Howard Lake selects Denny
Decker as parade grand marshal
marshal.
Graduating from Howard Lake-Waverly-
Denny Decker, a contributing community mem- Winsted High School in 1976, Decker was an iron
ber and enthusiastic fi sherman, was selected as the worker for 35 years before retiring to quiet em-
Howard Lake Good Neighbor Days parade grand ployment with the school’s grounds and mainte-
nance crew.
A 32-year marriage with wife, Cindy, brought
about a daughter, son-in-law, and three grandchil-
dren. Decker often fi nds himself at the baseball
fi eld for his grandchildren’s games.
Decker has been a part of the Howard Lake
Sportmen’s Club for approximately 29 years, and
currently serves as president. Through this organi-
zation, he has taught gun training at Lions Hall on
County Road 6; rewarded Cub Scouts for cleaning
the lake; and regulated both the summer and win-
ter fi shing contests in Howard Lake.
He serves at the fi shing contest registration table
in Lions Park on Howard Lake.
Decker appreciates Howard Lake’s setting as a
“town on a hill overlooking the lake,” with every-
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thing you could need, including a bank and gro-
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cery store. It is not uncommon to fi nd him at Joe’s
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Sports Shop, or announcing at the school’s foot-
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ball or basketball games.
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As a loyal Howard Lake resident, Decker rec-
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ognizes the worth of having a community full of
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self-starters and members willing to pitch in, add-
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ing “nothing will happen without involvement.”
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He is grateful for the city council members
KIRA KARELS
Correspondent
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Beat the Heat
CHRISTIE SCHLUETER
When the heat comes, the gardens and crops
will start to take a toll. Broccoli reacts to the heat
by turning yellow and trying to fl ower. Harvest it
before it fl owers. If you let it grow, you’ll get little
broccoli heads off the sides. Carrots and onions
thrive in the heat. Let the foliage grow as it feeds
the vegetable below. Tomatoes also love heat. But
if it is too warm, the fl owers will fall off and the
plant will not be able to set fruit. When it gets
cool again, the plant will start blooming. To en-
sure pollination, shake the tomato plants a bit to
help spread pollen. A thick layer of mulch also
keeps the heat down, and the moisture in. Pol-
lination often suffers when temperatures are hot.
Flowers may not be pollinated at all, or they may
have only partial pollination. Most commonly ef-
fected are bell peppers and squash. On bell pep-
4
Senior
Connections July/August 2019
Denny Decker led the parade as grand marshal in
Howard Lake during the Good Neighbor Days celebra-
tion June 23.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
and mayor, noting times when the city helped the
school despite a lack of obligation to do so.
Decker described Good Neighbor Days as a
sum of good organizers and volunteers.
Acquainted with the year-round planning that
goes into this event-packed weekend, he is grate-
ful to be a part of it.
Having expected to just work at the beer stand,
Decker was genuinely surprised to be chosen as
the grand marshal.
pers, fruit often develops misshapen and small.
Cutting the pepper open reveals a defi nite lack
of seed. In bell peppers, normal pollination and
fruit set does not occur if temperatures are below
58 degrees at night, or above 85 degrees during
the day.
The plants that seem to do best in the heat in-
clude corn, beans, tomatoes, squash, zucchini, cu-
cumbers, eggplant, and peppers.
Although we have no control over it, heat can
cause cucumbers, squash, and melons to become
bitter. Dry conditions also contribute to bitter
fruit, so keeping up on the watering may help.
The National Drought Mitigation Center is an
excellent source on drought. The organization’s
website is www.drought.unl.edu. It explains what
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