When Chuck Sikkink sold his farm and moved into Harmony in 2005, he joined the Harmony Ambulance Service as an EMT. Being on call meant that he had to stay near home, so he started woodworking as a hobby to occupy his time. At first, his son Brad teased him about his new hobby, but eventually he became interested in it as well. In the summer of 2012, he started woodworking … [Read more...]
Articles by Hannah Wingert
Reporter
hannah@fillmorecountyjournal.com
Fillmore Central removes extra-curricular fees for student activities
At the June 27 board meeting, Fillmore Central School Board member Sue Sikkink asked the rest of the board to consider lowering fees for extracurricular activities and eliminating fees for activities where students receive a letter grade. Board member Jim Love took it a step further, suggesting that the fees be removed completely. “We have the funding available,” he pointed … [Read more...]
Fillmore County Sheriff’s Academy a big success
“I thought it was eye-opening and interesting,” Spring Valley resident Tyler Schiltz said about the recent Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office Citizens’ Academy. “I would definitely recommend it to others.” Fillmore County Sheriff Tom Kaase remembered the last Citizens’ Academy taking place in 2009, which was before he took office. Having worked in the Rochester Police … [Read more...]
Lanesboro student moves on to FCCLA Nationals
High school senior Claire Pieper presented her job interview project to the Lanesboro School Board at their June 15 meeting. She competed in the state FCCLA competition in March and will be moving on to the FCCLA National Leadership Conference in Nashville later this summer. Only two students from each state get to attend Nationals, so being selected is an honor. Pieper is … [Read more...]
National Trout Center moves forward with family friendly activities
When you think of the National Trout Center in Preston, you probably think of fly fishing, but there’s so much more to it than that. Program Director Kelsey Hoffman and Office Coordinator Annie Lewis both began working at the center on April 1 and are excited to watch it grow. “I walked into this place not really knowing what it is all about,” Lewis said about her new … [Read more...]
Harmony addresses liquor license renewals
“Each year, it’s a struggle,” Harmony City Administrator Jerome Illg stated at the June 13 city council meeting. The liquor license renewals are due every year by May 1, but for a majority of the applicants, Illg does not receive all of the paperwork until sometime in June. “I still don’t have a certificate of insurance for one of them,” he said. “Another one just turned in … [Read more...]
Lanesboro plans to move ahead with street improvements
City Engineer Brian Malm asked the Lanesboro City Council to approve two resolutions at their June 5 meeting. The first resolution was regarding improvements to Park Road, which is in desperate need of repair. Because of property lines, the project costs would be shared with Lanesboro Public Schools. Malm and the City of Lanesboro have been working together with the school … [Read more...]
Preston’s Root River Appliances and Floor Coverings moves to new location
You may not know it, but Northwest Aluminum in Preston has changed in several ways. First of all, it’s not Northwest Aluminum anymore. “We changed the name about 10 years ago,” owner Jeff Knies recalled. After people kept asking what aluminum had to do with appliances, which are a big part of the business, he realized that the name was outdated and needed to be changed. … [Read more...]
Preston welcomes new tourism director
Gabby Kinneberg has lived in Preston her whole life, so when the position of Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Director became available, it was kind of a no-brainer. “I already know Preston, so there was no learning curve,” she noted. Kinneberg grew up at Chic’s Pizza in Preston. Her parents owned the restaurant for almost 20 years, and she spent many hours of her childhood … [Read more...]
New murals brighten up Preston pool
When Tonya Keim came up with the idea of installing murals for the Preston Swimming Pool, she first approached the pool manager, Sara Niemeyer who loved the suggestions. After discussing some of the details, they decided to go for it. The first thing they needed to do was to line up funding, but the City of Preston had just received a grant for a different mural, which meant … [Read more...]