LAC QUI PARLE COUNTY

UPDATE: South Dakota driver dies after semis collide in western Minnesota

Staff reports — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 15:57:33 GMT

HAMLIN TOWNSHIP, Minn. — A Gary, South Dakota, man died of his injuries after two semitractors collided late Sunday night in western Minnesota.

According to the Minnesota State Patrol, a Peterbilt semitractor driven by Jonathan Edward Kallemeyn, 48, of Lake Benton, Minnesota, was entering U.S. Highway 75 while another International semitractor driven by Steven Michael Schanning, 68, was traveling southbound on Highway 75 when the collision occurred at the intersection with 180th Street in Hamlin Township, west of Dawson.

Schanning was transported to Johnson Memorial Health Services Hospital in Dawson, but his injuries were fatal. The State Patrol report as of Monday night said it was unknown if he was wearing a seat belt or if alcohol was involved.

Kallemeyn suffered non-life-threatening injuries but was not transported, according to the State Patrol. He was not wearing a seat belt and alcohol was not involved.

Road conditions were reported as dry at the time of the time of the crash, reported around 10:34 p.m. Sunday.

Assisting the Minnesota State Patrol at the scene were the Lac qui Parle County Sheriff's Office, Yellow Medicine County Sheriff's Office and Dawson Fire and Ambulance.

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Lac qui Parle County celebrating 150 years of county fair traditions

Shelby Lindrud — Sat, 02 Sep 2023 12:11:00 GMT

MADISON — While for many the Minnesota State Fair is the ceremonial end to summer, fair lovers can rejoice, because there is actually one more opportunity to dig into a pile of cheese curds, marvel at the homemade quilts and cakes and pat a variety of farm animals.

The Lac qui Parle County Fair, known for decades as the "Little Minnesota State Fair," is set to celebrate its 150th year at the fairgrounds in Madison.

"One hundred and fifty, that is pretty unique," said fair board president Clair Anderson.

The sesquicentennial fair in Lac qui Parle County runs Sept. 7-10 and will bring four days of fair fun including music acts — such as Hairball, the Fabulous Armadillos and The White Sidewalls — the Big Air ATV Tour, tractor pulls, the Minnesota High �� Rodeo, demo derby and auto races. That, of course, is in addition to the animals, exhibit halls, food stands and carnival.

"It really is a buzz, when things get going," said Julie Olson, fair board member.

The County Fair got going way back in 1873, when Madison didn't exist and the county had only been a county for fewer than three years. The first fair was held in Lac qui Parle Village, near the river. The area was newly settled with an entire county population of around 1,000.

"The purpose of the fair was to show off the fruits of the land," said Barb Redepenning, curator of the Lac qui Parle County History Center, located right next door to the fairgrounds. The History Center currently has many photos and artifacts from the fair's history on display, along with an exhibit focusing on the county's 4-H.

Despite having taken place 150 years ago, there was much people of today would recognize at that first fair. It centered on agriculture and gave people the chance to show off their animals, crops, baking and home crafts such as quilting.

"I think it was quite successful," Redepenning said.

The fair called the village home for 12 years. Then word came the railroad was coming and would be going through Madison. The village began emptying out and the decision was made to move the fair to where the railroad was going.

The fair was held for the first time in Madison in 1885; and the very next year permanent fairgrounds were purchased. The fair has called the location along Fair Street and U.S. Highway 75 home ever since.

"They were definitely visionaries," Olson said of the people behind the first fairs.

Over the years, buildings have been constructed, renovated and re-imagined. A new grandstand went up in the 1960s and recently an events building has created even more entertainment space.

Highlights in the fair's history included the first carnival in 1903, electricity in 1905, a public wedding in 1931, art exhibits, political speakers, and the introduction of motorcycle and then car races as transportation technologies changed.

Throughout the years the entertainment on offer has been varied. The American pastime of baseball was a draw for many years and Minnie Pearl of Grand Ole Opry fame visited in 1954. Tractor pulls and the high school rodeo were brought in more recently. One year a tractor in the pull exploded, sending heavy debris over the grandstand and hitting the ground near the 4-H building.

