The Preston Veterans Home welcomed their first resident in January of last year. In March of the same year they welcomed a 1-month-old puppy. Now a year old, this adorable young Cavapoo is living his best life as the home’s facility dog. The veterans home in Preston is one of the five out of eight state homes in Minnesota to have a facility dog. The Cavapoo dog breed is … [Read more...]
Trailside Folk Art Turning Traditions
David and Lynn Susag of Lanesboro, Minn., share their love of Nordic handcrafts with the local community and upper midwest through Trailside Folk Art, where they specialize in Nordic handicrafts and ancient techniques. Over the years they have demonstrated paper cutting and hand sewing as well as knife making, but their main focus is demonstrating and selling wooden dishes … [Read more...]
Service Dog Becomes Rushford American Legion’s First Mascot
As of June 26, 2023, the American Legion Post 94 in Rushford, Minn., has its first ever mascot – a dog named Bella. But this four-year-old Golden Retriever is much more than just a pretty face. She is veteran Ron Petersen’s service dog. Petersen served in Vietnam with the Marine Corp and has been dealing with the aftereffects for many years. To help with this, one of his VA … [Read more...]
Preston Dairy and Farm Serving Local Farmers for 60 Years
Started in 1964, Preston Dairy and Farm will celebrate 60 years of operation this year. Originally based in the immediate city of Preston across from trailhead park, they moved to their current location outside of town on Hwy 16. in 2014. They provide agronomy services and consulting for local farmers including feed, seed, fertilizer and chemical application. “We are a total … [Read more...]
Hovda awarded for teaching 40 years of firearm safety
Close to two dozen youth from around the state came to the Grand Meadow Gun Club in Grand Meadow, Minn., Saturday, July 22, 2023, for a Minnesota DNR Youth Firearms Safety Field Day. Many of these events are held in the state over the summer, but this one had a special surprise added for one of the local instructors. Grand Meadow resident Steve Hovda was given an award for … [Read more...]
St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church to celebrate sesquicentennial
Among the gently rolling hills of Southern Fillmore County is Granger, Minn., This small unincorporated town has a historical milestone coming up. They are celebrating the 150th anniversary of St. Matthew’s Lutheran church. In the late 1850s, the village of Granger was founded and from there, German settlers started holding church services in their homes. It wasn’t until … [Read more...]
Competitive cheerleading teams shine through Glitter Athletics
With a mix of cheerleading, dance, and gymnastics, the symmetry, flow and athletics of competitive cheerleading is thrilling to watch. In 2016, Glitter Athletics brought competitive cheerleading classes to the youth of Fillmore county. “I started Glitter Athletics to provide an opportunity for local kids, including my own, to compete in all-star cheerleading without having to … [Read more...]
Mabel woman serves community through graphic design
Communicating a message through visual content is the essence of graphic design. Eye-catching event posters, elegant wedding invitations and promotional business cards are just a few of the many ways graphic design serves individuals and business owners. JWS Graphix is a new business started by veteran graphic designer Janet Sanden and is operated by her and her husband Danny … [Read more...]
Zumbro Valley Health Center provides mental health care for Fillmore County Residents
The term “Health and Wellness” typically causes thoughts of nutrition, exercising, and overall physical health, but mental health and wellness is also a very important part of that equation. Last year and this year especially, more and more people are recognizing the importance of taking care of their mental health. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people in general are … [Read more...]
Rural Fountain woman fighting breast cancer to be recipient of B&B Bowl’s “Pay it Forward” breakfast
Tara Hershberger always had a feeling that she would get cancer. Her mother had breast cancer when she was young and survived. Tara then did the BRCA gene test and did not have the breast cancer gene. She dealt with two episodes of melanoma, once when she was 29 and again when she was 30. But at the end of February she was diagnosed with stage three lobular carcinoma, the … [Read more...]
Rein Dairy Farm runs with robotics
With technology running the world in a variety of ways, one typically doesn’t think about technology and farming. Robotic systems are becoming the future to feasibly allow small dairy farms to exist. Ben Rein of rural Highland, together with father Steve, wife Amber and children Steven, Jaime, Nora, Kim, and Rachel have automated their family dairy by the use of Lely robots. … [Read more...]
Wykoff man finishes the Iditarod
When Damon Ramaker was a child, his family took a trip to Alaska. While they were there they took a tour of the Iditarod. His parents brought home a map of the route and it has hung in their house since then. What he didn’t know then was that that map would take on a whole new significance when he was an adult. “It didn’t have a lot of meaning except something cool to look … [Read more...]
Yurt living brings Wykoff family closer
After buying a piece of property outside of Wykoff, the Ramaker family – Damon, Kylie, Ruby, Lucy and Walter, had the difficult decision of what to do for a house. They decided that the existing home on the property wasn’t salvageable. After weighing their options, they ended up buying a yurt. A yurt, also called a ger, is a round, portable tent that is used by the … [Read more...]