The parents of New Prague High School’s graduating class of 2021 are coming together to honor the senior class with a Graduation Parade at 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 23. Like last year’s parade, the parents are working with the New Prague Area School District and the City of New Prague to organize a parade that will take a route through the community.

New Prague High School has named Julie Schlup as its new Activities Office Assistant, pending approval by the New Prague School Board. Schlup is taking over for Lynn Swaggert, who is retiring. Schlup is coming from Tri-City United High School where she was the 7-12 grade Activities Administrative Assistant from 2016-2021. She and her husband, Brian, reside in New Prague. She enjoys vacationing with family in California and Tennessee. She also enjoys relaxing at the lake fishing with her husband Brian. For more see an upcoming print issue of The New Prague Times.

Lukas Janicek was a dinner guest of the New Prague Czech Heritage Club on Tuesday, May 11, 2021. Lukas is an exchange student from his hometown of Rokycany, Czech Republic, and is a student at New Prague High School. His host parents are Jessica and Jeremy Dohm.
The dinner took place at the Fishtale Grill in New Prague, where all feasted on pork, dumplings, and kraut with vomacka. Lukas said the food was very good and very similar to the foods he enjoys in his Czech home. He commented that the word “vomacka” doesn’t mean “soup” but rather means “gravy” or “sauce”.

The City of New Prague has determined that the main store front of Downtown Sound, located at 104 E. Main Street is no longer unoccupiable based on a recent structural review relating to the building at 102 E. Main Street. Additionally the sidewalk will be open to Downtown Sound at 104 E. Main Street. The rear portion of Downtown Sound also remains open as it previously has been.

The Hwy 19/Main Street construction crew will be adding two temporary bridges for pedestrian traffic to cross Main Street over the weekend! You can find the crossings at Central Ave (by the Chamber office) and near City Club Bar

NAMI Minnesota (National Alliance on Mental Illness) has set up a wide variety of free online mental health classes for May and June. They include such classes as Hope for Recovery, Transitions, Ending the Silence, Understanding Early Episode Psychosis for Families, In Our Own Voice, Family to Family, Positive Psychology, Creating Caring Communities, a suicide prevention class called QPR – Question, Persuade and Refer, a special QPR class for Agricultural Communities and many more.

The Lonsdale Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a Street Fair and Business Expo on Thursday evening, May 20 from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m.
The family friendly event will be located on Ash Street NE near Mackenthun’s Fine Foods.
Lonsdale area businesses will be showcased. There will also be food vendors, a beer garden, inflatables, music, and more.

A free food distribution for those in need of food or newly struggling to make ends meet due to the COVID-19 crisis is being held Tuesday, May 18 from 2 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. at the Le Sueur County Fairgrounds, 320 South Plut Ave, Le Center. The event is being hosted by Le Sueur County and Second Harvest Heartland with food provided from the COVID Food Assistance Program (CFAP).

The Czech Heritage Club announced Friday that it was recently awarded a monetary gift (grant) from the Government of the Czech Republic for 2021.
The grant was 25,000 Czech koruna or Czech crown (Kč/CZK), which converts to $1,114.67 US dollars.  According to Czech Heritage member, Jean Keogh, the funds will be used for the Club’s monthly cultural and historic programming, and printing updated cemetery books listing Czech immigrants and their decedents in the two New Prague cemeteries.

Columbus Avenue NE/SE at the intersection with Main Street in New Prague is scheduled to close before 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 12, due to the reconstruction of Main Street. Crews will reconstruct the street and replacing the infrastructure as the street work continues east. First Avenue NE/SE will reopen with a temporary gravel surface as an alternative north to south crossing of Main Street. (Patrick Fisher Photo)

New Prague Police Chief Jim Gareis laid out a strategic transition plan for the city’s Police Department, which includes his eventual retirement in 2022, during the New Prague City Council’s electronically held meeting on Monday, May 3.

This weekend New Prague High School students will be performing “Camp Rock, the Musical” for its spring production. The musical, based on the Disney Channel production, will be shown on Trojan Theatre YouTube at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 8, and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 9. The link to the YouTube channel is: http://bitly.com/trojan-theatre.

She’s a Topiary Designer/Botanical Mosaic Artist, originally from Montgomery. She was the 2001 Kolacky Queen, and next week she will show the world her artistic skills on the new discovery+ show, “Clipped.”
Meghan Petricka, a 2002 Montgomery- Lonsdale High School graduate, joins six other artists in the competition series set in the topiary world. According to a press release, they create, “breathtaking sculptures out of meticulously trimmed shrubbery, plants and flowers - designing colorful, largerthan- life, living works of art.”

Raven Stream Elementary School students participate in a hopping exercise on Wednesday, May 5, as part of ACES (All Children Exercise Simultaneously). The New Prague school was taking part in the annual event where children exercise at the same time. The 558 students at the school had several exercises to do at various stations around the school. For more see an upcoming print issue of The New Prague Times. (Patrick Fisher Photo)

An extensive search for a new Le Sueur County Administrator is coming to a close.
After final interviews with four candidates Monday, May 3, the Le Sueur County Board of Commissioners extended the job offer to Joseph Martin during the Tuesday, May 4 board meeting.
Martin, lives in rural Waterville with his wife, Staci (Bohlen), and their two children. He is the son-in-law of Curtis and Joyce Bohlen of rural Kilkenny.

Beginning on Saturday, May 1, and lasting an entire week to Saturday, May 8, people can participate in the Virtual Run New Prague. This is the second year the Half Marathon, 10K and 5K runs and the Kids Fun Run are being held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s also the second year people can run the Half Marathon as a relay.
The New Prague Chamber of Commerce organizes Run New Prague. It posted on its website that...
To read more on this article, pick up the April 29, 2021 print edition of The New Prague Times.