"Nobody got hurt," Olson said. "It was a miracle."

Throughout the years, the fair has been canceled only twice, both for public health reasons. The first was in 1946, during the polio epidemic. The second was 2020, when the coronavirus shut down the world.

"We waited until the very last minute" before pulling the plug on the 2020 fair, Anderson said. "People wanted to come."

Planning for this year's 150th celebration started three years ago. The board wanted to make sure to put on a show that people would remember, with plenty of exciting acts and entertainment.

"Fireworks, we haven't had fireworks for a long time," Anderson said.

To get the fair ready every year, not just for its 150th, takes a dedicated group of volunteers. Over the last few years they've worked even harder, to get the buildings and grounds in their best condition for the big celebration this September. Without those volunteers the fair wouldn't be possible, Anderson said.

"It is all volunteers," Anderson said.

Instrumental to the fair's success is also the community itself. Not only do they come back year after year, but they also support the fair year-round. For many in the county, the fair is an annual family or class reunion, a chance to have some fun and catch up with friends. Those who have moved away make an effort to come back every year.

"It is a fun, family experience," Anderson said.

It is also remains a big draw for those who still want to showcase agriculture and home crafts. Every year hundreds of entries are taken, showcasing what continues to make greater Minnesota so special.

"It is unbelievable, it is stunning" what people bring to the fair for judging, Olson said. "It is beautiful, every year. People take pride in that."

It isn't easy putting on a successful county fair year after year for 150 years. But it is work Anderson, the rest of the board, and other volunteers are more than willing to continue to do, to make sure the Little Minnesota Fair remains one of the best ways to end the summer.

"We put in a lot of time, effort and many hours. But you go out there on Saturday afternoon and you see the place full of people and the kids having fun, people thanking you," Anderson said. "That is why we do it."

The Lac qui Parle County Fair invites everyone to come on down to the fairgrounds and help celebrate 150 years of fair.

"Come out and celebrate the tradition," Olson said.

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Man killed in semi crash in Lac qui Parle County

Staff reports — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 18:11:25 GMT

WALTER TOWNSHIP, Minn. — A man was killed in a two-vehicle crash involving a semi Friday, July 28, in Lac qui Parle County.

Joseph Spors, 74, of Bellingham, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, reported at 11:36 a.m. Friday at the intersection of Lac qui Parle County Road 7 and Lac qui Parle County Road 30 in Walter Township, according to a news release from the Lac qui Parle County Sheriff’s Office.

According to the release, a 2020 straight Mack truck driven by Eugene Wrobleski, 66, of Benson, was traveling westbound on County Road 30, and Spors was driving a Ford pickup truck southbound on County Road 7 when the vehicles collided at the intersection. Both vehicles left the roadway and came to a rest in the ditch.

Wrobleski was transported to the Ortonville Hospital for treatment of “unknown injuries,” according to the news release.

The incident is currently under investigation by the Lac qui Parle County Sheriff’s Office.

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Federal assistance OK'd for Minnesota recovery from April flooding

West Central Tribune staff report — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 20:26:07 GMT

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Minnesota communities affected by severe storms and flooding April 11-30 will now have access to federal disaster assistance in their recovery.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Thursday, July 20, that federal funding to repair or replace facilities damaged by the spring storms and floods will be available to the state, certain private nonprofit organizations, and eligible local and tribal governments.

The following counties will have access to the federal funds: Aitkin, Big Stone, Carlton, Chippewa, Clay, Grant, Houston, Kittson, Lac qui Parle, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Morrison, Norman, Pine, Pope, Renville, Roseau, St. Louis, Stevens, Swift, Traverse and Wilkin. The Prairie Island Indian Community will also be eligible.

According to the news release, Joseph P. Cirone has been named federal coordinating officer for federal recovery operations in the affected areas.

Additional designations may be made at a later date if warranted by the results of damage assessments.

