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Saints falter to
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Late planting
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for area workers
Page 1B
Page 12A
Dassel • Cokato
Monday,
June 30, 2014
Enterprise Dispatch
www.DasselCokato.com
Volume 130, Number 1
Serving the communities of Dassel, Cokato, and Darwin, Minnesota
$1
DC Saints manager to be inducted into
Minnesota State Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame
By Jennifer Kotila
“When you have a dream, and he not only coached, but taught a love of the game and
Sports Writer
someone else is accepting of keeping the field nice.
Mark Forsman was an 18-yearthat dream and lets you do that,
During his senior year of high school, Forsman
old kid fresh out of high school
it’s
humbling
had a study hall at the end
baseball when he began playing
to me – I get a
of the day, and he and Hoien
for the Dassel-Cokato Saints in
little choked up
got permission from teachers
1982. The following year, he beabout it,” Forsand Athletic Director George
came manager “because I was
man said. “The
Keith to work on the baseball
the only one stupid enough to do
problem with
field instead of sitting in a
it,” he said.
accepting
an
classroom.
However, Forsman has spent
award like this
“The more he started dohis time since then building a
is you think
ing it, the more he wanted it
successful amateur team and
of all the peoperfect,” Hoien said.
a ballpark to be proud of in his
ple who have
Forsman was Hoien’s starthometown. He will be honored
helped over the
ing third baseman his last
for his efforts by being inducted
years. It’s great
two years of high school. “He
into the Minnesota State Amato get the award,
was a coach’s player – what
teur Baseball Hall of Fame Satbut what about
all coaches dream of,” Hoien
urday, Sept. 20.
all those other
said, noting Forsman was alForsman said he was honored
people
who
ways on-task and mentally
-Mark Forsman on being inducted
and surprised when he received
helped?”
and physically prepared for
the call informing him he had
F
o
r
s
m
a
n’s
games and practice.
File photo
made it into the hall of fame.
The DC Saints did not have a team in 1980 and
DC Saints manager Mark Forsman has love of baseball, and creating
“I thought, maybe 10 years been selected to be inducted into the a great ball field, was forged 1981, and lost its spot in the North Star League, along
down the line would be a good Minnesota State Amateur Baseball Hall in high school when he played with a lot of good players to Maple Lake, Forsman
time to get something like this,” of Fame.
for DC Chargers coach Mick said.
he said. “I didn’t expect this, nor
Hoien in 1980 and ‘81. Forsman
Forsman played for the Saints in 1982 under the
was I striving to achieve it.”
said Hoien was his inspiration for becoming a good management of Bruce Isaacson. The team was an
He noted he would never have gotten this far without manager.
independent team, forming too late to enter a league
all the great people who have helped over the years, or
“I mean, you want to talk about a fundamentally that year.
FORSMAN, page 1B
the sacrifices his family was willing to make.
sound baseball coach,” Forsman said of Hoien, noting
“I thought maybe 10
years down the line
would be a good time
to get something like
this,” he said. “I didn’t
expect this, nor was I
striving to achieve it.”
HAPPENINGS
Early shopper,
newspaper
deadlines
Enterprise
Dispatch
will have early deadlines
the week of June 30 (for
the edition of July 7) due to
Independence Day. Deadlines will be Tuesday, July
1, with a Shopper deadline
of 9 a.m., and a newspaper deadline of noon. The
Enterprise Dispatch office will be closed at noon
Wednesday, July 2, and all
day Thursday and Friday,
July 3-4 due to the Independence Day holiday.
Movie showing
at Cokato
library Wed.
Children ages 4 to 12 are
invited to enjoy a movie at
the Cokato Public Library
Wednesday, July 2, 10:30
a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The movie selection is
a Disney production based
on the book “A Day With
Wilbur Robinson” by William Joyce.
Tickets on sale now for ‘Les Misérables’ Throwback jerseys at this year’s
By Jennifer Kotila
Staff Writer
The cast and crew of the
Dassel-Cokato
Community
Theater production of “Les Misérables” have been busy the
last few weeks rehearsing and
preparing the set for the popular
musical.
Tickets are on sale now for
the production, and can be purchased through the DC Community Education office, or online at www.dc.k12.mn.us/pac.
