Jerry Hackett has been an avid gardener all his life, famous for growing tomatoes taller than he. But when he and his wife, Pat, moved from their retirement home in Bemidji in 2016 to a one level townhome in Shakopee to be nearer their children, there was simply no space for Jerry to ply his green thumb. Keenly active, Jerry needed something to do. Then he remembered the toothpick projects one of their...
To see more on this story, pick up the April 22, 2021 print edition of The New Prague Times.

There is a lot happening in New Prague, our state and everywhere else. A person needs only to look at the front page to see things that have happened and that are coming up this weekend.

As part of the reconstruction of Main Street, crews are dealing with the removal of asbestos. City Public Works Director Matt Rynda said the asbestos is wrapped around old steam pipes that the City and contractor...
To read more about this article, pick up the April 22, 2021 print edition of The New Prague Times.

Mayo Clinic Health System in New Prague has more than 200 available COVID-19 vaccine appointment slots available Thursday and Friday, April 22 and 23.
The vaccination site is located at the Mayo Clinic Health System clinic, 212 10th Ave. NE, New Prague.

Mayme Lucille (Dejcmar) Jindra, age 105 years 10 months and 6 days, passed away peacefully at her home in Montgomery on October 19, 2020.  Visitation will be held on Friday, May 7 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at St. John Lutheran Church in Montgomery.  The Funeral Service in celebration of her life will also be held at the Church starting at 11 a.m. with Pastor Jason Pollington officiating.  

The National Wrestling Hall of Fame Minnesota Chapter announced the induction of nine new members to the Class of 2021. One of those honored will be Dr. John Berg, Jr. of New Prague.
Berg will be inducted Saturday, April 24 at the...
To read more about this article, pick up the April 22, 2021 print edition of The New Prague Times.

Dolores Gertrude (Eischens) Wagner passed away peacefully at home on Sunday, April 18th, 2021. She was born October 8th, 1925, in New Prague, the 9th of 12 children of John and Mary Eischens. She grew up on the family farm, where she recalled milking cows in the morning before attending a country grade school where her teacher was also her sister. Following high school graduation she completed her education at Saint Catherine's School of Nursing in Saint Paul, becoming a registered nurse. She went on to work in the Pediatrics Department of Saint Mary's Hospital, Minneapolis.

Jean E. (Matko) Gelhar, 77 of  Mcgregor died Sunday, April 18, 2021 at her home surrounded by her family.  She was born January 6, 1944 in Saint Paul to Joe and Marcella (Koppen) Matko.  She grew up in Minneapolis and graduated from Minneapolis High School in 1962.  Jean was united in marriage to Dennis D.

Carol Jean (Erkel) Svoboda, 85, of Le Center, passed away on April 16, 2021, at Mala Strana Health Care in New Prague with family by her side. 
Visitation will be on Thursday, April 29, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Schoenbauer Funeral Home in Montgomery. Funeral services will be held on Friday, April 30, at 11 a.m. at St. John Lutheran Church in Montgomery with Pastor Jason Pollington, officiating.
Visitation will be held one hour prior at the church.
Interment will be held in the St. John Lutheran Cemetery.

A group of roughly 20 students from New Prague High School gather around the flagpole around 1 p.m. on Monday, April 19. The group joined other students across Minnesota who walked out in solidarity against racial injustice. The students at New Prague and other schools talked about the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center and discrimination in their own schools. The walkouts ended with a moment of silence at 1:47 p.m., the time that Wright was shot. For more see an upcoming print issue of The New Prague Times. (Patrick Fisher Photo)

Lawrence “Larry” F. Ruehling passed away peacefully on April 18, 2021 at Benedictine Living Community in Owatonna.
He was born on January 30, 1923, at home in Helena Township, Scott County, the son of August Karl and Elisa (Bohnsack) Ruehling. Larry lived on the home farm and attended rural school district #50 and graduated in 1940 from New Prague High School.
Larry moved to Owatonna in January of 1942 and worked for the Borden company. It is also where he met his future wife, Ruth Pichner. They were married in January of 1944.

Elgar N. Busch, age 91, of  New Prague, died peacefully with his family at his side, on Saturday, April 17, 2021, at Praha Village.  Elgar was born a twin at the New Prague Hospital on February 6, 1930 to Florian H. and Elizabeth (Hoffman) Busch.  He grew up on the family farm in St. Benedict and attended St.

Ruth Marie (Halloran) Flicek Johnson, age 90, of Madelia, passed away peacefully on April 15, 2021 at United Hospital in St. Paul following a stroke.
Ruth was born in Belle Plaine, MN, in 1930 to John and Grace (Schoell) Halloran and grew up on a farm near St. Thomas. She graduated from New Prague High School in 1948 and the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul in 1951 with a diploma in nursing. Ruth worked as a registered nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital in St. Paul, and the Madelia Hospital until she started her family.

Jean A. Hartman, age 72, of Jordan, MN, passed peacefully surrounded by family at her home, after a courageous battle with cancer, on Wednesday, April 14, 2021. 

(This is the first in a series about changes that New Prague’s Main Street businesses are dealing with due to the reconstruction of Main Street.)
Businesses on New Prague’s Main Street will be dealing with changes due to the reconstruction of the street and the placing of new infrastructure underneath the street.
New Prague Postmaster Pauline Lambrecht said the post office’s hours are still the same. The mail box in front of the building was moved on Friday, April 8, onto...
To read more on this article, pick up the April 15, 2021 print edition of The New Prague Times.

More than once I’ve heard the saying, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.” For those who want to get technical it is based on a Robert Burns poem “To a Mouse” that is originally, “The best-laid schemes of mice and men, Go oft awry.”
Awry is a good word for the last few days. Work on Main Street is still progressing, but for The Consignment Lodge and Downtown Sound, things are still up in the air as of press time as to when or how they will be able to reopen.