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Minnesota farmers among those growing the promise of Kernza

Tom Cherveny — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 23:30:11 GMT

MADISON — The promises of the intermediate wheatgrass trademarked as Kernza are many.

It can provide farmers with a third crop to rotate with corn and soybeans.

As a perennial, its deep roots reduce erosion and build healthy soils, lessening carbon emissions while providing both a tasty grain for human consumption and a forage for livestock.

Kernza is higher in protein than wheat and other small grains, and can be made into a range of products from breads and beer to pancake mix.

What’s the catch?

“This is the world’s first perennial grain crop,” said Jake Jungers, associate professor of agronomy with the University of Minnesota’s Sustainable Agriculture program. There is no model to follow for its development, agronomy or marketing. “A lot of this work just hasn’t been done before,” he said.

Slowly but surely, it’s getting done — at the University of Minnesota’s research fields and, importantly, at farms scattered about Minnesota, Nebraska, Montana, Wisconsin, North and South Dakota, Iowa and Wyoming. They include the A Frame Farm outside of Madison in Lac qui Parle County where Jungers spoke on July 13.

Carmen Fernholz established this farm and now assists its steward, Luke Peterson. Fernholz has been raising Kernza here since Dr. Don Wyse of the U of M’s Forever Green Initiative provided him with enough seed to plant two acres in 2011.

Fernholz and Jungers were among the University researchers, staff with the Minnesota Agricultural Utilization Research Institute and the Department of Agriculture, and farmer-members in the Perennial Promise Growers Cooperative who gathered July 13 to learn about how far this new crop has come.

More than 20 acres of grain-heavy stalks of Kernza rippled in the winds of western Lac qui Parle County as the pioneers in this crop’s development took it all in during the recent field day. This perennial was originally developed and trademarked by the Land Institute, a Kansas-based nonprofit. A film crew with Perennial Films filmed the Madison event for a documentary on the work.

“This is Kitty Hawk here,” said Fernholz. His comments came as Jay Peterson, who raises Kernza near Blooming Prairie, Minnesota, demonstrated a mechanized processor provided by the AURI.

Peterson took advantage of off-the-shelf technology, a simple air transfer fan, to improve the amount of the grain that can be separated from the chaff with the processor.

The light, fluffy nature of this grain makes for a challenge in threshing the grain, but this extra step in the processing saves 30 percent of the grain, Peterson found.

That’s a 30 percent improvement in the return Peterson realizes from the crop he raises, he pointed out.

Some of the biggest improvements are being made by University researchers in improving the genetic traits of Kernza. The early variety of Kernza raised by Fernholz was prone to shatter, resulting in big losses at harvest time.

Crop breeding has produced varieties that greatly reduce the propensity toward shattering while transforming the seed head into a longer grain. That’s reduced its protein content from 22 percent to 19 percent, yet that is still significantly higher than what’s found in wheat, according to Prabin Bajgain, a research assistant professor in the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics at the University of Minnesota.

“We’re in the infancy of this work, but we’re making progress pretty quickly,” Jungers told participants at the field day. “We think that it is enough where producers can actually grow this properly.”

Two years after Fernhnolz planted his first crop, he called Dr. Wyse to ask just how he was supposed to harvest this new crop.

“You’re a farmer, you’ll figure it out,” Fernholz said Wyse told him. “So we’ve been figuring it out ever since,” he laughed.

In most years, farmers can realize four revenue streams by raising the perennial wheatgrass. They can graze cattle in the spring, summer and fall for forage as well as harvest the grain in mid-summer, Fernholz said.

The most recent variety known as Clearwater represents great strides in terms of yield, and there’s more to come. Bajgain spoke enthusiastically about the traits possessed by a variety to be released in 2025.

Farmers in the Perennial Promise Growers Cooperative anted up $50,000 in their own funds to match a grant of the same amount to fund much of this research.

