Broadcaster Press 3 February 20, 2018 www.broadcasteronline.com Steal The Flag By Daris Howard the Scoutmaster said, ‘I’m not sure that’s a coyote. Listen to the way the sound seems to come from all directions at once, and it’s deep, growly, and eerie.’ “But the boys didn’t listen. None of them wanted to be thought of as chicken. They set up their flags, a blue one on one end, and a red one on the other. As they played, the coyote sound continued echoing all around them and grew louder. The Scoutmaster was sitting by the fire, and he realized that the shouts from the boys had faded away, and the coyote sound had disappeared. He wondered if the boys had gone to bed. “He took his flashlight and went to see where the boys were. They weren’t in their tents. He found no boys, but he did find the flags, each torn into seven strips, flapping from the trees. He searched all night, and he didn’t see any sign of the boys, but he did see fourteen pairs of fire red eyes staring at him from the brush. “The next morning, he found prints that looked like human hands, with long claws at the end of the fingers.” Mort’s voice quivered as he asked, “What kind of prints were they?” “All I know,” I replied, “is that werewolves are supposed to make that kind of track.” Gordy yawned and stretched. “You know, guys, I’m really tired. What say we go to bed and play steal the flag tomorrow?” They all readily agreed, and soon the camp was quiet, except for Rod’s chuckling and the howl of coyotes in the distance. February is Scout Month, and it always brings back fond memories of my time as a Scoutmaster. We live near a lot of wonderful natural beauty, and we spent a lot of time camping. One particular winter weekend, my assistant, Rod, and I took fourteen boys and went camping down by the river. Nights are long and days are short in the winter, so there weren’t a lot of hours of light left by the time we reached the campsite. The boys were planning a big game of steal the flag. “There are about two hours of daylight left,” I told them. “If you hurry and set up camp, you could have most of it to play.” “Setting up camp is boring,” Gordy complained. “Why don’t we play steal the flag first?” “Because you won’t get camp set up,” I said. “We’ve been there before, and that’s why we have the rules we do. Just work fast.” My encouragement seemed to fall on deaf ears. For the next couple of hours, I heard nothing but complaining while the light faded quickly away. I had food ready to eat long before they finished setting up the camp. When we finished eating, we had to clean up before they could do anything else. Again, they spent more time complaining than working. We just finished when the moon came out, and it was beautiful. It reflected on the snow and made the evening about as light as the early part of a sunrise. “I know,” Mort said, “let’s do a moonlight game of steal the flag.” “And when we get done,” Devin said, “we can tell ghost stories around the Tuesday, March 6th, 2018 • 7:00pm campfire.” I didn’t relish the Union County Highway Building thought of being up most Spink, SD of the night trying to make sure the boys stayed out of For the purpose of election of clerk, treasurer, supervisor and trouble, but I had an idea. any other business that may come before the board. “If you guys expect me Lori Johnson, Spink Township Clerk to tell ghost stories, we probably better do it first.” Rod looked at me and smiled as if he knew I had something up my sleeve. The boys told a few mildly scary stories, then it was my turn. I didn’t know many ghost stories. The boys thought I did, but I always made them up as I went Friday, February 23rd 5–7 p.m. along. I was just about to start when we heard a coy- St. Agnes School Gym ote howl. Then we heard anFree will offering will support other, and another. Though youth group programs the coyotes weren’t foolish enough to come near our camp, the boys joked about it. One boy smacked another one. “I bet you’ll be $ 69 too chicken to play steal the Pollock................................ lb. flag, now.” $ 69 I could see the perfect Catfish Nuggets.................. lb. opening, so I started my sto$ 99 ry. “Years ago, there were a Tilapia................................. lb. group of scouts that decided $ 99 lb. to play steal the flag in the Choice Flank Steak.............. $ 79 middle of the night. There 81% Lean Ground Beef........ lb. (5 LB Trays) were fourteen of them. They 2020 27th Street had heard the coyotes howl, Fresh Boneless $ 69 Sioux City, IA lb. but coyotes aren’t that big, Chicken Breast.................... 712.258.5992 so no one was scared. But Fresh Pork Cutlets.....(5 LB Trays) $ 99lb. www.laurencesmeat.com NOTICE Spink Township Annual Meeting St. Agnes Knights of Columbus Fundraising Fish Fry Weekly Meat SpecialS Box Fish SALE 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 Vermillion School District to celebrate chool Board S RECOGNITION WEEK 2 0 1 8 The Vermillion School Board will join districts across the state to thank school board members for their leadership and service to our local school district and community during South Dakota School Board Recognition Week from February 19-23. “This is a great opportunity to recognize our school board for their dedication to our children and our community,” Superintendent Damon Alvey said. The men and women service Vermillion School District and their years of service are: * Shannon Fairholm – 10 years of service * Rachel Olson – 3 years of service * Doug Peterson – 4 years of service * Jim Peterson – 3 years of service * Tim Schwasinger – 6 years of service This group is responsible for setting the vision of and goals for the district and strives to provide a quality education for our students. The school board also hires quality educators, adopts policies and evaluates progress while always keeping the best interests of our students in mind. During School Board Recognition Week, the Vermillion School District invites students, sta? and community members to take part in thanking its school board members. “As elected leaders, school board members serve as the link between the school and community members,” Superintendent Damon Alvey said. “They work tirelessly for our students, sta? and community.” pharmacy JUST ASK Ask your phArmAcist About: • Delivery • AutomAtic refills • prescrption notificAtions by text, emAil or phone • flu, meningitis AnD shingles shots • trAnsferring A prescription to hy-vee REFILL with our App IT’S READY prescription notifcAtions by text, phone or emAil. A MORE CONVENIENT PHARMACY IS WAITING FOR YOU! transferring is easy. simply call or stop by the pharmacy and we’ll do the rest! prescription delivery is always available. pharmacy 525 W. Cherry, Vermillion 605-624-9591