Old Wadena Founders award Long time member of the Old Wadena Society, Ruth Chapman of Bullard Township, was presented with the Old Wadena Founder's Award on Wednesday, June 17. OWS members Tom Crawford, left, and Tom Kajer, presented the award at an OWS board meeting held at the Wadena County park. The award consists of a plaque and a replica Hudson Bay woolen blanket. Ruth has been active in the Old Wadena group in several ways, having helped with a Rendezvous committee in 1992 that later became the current organization. (Staples World photo by Lisa Kajer) A long time member of the Old Wadena Society was honored this past week with that group's top award.

Ruth Chapman, who is virtually a lifelong resident of the Wadena County area north of Staples, was presented with the Old Wadena Founders Award at the group's June 17 meeting.

Chapman has lived most of her adult life in Bullard Township. She was a longtime member of the Bullard Township board and began her involvement in the Old Wadena group when she got involved in staging a 1992 event at Old Wadena. That event was centered on the bicentennial year of a run-in between a French fur trader named Cadotte and an armed group of Indians. A first ever archaeology field study was held that year. It also coincided with a rendezvous held for the first time.

Ruth was an active volunteer in that event which was organized by the Wadena County Historical Society. Since then she has been involved in the planning and staging of all the annual rendezvous events. She chaired raffle fund raisers and made afghans and other knitted items that were among the raffle prizes.

She has served as a secretary and board member of the Old Wadena group and helped guide the group through at least three different names, the Rendezvous Steering Committee, Wadena Historic and Environmental Learning Project (WHELP) and the Old Wadena Society.

This is the fifth time this award has been given. Previous recipients were Carl Peltoniemi, Bob Zosel, John Rife and Dr. Duane Lund. The award is intended to honor people who have been instrumental in the creation and preservation of the Old Wadena County park.

The Old Wadena Society annually sponsors the Old Wadena Rendezvous and Folk Music Festival, to be held Aug. 8 and 9 this year at the Old Wadena County Park located about seven miles north of Staples on the Crow Wing River.