The grain’s future will ultimately be decided on supermarket shelves, and there is important work yet to do on that front. There are a range of Kernza products now sold in retail stores, including pancake mix, flour for baking, cereal, beer and pasta.

Yet Fernholz described the marketing of the new grain as a “slow, slow developing thing. ... It’s not moving nearly as quickly as we’d like,” he said.

He’s convinced that its marketability as well as its value in the marketplace will depend on building consumer awareness of the ability of this crop to improve water quality and soil health, reduce erosion and mitigate climate change.

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Summer in Minnesota also means it's county fair season

Dale Morin — Sat, 01 Jul 2023 15:22:00 GMT

Summertime in Minnesota means it's prime time for county fairs to gear up with new acts and entertainment, but all the same special summer fun.

The events listed here are only a partial listing, and events are subject to change. Check fair websites or social media pages for additional information and updates.

Yellow Medicine County Fair

July 20-22

Fairgrounds in Canby

Free admission and free parking. Check the website for more information.

Website: ymcfair.org

Chippewa County Fair

July 26-30

Fairgrounds in Montevideo.

Gate admission is $10, ages 6 and younger are free. Excluding food, carnival rides and drinks, everything inside the gates, including grandstand events, is free. Check the website for more information.

Website: chippewacofairmn.com

Pope County Fair

Aug. 2-5

Fairgrounds in Glenwood.

A demolition derby featuring six derby and racing classes will be at 1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 6, after fair activities will be over. Admission for Sunday's derby is $15, kids 5 and under get in free. Check the website for more information.

Website: popecountyfair.org

Meeker County Fair

Aug. 2-6

Fairgrounds in Litchfield.

Admission is $5, ages 4 and under and over 70 will be admitted free. Gates open at 8 a.m. every day of the fair. Parking is free outside the fairgrounds. $30 parking passes for inside the fairgrounds will be available at the fair office starting Aug. 3 at noon. Passes are limited and distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Featured grandstand events include a tractor pull, Motokazie supercross racing and a demolition derby. Check the website for more information.

Website: meekerfair.com

Kandiyohi County Fair

Aug. 9-12

Fairgrounds in Willmar.

Gate admission is $7 for adults, $3 for seniors on Thursday only, $2 for students 6-12; children 5 and under will be admitted free. Daily parking is $5 per car/truck. Season passes are $20 gate pass, $15 parking pass. A season ticket allows you to come and go as many times as you want during the four-day fair. Grandstand three-day wristbands are available for $20 per adult and $7 for kids 6-12.

Wednesday is Veterans Day and Thursday is Senior Day. Check the website for more information.

Website: kandifair.com

Renville County Fair

Aug. 9-11

Fairgrounds in Bird Island.

Gates are open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Daily admission is $7 ages 12 and under are admitted free. Season pass available for $15.

Featured grandstand events include ATV barrel racing, bull-riding and a demolition derby. All day, every day events include an antique tractor show, 4H exhibits/animals and a petting zoo. Check the website for more information.

Website: renvillecountyfair.org

Swift County Fair

Aug. 16-20

Fairgrounds in Appleton.

Check the website for more information.

Website: swiftcountyfair.org

Lac qui Parle County Fair

Sept. 7-10

Fairgrounds in Madison.

Gates open at 9 a.m. daily, admission is $5 for ages 12 and over and includes parking; admission is free for ages 11 and under and for active military personnel with a military ID and law enforcement.

On Thursday, a performance by the White Sidewalls will be the featured entertainment. Friday through Sunday, magician Dr. Street and Caricatures by Jennifer will be at the fair along with a band each evening. Other events Friday include The AbbeyRoad Band and West Addison Blues. Saturday there will be a pedal pull, veggies races, diaper derby, demo derby and the Minnesota High �� Rodeo. Sunday’s events include a Minnesota High �� Rodeo and the Tom Bly Memorial Auto Race. Check the website for more information.

Website: lqpfair.com

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Minn. BCA investigating inmate death at Lac qui Parle County Jail

Staff reports — Wed, 21 Jun 2023 00:12:50 GMT

ST. PAUL — A Graceville man was found dead Saturday, June 17, in his cell at the Lac qui Parle County Jail in an apparent hanging.

