Photos by Stella Strong Farmers & Merchants State Bank held their annual customer appreciation picnic on Tuesday, July 19. They served over 300 brats and hotdogs. Farmers & Merchants State Bank has been serving the NY Mills Community for over 100 years. The bank is an Equal Housing Lender, Member FDIC.

Marsha Bowman has retired from Otter Tail County Land and Resource Department after serving as the office manager for 39 years.   Bowman began her career in the Treasurer’s Office in 1983 and was hired in 1985 to the newly formed Land and Resource Management department where she continued to work for the remainder of her career. … Read More

Rural school provided life lessons for young students Editor’s Note: The following is the third article in a three part series about Bernice Johnson’s experience at Hill School. Bernice Johnson Special to the Dispatch At school, the big event of the year was putting on a Christmas play. It was exciting to watch the stage appear, as we… Read More

Photos by Kathryn Wilkowski The East Otter Tail County Fair was a buzz with activity from July 21-24 in Perham. One of the more popular rides was the roller coaster for children (bottom left), as well as a number of carnival games (bottom right). Throughout the fair members of local 4-H groups showcased their animals for… Read More

Final edition of the Heartland Market was published on July 25 By Chad Koenen Publisher After nearly 50 years, the final edition of the Heartland Market was published on Monday, July 25. Due to a decrease in advertising, the Heartland Market will no longer be published and included in 13 area newspapers.  The Heartland Market was the brainchild of New… Read More

The following students have been named to the 2022 spring semester Dean’s List at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. To qualify for the Dean’s List, a student must complete 12 or more letter-graded credits while attaining a 3.66 grade point average. Local students named to the list include: Madalyn Erp, New York Mills, College of Liberal… Read More

Thirteen NYM youth attend national youth gathering By Kathryn Wilkowski Reporter Trinity Lutheran’s Director of Christian Education Gary Bach has certainly not been diagnosed with triskaidekaphobia (the fear of the number 13) after a long-awaited trip to Houston, Texas. The excursion was his 13th youth gathering trip. He took 13 teens and they ironically stayed on the… Read More

Petersen starts a new chapter By Kathryn Wilkowski Reporter After having her first child, Cooper, Calicia Petersen opened a new daycare under the enrollment of Mahube-Otwa Head Start in New York Mills.   “I wanted to do something where I could be with my son,” Petersen said. “I found the listing and loved the sound of it…. Read More

By Stella Strong Reporter Larry Bessler, pastor of the New York Mills Assembly of God, retired on May 22. Despite a rather impressive 36 years of serving various churches in the Minnesota area, Bessler admits that it took a little bit for him to even begin to think about becoming a pastor. “Before God’s calling on my life,… Read More

Mills pool takes on new management after 36 years By Kathryn Wilkowski Reporter From working as a lifeguard at 15 years old to being a manager for 26 years, Heidi Van Dyke is retiring after dedicating 36 of her summers to the New York Mills pool. “I really do care a lot about this community,” she said…. Read More