Runde Auto Chat

I remember watching the show “Hey Dude!” as a kid. It was a country life kind of show - riding around on horses, roping calf’s, tying all sorts of knots that would just leave me wrapped up if I attempted to try them. To me it was a different life, I was used to a city life, but the country activities I saw always interested me. What better way to satisfy these interests than to see the best of the best in our very own community compete in a rodeo, live!?

The 8^th Annual Wisconsin Regional High School Rodeo will gather kids from the 6^th – 12^th grade to compete in the rodeo which will be held at the Dubuque County Fairgrounds from May 20^th – May 22^nd. So it’s local, teaches kids great life skills and offers a good time for all the viewers which make this an event not to miss.

We got a chance to interview Karen Schilling, one of the founding members of the River Rodeo Committee which puts together the rodeo, to get to know a little more about the event…

Hello Karen, what is your association with the event?
I am on the River Rodeo Committee, we are a group of parents from Eastern Iowa that banded together to put on the rodeo here in Dubuque for the Wisconsin High School Rodeo Association. We are a regional rodeo.

How long has the committee been together?
This is our 8^th year. About eight families and myself, are the founding members.

What makes you keep doing these events every year? We do it for the kids. They really enjoy having places to rodeo. Dubuque has great facilities and the kids love coming to the fairgrounds. It really is all for the kids.

How did the Rodeo come about?
My business partner, Ginny Henneberry, has a son that was competing in the Wisconsin High School Rodeo and my daughter was about to start competing. We both thought it would be convenient to have a rodeo in Dubuque. From there we had the first meeting in her house, and we thought we could do it so we gave it a try and we are still going.

How many participants enter the rodeo?
There are usually around 150 contestants for the weekend. We do not have a limit to the number of contestants, though.

What are the requirements to enter the rodeo?
It’s open to anybody that is a member of the Wisconsin High School Association that is between the 6^th and 12^th grade.

How does someone become a member of the Wisconsin High School Association?
They can go to the website: http://www.cowboycalendar.com/WIHSRA/ where they can download the form to apply for the association.

What kind of activities goes on in the rodeo?
They do all of the regular rodeo events plus extras: Barrel Racing, Pole Bending, Breakaway Roping, Goat Tying, Calf Roping, Team Wrestling, Boys and Girls Cutting, Saddle Broncs, Bareback Broncs and Bull riding.

How long do the events usually last?
Each performance lasts approximately two hours. But we cannot get all the contestants done in that time frame so there’s what we call “slack”. Slack is when we run the extra contestants on times that aren’t during the public rodeo showtime. The Junior High rodeo is at 4:00pm Friday afternoon and a lot of the kids are rolling in during the afternoon on Friday and the High School rodeo is on Saturday and Sunday.

What do the participants get for winning?
Its two things… for the high schools it’s a “two-go” weekend so they take their scores from both go’s and average it. We have awards for the 1^st – 4^th place average winner. They also accumulate points for the year-end total which is totaled in June at the state finals in Richland Center, WI. The top person in each event wins a saddle and a buckle. 2^nd-5^th places all receive buckles as well as other gifts. The top four are qualified to go to nationals which is in Gillette, Wyoming this year in July.

Do the kids bring in their own horses?
Yes, the kids bring their own horses and keep them in the barns up on the fairground. A lot of the kids bring self-contained horse-trailers which have living quarters in the front so they can stay right on the fairgrounds the whole weekend long.

Generally a pretty good crowed for the show?
Oh yes, I would say over the course of the weekend there are 1,500-2,000 spectators. It grows every year.

What has changed over the years with the event? Over these last three years we added clowns to the event. In each of the three performances on Saturday and Sunday we have a boot race where we invite the kids, ten and under, to come into the arena. We take off one of their boots and they have to race to go get their boot and bring it back. It gets the little kids in the arena with the clown, the kids love it.

Every year there are improvements to the facility. We went through the years having a new fence put in and making the arena bigger and making improvements to the announcer’s facility. Every year we try to make it nicer for the participants.

Also, every year the competition keeps getting tougher and we get a lot more participants.

Can people volunteer to help out with the event?
Yes. We are looking for help with the admission and the food stand. We are always looking for volunteers.

