The Le Sueur County Sheriff’s Office 911 dispatch center received a call from retired farmer Richard Peterson, age 75, at 3:09 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 2, saying that his attached garage was on fire at 23956 Dodd Road, a little over two miles south of Le Center on the southern edge of the Shanghai Lake Wildlife Management Area.

    Two local 4-H youth are stepping into one of Minnesota 4-H’s most prestigious leadership roles. Le Sueur County is one of only five counties in the state to have more than one State Ambassador selected.
    Elizabeth Holicky of Le Center and Audrey Keltgen of Le Sueur have been selected as members of the 2026–2027 Minnesota 4-H State Ambassador Team, joining 30 other outstanding young leaders from across the state.

A big thank you to all Summer Reading Program participants! Grand prize winners will be announced soon. Good luck to all!

    Monday,  Aug. 3  – BBQ chicken breast, scalloped potatoes, green peas, wheat bread with margarine, brownie, and milk.
    Tuesday, Aug. 4 – Diced turkey and gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing, whole kernel corn, diced peach cup, dinner roll with margarine, and milk.
    Wednesday, Aug. 5 – Meatloaf, baked potato with sour cream and margarine, broccoli, applesauce cup, wheat bread, and milk.
    Thursday, Aug. 6 – Turkey Tetrazzini, sliced carrots, peach crisp, dinner roll with margarine, and milk.

    Montgomery’s 2024 Kolacky Days Queen Neysa Anderson was crowned as a 2027 Minneapolis Aquatennial Princess this past week. She is the second only from Kolacky Days royalty to enter into the candidacy for potential honor and first to be crowned. Anna Franek in 2019 was the only other Kolacky Royalty to try.
    Anderson joins 2025 Anoka Ambassador Sydney DeRung, who is the other princess, and the prize title 2027 Minneapolis Aquatennial Queen of the Lakes, which was won by 2024-2025 Miss Sibley County Maryn Halverson.

    Voters in the southern three-fourths of Le Sueur County have options when deciding who will get their vote in the Aug. 11 primary election for county board seats representing the second fourth and fifth commissioner districts.
    The ballot will also include U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state auditor, and attorney general seats open for election.

    Le Center’s downtown bustled with jubilation in honor of the United States of America’s 250th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday.

    A packed, electric crowd turned out at Memorial Field to celebrate Kolacky Days Night on Wednesday, July 22, but defensive miscues and early quiet bats dampened the hometown festivities as the Montgomery Mallards fell 8-2 to the Veseli Warriors.
    The Mallards also played the Webster Sox on Monday, July 27, but details of the game were not available before the Messenger went to press

    The Miss Czech Slovak Minnesota Pageant is looking for queen and junior ambassador candidates for its 37th annual event.
    If you are of Czech or Slovak decent and live within Minnesota, and are between the ages of 12-15 for junior ambassadors or between ages 16-23 for queen by Aug.1, you can apply through their website at missczechslovakminnesotapageant.com.
    The applications are due by Aug. 1 and a contestant meeting will be held on Aug. 9. The pageant will be held at the Park Ballroom in New Prague after the Dožínky Days on Sept. 19.

    Kolacky Days in Montgomery being one of the longer running festivals has instituted two opportunities for youth to help continue the tradition.
    This year’s six Kolacky Queen candidates brought six Little Sisters to the table: Ella Shimota, daughter of Kara Shimota; Hattie Birdsell, daughter of Jason and Hilary Birdsell; Mya Goettl, daughter of Steve and Melissa Goettl; Sylvie Prochaska, daughter of Tyler and Sarah Prochaska; Charlotte Norgren, daughter of Paul and Catherine Norgren; and Sawyer Stasney, daughter of Pete and Colleen Stasney.

    This is your comprehensive list of Kolacky Days eats! Look for the new vendor and/or food choices that are indicated in blue.
    The Royal Table Dinner at the Revival on Main, with current candidates and 2025 royalty, gets a menu overall to a pulled pork sandwich. While you won’t be able to get that fix of a “Czech Happy Meal” with the pork loin, the Miss Czech-Slovak Minnesota Pageant has what is arguably even better in Memorial Park with their “Czech Meal Deal,” substituting pork loin for jiternice or a polish sausage instead.

    Montgomery’s 92nd Kolacky Day’s Grand Day Parade will commence at noon on Sunday, July 26, with about 100 units. This is down slightly from last year’s 110 units.
    The parade will start at Vine Avenue West and 3rd Street Northwest at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, travel south to Oak Avenue Southwest where it will go east two blocks by the Montgomery Public Library to go north on 1st Street South until it meets up with Boulevard Avenue Northwest to travel one block west, terminating at the city’s public works lot.

The Kolacky Days royalty has been crowned for the 92nd annual festival.

Friday's pageant at Tri-City United High School's performing arts center gave way to the next set of representatives of the city of Montgomery. Allison Rynda was chosen as the 2026 Kolacky Days Queen, Aubrie Barnett as 1st Princess, Raena Wiess as 2nd Princess, and Aubrey Flicek as Miss Congeniality.

    The Montgomery Area Community Club (MACC) chose long-time Montgomery residents Don “Corky” and Kathy (Loeffler) Westerman, ages 80 and 79, as the 92nd annual festival’s grand marshals.
    MACC’s announcement of the honor was made last month on June 22 during the Meet and Greet in Memorial Park.
    Community member and past grand marshal Dale Ruhland nominated the Westermans for the honor. Ruhland referenced how the Westerman name had been “etched into the fabric of Montgomery since the mid-1800’s” with Westerman Lumber. 

    While many people may have an idea that Kolacky Days is one of the oldest Minnesota festivals around, does anyone really know? 
    This question set forward an adventure to try and find the answer to both how old is the oldest festival in Minnesota and where does Kolacky Days actually lie on that spectrum. This then put forth further question of where does it lie on the spectrum of kolacky and Czech heritage-related festival in the United States.

SAIL Fitness Class
    Catholic Charities for Southern Minnesota’s Stay Active for Independent Living (SAIL) fitness class for ages 55+. M&Th, 9-10 a.m., except holidays, at Center Stage Dance in Montgomery. No registration, just show up. Free.

Through Sept. 19 — Genealogy & Research Center
    The Le Sueur County Historical Society Genealogy and Research Center, 301 NE 2nd St, Elysian, is open F/SA, 1-4 p.m., through Sept. 19.