer, is a native of Mitchell County. The couple have two children. Sponheim is a co-owner of The Bridal Theatre with Nancy Bell.

Many activities planned

The sesquicentennial's schedule of events fills Saturday, June 21, from morning to night with family fun. Registration for both the 2 x 4 Bike Ride and John Peterson Walk begins 7:30 a.m.

Also Saturday, the St. Ansgar Community High School class of 1978 will hold a memorial at the high school beginning at 9 a.m. to honor those classmates who have died.

Among the schedule's highlights is the Neeley Dairy Farm crew who will serve cones and sundaes and celebrate dairy heritage in Mitchell County.

"Bill and Jean Neeley used to own an ice cream stand," Mayer said. "They're going to be serving hand-dipped ice cream cones and sundaes and they're going to invite as many of the over 200 car hops they employed through the years to offer curbside service."

The St. Ansgar Heritage Museum will feature artist David Rottinghaus both days, signing framed Cedar Valley prints.

Walking tours of the community will originate both days from the museum.

The artist painted an eagle's eye view of the community that is sure to be a popular keepsake or gift item. For more information about the activities call the museum at (641) 713-2776.

Shuttle bus service will be available Saturday to transport visitors to the various events.

The St. Ansgar Chamber of Commerce will sponsor the Tour of Ponds. Tickets are $5 per person and available at the greenhouse.

The Saturday afternoon schedule is equally busy with the Farmall Square Dancing Tractors performing at 3 p.m. at the middle school and the Lin-Haus Rud folk dancers entertaining at 5 p.m.

Fire chief Jerry Rachut will lead St. Ansgar volunteers in serving supper 4 to 7 p.m. at the fire station. Advance tickets can be purchased by calling (641) 736-4343.

At 5:30 p.m. June 21, 10 100th anniversary plates will be auctioned.

The community's 150th birthday party cake -- actually 10 large sheet cakes -- will be served after the 7 p.m. grand parade through Main Street and nearby residential neighborhoods. Audrey McKinley, everyone's favorite historian, is the grand marshal and she will ride in a carriage pulled by a team of the Shriners white stallions.

Miss St. Ansgar will be crowned in ceremonies beginning before the parade.

The unique Stitches on the Oregon Trail quilt also will be raffled before the parade.

Into the night, the Main Event DJ will play music for street dancing and Patrick Hazell, the one-man blues band, will perform beginning at 9 p.m.

Throughout the day, Steve Pope and Lisa Dockstader will have displays of historical St. Ansgar photos and other memorabilia in the parking lot outside the Bridal Theatre.

Sponheim is a member of the St. Ansgar Chamber of Commerce and a biking advocate. The 2 x 4 Bike Ride Saturday morning will be hard for her to avoid, but she's also eager to see the Shriners horse show and the square-dancing tractors.

"I think what people will see this weekend in St. Ansgar is a town that works together," she said. And enjoys having fun and respects its history, too. Souvenirs will be available

According to Mayer, the sesquicentennial volunteers have been working over five months to prepare for the coming weekend's fun. Among their efforts: a wide variety of commemorative souvenirs.

There are T-shirts, coffee mugs, jewelry, cookbooks and videos from the 1953 centennial.

Also, the Clausen Colony Quester's group has prepared an updated history of St. Ansgar.

Postmaster Curtis Thompson will sell stamped cancellations to commemorate the occasion. All souvenirs will bear the "official" sesquicentennial logo designed by artist Keith Roll.

Those who won't be able to attend the sesquicentennial will have the opportunity to purchase a Mike Kelly "Video Portraits of Iowa" video of the celebration later.

(Not only is the town of St. Ansgar 150, so is First Lutheran Church. In an upcoming edition find out what the church is doing next weekend to celebrate.)

Lee Bonorden can be contacted at 434-2232 or by e-mail at lee.bonorden@austindailyherald.com

St. Ansgar celebrates its proud history at 150 years

ST. ANSGAR, Iowa -- The seeds that were sown 150 years ago on the Iowa prairie continue to grow.

The Rev. C. L. Clausen and the original members of the Clausen Colony sowed the "bread for the soul," as it was described Sunday in St. Ansgar.

A sesquicentennial of history and ministry was celebrated Sunday at First Lutheran Church.

On Saturday, the sesquicentennial of the St. Ansgar community was celebrated. Each is intertwined by a Norwegian immigrant preacher, Clausen.

The early service was well-attended Sunday, but the second service set a record with over 300 people jammed into the tiny church.

After a dinner at mid-day, church members and friends returned Sunday afternoon for an afternoon service.

Richard Sherman, chairperson of the congregation, welcomed another large audience and remarked on the significance of the moment.

"It was 150 years ago, when 75 Danish and Norwegian immigrants gathered in Pete Hackbarth's front yard just three blocks down the street from here," Sherman observed.

With them was Clausen, the Norwegian Lutheran minister sent west from Wisconsin to assist immigrants on the Upper Midwest prairies.

His first church was First Lutheran and the colony of immigrants also became a community named after a ninth century missionary, whose name meant "God's spear."

The Rev. Robert P. Porisch, pastor of First Lutheran Church, said, "God's changeless love will be with us forever."

Porisch said First Lutheran Church will never have the problem of other small churches in attracting a pastor.

Paul Larson led the congregation in singing in Norwegian and English languages.

Nels Golberg, chairperson of the anniversary committee, read letters of congratulations from neighboring congregations; many of them started by the prolific prairie preacher, Clausen.

On Saturday night, a huge parade included descendants of the Clausen Colony, plus Strand family descendants of Clausen himself as well as the miniature First Lutheran Church building by Golberg.

The afternoon service's message was a combination of history and ministry delivered by Claire Groth, who along with his sister, Ardella Groth Warrington is one of the true sons of the congregation and can trace his ancestry back tot he original immigrant colony.

Groth told how St. Ansgar became a clearinghouse for thousands of immigrants of the Norwegian and other ethnic backgrounds.

Groth and his sister have benefited by a family of historians, who kept detailed dairies and journals and passed the information on to future generations.

He concluded his emotional remarks, saying, "When people ask me where my roots are, I tell them proudly St. Ansgar, Iowa. May God continue to bless the members of the Clausen Colony."

After the service, refreshments were served in the nearby parish center and more reminiscing took place.

Commemorate souvenirs were sold, including a video of the weekend's events.

Lee Bonorden can be contacted at 434-2232 or by e-mail at lee.bonorden@austindailyherald.com

[Austin Daily Herald, Monday, June 23, 2003]