Dennis Eugene Kipp, 60, was found dead just before 4 p.m. in the jail in Madison, where he was being held pending a drug possession charge from Big Stone County, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Kipp was the only person in his housing unit at the time, and he was declared dead at the scene, the BCA said in a news release.

The Lac qui Parle County Sheriff’s Office asked the BCA to investigate. As part of its preliminary investigation, BCA agents are reviewing all available video footage from inside the jail.

The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office is conducting the autopsy,

When the investigation is complete, the BCA will present its findings without recommendation to the Lac qui Parle County Attorney’s Office for review.

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Minnesota’s Alt-Meat Revolution: Dawson gets ground-floor start in plant-based protein

Tom Cherveny — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 17:56:09 GMT

DAWSON, Minn. — One of Dawson’s most popular gathering places is the Rusty Duck, and the menu has a lot to do with it.

Patrons appreciate its traditional Midwestern fare, everything from hot roast beef specials to barbecue ribs, steaks and burger baskets. Dawson is very much a traditional meat-and-potatoes community when it comes to food preferences, according to Jay Knoop, who helps serve up the Rusty Duck’s popular menu.

But Knoop said it’s not all meat and potatoes. Here in the heart of western Minnesota farm country, a veggie burger is also on the menu. Real meat burgers remain the most popular, but Knoop said the veggie burger does well.

How did an alternative meat burger find its way on the Rusty Duck’s menu? There is the matter of supporting one of the community’s largest employers.

PURIS Company has been processing pea protein in the former AMPI plant on the eastern edge of Dawson since October 2021. The plant employs more than 100 workers. The 200,000-square-foot facility with state-of-the-art processing equipment represents a more than $100 million investment as a partnership involving PURIS and Cargill.

Pea protein produced by PURIS makes its way into a wide range of food products, from high-energy bars and body-building mixes to alternative meat burgers.

“This is more than a pea protein facility,” PURIS President Tyler Lorenzen said in the companies’ joint news release announcing the partnership. “This is the future of food.”

This is familiar territory for Dawson. This rural community of just over 1,400 people has been in the vanguard of plant-based protein production for more than half a century. In fact, the building that now houses PURIS in Dawson was originally constructed in the mid-1970s by Dawson Mills to extract protein from soybeans.

The history of the rise of plant-based meats and western Minnesota’s role in this still-evolving endeavor is the subject of a series produced by Pioneer PBS for national broadcast. The West Central Tribune is participating in the venture. Pioneer PBS made the first of the series available for streaming in March.

The first series delves into the history of plant-based protein in Dawson. While it’s a story of being on the cutting edge in the food revolution, its origin story is a familiar one in rural Minnesota.

Being located far from the country’s major urban markets, Minnesota farmers have often received a lower price for their grains due to the shipping costs to get them to market. In response, Minnesota farmers have long focused on value-added processing.

That’s exactly what four Dawson-area businessmen proposed over their morning coffee one day, according to David Craigmile, a retired Lac qui Parle County farmer and educator as well as local historian. He said the businessmen decided: “We need to have an ag processing-related business in the area.”

The Tri-County Cooperative started processing soybeans in 1951 and became Dawson Mills in 1969. It has since become part of a larger company, Ag Processing Inc., and continues to process soybeans in the heart of Dawson as the community’s largest employer.

Dawson Mills was forward-thinking.

“In my mind, it was ahead of its time,” said Lee Gunderson, who retired as plant manager after 35 years with Dawson Mills.

The soybean processor was among the first to venture into extracting protein from soybeans. It built a processing facility east of town — which is now housing the PURIS operations — for extracting protein from soybeans for human consumption.

It purchased technology from General Mills, which had also produced plant-based protein for human consumption, to produce high-protein cubes flavored as beef, chicken or pork. The cubes were intended for human consumption. They were typically added to macaroni salads and similar dishes, Gunderson said.

