Wear the poppy proudly in honor of all the fallen veterans and support the living. Through late May, area Legion Auxiliaries will have poppies and donation cans displayed in local businesses, as in the past years. Your generous donations are appreciated. National Poppy Day is May 27. The poppy became part of our Memorial Day after the death and destruction of World War I. As … [Read more...]
Spring Grove residents celebrate their Norwegian heritage at Syttende Mai
Minnesota’s oldest Norwegian settlement celebrates its rich heritage May 13-15, 2022. Join the residents of Spring Grove in celebrating Syttende Mai! Syttende Mai is Norway’s National Day and is observed on May 17. The celebration began among students. For some years, the King of Norway and Sweden were reluctant to allow the celebrations. By 1864, the day became established, … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Homemade hankies, communal crockery saved summer shockers
Large handkerchiefs and a two-gallon crockery jug were indispensable, and the cistern certainly satisfied while shocking grain, according to Anita Lee (Hartman) Palmquist while describing her childhood on a Houston County farm in Pleasant Valley near Hokah during the late 1920s and early ‘30s. All youngsters were expected to handle age-appropriate farm work – either alone or … [Read more...]
Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation awards 182 gallons of paint from hardware stores through Paint the Town Program
OWATONNA, MN, May 9, 2022 – Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) awarded 182 gallons of paint from local hardware stores to 10 communities across its 20-county region through its Paint the Town Grant program. This program is designed to engage volunteers and build collaborative efforts that beautify communities through painting community murals, community welcome … [Read more...]
SEMAC awards arts grants
On April 19, 2022, the Board of Directors of the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council (SEMAC) awarded 37 arts programming grants for a total of $244,820 in funding to applicants throughout southeastern Minnesota. This included 23 Legacy grants for $184,850, four Programming Grants for $18,425, eight Small Towns/Rural Areas grants for $39,860, one School Residency grant for … [Read more...]
Dinner on the Bluff presents: Forty Years of Peregrine Research Event features Jacquelyn Fallon from the Midwest Peregrine Society
Jacquelyn Fallon, VP of Field Operations & Minnesota State Coordinator for the Midwest Peregrine Society, will be the featured speaker at Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center’s Dinner on the Bluff event on Saturday, May 14! Fallon’s talk, “Celebrating Success… Continuing the Work! Forty Years of Peregrine Research,” will explore the remarkable success of the … [Read more...]
Houston County’s 2022 Century Farm
The Bernard Eden family farm is the only farm in Houston County to be recognized as a Century Farm in 2022. The family’s homestead is located across the road from the first tee at the La Crescent Pine Creek Golf Course in scenic Pine Creek valley. The Minnesota State Fair and the Minnesota Farm Bureau sponsor the Minnesota Century Farm Program. Each year the two organizations … [Read more...]
Preston VFW Auxiliary celebrates 75 years!
Magdlin-Gilbertson Auxiliary to VFW Post #6893 members met on Saturday, April 9, 2022, at the Preston Servicemen’s Club for their monthly meeting. Officers elected were President Diane Johnson, Senior Vice President DD Himli, Secretary Sandy Amundson, Treasurer Janet Eulberg-Woellert, Chaplain Linda Snyder, Conductress Pat Scheevel, Guard Joan Wissing, Patriotic Instructor … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Farm boy evades “friendly” fore hooves while dancing to Lady’s tune
Part seven of a series It was “a different approach to torture,” putting the harness on a horse named Lady. It was “a dance to Lady’s tune.” Her front feet were some of the most active I have ever seen,” wrote Warren Lange in the published memories of his boyhood on a 1930s farm on South Ridge in Mound Prairie Township, Houston County. Lange described Lady as highly … [Read more...]
Peering at the Past Wearing bells in Houston, stuck in muck in Caledonia
They wore “beautiful brass bells, that made the prettiest musical sounds,” according to Houston, Minn., historian Ingrid Julsrud, referring to dray horses. A dray was a wagon and team of horses that unloaded freight and merchandise at the train depot for delivery to downtown merchants. Baggage might be taken to hotels. Railroads reached southeast Minnesota during the 1860s and … [Read more...]