Thanks to all those who stopped by the Chaska Herald booth last Friday and Saturday to take our third annual River City Days quiz.
Here’s a question-by-question rundown of the answers:
1. What Chaska High School graduate didn’t go pro in 2008?A. Brad Hand
B. Dale Welter
C. Tim Mattran
D. Spencer Tollackson
Correct answer: Question disqualifiedThere’s been an inordinate number of Chaska graduates who have gone pro in the past year:
* Baseball pitcher Brad Hand signed with the Florida Marlins.
* Offensive lineman Tim Mattran signed with the Vikings.
* Basketball player Spencer Tollackson signed with digibu Baskets Paderborn of the German Basketball Bundesliga, the highest professional league in Germany.So, originally, the correct answer was Dale Welter.
Welter is a Chaska High School baseball coach, member of the Minnesota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame, and has been involved with the Chaska Cubs for almost five decades.
There is no doubt he’s coached players and played with players who went pro. However, Welter didn’t go pro in 2008. The Cubs wouldn’t let him – he’s too valuable to the organization.
However, I was horrified when I realized there was an error in question No. 1. The question was rewritten late last week after learning that Tollackson went pro. The revision infers that Dale Welter is a Chaska High School graduate.
In fact, Welter is a graduate of Guardian Angels High School, which closed in 1973, leaving grades K-8. So, many apologies to G.A. alumni. (Go Sabres!)
Because the question may have confused those who did their research, I’m pulling it from contention.
2. What’s the name of the latest apple introduced at the Arboretum?A. SnowSweet
B. Frostbite
C. Tundra Crunch
D. FranCrispo
Correct answer: B. Frostbite
This spring the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum held a contest to name its latest apple. The contest about 7,000 submissions. The apple formerly known as MN447 was named Frostbite.
The Arc did introduce SnowSweet, but it was in 1996 – before the Frostbite. “Tundra Crunch” was submitted as a possible name for the MN447 and “FranCrispo” is a fictitious name, in honor of Herald staff writer Mollee Francisco.
3. How many dump trucks of dirt were excavated from new Highway 212?A. 500,000
B. 750,000
C. 1 million
D. 2 million
Correct answer: B. 750,000That’s MnDOT’s estimate, as reported in the July 3, Chaska Herald. At one time, Chaska staff entertained the thought of building a ski hill with the displaced earth, but the idea bit the dirt.
4. Which area church is not celebrating its 150th birthday?A. Guardian Angels Catholic Church
B. East Union Lutheran Church
C. Chaska Moravian Church
D. St. John’s Lutheran Church
Correct answer: St. John’s Lutheran ChurchAmazingly, Guardian Angels, East Union and Chaska Moravian churches are all celebrating their 150th this year. St. John’s was organized in 1884.
5. The Chaska High School class of 1948 lays claim to:A. Selecting purple and gold class colors
B. Fielding the first girls volleyball team
C. Choosing the Hawks as a mascot
D. Picking the class song
Correct answer: C. Choosing the Hawks as a mascot
“We adopted the Hawks because it was an aggressive name,” recalled 1948 graduate Neil Bealka in the July 3 Chaska Herald.
So, given the disqualification of No. 1, the final tally was
* 0 correct: 4
* 1 correct: 19
* 2 correct: 13
* 3 correct: 20
* 4 correct: 5
One of the five entries with four out of four correct didn’t leave a name, so we held a drawing among the four remaining entries and Joyce Burau was the winner.
Congratulations Burau! You’re a winner of a two-year subscription to the Chaska Herald.
If there are suggestions on how to improve the quiz for next year, send your ideas to editor@chaskaherald.com [1] or call me at (952) 345-6574.
Raffle Winners
The Herald also held raffles for two sets each of Twins tickets, Renaissance Festival tickets and Chanhassen Dinner Theatres tickets.
Here are the winners:
* Twins Tickets: Dan LaForge and Amy Theis* Renaissance Tickets: Bill Pepen and Elaine Ess* Chanhassen Dinner Theatres: Bill Kuchar and Pam Thurston