Much of the protein produced by Dawson Mills was shipped overseas as part of a U.S. government-sponsored Food for Peace program, according to Gunderson. It was intended to improve diets in Third World countries.

Dawson Mills also produced a soybean isolate, a high-protein powder that could be added to baby formula and a variety of other products.

Dawson Mills faced many challenges as a pioneer. There were “scares” when traces of chemicals detrimental to livestock were found in some of the plant-based protein products processed for use as animal feed. The company changed its chemical extraction process in response.

Gunderson said the company was quick to adapt its equipment and develop new equipment to produce a range of protein products in response to inquiries from prospective customers. But those investments also worked against the company, he said, as the markets that were needed did not develop or prove to be sustaining.

Bernice Oeillien, who retired after 50 years as an administrative assistant with Dawson Mills, summed it up this way for Pioneer PBS: “We thought we're really going to be doing something here, and expanding, and helping the farmers out, and the elevators, and all of the feed, and it looked really great. And I think, maybe if we could have exposed people more to how to use it, and what was really involved, it would've been better. But that's hindsight, you just don't know.”

By 1981, Dawson’s foray into meatless meats came to its end. The building on the city’s east side was purchased by American Milk Producers Inc. and was retrofitted to produce cheese foods from 1982 to 2012.

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Regional historical societies and museums tell the history of the area

West Central Tribune staff report — Sat, 27 May 2023 17:22:00 GMT

History buffs can learn a thing or two about west central Minnesota by visiting historical centers in Kandiyohi County.

The Kandiyohi County Historical Center in Willmar is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

The center, on North Business Highway 71, features a museum, a one-room school, a log shed and a Great Northern locomotive; admission $5, ages 12 and up. Visit the website at www.kandiyohicountyhistory.com.

The Sperry House, built by Willmar pioneers in 1893, will offer guided tours from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays through Labor Day. Open by appointment during the week.

The Guri Endreson site, located on County Road 5, with a field road gate open June through August from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Guided tours available by appointment.

Tourists may pick up maps of historical sites at the Center. For more information or to pre-register, call 320-235-1881, email kandhist@msn.com or check the Facebook page at @kandihistory.

Atwater Area Historical Society and Museum, 500 Pleasant Avenue West, is open 10 a.m. to noon, Saturdays or by appointment; call Jon at 320-444-0337.

The Norway Lake Log Church is a replica of the first church originally built in 1868 in the northwestern part of the county. It, and the restored original 1862 Knutson cabin, are located west of New London off of County Road 40 at 9601 195th Ave NW. Except for July 1st it is open from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturdays from June 17, which is Midtsommer Music night, through Aug. 12, with a Vespers service at 7:15 p.m each night. July 29th is the Children's Vespers. There is always a little lunch after. The church, interpretive center and Knutson cabin are open by appointment for private tours by calling 651-734-3107 or 320-905-1539 . Everyone is invited and welcomed.

The annual celebration is planned for Aug. 20th and the Advent Service December 3rd; website is www.nllha.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nllha.org

Raptor Ridge Natural History Museum is located at 212050 Co. Rd. 40 NE, Spicer. Call 320-354-8820 for hours. The museum features collections of butterflies, seashells, rocks, minerals, Indian artifacts and dinosaur bones collected by Larry and Barb Levin. Admission is free.

Visit regional historical societies and museums

The Lac qui Parle History Center, 250 8th Avenue South, Madison, houses a vast collection of artifacts and exhibits on the county’s history. It includes a large collection of dolls, wildlife and plants, military and 22 individual exhibits on the county’s township. The center is also home to several outbuildings including a log cabin, rural school house, gas station and the Robert Bly Study. There is also a large research library.

The center is open weekdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. from May through October. A bridal show is scheduled for June 11 and on July 30 Heritage Day will be held. More information can be found at www.lqphc.org.

