Whetstone Home Center Celebrates Grand Opening
Whetstone Home Center in Milbank, formerly known as Milbank Lumber, hosted their Grand Opening October 5-7. Mike and Amy Lock and Jeff and Stephanie Jurgens own the business located at 513 West 4th Avenue. The Milbank Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting Friday, October 6. Knife sharpening,... Read more
Banded Birds Released for Contest
The Milbank Area Chamber of Commerce and Grant County Pheasants Forever are joining together for their second annual banded bird contest. The group released an undisclosed number of banded pheasants into public walk-in hunting areas on Friday, October 6. The birds herald the youth pheasant hunting season, which gets... Read more
Lynelle Dwyer Named Services Manager at New Fairway View Town Center
Lynelle Dwyer has been named the Services Manager at the new Fairway View Town Center in Ortonville. She is responsible for running the General Store, Donnie’s Diner, and on-site catering. Dwyer says, “I have many ideas for the initial start-up and a vision for the future of our Town... Read more
MHS Band Earns Gold at Gypsy Days
The MHS Band received a gold rating at the 2017 Gypsy Days in Aberdeen Saturday, September 30. The 115-member band was one of 13 schools to receive a gold rating. Five of the 20 participating bands received a silver rating, and one earned a bronze. Leading the band were... Read more
Milbank Area Chamber of Commerce Elects New Board Members
The Milbank Area Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual meeting September 28. They adopted the theme Do Great Things for the coming year. Three awards were given to chamber businesses for their dedication and commitment. Valley Office Products was named the Small Business of the Year. Valley Queen Cheese... Read more
Snow Queen Contest Offers Senior Girls More Scholarship Money
All local senior girls are invited to experience the tradition of the Milbank Snow Queen contest. The event, held  November 11, will be the first Festival sponsored by The Valley Express. “The Snow Queen Festival is a fantastic opportunity for girls in our community to gain invaluable experience while... Read more
Blue Sky Colony School is Up and Running
The Milbank School District has entered into an agreement with the Blue Sky Hutterite Colony near Revillo to serve seven students. “I was told I was the 128th colony teacher in South Dakota,” says colony teacher, Kari Schmeichel. Schmeichel is employed by the Milbank School District. “This is not... Read more
McKernan, Hamann, and Hanson Win WVRA 2017 Season
Rain and mud didn’t stop the Whetstone Valley Rodeo Association’s final team penning event of the season Saturday, September 23. Calvin Thompson, Steve Hamann, and Louie Minder captured first place out of 23 teams. Marsha Wieting, Steven Hills, and Mike McKernan took second place. Cheryl Kelly, Jenni Bussard, and... Read more
MHS Crowns Jonny Ash and Katie Vander Wal Homecoming Royalty
The Milbank High School Homecoming Coronation was held in front of a packed house this evening, September 25. The ceremony culminated with the crowning of Queen Katie Vander Wal, daughter of Dawn and Paul Vander Wal, and King Jonny Ash, son of Kristen Ash and Craig Ash. The pair... Read more
Daryl Halvorson Chosen Top SDHDA Loan Officer
South Dakota Housing Development Authority’s (SDHDA) annual housing conference concluded with the recognition of Daryl Halvorson from Great Western Bank in Milbank as this year’s top loan officer for Area 5. This is the fourth time Mr. Halvorson has earned this honor. “Without dedicated lenders who originate SDHDA’s loan... Read more