Inside Philip's festively-decorated Steakhouse and Lounge Saturday night, Wall's Tara Trask accepted the crown as Miss Rodeo South Dakota 2008 from Lacey Cole, Miss Rodeo South Dakota 2007.

Trask becomes the fourth from Wall to wear the crown, the second in three years. Sorrel McKay won the crown in 2006. Previous to her, Wall's Angela Kammerer Lytle wore the crown in 1987 and Kelly Ruland Kjerstad in 1982.

A crowd of nearly 200 attended the 2008 MRSD coronation/auction, MRSD's single largest fundraiser of the year.

Lonis Wendt of the Verendrye Museum in Ft. Pierre reported that after only 30 days of being open at the end of 2007, 160 of the 300 spots have been filled for the planned Ft. Pierre to Deadwood wagon train. He stated that not enough have been filled by South Dakotans.

The train will leave Ft. Pierre on Wednesday, July 30th, and will pull into Deadwood on Friday, August 15th. Each registered participant will receive a certificate that they have ridden on the train. They will also receive a numbered button, which they can loan to someone else as a temporary substitute on the trail ride.

Lonis Wendt of the Verendrye Museum in Ft. Pierre reported that after only 30 days of being open at the end of 2007, 160 of the 300 spots have been filled for the planned Ft. Pierre to Deadwood wagon train. He stated that not enough have been filled by South Dakotans.

The train will leave Ft. Pierre on Wednesday, July 30th, and will pull into Deadwood on Friday, August 15th. Each registered participant will receive a certificate that they have ridden on the train. They will also receive a numbered button, which they can loan to someone else as a temporary substitute on the trail ride.

The Philip High School one-act play "Loonies and Snatchers" will be performed for the Philip-area community on Sunday, January 13th, at 3:00 p.m. in the Fine Arts Building.

The farce begins with an undercover policeman posing as an old woman in order to catch a purse snatcher. He quickly nabs, not one, but two, suspects and handcuffs them to a park bench. Adding to the situation, three patients have escaped from the mental ward of the local hospital. Then the impersonated old lady disobeys orders and arrives at her favorite park bench to read.

Four hundred sixty-nine FFA members from across South Dakota met Sunday and Monday, December 2nd and 3rd, in Pierre for the State FFA Leadership Career Development Events.

FFA members and chapters were recognized for their success in 11 leadership areas. Members advanced to state level competition by placing first or second at their district competitions.

*Age 97 of Philip, South Dakota, died December 28, 2007, at the Philip Nursing Home.

Haley Stanley Jacobson was born May 18, 1910, at 4:00 o'clock during Haley's Comet, near Nowlin, South Dakota, the son of Peter and Ellen (Ritland) Jacobson. His older brother, Nowlin, was named after the town of Nowlin where his parents farmed and ranched. Stanley received his education in the Nowlin area and graduated from Nowlin High School. His early days he rode the open ranges, sold papers, and delivered milk to their customers.

Mass of Christian burial for Thomas R. "T.R." Stalley of rural Riverton was celebrated Friday, Dec. 28, at St. Margaret's Catholic Church in Riverton. The Rev. Father Andrew Duncan officiated.

Military honors were by the Wyoming National Guard.

T.R. died on Saturday, Dec. 22, 2007, at Riverton Memorial Hospital. He was 62 years old.

Thomas R. Stalley was born on Sept. 7, 1945, in Philip, S.D., the son of Thomas James Stalley and Betty (Siedler) Stalley. He attended Springfield (S.D.) State University and moved to Riverton in 1980.

T.R. worked as a cowboy.

Patricia Leigh Herron, age 45 of Selfridge, ND, fomerly of Wall, died December 19, 2007, at the IHS Hospital in Ft. Yates, ND.

Memorial services will be held 2:00 p.m CST on Wednesday, January 9, at the Assembly of God Church in Selfridge, ND, with Pastor Marcus Bakke officiating.

Private family interment will be in the St.

Edna J. Oien, 75, of Kadoka, SD died December 23, 2007, at St. Mary's Transitional Care Unit in Pierre.

Services were held Saturday, Dec. 29, at the Concordia Lutheran Church in Kadoka with Pastor Art Weitschat officiating.

Music was by Randi Oyan, organist and Susan Davidson, vocalist.

Ushers were Paul Briggs and Marv Moor. Pallbearers were Chip Mitchell, Brandon Mitchell, Tyrell Mitchell, Mark Carlson, Ted Hicks and Joe Hicks.

Interment was at South Creek Cemetery north of Kadoka.

Edna J. Sportsman was born Dec.

Lila Maxine Pratt Baye passed away December 18, 2007, in Lakewood, CA.

She was born October 19, 1915, to Clarence and Effie (Gibson) Keyser in Shenandoah, IA. She was raised at the family ranch on Ash Creek, SD. Lila attended grade school there and high school in Philip, SD.

Lila married James Pratt in Madelia, MN, January 5, 1936. The couple moved to Long Beach, CA, in 1940. They were parents to one daughter, Rita Kathryn, born October 13, 1949.

Many years after her husband passed away, she was reunited with her childhood sweetheart, Edmund Baye.