The little Irish City of Kilkenny, Minnesota, did it again. The town, which boasts a population of 168, hosted hundreds of visitors for another grand ol’ Halfway to St. Paddy’s Day celebration on Saturday, Sept. 11. The day’s events included a car show, an Irish-themed parade, live music, food, local vendors, fireworks, and the ever-popular annual Toilet Bowl Races, which features teams of three racing down a street atop a rolling toilet and chugging beer (or root beer).
Highway 13 running north to south through Waseca County, has been renamed the Corporal Caleb L. Erickson Memorial Highway.
Twenty-year-old Erickson, who was born and raised in Waseca, died on Friday, February 28, 2014, as the result of injuries received during an attack by a suicide bomber while serving in Afghanistan. He was the son of Karla and Barry Erickson.
Roger Howland was 25 when he was drafted into the U.S. Army.
He was fresh out of college, having just earned his Business Degree, when he was told to report for duty.
Proud Irishmen and women--and those who are Irish at heart--are shining up their shamrocks in anticipation for Kilkenny’s Halfway to St. Paddy’s Day celebration this Saturday, September 11.
Dale and Kathleen Hamele, longtime Kilkenny residents and business owners, have been named this year’s grand marshals. The couple has owned and operated West Side Repair in Kilkenny for 30 years.
The September 1, 2021, issue of the Belle Plaine Herald, will be the last.
The newspaper’s owners, the Townsend Family, announced the news on its front page this week.
“The Townsend Family is sadly publishing the final edition of the Belle Plaine Herald, after nearly 140 years of covering the news in Belle Plaine and the surrounding area. This is the one article I hoped we would never have to print,” stated publisher and editor E. Daniel Townsend, who’s been employed at the newspaper and print company as long as he can remember.
A large crowd and good weather greeted The Le Sueur County Pioneer Power Show Friday Aug. 27, through Sunday, Aug. 29. The annual show features tractors of all years, sizes and models.
“We had extremely good attendance this year,” said Bill Thelemann of the Pioneer Power Tractor Show. “We dodged the main (predicted) rain storms.”
The annual Kilkenny Fire Department ATV Ride, which was held Saturday, August 14, had the biggest turnout in the history of the event.
This is the fifth year the Kilkenny Fire Department has been in charge of the event. The ATV Run was started by the Kilkenny Park Committee a decade ago.
A total of 449 machines and 781 people participated this year, eclipsing the previous high numbers of 329 machines and 525 people in 2019, the last time the event was held. COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the ATV Run in 2020.
He was given only six months to live.
That was two years ago.
Now, the stage-4 advanced, metastatic prostate cancer survivor is ready to celebrate.
This Sunday, August 22, a victory party, which family and friends have turned into a benefit, will be held in honor of local businessman Harry “Chip” Beadell at the Waterville Event Center from noon until 7 p.m.
COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics
will be held every Thursday at Rice County Public Health, 320 NW 3rd Street, Faribault 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. throughout August and September
Rice County Public Health continues to host COVID-19 vaccination clinics every Thursday from 9:00 – 4:00 p.m. These clinics are open to those 12 years and older, with all three vaccines available.
Long-time local teacher Jon Bakken has earned a spot in the WEM Board of Education following a special election held Tuesday, August 10. The WEM Board canvassed the votes Friday, August 13 in the WEM Elementary lobby.
Bakken received 113 votes, 10 more than runner-up David Schuster who received 103 votes. Matthew Klicker was third in the race with 74 votes.
Bakken received 61 votes in Waterville, 30 in Elysian, 16 in Morristown, and 6 votes through absentee ballots.
Due to a breakdown at the printing press in Princeton, MN, the August 12th issues of The New Prague Times, Montgomery Messenger and the LifeEnterprise, which are mailed, will be a day late.
Area newsstand papers will be available on Wednesday as usual.
We are sorry for the inconvenience.
Effective Monday, August 9, 2021, all Rice County employees and visitors are required to wear a face covering in Rice County government buildings. This requirement is going into effect to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
Rice County is currently classified as “high” community transmission of COVID-19 by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention’s COVID-19 Data Tracker. The CDC and the Minnesota Department of Health recommend face coverings be worn in indoor, public settings by all individuals -- vaccinated or not -- when in a community with high transmission.
National Night Out (Night to Unite) will be held Tuesday, August 3.
The 17th annual Elysian National Night Out will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Lake Francis City Park.
There will be a free meal consisting of hot dogs, chips, and a drink, door prizes, bounce house, face painting, and a ballon artist. Elysian Fire Department, Le Sueur County Sheriff’s Posse, North Ambulance, and Elysian Rescue Squad will be on hand to answer questions.
But will be required to wear them on the bus
Recommendations and requirements will be two words school districts will be looking very closely at before the start of the 2021-22 school year.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, they are recommending indoor mask-wearing for unvaccinated students ages two and older, as well as staff. They also recommend anyone 12 years of age or older who have not been vaccinated should wear a mask.
The Postal Service is good to go on its plan to slow down the mail and implement aggressive price increases, according to the Postal Regulatory Commission in a pair of decisions handed down this week.
The PRC expressed skepticism about the wisdom of adding an additional day to service standards for both First-Class and Periodicals mail.
But it stopped short of telling USPS not to make the change. Instead, it cautioned USPS to examine its assumptions about cost savings and to look into the root causes of mail slowdowns in recent months.
She’s happy in her garden.
On summer nights, there’s no place Susan Bliss of Waterville would rather be than sitting in her 25’ x 50’ garden, visiting with family members or friends, and watching critters scurry, flutter, and hop around her blooming plants.
“It’s rewarding to see more and more bees, butterflies, and birds,” she stated. “It’s so peaceful, and right at dusk is when the hummingbird moths come. They’re amazing to watch.”
The little, lawn-turned-nature refuge was certified as a Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation last summer.