Tickets can also be purchased
Photo by Jennifer Kotila
one hour before show time at the Director Dave Metcalf works with the cast of “Les Misérables” durPAC box office.
ing a rehearsal last week.
“This is my favorite musical,”
said Director Dave Metcalf, who
A wide range of actors, with
is directing his 25th musical for varying degrees of experience
DC. “The story is beautiful, the make up the cast of the show.
music is unbelievably beautiful “To listen to these actors sing is
– it’s one of the few shows where just fabulous,” Metcalf said, notall the dialogue is sung.”
ing the difficulty in choosing the
“Les Misérables” is a story cast from the more than 100 talabout self-sacrifice, redemption, ented singers who auditioned for
forgiveness, and love in all of its roughly 40 parts.
forms, Metcalf added.
“I am especially excited about
He noted the whole theme of the new folks, or those with little
the show can be summed up by experience, who are so willing to
his favorite line of the musical, work,” Metcalf said.
“To love another person is to see
LES MISERABLES, page 9A
the face of God.”
DC grad celebrates three
years as managing editor
of Twin Cities magazine
By Kristen Miller
News Editor
Three years ago, Andrea
Lien, a 1995 Dassel-Cokato
graduate, came to a fork in the
road and had to decide whether
to become a Lutheran pastor or
take a job managing an up-andcoming Twin Cities magazine
geared toward the gay, lesbian,
bisexual, transgender (GLBT)
community.
With a double major in
communication studies; and
women’s, gender, and sexuality
studies, Lien was prepared to do
either.
“I’ve always been connected
with the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) – my
family has gone to Gethsemane
all of my life,” said the former
Cokato resident.
Lien felt she could use one
of her strengths, that of being a
Photo by Hubert Bonnet for Lavender Magazine
Andrea Lien graduated from
DC in 1995, and is celebrating
three years as managing editor
of Lavender Magazine.
“connector” to serve in the Lutheran church by “connecting
people with themselves, each
other, and to their higher power,”
she said.
It was on her first day of Greek
class at Luther Seminary that she
was presented with an opportunity to use her communication
skills in a different manner.
“I had to decide,” Lien said,
whether she would continue
seminary or accept a position as
managing editor that would direct Lavender Magazine where it
needed to go.
She remembers thinking the
“Lutheran church will always be
there,” but that this opportunity
at Lavender may not.
She had been familiar with
the magazine, which began publication in 1995, when she was
in college. Her friend also happened to be the vice president of
the magazine.
LIEN, page 12A
Darwin Night at the Ballpark
Game set for
Tuesday, July 8
at Saints Field
By Kristen Miller
News Editor
The third annual Darwin
Night at the Ballpark is set for
Tuesday, July 8 and will feature 1948 throwback jerseys,
the most recent jerseys worn by
Darwin town ballplayers.
Darwin Night at the Ballpark
has become a tradition for current and past residents of Darwin to celebrate small-town
baseball, which ceased in Darwin following the 1957 season.
Darwin’s 1948 team was the
first team formed since prior
to World War II, said event organizer Dave Kelly. “Most of
town team baseball was shut
down during the war,” he said.
The uniforms had “Darwin”
on the front, and, on the back
was the name of one of 16 businesses that sponsored the team
– no team name, since there
hadn’t been one since the 1880
Haymakers, Kelly explained.
“I don’t know, that name never
stuck,” he added.
The most recent jerseys were
worn from 1948 to 1957, when
the team folded due to a lack
of ballplayers, said Kelly, who
played on the Darwin team for
DARWIN NIGHT, page 6A
Submitted photo
Darwin Mayor Josh Johnson models a replica 1948 jersey, which will
be available for sale at the July 8
Darwin Night at the Ballpark. Inset, the back of the jersey listing
a 1948 business sponsor of your choice.
Highway 12 lane closures near
Cokato, Delano until July 18
Motorists travelling Highway 12 between Delano and
Cokato will encounter delays,
as segments of the road are
reduced to a single lane 6 p.m.
nightly, now through Friday,
July 18.
All lanes of Highway 12 will
open by 6 a.m. the following
day.
All lanes will also be open
from 6 a.m. Thursday, July 3
through 7 p.m. Monday, July 7
for Independence Day holiday
travel.
