As Christmas approaches, there are a lot of different holiday things to do. Families from Most Holy Redeemer School (MHRS) are no exception. Monday evening kids young and old slowly filtered into the school cafeteria for an Old Fashioned Christmas.
Neaner Kriha coordinated the event and staff and parents from the school helped put on the event. Various others donated from the community besides the listed to make this a 100% free event for families to enjoy over the dinner hours.

Nancy Dorshak, age 85, of Montgomery, passed away peacefully with her loving family at her side on Wednesday, December 13, 2023, at her home.  Nancy was born on October 3, 1938, in New Prague, to Ronald A. and Angeline (Meskal) Novotny.  She attended Most Holy Redeemer Catholic School, graduated as the salutatorian from Montgomery High School, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology from the College of St.

Sheryl “Sheri” Skluzacek of Lonsdale passed away peacefully at her home surrounded by her loving family on December 12. Sheri was born on March 5, 1966, in New Prague to Donald and Grace (Sevcik) Sticha. Sheri was married 37 years to Vernon Skluzacek and together they shared a life with 3 children and 7 grandchildren with another one on the way. Sheri was a Rural Carrier in Lonsdale for 15+ years and enjoyed many activities.

Wally Edward Edel, age 89, of Montgomery, died on Friday, December 8, 2023, in Bloomington. Visitation will be held on Friday, December 15, from 10-11:30 a.m. with Mass of Christian Burial at 11:30 a.m. all at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Montgomery. Interment will be held in Calvary Cemetery in Montgomery. Military honors will be provided by the Montgomery area Veterans Honor Guard. 

Larry Douglas Coon, 67, of Webster, MN, passed away peacefully at home December 3, 2023.
Larry was born September 11, 1956, to Patricia and Louis Coon in Creston, IA.
After Larry graduated from Mankato West High School in 1974, he went on to study Horticulture and Landscape design at Brainerd Vocational Technical Institute.
While at school he met Janyce (Jan) Swanson. They were married at Spring Garden Lutheran Church, Cannon Falls, MN, May 3, 1980.

“Max advised he was more interested in seeing Buddy from Elf growing up.”
If you find the medallion, bring it to the Messenger office at 310 1st Street South or call 507-364-8601. Finders of the medallion will receive $100 in Monty Bucks! Look for the next clue in the Dec. 14 Montgomery Messenger if the medallion isn’t found.

Building on its inaugural year, the second Svatý Mikuláš, or Saint Nicholas, celebration brought more than 200 people to The Rustic Farmer and Revival on Main on Sunday.
The celebration, themed as a Czech Country Christmas event, featured a variety of vendors selling Czech gifts and baked goods. Zelnikys and kolackys were offered along with traditional Czech dishes like vomacka, halušky, and Czech hotdogs.

A gentle snow fell and brought a festive feeling to the activities of Frosty Fest in Lonsdale on Small Business Saturday.
The snow brought slippery conditions to the roads and for those walking about, forcing everyone to slow their pace.
Shops in Lonsdale had special extended hours encouraging residents to shop at their local stores. Many businesses offered specials but the highlight for many was Something For All’s Winter Wonderland.

A Community Task Force Team, led by Tom Weber and Kat Pass of SiteLogIQ and made up of six students and 25 community members, that toured the school district and cited areas needing addressing in 2022 were given updates this fall on some of the key priorities they saw within the district.

Winners of the 2023 Montgomery Torchlight Parade float contest were announced by the Torchlight Parade and Fireworks committee. 
"Monster Christmas" was awarded first place float in the parade. It features a large monster truck with the Grinch chasing a miniature monster truck carrying Santa Claus. In between, a family sat around an open fire. 

The Montgomery Area Community Club (MACC) celebrated its 100th anniversary during their annual membership meeting on Monday, Nov. 13.
MACC was founded on March 7, 1923. On Feb. 23, 1923, a businessmen’s meeting that was held at city hall discussed the matter of forming an organization. A “fair sized crowd” showed up for it and it was said that those in attendance were “very keen” to the forming of it, according to the article in the March 2, 1923, Messenger.

I have a sibling who doesn’t eat anything with pork products in them. Strangely enough, you will find pork products in places sometimes you don’t always think of — one of them being store-bought gelatin.
This sent me on a hunt of how I could make my own gelatin and the results were surprisingly simpler, more flavorful and more nutritious than I realized. In fact, if you can somehow make anything into a liquid, you can make it into gelatin. It also sets firmer.

The Minnesota River girls hockey team improved to 3-2 this season with a 2-1 win over New Prague Tuesday, Nov. 21 in a game played at Le Sueur.
Sophomore Clare Hathaway scored the game-winning goal at the 12:05 mark in the third period. It was her first goal of the season. She received assists from freshman McKenna Andresen, her team-leading third of the season and freshman Noelle Simonette’s first assist.
Senior Makenna Mueller scored her team-leading third goal in the first period giving the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead.

“As they were checking out the window displays, Mikayla stated her favorite Christmas movie was Home Alone 2. She hopes someone depicted the scene when the pigeon lady throws bird seed on the Sticky Bandits.”
If you find the medallion, bring it to the Messenger office at 310 1st Street South or call 507-364-8601. Finders of the medallion will receive $100 in Monty Bucks! Look for the next clue in the Dec. 7 Montgomery Messenger if the medallion isn’t found.

Mildred (Milly) Mary Schoenbauer, age 96, of Montgomery, passed away on Saturday, November 25, 2023, at Traditions of Montgomery. Visitation will be held on Thursday, November 30, 2023, from 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. at Schoenbauer Funeral Home.  Mass of Christian Burial will be on Friday, December 1, 2023, at 11:30 a.m. with visitation one hour prior at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Montgomery with Father Tom Niehaus officiating. Interment will be in Calvary Cemetery. Memorials are preferred to local service organizations of donor’s choice.

“Eileen, Max, Mikayla, and Ruby were excited for the upcoming Torchlight Parade and Fireworks on Nov. 30. Besides seeing nearly 50 lighted floats and checking out the window displays depicting Christmas movies, they have an opportunity to search for the holiday medallion hidden somewhere in Montgomery.”
If you find the medallion, bring it to the Messenger office at 310 1st Street South or call 507-364-8601. Finders of the medallion will receive $100 in Monty Bucks! Look for the next clue in the Nov. 30 Montgomery Messenger if the medallion isn’t found.