Monday, July 13

    The Lonsdale Ambassadors announced their 2027 candidates for the Miss Lonsdale program. Three candidates registered to be Junior Ambassadors and Little Ambassadors both, with only a single candidate for Miss Lonsdale this year.
    Registration happens every spring, typically by the first week of April. Each of the candidates then spends then next months leading up to Lonsdale Community Days attending various events and festivals, alongside the current royalty.
    Lonsdale Community Days runs from Friday, Aug. 7 through Saturday, Aug. 8.

    Montgomery City Council approved the purchase and construction of a new playground  on Monday to replace the aging one in Memorial Park. The playground is over 20 years old and is rusting with some parts not functional, such as a slide that was boarded up and removed last year because it was not safe.
    The budget that was set forth for the new playground was $275,000 from the park improvement fund, and the city had applied for a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Recreation Grant, but was unsuccessful in receiving the grant to reduce the city’s burden.

Montgomery Public Library -- tinyurl.com/bdhzec8y

•     Virtual Author Dr. Marisa Franco — Adults are invited to register for an online virtual author talk on Tuesday, July 28, 1 p.m. Dr. Marisa Franco will discuss her nonfiction book "Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make & Keep Friends." Register at the library or at wasecalesueurlibraries.com/getregistered. Virtual events are made possible by the Traverse des Sioux Library Cooperative.

    We often hear about history of the early settlers of this area, the Big Woods region, referring to our European ancestors that moved into the area in the 1800’s to start farmsteads and businesses in what was thought to be open wilderness.
    Those early settlers infiltrated Native American lands though, changing the landscape and dialog about history forever — often omitting or minimizing that we had occupied and taken lands where these natives resided.

    Last Thursday’s Montgomery Farmer’s Market in Memorial Park was a special combination of elements.
    The market featured four tractors from the Krocak family brought in by four teenagers — Nathan Akerlund, Hunter Tuma, Logan Krocak and Noah Fields. Liz Krocak said, “Some kids have never even seen a tractor or been out to a farm. This is a fun way for them to see a little bit about what it is about.”

    Tri-City United High School will be losing a few excellent clay target shooters going into next season after competing at the USA Clay Target League’s 2026 National Championship in Mason, Mich., July 8-12. A total of 1,800 shooters between individual and teams participated at the event.
    The TCU squad — consisting of Levi Hohrman, Martin Bongers, Jacob Jones, Dylan Carston, and Branko Schoenbauer —  ended up placing 26th out of the 234 teams at nationals.

    Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MNOSHA) has completed its case in the Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023, early morning death of 58-year-old Jose Luis Alvarado at Seneca Foods Corporation in Montgomery.

    Only a select individuals can say they competed for their state team representing Minnesota in the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games held in Minneapolis from June 19-26, and Montgomery’s Phillip Weber is one of them.
    Weber, 2009 Tri-City United High School graduate, was made aware that he was chosen to be a part of Minnesota’s 16-person swimming team during an announcement on YouTube by Special Olympics Minnesota about a year ago. He is one of 245 athletes chosen across the state to represent Minnesota.

    Jean Keogh of Montgomery’s Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary Post 5340 was elected the VFW Auxiliary Department of Minnesota president at the department’s 102nd annual convention.
    Keogh was installed by her husband and 2025-2026 VFW Department of Minnesota Commander Ed Keogh during the convention in Plymouth, running from June 18-21.
    “Anchoring to serve, honor and respect” is newly elected President Jean Keogh’s theme for the 2026-2027 year.

    In the wake of the USA Clay Target League’s Minnesota State High School Clay Target League state tournament in Alexandria, the Tri-City United High School’s trap team and three individuals qualified for the Minnesota State High School League’s (MSHSL) Clay Target State Championship on Friday, June 24.

    Montgomery Historical Society teamed up with St. John Lutheran Church for a unique night of history on Wednesday, June 24. A little over 50 people showed up for the occasion. 

    Le Sueur County Sheriff Mounted Posse’s free Rodeo Fun Night last Friday, June 19, at the county fairgrounds in Le Center had a pleasant evening, narrowly missing severe storms that hampered events from the Twin Cities northward.
    A crowd of more than 500 people showed up to watch all ages compete for the best times in barrel racing, pole bending, mutton bustin’, monkey in a tree, a catalog race, a magic carpet ride race.

    Those looking to try a new 4th of July event this year are in luck. The City of Lonsdale announced earlier this year that it would be hosting a Founders Festival on July 3 from 3 p.m. to midnight. 
    A multitude of items will be happening over the course of the day, celebrating both the United States’ 250th anniversary and Lonsdale’s history.

    Breaking from the typical beer garden and a couple of bands annual routine, the Montgomery Fire Department did what they could to commemorate this very special sesquicentennial.

    The Montgomery Area Community Club (MACC) held its annual Kolacky Days Meet and Greet in Memorial Park Monday evening.
    Scott Smisek entertained attendees before the formal ceremony where people could grab a free kolacky and cookie or spend a few dollars on the new merchandise for the 92nd Annual Kolacky Days which will happen July 24-26.
    This year’s six candidates were introduced with their Little Sisters. The part of the event that everyone really waited for was the announcement of this year’s grand marshals.