With a few snips of a scissor and the buzz of an electric razor Saturday, Dec. 31, Roman Dorzinkski gave his last haircut at Dorzinski Barbers, a New Prague shop where three members of the Dorzinkski family have been operating for 91 years.
Getting the last haircut while he sat in the 1956 model barber’s chair was Max Kalina of Montgomery.
“He’s been cutting my hair for about 25 years,” said Kalina.
Asked how he chose Dorzinski, Kalina grinned and said, “He’s my grandpa.” When asked when he had his fist haircut, Dorzinski cuts in that Kalina was age 2.

It started as a quiet evening in Michelle and Alirio Vanyo’s home on James Parkway in Elko New Market, a Christmas Eve filled with peace as decorations were placed on a tree and the family enjoyed time together. The night ended with their home and most of their possessions destroyed or damaged by a fire.
It all changed around 7:25 p.m. A fire started in the garage. Alirio said the fire inspectors told him the fire most likely started in a battery charger. A neighbor told Alirio he saw sparks, probably from the charger, from across the street, just before the fire started.

New Prague High School’s wrestling team won the team title at the Rumble on the Red held Wednesday through Friday, Dec. 28-30, in Fargo. ND. The Trojans won first with 193.5 points of the top five out of 58 teams. Second through fifth were Stillwater, Jackson County Center, Waconia and Bemidji.

It was a busy few weeks for the New Prague High School girls’ ice hockey team as they had a home game and participated in the Schmitz Holiday Classic at the Farmington Schmitz-Maki Arena.
The Trojans won at home, 5-1, Tuesday, Dec. 13, against Minnesota River. New Prague’s next two games, Tuesday, Dec. 15, at Waconia and at home Thursday, Dec. 22, against Holy Angels were postponed.

To the uninitiated, they arrived at the park Saturday, Dec. 31, for an hour or two of pushing each other around, throwing a football, blocking, tackling or be tackled – the kind of stuff young men or those competitive enough to still revisit their glory days revel in at the time and second-guess the next morning.
A little crazy? Perhaps. And yet, none of them, it seems, would miss it for the world.
“Why do you do anything. It’s fun and it’s a tradition,” said Eric Steinhoff.

Because of severe weather and delivery complications, delivery of the Jan. 5 edition of The New Prague Times and Montgomery Messenger for various areas could be delayed by a day or two. 
These papers will be available at newsstands in Montgomery and New Prague if you wish to pick one up.
Our apologies for any inconvenience.

Charles H. “Chuck” Hanzel, age 76, of Walker, MN, passed away peacefully with family by his side, on Wednesday, December 21, 2022. A Celebration of Life service will be held in the Spring. Arrangements provided by Whispering Pines Funeral & Cremation Service of Walker & Hackensack, MN (whisperingpinesnorth.com).

Dorothy Helen Kadrlik (Spoor) age 84 of Lonsdale, MN passed away peacefully at her home on December 30, 2022. She was born on September 25, 1938 in Montgomery, MN to James and Adeline Jakes. She married Albert Kadrlik on July 27, 1996. They continued to live in Lonsdale and spent winters in Donna, Texas. Dorothy is preceded in death by her husband, Albert Kadrlik; brothers, Marvin and Robert Jakes. She is survived by children, Connie (Doug) Frederick, of Roseville, CA, John Spoor of Waterville, and Roxie (Al) Velishek of Montgomery.

Due to inclement weather, there will be no school Tuesday, January 3. This will be a blended learning day. Lessons for blended learning will be available on this link after 9:30 a.m. https://bit.ly/3WXpOh9
There will be No Kids' Company or WRAP.
All afternoon and evening activities for Tuesday, January 3, are canceled.
Fitness & Aquatic Center will be open, but please check emails and watch Facebook for possible schedule changes and closure updates.

Howard L. Hauer, age 72 of Eden Prairie, died unexpectedly December 19, 2022 at Minneapolis Veterans Hospital with his family at his side. He battled cancer for several years. A memorial Mass will be held on January 20 at St. Hubert Catholic Community, 8201 Main St., Chanhassen. Visitation will be at 10 a.m. and Mass at 11 a.m. Burial will be at Fort Snelling at a later date.

Dorothy Marie Loney, age 88, of New Prague, died unexpectedly at her home on Thursday, December 29, 2022.  Dorothy was born on February 15, 1934 in St.

Mark Allen Trittelwitz, aged 60, died on Saturday, December 17, 2022 at his home in Apple Valley, MN, after battling a neuro-muscular disease.
Born in Minneapolis on February 11, 1962, Mark was the oldest of three children. In 1971, at the age of nine, the family moved from New Hope to New Prague. Mark graduated from New Prague High School in 1980 and then attended the University of Minnesota, Duluth. Most recently, Mark worked as a Senior Calibration Technician at Martin Calibration Inc. in Burnsville.

Crossroads Church in Elko New Market held an early New Year’s party Saturday, Dec. 31, at Eagle View Elementary School. The family friendly party had games, snacks and a dropping of beach balls at noon. More than 100 people attended the first time event that allowed the community to celebrate together. For more see the Thursday, Jan. 5, print edition of The New Prague Times. (Patrick Fisher photo)

The Elko New Market City Council continued its public hearing about the proposed Niagara Bottling water bottling plant on Tuesday, Dec. 20. The public hearing had begun on Thursday, Dec. 15. For most of the two-and-ahalf-hour Dec. 20 meeting, the council heard from more than 30 people at city hall and those attending online.

Trojans heading north for games
After tough competition against area teams, the New Prague boys’ ice hockey team is looking for a little consistency as the cure for what ails them. What better place to work on it than northern Minnesota?
Having dropped three of their last four games, the Trojans are heading to Proctor for the weekend for a holiday tournament getaway. New Prague will face the host Rails and will also face Osseo and Superior during the tournament. The exact times of games is to be determined.

New Prague Police Chief Jim Gareis will be retiring after a 37-year career in law enforcement at the end of the year. His last day as police chief was Thursday, Dec. 22. Chief Gareis said he’s ready for it.
Gareis thought about how this will be a change for him. “I thought, ‘This is my career I’m giving up,’ but I think I’m ready for that.”