Event celebrates personality, character of Don Eustice

According to family members, the Don Eustice Memorial Event set to take place at the county fairgrounds on Saturday, Sept. 5, is designed to emphasize community and community connections because those were a priority for Sheriff Don Eustice, who was killed in the line of duty on Sept. 4, 1976. 

 

Eustice’s daughter Barb Hertzog, who was 10 years old at the time, is a member of the committee planning the event. Given that 2026 marks the fiftieth year since Eustice’s sudden death, Hertzog said family members wanted to memorialize the sheriff in a way that parallels who he was and how he approached his service to the community.

 

Remembering the popularity of “Teen Canteen” dances that Eustice organized, and especially remembering that their purpose was to find positive, safe settings and environments for county teenagers to enjoy each others’ company, the committee decided on a day-long “canteen” that would be inviting to families and that ends–how else?--with a dance.

 

Along with being a celebration of Eustice’s service, the Sept. 5 event includes a number of fundraisers. Money taken in for tournament registration, dance admission, and for various activities will be added to the funds which support the Don Eustice Memorial Scholarship. Selected students need to be graduates of a high school within Waseca County and must be entering law enforcement as their career field.

 

Hertzog says funding for the scholarship remains strong, but the fiftieth anniversary year was too much of a milestone to let pass by unmarked. She says she does not expect there ever to be another fundraiser that supports the scholarship, nor does she expect that one will be needed.

 

The earliest event of the day is a cornhole tournament due to begin at 10 a.m. There will be two divisions: professional and social. Teams can either sign up just prior to the tournament, or pre-register using the link https://forms.gle/2YF9XpCFletB3hXG6.

 

Activities suitable for children and families begin at 11 a.m. They include face painting, bounce houses, wagon rides, caricature drawings, bingo games, a display of first responder vehicles, and food trucks.

 

Luminaries will be sold for $10 throughout the day and will be lit at dusk in memory of loved ones.

 

A 2 p.m. ceremony will include a memorial folding of the flag and moments of silence, and playing of taps for fallen officers. Guest speaker will be Renee Worke.

 

Three authors will be on hand selling and signing books relevant to the day. Gary Eustice, one of Don’s sons, will have his book Playing Cops and Other Stories I Tell Fairly Well. Lisa Lovering will have We Will Remember. Andy Mario will offer his book The Klinefelter Legacy: A Story of Faith, Family and Forgiveness.

 

The band Lead Penny will perform from 2 to 5 p.m.; Zendix from 5 to 7:30 p.m.; and Three Hour Download from 8 to 11:30 p.m.

 

Many details and links are available by searching for the event on Facebook or at doneustice.org. Financial support for planning and operating the Sept. 5 celebration was provided by the Waseca Area Foundation and by the Waseca Sleigh and Cutter organization.