After selling fashion online, out of her basement and garage, BAM Fashion Boutique owner Amy Gray opened her first-ever retail store in Lonsdale on Saturday, March 18.
Gray explains that her home business and family’s move to Lonsdale made them look for a brick-and-mortar location.
“I ran out of my basement in Elko in the beginning, then out of our detached garage,” she explained after the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday at 126 Main Street North. “I would have open shopping hours, but never set hours.”

Franke’s Bakery was sweeter than normal on Saturday, March 18 for those who renewed their membership or took out a new one to the Montgomery Area Community Club’s (MACC) Annual Membership Drive.

A fire started inside of an attached garage on the 500 block of 2nd Street SW on Friday, March 10 shortly before noon.
Renter of the house, Kyle Odenthal, said he was in the garage filling his snowblower with gas when the snowblower backfired and started the gas coming out of the can on fire. Odenthal was taken by surprise and the fire scorched his hand. During the ordeal, he says he spilt some of the gas on the garage floor and that too started on fire. He grabbed the fire extinguisher and tried to put it out but it was too large for that to be effective.

One farmer that is involved in the Farmers Protecting Bridgewater Streams (FPBSP) Project took initiative to help promote a better landscape, waterway, and ecosystem many years ahead of it.

The Montgomery Area Community Club (MACC) announces their button design contest winner, Ana Stasney of Montgomery.
Stasney received $150 Monty Bucks, a Kolacky Days t-shirt, a limited edition oversized collectable Kolacky Days Button, and two regular-sized Kolacky Days buttons of the design she created.
The process for designs was started in Oct. 2022, when MACC asked for designs to be submitted. After designs were submitted in early November, all members of the MACC voted later in the month for their favorite out of the 13 submitted.

The 2023 Lonsdale State of the City/Schools was held to a full house in the Lonsdale Public Library on March 7. Attendees dined to a box lunch from Subway sponsored by Steele-Waseca Cooperative Electric. The event was coordinated by the Lonsdale Chamber of Commerce.
Mayor of Lonsdale
Lonsdale Mayor Tim Rud spoke about the progress of the City of Lonsdale over the decades but emphasized how things changed in the 1990’s to the 2000’s. The Mayor said that there was tremendous growth during this period and it changed the way the city operated.

A number of entities came together to implement the Farmers Protecting Rice Creek Project in the Rice Creek watershed in 2018. The project expanded to include parts of Heath and Wolf Creek watersheds in 2021 and was renamed the Farmers Protecting Bridgewater Streams Project (FPBSP).

You can visit the Montgomery Arts and Heritage Center over the next two months to see Tri-City United student-created artwork. The exhibits will run from now through May 13 and will be divided into three grade-level groups.
Many different types of artwork displayed, including pottery, watercolor paintings, beadwork, knitting, collages, photography, and more.

Tri-City United High School was host to the Minnesota River Conference (MRC) Speech Championship Meet on March 11, an annual event that brings together the best speech participants in the conference.
“This fine arts event captures excitement for our participants, parents and fans of speech,” said MRC President Randy Walsh of Sibley East High School, “Through the work of the coaches and students, the MRC continues to produce outstanding performers.”

Tri-City United has a team of five young students headed to the Region 9 Knowledge Bowl Sections. They are among 12 teams, out of the 41 in the region, that will be moving on to the competition in Mankato on Thursday, March 16.
Only two teams from Region 9 will move on to the state competition. If team TCU Blue succeeds at winning a spot at the state competition, they will compete against 47 other teams from around Minnesota at Cragun’s Conference Center in Brainerd April 13-14.

All Tri-City United High School music groups performed a spring concert Thursday, March 2 in the high school’s performing arts center (PAC).
The concert opened with a smooth piece, “Pure Imagination,” by the jazz band, which included a wonderful solo by saxophone player Aiden Miland. Encore Choir followed and then the concert choir. Three soloists in the concert choir switched off nicely back and forth with each other, matching voice tones in “Death Came A Knockin’.”

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) launched a $1.9 million test pilot that aims to improve public transportation needs across western and southern rural Minnesota. If the test pilot goes well, it could be expanded state-wide and improved upon.

The Tri-City United High School’s student Art Night has become a popular annual tradition for students says Tony Barnack, art teacher and advisor for the TCU ARTeam.
TCU’s ARTeam has 65 students and many of them were in attendance for Art Night. A total of 53 students participated in Art Night.
Barnack says that they even bring back former art teachers and former students that have become art teachers at other schools for the event. “It’s a great way for them to reconnect and see alumni and other people they may know,” says Barnack.

Tri-City United Schools Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapter held a regional contest March 1 at the high school and the American Legion in Montgomery.
Students competed in three areas of career development: small animals, meats, and forestry. The forestry and meats competition were held at the American Legion and the small animals portion was held at the performing arts center at the high school.
A total of 34 FFA chapters from Region 7A visited to compete. There were 22 teams, 12 schools, and over 200 participants.

A fire engulfed a barn owned by John Winjum on 354th Street, or Le Sueur County Road 124, about a mile east of Clear (Lexington) Lake on the afternoon on Tuesday, March 6.
The building, with a pole shed lean-to attached, was a total loss. Buildings nearby were not affected, including the old original uninhabited house.
No animals or property were in the building, which was mostly filled with old hay that was left from the previous owner. The hay was still smoldering the day after with much hay left even after the fire.

(Updated story 3/15)
A New Prague man was cited for a single vehicle crash that happened in Union Hill on Saturday, March 11 at about 3:30 a.m.
A blue 2016 Dodge Ram 1500 was traveling south on Scott County 7 (Church Avenue), ran through the stop sign at MN 19, crossed MN 19 and Hub Drive, sliced through a power pole, over three mailboxes, and ended up in the St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church's old schoolhouse parking lot.