April 25, 2007

Bill Lakin of Bagley is usually content to indulge his passion for railroads by working on his model train display, going to model railroad shows, taking train trips, or just watching the trains pass by a block and a half from his house.

This spring, however, Lakin became much more actively involved, and the story is one he would never have told had his brother Rick not "ratted" on him.

It was on Good Friday as he sat on his front porch looking out the window„from which he has a good view of the railroad tracks„that he saw a big tree come crashing down. "It looked as if it might have fallen on the railroad tracks," he said, "so I slipped my shoes on and ran down there." The tree had, indeed, fallen across the tracks.

Seeing that it was too big for one person to handle, his first thought was to notify another Bagley resident who worked for the railroad. "But then," said Lakin, "I heard the train horn, and realized there wasn't time." Lakin doesn't know how much, if any damage would have been done if he hadn't moved the tree, but, he said, "I couldn't bear the thought that there could be a derailment and I could have prevented it." So he simply did what seemed to be impossible: he moved the tree by himself, and the train came through about a minute afterwards. "I guess adrenaline just kicked in," he said.

Lakin has been fascinated with trains since he was a child. His father was into model railroading, and he himself began collecting when he was about 10. At present, he estimates he has about 60 engines and 300-400 pieces of rolling stock.

Wherever he has lived, he has built a model railroad. As a matter of fact, one reason he bought his present house, aside from its proximity to the railroad tracks, was that it had a large spare bedroom in which he could set up his railroad.

Lakin, who is now retired, is originally from the Broadhead and Janesville area. He lived in Florida for many years, then returned to Janesville to care for his parents before their death.

Note: Railroad officials caution that should someone else find a potentially dangerous problem on the railroad tracks they should call the Resource Protection center, 800-832-5452, and trains in the general vicinity will be stopped immediately. "No one should risk death or injury by removing something from the railroad tracks," said a representative. The telephone number is posted at all railroad crossings. The county emergency dispatch center verified that contact can also be made by calling 911.

The 136-year-old Utica Lutheran Church in rural Ferryville has a rich and colorful past, and its early growth and struggles are recorded in a small booklet, "History of Utica Congregation from 1871 to 1923," written in both Norwegian and English.

The Utica Lutheran Church was born March 13, 1871 with a meeting in the home of Paul Hellend in Utica township, where it was resolved to purchase an acre of land from Edward Stricker as a site for the church, which at the time was to serve 35 families. That same year, the salary of the pastor was set at $100 dollars plus offerings at the main church festivals and pay for ministerial acts. A parochial school teacher was also elected and taught in various homes in the area.

By its annual meeting in January, 1872, total membership had grown to 48 families. A congregational meeting in 1874 resulted in a unanimous vote to build a church, and a building committee was elected.

Members were called upon to contribute building materials, money and labor. According to the history, if anyone "neglected to do this work, the building committee should hire others to do the work at the expense of those who failed to do their duty." Those who did not have cash gave notes.

In January, 1877 a congregational meeting was held for the purpose of disposing of the debt. It was resolved that members should be asked to contribute in proportion to their means. The church resolved to borrow $1,000 from the Hekla Fire Insurance Company, and various members took out mortgages on as much as 80 acres of their land, with a total of 320 acres mortgaged.

The church was built and dedicated upon its present site in 1881.

As the church grew, changes and additions were made. In 1905, a pipe organ was purchased at a cost of $1,250, and an addition was built to be used for youth meetings choir rehearsals and other church needs. In 1923 the steeple was covered with copper and a cross erected on the steeple.

Norwegian remained the language used in the church until 1932 when Pastor Haagenson changed it to English, a change which, as noted by the booklet, "100th Anniversary of the Utica Lutheran Church," was "not an easy change for many of the older members."

In the 1930s a full basement with kitchen was built under the church, and stained glass windows put in place. In the 1940s the church was again remodeled and a new pipe organ purchased and installed. In the 60s the vestibule was enlarged and a new altar installed.

Today, over 100 of its members are direct descendants of the original members who assembled at the first annual meeting in 1872, and the church remains active, supporting charitable causes both locally and globally. The congregation has produced three ministers: Andrew Molldrem, Raymond Williams and Gary Burkum. In addition, two young women are currently in the seminary: Carrie Anderson and Gloria Stubitsch.

Every third Saturday in October, they hold their annual lutefisk dinner, complete with the lefse for which Utica Lutheran Church has become famous. Last year they participated in the Driftless Area Art Fest, selling lefse and pastries, and plan to do so again this year.

As part of their efforts, they are holding an auction May 5 to raise money for the church and its charities, which include Sugar Creek Bible Camp, the local food pantry, Bethel Home in Viroqua and World Hunger.

The event will be held at the Ferryville Community Center starting at 10 a.m., preceded by a pancake breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m. Parishioners have been cleaning out their attics, and among the many items to be auctioned are an antique Norwegian field cradle, a Hawaiian guitar, quilts, a wall quilt and wall hangings, milk cans, a copper boiler, a Hammond organ, two days of hunting rights for turkey and deer on 300 acres of land, exercise equipment, antique dishes, household items and building materials, and the famous Utica lefse.