Flaggers and a pilot car will
control traffic through the daily work zone. Motorists should
slow down and prepare to stop
as they approach each work
zone, obey flaggers, and use
caution as they follow the pilot car through the daily work
zone.
The closures are needed as
crews resurface and seal the
road. The initial work, a leveling course, was applied to the
roadway in 2013. Crews will
now apply the second and final
course to complete the resur- Find the 2014 Dassel-Cokato
facing.
Guidebook inside.
When complete, the project
will result in a smoother ride
This week’s
and extended road life.
public notices:
For real-time travel informa• Public Hearing City of Cokato
tion anywhere in Minnesota,
Page 5B
visit www.511mn.org.
Enterprise Dispatch Sports
HAPPENINGS
Monday, June 30
Legion Baseball: Cokato Post
209 at Buffalo; 7 p.m.
Tuesday, July 1
Amateur Baseball: DC Saints
vs, Bird Island; 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 2
Amateur Baseball: DC Saints
vs. Hutchinson; 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 3
Legion Baseball: Cokato Post
209 vs. Rockford; 7 p.m.
Saturday, July 5
Legion Baseball: Cokato Post
209 at Albany tournament;
12:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 6
Amateur Baseball: DC Saints at
Buffalo; 2 p.m.
Amateur Baseball: Cokato
Kings at Maple Plain; 5 p.m.
SPORTS SHORTS
Double-header/pork
chop supper July 11 at
Saints Field
DC Saints manager to be inducted into Minnesota State
Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame
FORSMAN, from 1A
Taking over the reins as
manager in 1983, Forsman
was both a player and manager until he took time off
in 1985. He was again manager in 1986-89, took time
off from 1990-92, returned in
1993, and has been manager
ever since.
The Saints played in the
Sauk Valley League through
1985, were independent in
1986, played in the Central
Valley League 1987-1993,
and returned to the North
Star League in 1994.
Forsman was inducted into
the North Star League Hall of
Fame in 2010, and received
his “500th” win ball in a playoff game against the Howard
Lake Orphans July 29, 2011.
Currently sitting at more
than 550 wins – Forsman
couldn’t say just how many,
noting, “I don’t keep track of
things like that.”
Saints Field in Dassel will
host a pork chop supper Friday,
July 11 from 5 to 7:30 p.m.,
when there will be a doubleheader. The Cokato American
Legion Post 209 baseball team Building a successful
will host Cold Spring at 7 p.m., town team
and the Dassel-Cokato Saints
When someone has volunwill host Rockford at 7:30 p.m. tarily managed a team for so
long, a question often asked is
New date and location
“why?”
for Chargers 3-on-3
“When you have been in
basketball tournament it this long, you really get to
The third annual Dassel- know all the players,” ForsCokato Chargers 3-on-3 bas- man said, noting his team is
ketball tournament will take more like a family.
place Saturday, Aug. 9 at the
When he first started, ForsDC High School in the east man was a peer and friend to
parking lot.
his teammates and players.
The tournament will feature However, as the years have
a boys and girls fourth-12th progressed, he has been an
grade bracket, and an adult older brother, and even a fabracket. In order to ensure ther-figure to his players.
proper T-shirt sizes, teams must
“That dugout has held a
register by Monday, Aug. 4. lot of good times, and bad
For additional information and times,” Forsman said of some
a registration form, go to www. of the things his team has
dcchargers3on3.com.
helped each other through.
For instance, long-time
player and assistant coach
Jeff Neutzling lost his daughter and his wife, and player
Lucas Larson lost his father
suddenly a couple of years
ago.
Forsman makes a point of
recruiting home-town boys
for his team. Many of his bat
boys have grown up to be his
players.
As president of the DasselCokato Baseball Association,
Forsman grooms home-town
baseball players from the time
they are old enough to grip a
bat and throw a ball, through
becoming a player for him on
the Saints.
Because he is deliberate in
his approach of bringing in
home-town players, Forsman
notes he has coached many
father-and-son players at the
same time.
“That is neat,” he said. “It
kind of ends up being a little
bit more – not just baseball,
but a kind of human interaction with the things you go
through when you sit here
this long.”
