"Where Fillmore County News Comes First"
The Burr Oak The Burr Oak This day began like most other days. But the planned events made this particular day one that proved to be out-of-the-ordinary. This morning, a woodcutter would come and remove a landmark that had towered over our farm for as long as any of us could remember. For an unknown number of years the monster Burr Oak tree sheltered our family from … [Read more...]
Steve Jobs was known to say, “Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity – not a threat.” For one man, the lockdown in March and the following months of isolation during COVID-19 was his opportunity for ingenuity and innovation. Meet Jim Meyer of Spring Valley, Minn., who has a passion for model railroading. He started model railroading 23 years ago, and would … [Read more...]
By Dianne Ruud Today we are looking at the second advertisement for The Lazy Dazy Bait Company that was once a thriving business in Preston. This cool ad is done in green and white and makes use of every inch of the sheet to put the word out for the merits of the Lazy Dazy Lures. Bold, black letters state: “LAZY DAZY” is the “SUCCESSOR TO NATURE’S MINNOW” and that it, … [Read more...]
By Lee Epps If a Minnesota law officer entered on official business, the suspect or lawbreaker could quickly walk across the room and be safe from arrest. With the state line running through the saloon, the other side of the room was in Iowa. It worked in reverse if one wanted to avoid an Iowa lawman. For many years, the state line was marked by a hitching post (iron rings … [Read more...]
By Abby Zutz Never would I ever have thought that I would be wearing a mask while at school. I recall being in about second grade standing in the lunch line and imagining what it would be like when I was finally in high school. Here I am, a freshman, and things are tremendously different than I would have ever imagined. Ninth grade, the year where you get into new clubs, … [Read more...]
It’s not rated “E” for everyone. I’ve been told the world runs on coffee and bad decisions. Sip, sip, hooray! People drink coffee with such gusto and delight, I have an urge to drink it. Then I remember the taste. How do I like my coffee? I don’t. It won’t dent the coffee table economy, but I don’t drink coffee. All my taste buds, except Maynard, find coffee … [Read more...]
There are many days in which I get so busy at work that I forget to each lunch. And, I know I’m not the only one. This past weekend, my wife and I decided to go out to eat at Estelle’s Eatery & Bar in Harmony, Minn. Our family always enjoys visiting Estelle’s. The ambiance. The food. The entertainment. Outdoor dining. They have a great thing going. And, they are … [Read more...]
To clean or not to clean Fall comes quickly in Bluff Country, and this year is no exception. The summer vegetable gardens are done, but a few leafy greens, carrots and leeks still remain here and there. Asters and Chrysanthemum may still have a few lingering flowers, but most of the perennials have stopped blooming. Ornamental grasses blow and rustle in the breeze, their … [Read more...]
By Bethany Schneekloth The colors are brighter, the rain is colder, and the days are steadily getting shorter. These events happen every year in our little neck of the woods right here in the midwest. The fall skies are among my favorite parts of the season, with sunrises being a bright combination of pinks, blues, and yellows, the geese and other birds flying south, and the … [Read more...]
The Lazy Dazy Bait Company was a thriving Preston, Minnesota business in the 1950s and ‘60s! The fishing lure entrepreneurship was located upstairs over the businesses on Fillmore Street on Preston’s downtown square. The late Richard Hovelson who was a virtual “walking history book” for most of the small towns in Fillmore County, told me that the founders of the business … [Read more...]
