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Lloyd G. Herberg, 95, of Babbitt, died of natural causes on Tuesday, September 13, 2022 at Carefree Assisted Living in Babbitt.
He was born on November 5, 1926 in Crookston, MN and was one of 14 children to Harry and Anna Herberg. Lloyd was the sole survivor of his 13 siblings.
Lloyd grew up in the Crookston area, until he joined the military service at age 17 and was a Navy Seabee Petty Officer Third Class during World War II.
On returning from the military he met Joyce Roselle Solie, the love of his life, and they were married for 56 years. They moved to Babbitt in 1955, where he worked for Reserve Mining Company until retiring in 1984.
Lloyd enjoyed fishing, hunting, camping and traveling to different areas in the United States. Family was very important to him. God blessed him with seven children.

Dolores K. Maki (Kozar) passed away on September 11, 2022 at Essentia Health in Virginia, MN.
Dolores was born on September 27, 1930 to Rose (Peritz) and Anton Kozar in Ely, MN. She was a homemaker who loved to play bingo and spend as much time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
She is survived by her children, Charles Jr. (Barb) from Winter, WI; daughters, Linda (Mark) Buria, Jackie (Nathan) LeBeque, both of Virginia, MN, and Debbie (Jim) Weinzierl of Ely, MN; sisters Leone (Louie) DeBernardi of Carefree, AZ and Marie (Charles) Klun of White Bear Lake, MN; brother Ken (Nancy) Kozar of Lyons, CO; 10 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles E. Maki, Sr.; son-in-law Robert Lobe; sisters Rose Scott Mavetz and Jeanette Steinert; brothers-in-law Robert Scott, Charles Klun, Lyle Steinert and Louie DeBernardi.

Donna M. Fink, 90, of Ely passed away on September 13, 2022 at Edgewood Vista in East Grand Forks, MN.
She was born on February 17, 1932 to Albert and Helen Eiden in Holdingford, MN. Donna graduated from Melrose High School and then completed her nurse’s training at St. Mary’s in Minneapolis. She married Victor John Fink on June 30, 1956 in Melrose. Donna worked as a RN at the Winton Hospital until they closed and then for Ely Bloomenson Community hospital until her retirement in 1994. She was a member of the VFW and American Legion Auxiliaries and the Ely Loony Red Hatters. Donna enjoyed jigsaw puzzles and babysitting her grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, her infant son, Daniel Victor Fink and two brothers, David and Merle Eiden, father and mother, Albert and Helen Eiden.

Gerald “Gerry” Salo, 85, of Tower, Minn. passed away peacefully in his sleep on Friday, September 2, 2022 at his son Darrel’s house in Red Wing.
Gerry was born on February 24, 1937 in Embarrass, Minn. to Francis and Lila (Maki) Salo. He graduated high school and joined the Navy. After the Navy, Gerry married Kathy Pucel and together they had three children; Darrel (Dollie) Salo, Terry Salo and Debra (Chris) Hedin. Kathy passed away in 1986. Gerry later married his high school sweetheart, Joanie Lindsoe who also had grown children; Dawn (Scott) Chaffee, Sue (Mike) Maternowsky, Greg (Marcy) Lindsoe, and Chris Lindsoe. Together they started the second chapter of Gerry’s life in Tower, Minn.

by Tom Coombe
The eighth Great Nordic Beardfest was arguably the best in its relatively brief history.
It may also be the last.
Organizer Shaun Chosa announced last weekend, via social media, that he was pulling the plug on an event he nurtured, grew and developed over the last decade.
“The Great Nordic Beardfest is no more,” Chosa wrote Saturday on the event’s Facebook page. “For numerous reasons, I have decided to move on.”
Chosa elaborated further Tuesday, citing health reasons and a desire to pursue other interests and projects in ending what, in a short amount of time, became one of the community’s major winter events.
What started as a one-night beard and mustache contest at Ely’s Boathouse Brewpub grew dramatically.

A few days behind schedule, the school year in Ely is on track to begin.
Contractors were both plentiful and hard at work this week - inside and outside the school facilities - as they scrambled to get both the buildings and grounds ready for the opening day of the 2022-23 school year.
Parents and students walked past fresh pavement and worked their way around inside buildings that were still in construction mode Thursday, as the district hosted an open house and showed off a $20 million-plus renovation project that is winding down toward completion.
On Monday, more than 500 students, as well as faculty and staff are expected for the first day of classes.
The start of the school year was delayed by nearly a week to allow contractors more time to move the project toward completion, and several athletic events on campus set for this week were moved to other venues.

To the Editor:
I’ve run or skied over a hundred citizen races over the years, mostly marathon length, mostly in the middle or back of the pack. And I can testify to the huge lift that comes from the cheering spectators and musical entertainment groups along the course.
They give encouragement to keep going while distracting from focusing on the pain. But I can’t run anymore. So that’s why I’ll again be playing my tuba for all the runners during the 5K Glow Run (Friday evening, Sept. 23) and toward the end of the 8,390 Rod Ely Marathon & Half-Marathon (Saturday, Sept. 24).
I also know that participants return year after year to such events if they’ve had a good time, were well treated, and enjoyed a party atmosphere.
So, come out and line the routes and cheer; then make your way to the Whiteside Park finish line parties and cheer some more.

by Tom Coombe
Echo editor
Time stands still on Snelling Avenue, at least each year when August comes to a close and September beckons.
As the Minnesota State Fairgrounds approached late Sunday morning, nearly a half-century of memories flooded my mind inside the Uber taking Hollee, Robert, Macy and me to The Great Minnesota Get Together.
Midway and the Giant Slide, the Fair all lit up at night, hordes of people, an endless number of food booths, folks carrying around bags emblazoned with their favorite Twin Cities’ TV station’s logo, and a few unique experiences of a childhood long departed.
Because of some connections, a young boy from Ely got a ride in a State Fair police car during successive Fairs in the 1970s, went behind the grandstand to meet Dolly Parton and Red Skelton in successive years. Somewhere there are pictures.
The Fair became a staple on the calendar. Dates were circled and the trip south was a highlight of the summer.

by Tom Coombe
The all-freshmen Vermilion football team got a rough introduction to college football.
Mesabi, with a deeper and more experienced roster that even included a few players who formerly wore Vermilion blue and gold, ran roughshod in Saturday’s season-opener and cruised to a 55-0 win at Mt. Iron.
Former Vermilion quarterback Trinate Jacobs passed for two touchdowns and ran for another - all in the first quarter - while the Mesabi defense dominated at the line of scrimmage.
The Norse, who avenged a 2021 defeat to Vermilion, rank up a 41-0 lead by halftime and had an immense 385-33 edge in total yards.
Vermilion averaged less than a yard per play and its offensive line was dominated by Mesabi early on.
Special teams were also key with Vermilion having a pair of punts blocked on the sunny early-September afternoon.

by Tom Coombe
After a couple of false starts, the Ely Timberwolves are finally set to play on their home field.
An opening-week game was cancelled when Silver Bay didn’t field a team this season, while Friday’s home debut with Cromwell was played in Aurora, because of construction issues on the Ely school campus.
This week, Ely fans should finally get the chance to see the high school football team play in town, as the Wolves have a Sept. 16 clash with Bigfork, slated for 7 p.m. at Ely School Stadium.
With construction crews paving the parking lots on the school campus as the Echo went to press, prospects for the home game appeared to be growing.
For practices so far this year, the Wolves have had to access the field and locker rooms via the arena side of the football facility, but the stadium and bleachers are expected to be open and accessible for the Sept. 16 game.
The home contest comes amid optimism about the 2022 season.