Forsman has even watched
his own son grow up at the
ballpark, and now become a
player for the Saints.
Karsen, a pitcher for the
Saints, was born on a night
the Saints played Clear Lake.
His first game played as a
Saint was against Clear Lake,
and Karsen got his first hit in
that game, Forsman noted.
In the beginning, one of
the hardest things for Forsman was to write the line-up
for the team, especially being
player/manager of a team that
included many friends, Forsman said.
“Writing myself into the
line-up, while sitting good
friends, that was hard,” he
said, noting he has always
written his line-ups according to talent and hard work,
not by loyalties or relationship.
For example, his brother, Tim, was his shortstop
through much of the 1990s.
Mark asked Tim to step aside
and move to third base when
1998 DC graduate Peter
Burkstrand came along. “My
brother got mad and left the
team,” Forsman said.
Today, Forsman faces the
difficulty of managing his
son and writing him into the
line-up or sitting him.
Forsman said his greatest
achievement as a the manager
of the DC Saints is watching
the community come together and build a program, and
build a facility worthy of a
state amateur baseball tournament.
When Dassel was first designated as a state tournament
site for 2005, the ballpark did
not even have the amenities it
would need, such as a covered
grandstand, Forsman noted.
“They had faith in me to get
it done, and I did,” Forsman
said, again acknowledging all
those who helped him.
Saints Ball Park will also
host the 2016 state amateur
baseball tournament. Some
of the improvements planned
before then include a new
bleacher system along the
third-base line, and moving
the current aluminum bleachers to the first-base line, new
perimeter fencing, tiling and
leveling the field, and sprucing it up with flowers and
other decor.
Post 209 wins over Delano
By Jennifer Kotila
Sports Writer
Down by one run at the
top of the seventh inning, the
Cokato American Legion Post
209 baseball team came back
with three runs to win the game
6-4 over Delano Post 377.
Originally scheduled to be
played in Delano, Post 209
hosted last Monday’s game because Delano’s baseball field
was under water due to flooding from the Crow River. However, Delano was still the home
team.
Post 209’s hitting and running skills, along with great
pitching in the last four innings,
were the key for the win.
Delano led 4-0 after three
innings, but DC chipped away
with single runs in each of the
fourth, fifth, and sixth innings,
before taking a lead with three
runs in the seventh.
Down 4-3 at the top of the
seventh, an RBI single by Isak
Haataja allowed Dalton Asplin
to score a run to tie the game.
Then, Trent Thinesen made
it home on a wild pitch by Tyler Hannen, putting Post 209 in
the lead 5-4.
Michael Leffler then came
through for Post 209 by hitting
a double off the left field wall,
allowing Haataja to score and
ENTERPRISE DISPATCH, Monday, June 30, 2014, Page 1B
File photo
DC Saints Manager Mark Forsman gives one of his runners a work
of advice during a game last year.
“Mark is a really dedicated person, and those are few
and far between,” Hoien said.
“If it wasn’t for Mark, there
wouldn’t be a town team
here.”
Forsman is the 15th per-
son associated with the North
Star League to be inducted
into the Minnesota State Amateur Hall of Fame, and the
third DC Saint.
Saints, Kings
fall to the Larks
By Jennifer Kotila
Sports Editor
The Loretto Larks came
to Cokato June 22, sweeping
the double-header against the
Cokato Kings, then picked up
another win Wednesday when
the Dassel-Cokato Saints traveled to Loretto and lost.
The Kings were the home
team in the first game of the
double-header, and just lost to
the Larks, 3-2. As the visiting
team, the Kings let the Larks
fly away with a 15-0 win.
Wednesday, the Saints lost
4-2 to the Larks.
Loretto 3, Cokato 2
Loretto 15, Cokato 0
The Kings were the first to
score, picking up a run in the
SAINTS, KINGS, page 3B
Saints lose to Maple Lake,
gain a win over Maple Plain
Photo by Adam Jaunich
The high water in Delano has caused headaches on the baseball scene, especially at Delano Municipal
Stadium, where the outfield looks like a lake. Delano Post 377 came to Dassel to play its home game
against Cokato American Legion Post 209 last Monday due to the flooding. The future of games at
the town’s main baseball stadium for the rest of the summer are in doubt. Dave Zitzloff Field, the
town’s other full-sized baseball field, has stayed dry and will absorb many of the games that were
scheduled for Municipal Stadium.
putting Post 209 up 6-4.
