Most Holy Redeemer Catholic School (MHRCS) graduated seven 8th graders last Friday morning. The day started off with a graduation Mass at 8:30 a.m. where some of the students sang numbers during the service.
    Following the Mass, a formal graduation ceremony was held in the church with family and friends present. Individual graduates stood up at the pulpit and expressed their gratitude to their parents and teachers, giving their parents a flower after speaking.

    Montgomery remembered it’s fallen soldiers on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, with a prayer service, ceremony, and a run.
    Mass was said at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church at 8:30 a.m. in memory of all deceased veterans.
    A formal ceremony was conducted at the American Bar & Grill hall at 9:30 a.m. Montgomery Area Veterans Honor Guard member Steve Flicek acted as the master of ceremonies with fellow member John Grimm sprinkling the ceremony with a cappella vocal selections throughout the program, such as “Sleep, Soldier Boy” and the “Star Spangled Banner.”

    Welcome, everyone. Thank you for being here today as veterans, as family, and as a community to observe Memorial Day 2026.
    To many across the country, this weekend is often marked by backyard barbecues, the opening of neighborhood pools, and the unofficial start of summer. But for those of us gathered here right now, we know that today is not a holiday of celebration, but a day of solemn remembrance. We are here to pause, reflect, and honor the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the United States.

    Lucas Wolf, owner of The Wolf Den, 300 South 1st Street, hopes his new passion project will be a safe haven for area families surrounding Montgomery, as well as a trading card shop for the region.
    The Wolf Den opened with a ceremonious ribbon cutting last Thursday, May 21, with family, friends; city staff, council and board members; and some excited customers present to check it out.

    A number of Tri-City United High School track members qualified for state tournament this week. Eric Borchardt (200 meter dash), Kaitlyn Hartwig (200 meter dash), Carly Hartwig (200 meter dash); Kaitlyn Hartwig, Cami Hartwig, Carly Hartwig, and Jill Houn (4x200 meter and 4x100 meter), Cami Hartwig (long jump), Nyadak Ruei (high jump), and Corday Freeman (shot put). 

    Two individuals stopped by to present further information to Montgomery’s Planning and Zoning Commission regular meeting, Nate Dorr and Breanne Kennedy. Dorr is the senior program manager of rural and tribal building capacity for the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund (GMHF), and Kennedy is the owner and founder of Thrive Consulting.
    Kennedy presented on removing barriers to housing development with a land use audit, which was carried out by the GMHF for free, valued at about $5,000. 

    Most Holy Redeemer Catholic School’s (MHRCS) spring concert on Friday, May 15, filled the cafeteria with relatives and friends. Unlike most other concerts in some years past, the entire student body sang as one for the concert with the exception of the Singing Angels group singing one song by themselves.
    Also unique to this performance was that there were a few student accompanists on keyboard for different numbers and Rev. Timothy Sandquist also accompanied on his guitar for a few numbers.

    The Southern Minnesota Initiative Fund (SMIF) has been donating and distributing paint in its region since 1997, even though the Paint the Town Grant didn’t officially start until 2015. Since 1997, SMIF has donated over 11,822 gallons of paint to 354 projects.
    Last year, Kilkenny was a recipient, receiving eight gallons of paint. Their project was to paint their “Twinning” mural showcasing their sister city in Kilkenny, Ireland, and it debuted in time for Halfway to St. Paddy’s Day celebration.

    It was a bad day for clay pigeons and a great day for the Tri-City United High School trap shooting squads. 
    A total of 22 five-person squads from 12 area schools participated in the 4th Annual Montgomery Sportsmen’s Club High School Trap Shoot Invitational on Saturday, May 16, at the Montgomery range on the south end of town. The weather was very pleasant with sunshine and the breeze behind shooters’ backs.

Be sure to pick up a copy of the May 14, 2026, Montgomery Messenger at a newsstand to find within the 2025-2026 Tri-City United High School Arts and Activities Section within and to check out all the local advertisers that help support these types of sections. Without them, local journalism and featuring these students wouldn't be possible! 

    Tri-City United High School Principal Alan Fitterer announced his retirement at January’s with a letter to the board and superintendent. The principal has spent the last 20 years with the district, starting in 2006 when it was Montgomery-Lonsdale High School.
    Fitterer graduated from Mankato East High School in 1985, where he participated in football (wide receiver/tight end), basketball (captain), baseball (centerfielder), student council (president), and National Honor Society, and was a class officer and took part in the Minnesota Male Teen Competition.

    Although the regular season didn’t progress as seamlessly as planned, New Prague’s cooperative indoor softball team won a berth in the state tournament Wednesday, May 6, with a big win over Anoka in the league playoffs.

Memorial Park playground
    The Montgomery Parks and Recreation Advisory Board was presented secondary options for the Memorial Park playground at their May 6 meeting. So far, the city has been working with Landscape Structures on a design that would cost about $230,400.
    Minnesota Wisconsin Playground (MWP) asked if they could submit their own quote to the city. MWP was recently bought by GameTime play equipment, making their equipment now direct-from-manufacturer and allowing for discounts.

    The Tri-City United softball team won three of their four games last week, all against Big South Conference opponents.
    They opened the week on Monday, May 4 with an 8-7 loss to Fairmont. The following afternoon the Titans defeated Waseca, 11-1, in five innings. The week ended with TCU sweeping a doubleheader from Marshall, winning 9-8 in eight innings in the first game and 10-8 in the second game.
    TCU improved to 8-5 overall with the three straight wins and are now 6-5 in the conference (4th place overall).

    The Tri-City United Schools $39.99 million proposed capital bond that was put up for a special election on Tuesday, May 12, was again rejected by the voters in the district. 
    Slightly more voters showed up for this election, voting 1,055 (48.5%) in support of the bond and 1,120 (51.5%) not in support of the bond.