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Gov. Mike Rounds Dakota Roots program is designed to
get the word out about what a great place South Dakota is to live,
work and raise a family. The Hoven Service Club is taking Dakota
Roots one step farther in that they want to promote the Hoven area
specifically as a great place to live and encourage former residents
as well as new people to consider putting down roots here.
The late Bob Gabrielson, a great Hoven promoter, coined
the term "Renaissance Hoven" several years ago. "This is a
continuation of that," said Vern Rausch, who was recently named
Co-Chairman of the Service Club. "The goal is to stimulate the
economy and promote the community."
Two weeks ago, the Service Club published a survey
asking people to list the reasons they live in Hoven. It was the
first step in developing a plan to more effectively promote the
community. The results will be published in the Review and on
Hoven’s website, www.hovensd.com. If you haven’t returned your
survey, please do, or talk to one of the Service Club officers.
In conjunction with the Service Club’s efforts, the
Review will be visiting with a number of people who have chosen to
make Hoven home. For our first article of this series we talked with
Duane and Jo Edrich, who returned to the community several years
ago. Duane "Swede" Edrich is a Hoven native and Jo is originally
from rural Selby. Edrich’s career in the Air Force took them all
over the world. Home has been in Guam, Germany and several different
states. They lived in Tampa, Florida for 25 years before moving back
to South Dakota.
The move wasn’t something they planned. About 2000,
their trailer court was literally sold out from under them as the
Florida housing market boomed. While they were visiting family in
Hoven, three homes on 7th Avenue happened to be for sale. Similar
homes were selling for $300-400,000 in the red hot Florida market,
so they took a look. At the time they were paying $325 per month for
the space to park their mobile home, and they knew it would only go
up. They didn’t have to think very long before they decided to buy
their current home, a well built, four bedroom, single story with a
finished basement. They lived between South Dakota and Florida for
several years before becoming full time residents in 2005. It’s a
decision they enjoy living with.
They love that their home is large enough to
accommodate their entire family, and if they need extra space, they
can rent the KC Hall or Legion Hall for a fraction of what it costs
elsewhere. Their grandchildren are thrilled to be able to safely
ride the bicycles their grandparents keep for them all over town
without adult supervision. Visiting nearby farms is as much a treat
for them as the big amusement parks where they live.
Some of the pluses of small town living for the Edrichs,
besides the huge savings in housing costs include the low crime
rate, lack of heavy traffic, and lower tax rates. Jo recalled that
one or two cars were stolen per week out of the parking lot at the
church they attended in Florida. When Edrichs were victims of a hit
and run accident, the police didn’t even try to find the culprit,
they just assumed the person didn’t carry insurance.
Swede appreciates the ease of travel. It wasn’t unusual
for him to sit in a traffic jam for half an hour on a two mile trip.
"You don’t have to do that very often before you wonder what am I
doing here," he said. He enjoys being able to walk to the grocery
store, church and to visit friends.
They appreciate the care given at Holy Infant Hospital
and Clinic. They are pleased with level of care they’ve received,
even though they have to travel to a larger medical facility at
times. "It is harder to go a few miles in a big city than it is to
go 100 miles here," Jo said.
Edrichs do miss having a PX nearby. The closest is at
Ellsworth Air Force Base. "There’s always a trade off," Swede said.
The Edrichs traveled extensively in their camper
throughout the U.S. and often detoured out of their way to see
interesting sites. They’ve noticed the many out of state cars parked
in front of St. Anthony’s Cathedral of the Prairie. Some promotional
suggestions they offered to that would help keep those visitors in
town longer include advertising what Hoven has to offer such as RV
hookups and the convenience store with bigger signs a few miles
farther down the road so people have time to plan to stop. They’d
also love to see a small museum open in the summer—another reason
for people to stay a while.
Swede and Jo agree, "We have a jewel here. Hoven needs
to advertise what it’s got."
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