Photo/Duke Wenzel - Two more loads of Jerauld County hay were headed for drought stricken Texas last week. The local area had one of the best grass seasons last spring with ample rain and cool temperatures. With forage to spare, some farmers are now selling to ranches in Texas where they are experiencing one of the worst droughts in 60 years. Jerauld County was in a reserve situation in 1976 when a severe drought forced area producers to either ship their cattle to Nebraska corn stalks, sell them, or have hay shipped in from around the country.

WALT AND MARIANNA Borkowski stand in front of the old August Bender barn that displays one of their many projects, a brightly painted plywood quilt block. They got the idea from a book about a county in Iowa that features them on barns all over the area.

TURTLE PEAK is pictured on the horizon just right of center atop the Wessington Hills on the Shultz ranch two miles northwest of Wessington Springs. The spot is noted for the stone mosaic of a turtle placed there by Native Americans from the past. A local legend had a Chief Turtle being buried there. There is a possibility that the peak is made up of an earth mound built up by the Native Americans but not yet proven. True Dakotan photo/Duke Wenzel

True Dakotan Photo/Duke WenzelTHE ANNUAL DUCKS Unlimited banquet and auction (above) was held last Saturday evening, October 22. According to officials, the number of attendees was the best ever with non-resident hunters making up around 60% of the crowd.Some of the volunteers who planned, set up and hosted the event are pictured above, front, left to right: Evie Bradley, Dianne Kludt, Rita Kolousek, Ann Olson, Tony Hoarty, Gary Bradley, and Olaus Lyons; Back row: Val Luckett, Kyle Everson, Tom Mebius, Larry Olson, Mike Keney, Blaine Tebay. The Ducks Unlimited is a national organization that promotes duck hunting and provided thousands of acres of habitat for waterfowl along the fly ways. The event was held at the Prairie Lounge in Wessington Springs.SCOTT VASKEY is pictured last Saturday evening as he grills over 100 juicy sirloin steaks for the Ducks Unlimited Banquet at the Prairie Lounge. Vaskey somehow oversees five grills simultaneously and has the steaks turn out just right. He has been doing the grilling for the event for several years. His day job is as manager of the Wessington Springs branch of the South Dakota Wheat Growers.