If you are interested in volunteering for the rodeo you can call Karen Schilling at (563) 542-4791.

Location:
Dubuque County Fairgrounds Horse Arena. 14569 Old Highway Road Dubuque, IA 52002 US

Schedule/Information:
Friday, May 20^th @ 4:00p.m…….. Jr. High Rodeo
Sat. May 21^st @ 1:00p.m………….. High School Performances
Sat. May 21^st @ 7:00p.m………….. High School Performances
Sun. May 22^nd @ Noon…………….. High School Performances

Tickets available at the gate:
$7.00 for Adult (Friday admission is just $5.00)
$3.00 Ages 7-10
6 & Under: Free
Weekend Pass: $15.00

$5.00 Advance Tickets available at:
Longhorn Saddlery Theisen’s Store

Barb Brush and her long-term best friend, Roxanne Marston, just happened to be going to the right quilting show at the right time. While these two inseparable friends were on their way to see expert weavers, quilters and sewers, Barb got an unexpected call from her husband who was looking at vehicles online. He insisted that she at least stop over to Runde's and take a look at a Lexus that might suit her, and boy did it ever. While here, she kept saying how it felt like family, so we did what families do - sat down, got to know her and chatted for a while...

What brought you into Runde's today?
Barb:  A phone call. We were on our way to a quilt show and I got a phone call from my husband who knew I was looking for a car. He was looking online and found a car I might be interested so he called and said I should stop by and gave me Runde's phone number. So we called and got Al Kloft who directed us to this place and showed us the Lexus.

That might be one of the most spontaneous things I've heard in a while...
Yea it was great, and we loved the Lexus so we just decided to buy the car.

Are you going to be late for your show?
No, we should be fine. The show is in Kalona, Iowa and doesn't start until a little later.

Where are you from?
Barb: I'm from Baraboo, Wisconsin Roxanne: I'm from Madison, Wisconsin

I go up to Devils Lake in Baraboo every so often, very relaxing and beautiful place... You two seem like very good friends. How long have you known each other?
Probably about 40 years or so. We used to be next door neighbors when our kids were small and our friendship just got stronger ever since.

How did you like your experience here at Runde's?
It was really friendly, helpful and very laid back. We didn't experience any pressure or anything like that. We would both come here again. You guys have a lot of vehicles...

We have over 1,300 vehicles in stock in four different locations.
Thir-Teen-Hundred!? Wow.

On a scale of 1-10 what would you rate your Sales Person, Al Kloft?
Roxanne: Oh a 10, for sure. Barb: Oh yeah, no doubt, he's a real likeable guy. Really laid back and easy to deal with. He loves to talk but it's always entertaining and makes you feel comfortable. No pressure... I found it unusual that he seemed to let us make our own decisions and encouraged us to be sure about our purchase, not something you find anywhere else. And he let us have some of his strawberry's.

What do you like to do in your hometowns?
We are both retired now, so it's a little different than it used to be. But we like to keep busy with our grand-kids, travel, go on motorcycle rides, various projects, and we keep active in our communities. I used to like skiing when I was healthier.

I'm sure you like to quilt as well?
OH YES, I love to quilt. I started that a few years back. I have my own space, my "woman’s cave" that I go to quilt. It's much more peaceful than a "man's-cave"... My husband has one of those, I call it "toy barn" it's a whole building next to our house.

What are these quilt shows all about? Barb: They are all beautiful hand-made Amish quilts. They have the quilts strung up and people can buy them. It's basically just a good reason for Roxanne and I to get together and have a good time. We used do road-trips to Minneapolis to shop and be together every year. Now we go to Kalona for the quilt show and stop in Galena on our way back... we've been doing that for quite a few years. But we've never went on a trip where we bought a car on the way *both laugh*

 So is one of you taking home Lexus and the other taking home what you drove here in? No, I actually drove my Honda Pilot here and traded it in towards the Lexus. So we are going to continue to the quilt show in our new Lexus together! I was kind of attached to the Honda Pilot, I thought I was going to cry when I traded it in. I was confused with all the buttons in the new car at first. There were two buttons on the door that said "1" and "2" and I pressed "2" and the seat started to move forward, I thought it was going to crush me into the steering wheel! I later learned that it was memory seating, pretty neat feature. 

