At their September 12 council meeting, the Caledonia City Council unanimously approved the request to inflate and display three hot air balloons at the Veterans Park on October 22, from 5-8 p.m. In the past, hot-air balloons have flown from the high school but this fall balloons will not fly in the skies over Caledonia. City Clerk/Administrator Jake Dickson did not know why … [Read more...]
Family fun at the Wykoff Fall Festival
Families, make plans to attend the Wykoff Fall Festival this weekend, September 23-25. Festival organizers announce, “We’ve added lots of events this year!” The weekend kicks off with a concert on Friday night featuring Matt and Brenda Stier, and the 4-H soft-serve ice cream social. Afterwards, sit back and enjoy a drive-in movie while devouring a bag of hot buttered popcorn … [Read more...]
An event fit for a king and queen
The rapid change in weather, colored leaves, and fragrances are not the only signs that autumn is on the horizon. Time-honored festivals are another sign that fall is just days away. The weekend of September 15, 16, 17, and 18 is La Crescent’s Applefest. Applefest is 74 years old. The festival started in 1949 to promote the town’s apple industry and to put La Crescent on the … [Read more...]
CUP to repair Root River levee approved
Houston County Planning Commission held a meeting on Thursday, August 25, 2022, to review a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) Environmental Services from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to repair a levee along the Root River in a flood plain district in Hokah Township. The CUP application states, “fill material for the repair will be obtained from on-site, previous ag fields … [Read more...]
A 70-year tradition crosses the state line
The signs that fall is just around the corner. Leaves are beginning to change colors, fall is in the air, and the Hesper-Mabel Steam Engine Days are days away. Hesper-Mabel Steam Engine Days is celebrating 70 years, September 8-11. Steam Engine Days is an opportunity to step back and experience farming as it was done in the early 1900s with the giant steam engines. Visitors … [Read more...]
A tasty tradition
Fall in Bluff County provides the perfect weather to enjoy a leisurely bike ride or walk on the scenic Root River State Trail and the Harmony-Preston Valley State Trail. The paved trails wind their way from one town to the next. The Taste of the Trail offers visitors the opportunity to sample all the scenic river valley has to offer – vistas, limestone bluff formations outdoor … [Read more...]
Houston County begins the 2023 budget process
An informative section of the Houston County Commission meetings is the annual presentations which are also a component of the county’s budget process. For example, at the August 23 board meeting, commissioners heard from the Medical Examiner (ME), Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), and Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). MnDOT Principal Planner … [Read more...]
Caledonia approves ambulance purchase
At the August 22 regular Caledonia City Council meeting, the Council approved Ambulance Director Mike Tornstrom’ s request to move forward on the purchase of a new ambulance to replace Unit 257. Council members in attendance were Mayor DeWayne (Tank) Schroeder, Robert “Bob” Klug, Amanda Ninneman, and David Fitzpatrick. Brad Rykhus was absent. Others in attendance included … [Read more...]
Fillmore County raises funds for cancer research
The 2022 Relay for Life of Fillmore County held in Fountain on August 19 exceeded its self-imposed goal of $50,000. “I’m so very proud of everyone who contributed to this year’s Fillmore County Relay for Life. Despite the multiple rounds of storms, we still had a great turnout and exceeded our fundraising goal. Fillmore County puts on one of the best Relays around all because … [Read more...]
Spring Grove School participates in CIRD visioning workshops
Superintendent Rachel Udstuen updated the school board on the Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design (CIRD) workshops at the board’s regular meeting on August 15. The visioning workshops took place in Spring Grove August 3-5. The workshops are a part of the Spring Grove 2030 initiative to gather community input on the next steps. The visioning workshops are a result of the … [Read more...]