The 2022 WEM Homecoming Week activities will begin Monday, Oct. 10 and run through Saturday, Oct. 15. The theme this year is T-Bird Barbecue and Cardinal Cookout!
The opening day of the week will feature the King and Queen Coronation at 10 a.m., Oct. 10, A reception and pictures will follow.

Ginseng--one of the most soughtafter and valuable plants in traditional Chinese medicine—grows wild in the local area and has one farmer turning to fertile woodlands instead of wide-open fields this fall to harvest his crop.
“There used to be a lot of wild ginseng in this area, but it was overharvested years ago,” explained Tyler “Ty” Saemrow of Morristown, owner of Ty’s Ginseng. “But, if you know what you’re looking for, you can still find it.”

The Medford football team limited the WEM gridders to 33 yards rushing in a 42-8 Tiger win Friday, Sept. 30 in Medford.
The Tigers allowed only 17 positive carries by the Bucs. Junior Dylan Holicky was the leading rusher with 20 yards on eight carries. Blake Quick added 14 yards on three carries.
While the rushing game was stymied, the Buccaneer passing game had a good night. Sophomore Preston Grams completed 7-of-12 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown. Four of his completions covered more than 10 yards.

Lee Morsching, age 62 of Waterville, passed away unexpectedly while doing what he loved on Thursday, September 29, 2022.
Born in Faribault on March 13, 1960, Lee was the son of Nelmer and Lorraine (Schwichtenberg) Morsching. He was baptized at St. Peter’s “Bell” Lutheran Church as a child, and was later confirmed by Rev. Roth at Trinity Lutheran Church in Waterville. He attended school in Waterville and graduated with the class of 1978. He went to work for Unimin in Ottawa for several years, and during that time began his own business, Morsching’s Tree Service.

The WEM/JWP girls cross country team put together their top performance of the season, tying for the top spot in the Grizzly Pie Run held Thursday, Sept. 29 at Prairie Ridge Golf Course in Janesville.
The Grizzlies and Maple River tied for championship scoring 53 points each. The Eagles won the tie breaker which is determined by the sixth runner to finish the race. Maple River’s runner was 21st and WEM/JWP’s was 25th.
The other team scores included Blooming Prairie (81), Blue Earth Area (93), United South Central (100), and Medford (103).

Delna Velzke, age 88, of Owatonna, passed away peacefully on October 1, 2022, at the Owatonna Hospital.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, October 15, 2022, at 10:30 a.m. at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Morristown.  Interment will be at Riverside Cemetery, Morristown. 
Visitation will be held from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. on Friday, October 14, 2022, at Boldt Funeral Home, Faribault and one hour prior to service on Saturday at church.

Lois Marilyn Smith, age 92, of Owatonna, formerly of Morristown, died on Sunday, September 25, 2022, in Rochester, Minnesota.
Memorial services will be held on Friday, September 30, 2022, at 3 p.m. at Grace Baptist Church, Owatonna. Interment will be at a later date at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis. Visitation will be held one hour prior to service on Friday at church.

Louise E. Miles Swanson, 94, of Mason City, Iowa passed away on Friday, September 16, 2022, at Traditions of Waterville, Minnesota.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, October 1, 2022, at 11 a.m. at First Congregational United Church of Christ, 100 First Street N.E., Mason City, with Pastor Sarah Krolak officiating. Burial will be at a later date in Memorial Park Cemetery, Mason City. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.majorericksonfuneralhome.com.

Two Gopher Conference victories last week have lifted the WEM volleyball team into the top spots in the league.
The Bucs defeated Hayfield (25-20, 22-25, 25-20, 25-18) Tuesday, Sept. 13 and came-from-behind to defeat Randolph (17-15, 25-27, 25-21, 25-15, and 15-12) Thursday, Sept. 15.
WEM is now 5-4 overall and 3-0 in the conference one of only three undefeated conference teams. Medford and Faribault BA each have a 2-0 record.

Susan Marie Quiram, age 59 of Elysian, died as the result of injuries she sustained in an UTV accident south of Mapleton on the evening of Thursday, September 15, 2022.

Four local youth competed last week in the 2022 Minnesota Junior B.A.S.S. High School Fishing Championships by way of their performances throughout the conference season which was held this past summer.
This year’s event was held on the WhiteFish Chain of Lakes September 10 and 11.
The locals who competed were Myles and Ivan Pratt, Connor Bohlen, and Preston Goettlicher of Cleveland. The Pratt brothers finished in 84th place overall and Bohlen and Goettlicher placed 11th overall.

Roxanne “Roxy” Slechta, age 67, of rural Waseca, died on Thursday, September 15, 2022, at her home.
Born on March 28, 1955, in Faribault to Lyle and Marian (Schifflett) Reid. Roxy attended Waterville-Elysian Public Schools, graduating with the class of 1973. She was married to Paul Hruska of Kilkenny. Together they had two children and later divorced. On August 20, 1999, Roxy was united in marriage to Thomas Slechta and together they made their home on the farm in rural Waseca.

Glen Charles Morris, age 89 of Waterville, passed away at his home on the morning of Sunday, September 18, 2022.