Do you like to travel?
Barb: Yes, we both travel quite a bit, my husband and I absolutely loved Alaska and would like to go back and spend a little more time up there. We were also talking about going to Russia. Roxanne: My husband is a travel agent so I've been lucky to go on a lot of trips and see a lot of different places. We're going to Australia in August. It's great now that we have all the time to do it.

Do you have any pets?
Barb: We have a black lab named Gretchen who is a fetchin' maniac. We are going to put up a sign at our house: "do not throw sticks around dog" because she will go and find that exact stick and keep bringing it back to the person who threw it. If you don't she will keep begging for you to throw it and she will never tire. You'll have to throw it 1,000 times before she does tire.

See any decent movies recently?
Barb: I saw "The Kings Speech" which got great reviews and awards. I thought I'd see what all the talk was about but I wasn't too impressed. I thought it was a good movie but not worth that much praise. We don't get much time to watch movies, though. We are usually doing something else. We are both golfers and we like to ride motorcycles. Once a year my husband and I go on a long bike ride... we've rode to Colorado, California, up through Canada... it's really fun. We also usually do political rides.

Political Rides?
It's basically when you ride around with political candidates and the candidates go around to local communities and chat with all the folks and get their names out in the public. There's a little group of people who go and it usually takes about a week... we typically ride around with the governor of Wisconsin.

Sounds like the funnest part of politics, ever.
Yes, it really is!

Do you have any last comments before you scoot out of here and on to your quilt show ?
Barb: I would highly recommend Runde's. It's interesting that we just stumbled upon this great place. I've been to Lexus Dealers... they don't call their salesmen "Car Salesman" they are "Auto Executives". You don't get that kind of snobby feel from Runde's. Roxanne: My husband has the same Lexus as the one Barb just bought. When we need to get a new vehicle we will go to Runde's first.

I'm happy to hear you found your gem at Runde's. We're glad that you had a great experience and hope you have a blast at the quilt show!

Nate Bremmer is a police officer from Prairie Du Chien, Wi. When he found the truck he was looking for online he couldn't believe what a deal it was. He came down to our PreDriven store and bought his truck from Al Kloft in our sales department. He was thrilled with the deal and with the way he was treated to the extent that he wanted the world to know about it by doing this interview.

What brought you into Runde's today?
I was actually looking online and found a great deal on a truck so I ended up inquiring about it through email and then got a response from Al shortly after. I ended up buying a '09 Chevy Silverado. I'll be using it to go hunting this fall and I've always wanted a truck.

What did you think of Al?
Al's a great guy, he's very pleasant to deal with. He was busy all day with people but still managed to take care of all of my needs promptly.

So if you were to rate your experience with Runde's on a scale of 1-10, what would you give it? *without hesitation*
I'd give Runde's a 10 out of 10. I was very pleased with the service I got here today and the customer service was great. On a scale on 1-10 though, Al Kloft would get an 11. He was really above and beyond. Very personable and great to get along with.

What do you do around the area you live in?
I'm actually a police officer from Prairie Du Chien, WI. I've been on full-time for 2 years and on the force for a total of 5 years, I really enjoy my job.

Are you married?
I am free and single.

Maybe you can consider this a free personals listing.
Haha, yeah.

Any pets?
We have three cats at home, and that's more than enough. Two are Siamese and one is a farm cat that we got from a fair.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
I like to hunt and watch basketball and football.

Are you a big believer in online shopping?
Yea, I do a lot of research online and if I can't find it in the stores I'll buy it online.

Have you been on any noteworthy vacations?
I went to Cancun, Mexico a few years back. It was a great time. I lived it up, every night, all week... maybe more than I should have.

If you were to win the lottery what would you do with the money?
I'd probably pay off all my bills, pay my family's bills, donate some to charity and invest the rest of it into stocks or something that could help me gain more back.

What kind of music do you like?
Everything except rap. I love listening to XM radio.

What's your favorite season?
I'd say I like Spring the best. The weather's nice, it's not too hot or cold... It's just the perfect time.