Pitching the entire seven innings, Asplin came through for
Post 209, allowing only two
hits and no runs in the last four
innings.
LEGION BASEBALL, page 2B
File photo
Isak Haataja had two hits for an RBI and a run in the Cokato
American Legion Post 209 win over Delano last Monday.
By Jennifer Kotila
Sports Writer
The Saints fell hard to the
Maple Lake June 20, losing to
the Lakers 10-3. The team improved June 22, beating Maple
Plain 4-0.
The Saints are now 12-7 for
the season, and 9-5 in the North
Star League.
Maple Lake 10, DC 3
Although the Saints got 11
hits in the game against the
Lakers, the team was only able
to make it home three times.
The Lakers, on the other
hand, gained 10 runs on nine
hits in the game to come away
with the win.
Three Saints hit doubles in
the game against Maple Lake,
two of them gaining an RBI
and one a run – but errors .
Hitting doubles were Jon
DeRock, Reed Nelson, and
Jordan Flick, with Nelson and
Flick earning RBIs; Flick also
scored a run.
John Hohenstein had three
hits for one run, and Kyle Johnson had one hit and one run.
Starting off pitching for the
Saints, Karsen Forsman went
for 3.2 innings, allowing eight
runs in seven hits, six of them
earned. He walked five batters,
and struck out three.
Flick pitched 2.1 innings,
striking out three and walking
one; Lucas Larson pitched two
innings, allowing two hits and
one run; and, Jordan Danielson
pitched one inning, walking
one and striking out one.
The Lakers struck out 11
Saints, while walking only one.
All three of the Saints runs
File photo
were earned.
Trent Thinesen had a two runs and an RBI in last Monday’s Post Friday,
June 20
209 win over Delano.
Maple Lake 10, DC 3
DC
Maple Lake
DC
12 34
10 00
11 42
AB
5678 9 R
0110 0 3
0 0 1 1 0 10
R H RBI
A. Carlson
B. Opsahl
J. DeRock
K. Forsman
B. Berggren
L. Larson
E. Hanson
K. Johnson
R. Nelson
T. Zweibohmer
J. Hohenstein
J. Flick
Totals
K. Forsman
J. Flick
L. Larson
J. Danielson
1 0 0
4 0 1
4 0 2
1 0 0
4 0 1
2 0 0
4 0 0
3 1 1
4 0 1
1 0 0
4 1 3
3 1 2
35 3 11
IP H R ER BB
3.2 7 8 6 5
2.1 0 0 0 1
2 2 1 0 3
1 0 0 0 1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
3
SO
3
2
1
2
DC 4, Maple Plain 0
The Saints shut-out the
Diamond Devils June 22 for
pitcher Tyler Zweibohmer to
earn a win after pitching seven
innings and being relieved by
Jordan Danielson.
Zweibohmer allowed four
hits, but the defense stepped up
to keep any from scoring.
Zweibohmer walked four
Diamond Devils, and struck
out three.
Danielson allowed one hit,
walked one, and struck out
one.
Two Saints hit home runs
in the game – Nelson and Opsahl; DeRock hit a double, and
earned two RBIs batting in Hohenstein and Johnson.
Sunday, June 22
DC 4, Maple Plain 0
12 345678 9 R
DC
10 111000 x 4
Maple Plain
00 000000 0 0
DC
AB R H RBI
B. Opsahl
3 1 1 1
J. DeRock
4 0 1 2
K. Forsman
3 0 0 0
B. Berggren
2 0 1 0
L. Larson
3 0 1 0
K. Johnson
2 1 1 0
R. Nelson
3 1 1 1
J. Hohenstein
4 1 0 0
J. Flick
1 0 0 0
B. Opsahl
2 0 0 0
M. Kurtzweg
1 0 0 0
Z. Lingl
1 0 0 0
A. Smith
1 0 0 0
Totals
30 4 6 4
IP H R ER BB SO
T. Zweibohmer
7 4 0 0 4 3
J. Danielson
1 0 0 0 1 2