If you walk into a smoke shop expecting a wall of cigarettes and chewing tobacco, Bear’s Smoke Shop on LeRoy’s Main Street may surprise you. This is not a grab-a-pack-and-go kind of place. Instead, the family-owned business is built around where smoking culture has moved, focusing on vapes, hemp-derived THC products, edibles, glass, and accessories, with an emphasis on quality, … [Read more...]
Houston Legion Serving the Community Since 1920
The American Legion Post 423 was organized in 1920, almost 106 years ago. Since that time the Legion has given so much to the community of Houston. In 1987 legal gambling began at the Legion; originally physical pull tabs were sold. In recent years, the addition of e-tabs greatly increased the gambling income at the Legion. Proceeds from the gambling that are shared with … [Read more...]
Wykoff Commons Finds New Life in Former School Building
For decades, the large brick building on the edge of Wykoff served as the town’s school. Today, it operates as Wykoff Commons, a community-focused facility offering fitness, recreation, and event space while preserving one of the city’s most recognizable structures. The oldest portion of the building dates back to 1939, with additions completed in 1959, 1970, 1975 and 1986. … [Read more...]
Lucky in Love The VanMinsel Wedding
Jon (Lucky) and Mary Jo VanMinsel got married July 26, 2025, one of the hottest days of the whole year, but they still declared the day perfect! This was the second wedding for both Lucky and Mary Jo; they wanted a venue where they could relax and enjoy the day. When they checked out Bluff Country Retreat in rural Whalan, they knew they had found it, a beautiful setting for … [Read more...]
Uniquely Personal Wedding: Rustic Western Meets Norwegian
Jaclyn Tweeten-Eberth and Ryan Eberth planned a wedding that totally suited them. Jaclyn grew up in Spring Grove, a community with a strong Norwegian influence; Ryan grew up in Baseohr, Kans., near Kansas City. The couple had met on an online dating site; they shared an interest in cattle and had both shown cattle growing up. Soon they were going to cattle shows … [Read more...]
Fillmore County Couple Marries Underground at Niagara Cave
More than 400 weddings have been held at Niagara Cave since it opened to the public in 1934. Almost immediately, its beauty inspired romance. In 1935, just a year after opening, a young couple asked if they could get married inside the cave, beginning a tradition that flourished through the 1960s and 1970s when unconventional wedding venues were especially popular. Today, an … [Read more...]
No-Till Planting
By Dan Wermager Technician, Root River SWCD No-till planting is a great tool for conventional farmers to use in order to help the environment. No-till planting can reduce erosion, improve infiltration, reduce runoff, and build organic matter. These are all very important things, because eroded soil is the #1 pollutant of surface water in the world. Erosion is an … [Read more...]
Free Manure Sampling and Spreader Calibration
By Bob Scanlan MN Dept. of Agriculture The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and the Houston County Environmental Services Office are offering free manure sample analysis and manure spreader calibration in certain townships of Houston County. Feedlot operators working in Black Hammer, Caledonia, Mayville, Spring Grove, and Wilmington Townships can take … [Read more...]
Prairie Strips
By Dan Wermager Technician, Root River SWCD An exciting opportunity for prairie strips is now available for area farmers. Prairie strips are a fairly new CRP practice. They reduce erosion, improve water quality, and create insect and bird habitat by establishing strips of native prairie vegetation on a field. They can be placed across a field in one or more contour … [Read more...]
The Many Benefits of Cover Crops
By Dan Wermager Technician, Root River SWCD As you are driving through the area in late fall or early spring, you may notice more green fields than you normally would. If it’s not a hay strip, then the green vegetation you are seeing is likely winter rye that has been planted as a cover crop. Cover crops are gaining a lot of traction in the area in recent years, and … [Read more...]