Looks like you're going to be happy for the next couple months then!
Yeah, I'm loving it.

What's one invention that you would say is the most important invention created?
I'd have to say electricity. Without power we couldn't do most of the things we have the luxury of doing today.

I don't think Al Kloft could do without electricity either -- I think he actually uses it to get his hair to stand up the way it does each day. Thank you Nate for all the kind words. We wish you a happy future and hope you enjoy your truck! Good luck with hunting this spring!

Sharron's husband, Merril, is not someone to jump on a deal. But when he saw the Envoy that had the perfect specifications he was looking for at a price he couldn't believe, he couldn't help himself. Sharron was in this morning to do a few touch up's to the Envoy and while she was in she decided to have a nice chat with me over her experience at Runde's.

Hello Sharron, what brought you into Runde's this morning?
I bought a vehicle on Saturday and I brought it back just to get a couple more things done to it.

What vehicle did you buy?
We got an '08 GMC Envoy. My husband and I have been looking at Envoy's and my husband started looking online and found one listed on Runde's that was an incredible deal. My husband is the type that takes a while to make a decision so I was in a state of shock when he decided to buy it that day. That really meant it must have been a great deal.

How did you like your salesman, Al Kloft?
He's very good because he takes good care of you and is very unique. He will make sure that you get everything you need and more. Overall everything was better than I expected it to be here. I'd give my experience a nine mainly because I don't give 10's.

Are you from around the area?
I live in Epworth, IA. I was born and raised in Worthington, IA then I lived for 34 years in Petersburg, IA before moving to Epworth.

Were the moves mostly job related?
No, I farmed with my first husband then we decided to move to Epworth for various reasons. I love the town of Epworth, it's a nice down home and friendly town.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
I quilt and my husband and I love to dance.

Where do you dance?
We go up to Benton, IA once in a while; we go to the fairgrounds in Dubuque, Mooney Hollow at Green Island, IA - that's our favorite place. It's a barn with a silo out front with a fiddle on it and you dance upstairs, great place.

How long have you been dancing?
My first husband and I have always danced but we started doing it steadily from 1991 and on and I met my current husband, Merril, at a dance and we've been together for 5 years.

How did that encounter happen?
I was at a place dancing with someone. The guy I was with didn't really want to dance so I found Merril and danced with him. Then I met him again at another dance a couple of months later and we just connected. Over time, our friendship spiraled into a great relationship.

What kind of dancing is it? Like Salsa?
No, he won't try salsa but we dance country two-step and to western music. My husband is so easy to get along with, he's an amazing man. Not many men appreciate their wives hobbies and I love to quilt so he got me a cutting table, fluorescent lighting, installed a drop ceiling in my cutting room... he's a super guy.

Do you have any children?
I have 6 children and 10 grandchildren.

I bet the holidays are festive at the Wiskus house!
Yep. And they all love our home so we have most of the gatherings there and they always seem to stay longer than they planned.

Do you go on vacation often?
Last year for Christmas the kids gave us a package deal. I told them all I wanted for Christmas was the family to get together. So they rented a mansion in Newton, Iowa that slept 28, had a bowling alley, bar, pond and everything and spent the weekend there. The house was built for the CEO of Maytag but he lost his job shortly after they built it for him.

Seems like you have quite a bit of fun.
Yeah, we've been to Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone, Germany. All of which are very beautiful.

If you were to win the lottery what would you do with the money?
My husband and I would probably take a train tour through the Rockies. Nothing big, help out family and friends and everything like that.

What do you like to do with your kids and grand-kids?
We like to go to their ball-games, take the grand-daughters shopping, and play the rest by ear. We try to see them as much as possible.

What would you say is the most important invention created?
Well a car gets you around from place to place so... car, telephone and microwave I suppose.

Do you like the winter?
Snow scares me, that's why when I was looking for a different vehicle I wanted to make sure I had something good for the snow.

Anything good about winter?
I go ice fishing with my husband from time to time and that's fun.

What's your favorite season?
Fall is my favorite, you can be outside and the air is so refreshing.

