Spring is here, time to check out your yard!

This is the time of year to evaluate what winter damage has been done. Check all of your shrubs and perennials. Some plants may look dead, but give them time to rejuvenate with the warmer temperatures coming. Some are slow to come around after a long winter’s nap.

Birthright open house
When: 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 20
Where: Hope Center, 218 Main St., Hutchinson
Admission: There’s no charge to attend, the public is welcome
Call: Carolyn Pohlen at (320) 587-6342

When Birthright of Hutchinson was established in 1981, no one expected that the first call would come from a 16-year-old boy who thought his girlfriend was pregnant.

Van Karg has attended numerous state conventions in his 24 years as a member of the Disabled American Veterans, but he was caught off guard at this year’s gathering in Rochester May 2.

That was when he was named the state Adjutant of the Year. In the DAV, an adjutant is a chapter’s secretary and treasurer, charged with keeping meeting minutes as well as correspondence between chapters, members and with the department.

On command, Prancer and Shuba step forward in well-practiced unison until a firm “whoa” brings them to a halt. Another single command sends them stepping backward to their original starting point.

Standing 15 feet away, owner Jim Dostal watches with pride as his 22-year-old draft horses complete the task. He isn’t even in the seat, or at the reins, of the manure spreader they are hitched to at his Hutchinson Township farm.