Every year since about 2018, a few of us friends have gotten together at Belle Plaine BBQ Days to cook a gigantic burger. It originated with my friends Zachery Schoenecker (also my nephew), Josh Mosbeck, and Alex McCarty. According to my nephew, the first burger was made in 2017 but it didn’t move to its current state of affairs until at least 2018.
    McCarty’s father and he both lived in a house along the BBQ Days parade route, which made for a convenient place to have a cookout and then watch the parade on Saturday of the event. As each year went on, the burger grew.

    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.

Kevin Joseph Doherty, age 73, of Montgomery, passed away on Friday, July 17, 2026, at his home in Montgomery.

Dianne Vlasak Cochrane, age 65, daughter of Don “Froggy” and Donna Vlasak, passed
away on June 21 at her home in Wheatridge, Colorado, of a massive heart attack. Private
funeral was held on July 17 at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Montgomery.

            Julia “Julie” Mary Washa died peacefully under the care of the staff at the Mankato Mayo Hospital on July 16, 2026.

Jeremiah "Jerry" Francis Keohen IV, age 64 of Montgomery, died at his home on July 12, 2026.

    Roughly 200 children and some adults climbed inside Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center’s portable, inflatable StarLab planetarium at Tri-City United PreK-6 Lonsdale School Monday morning.
    TCU Community Education and Lonsdale Public Library presented four half-hour sessions Monday morning. Each session held about 50 people, with the last session squeezing in about 60 individuals.

    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.”

    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.

Gerald "Jerry" A. Ademmer, age 90, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, July 14, 2026.

Jerry was born on June 16, 1936, in Heidelberg, Minnesota, to Frank and Ella (Prochaska) Ademmer. He grew up on the family farm in Heidelberg, where he learned the values of hard work, dedication, and the importance of family. He attended school in Montgomery, Minnesota.

    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.

    Summer blood donations far lower than needed as hospitals work to protect patient care, according to the American Red Cross. 
    The American Red Cross is declaring an emergency blood shortage as the blood supply fell nearly 25% in June. Blood donors are urgently needed to give now to help ensure patients receive lifesaving medical care without delay. The shortage is especially serious for platelets and types O-positive and B-negative blood.

Grace Marie Kukacka, 79, of Montgomery, MN, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on July 3, 2026, at Mercy Hospital Unity Campus in Fridley.

    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.

Lucille Marie Nickolay, age 103, of New Prague, passed away peacefully on July 4, 2026.

Lucille was born on December 2, 1922, in New Prague, to John F. and Bessie Bazil Nickolay. The oldest of ten children, she grew up during the Great Depression and learned early the importance of hard work, responsibility, and caring for others. She attended St. Wenceslaus Catholic School for eight years and graduated as salutatorian of New Prague High School in 1940.