What's your favorite movie? 
I like Dancing with Wolves but I love The Ugly Truth. Where's the Morgan's is another good one, Sara Jessica Parker is in that one.

My favorite actor right now is Harrison Ford and Sandra Bullock, she's in some really good movies like Miss Congeniality.

Last Movie you saw in theaters?
The last movie we saw in theaters was The Secretariat. Which was great.

What kind of music do you like?
Mostly Country. I like George Straight about the best. I'm not fond of the younger female artists. Billy Currington is good, Alan Jackson is really good and so is Josh Turner. What's your favorite piece of technology? I love computers and learning the in-and-outs of things. Facebook disappointed me. People just share way to much information with everyone else. It doesn't seem right.

That's all of the questions I had for you Sharron. Thank you very much for your time!

Troy and April Hutson drove a long way this past week to come and buy their new truck from Runde Chevrolet. In the time between signing paperwork and starting out for home, they were benevolent enough to give us a little extra time to ask them some questions about their lives and about their recent experience at Runde's.

What kind of vehicle did you buy?
We bought a new 2011 Silverado 2500 HD.

You’re from Sandwich, IL – how far is that from Runde’s?
It's about 180 miles and it took us almost three hours to get here.

Have you always lived in that area?
Troy: I have. I was born in Sandwich and pretty much lived there my whole life.
April: I wasn't born in Sandwich, but I've lived in that area most of my life. 

It's the biggest county fair in the state of Illinois -- we go to it every year. What do you do for a living there?
Troy: I work for a ... basically like a farm services place.
A co-op?
Right. It's an independant fertilizer dealership. April: I work for an insurance company.

Do you want to throw out any shouts about your companies to advertise them. April: No.(laughing) Troy: (also laughing)They're probably a little too far away to do any good.

Do you have kids?
Paxton is our daughter -- she's 11 and Garrett is our son -- he's 9.

Any pets?
We have a cat and a dog ... our dog is a boxer/pit mix.

Sounds like a very muscular dog.
Yep, his name is Ranger and he's actually a big baby ... a big lap dog.

Do you have a favorite hang-out spot in Sandwich or the surrounding area?
We don't really have a hang out spot. I'd have to say our house.

If you could own your dream vehicle, what would that be?
Troy: My dream vehicle actually would be a Chevy Suburban 3/4-ton four-wheel-drive.
April: I'd just say the most expensive BMW.[

What’s your favorite restaurant and how often do you eat there?
Bianchi's Pizza Place in Ottowa, IL. It's a little bit south of Sandwich and we try to get there when we can.

When you have supper at home, is it definitely “table time” or is it head-to-the-living-room-time and all is well as long as no one spills on the couch or carpet?
Table time.
 

If someone does spill something on the floor at your house, do you handle it calmly with a Martha Stewart type voice or do you fly off the handle like Sam Kinnison would? April: No comment (laughs).
Troy: I guess that could go either way. It depends on the situation and if they were horsing around or if it was a legitimate accident.

Favorite movie of all-time?
April: The Notebook.
Troy: Smokey and the Bandit I guess, but it's not quite the same when they edit it for TV.

What did you think of the Super Bowl?
We wanted Pittsburg to win - not the Packers. We're Bears fans and we're waiting for next season.

What did you think about Jay Cutler not playing the whole game in the NFC Championship game against the Packers?
game. I mean if he was really hurt bad, that's one thing. Looked like he was walking pretty good a couple days lated when the news showed him shopping out in California with his girlfriend. It didn't look like he was limping too bad. It ain't the end of the world, we're used to it. I guess it's kind of like rooting for the Cubs (laughs).

Have any special plans yet for Valentines Day?
No, not really.

Will you go out on an actual “date”?
Oh, we might.

Can you tell us how and when you met?
Troy: Technically the first time we met was at my house, but she had a boyfriend at that time. And the next time we met, believe or not, was in a bank parking lot.

Is there anything else you'd like to add about your experience here?
Well we found your trucks on AutoTrader and we called up. I was originally thinking about buying a used truck, but we ended up with a new truck. We got along with your salesman (Al Kloft) so well that we didn't mind driving the three hours to get here. We're glad we found Runde's and very happy with our new truck.