The Meeker County Museum & Research Library is located at the G.A.R Hall, 308 Marshall Ave. N. near Central Park, Litchfield. The Frank Daggett Post No. 35 was constructed in 1885 by veterans of the Civil War, and is the last remaining Hall of its kind in Minnesota. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The museum includes two floors worth of exhibits highlighting Meeker County's origins and history. The library has various historic records including biographies, church records, maps, military records, obits, newspaper and photographs.

The museum, research library and the G.A.R. Hall are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. Admission is $3 for adults and free for children under 12. Call 320-693-8911.

The Chippewa County Historical Society includes Chippewa City, Swensson Farm Museum and Lac qui Parle Mission. For information about them or to schedule an appointment out of regular hours, call 320-269-7636 or visit www.chippewacohistory.org.

Chippewa City, 151 Pioneer Drive, Montevideo, is a re-creation of a late 1800s-era village, complete with town square and boardwalk. The city is open May 27 through Sept. 5. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; Sept. 4-30 the city is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; adults $5, students $3, 5 and under are free.

The Olof Swensson Farm Museum, a 17-acre farmstead located six miles east of Montevideo on state Highway 7 and five miles south on County Road 15, preserves turn-of-the-century farm life and features a 22-room house, timber-frame barn and the remains of a gristmill. The farm is open from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, May 27 through Sept. 3; adults $5, students $3, 5 and under are free. A horse power show is held at the farm the second Saturday in September from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Private tours available by appointment.

The Lac qui Parle Mission was the Minnesota Territory’s first Protestant mission and is one of the few remaining in the state. The reconstructed building houses exhibits of the missionaries and their work; the Dakota people; and Joseph Renville, who invited the missionaries to Lac qui Parle. Mission Sunday is the second Sunday in July beginning with a worship service at 10:30 a.m., potluck picnic and afternoon program.

The site is located north of Montevideo on County Road 13 and is open daily April 30 through Labor Day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; free admission.

The Renville County Historical Society is located near the Minnesota River in Morton. It has been around since 1940 and includes a large research library along with multiple historic exhibits. People can learn about the county’s agricultural, educational and military history along with its geological past. There are also multiple out buildings including two schools, a church, machine shed and a protected pioneer cabin. The museum is located at 441 North Park Drive, Morton. Hours from June through August are Mondays through Saturdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Appointments can also be made by calling 507-697-6147. More information can be found at www.renvillecountyhistory.com.

Milwaukee Road Heritage Center, 301 State Road, Montevideo. Open for tours 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, June 17 through Sept. 4. 11th annual craft, vendor, antique and collectibles sale 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 17. Website is www.montevideomrhc.org.

Paynesville Historical Museum, 251 Ampe Drive, Paynesville. Exhibits include Indian artifacts, personal and household items from the 1860s to 1970s, agriculture, and a one-room schoolhouse. The museum is open June 1 through Labor Day, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

The Minnesota Machinery Museum in Hanley Falls is open from May 15 through Sept. 15. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday. The 2023 Good Old Days and Threshing Show is Aug. 5 and 6. The website is www.mnmachinerymuseum.com.

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Midwest Machinery looking to open temporary site following devastating fire

West Central Tribune staff report — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 22:15:17 GMT

MADISON, Minn. — Midwest Machinery is developing a plan to keep its Madison dealership operating after a fire Tuesday night destroyed the main office and shop facility there.

“As we begin this long process, we are committed to keeping our Madison staff working so they can continue to take care of themselves and their families,” said Ron Reitmeier, Midwest Machinery president. “We are working on securing a long-term temporary facility in Madison so we can get back to the work of supporting the people in the surrounding area.”

The company employs 23 people at its Madison site.

“As our plans are made, we will communicate to our employees and customers how we will fill the gap this fire has created,” Jamie Borstad, Midwest Machinery location manager, said in a news release Thursday.

The fire was reported around 7:15 p.m. Tuesday and quickly engulfed the building. More than 100 personnel representing 25 different agencies from Minnesota and South Dakota battled the blaze and assisted at the scene. Residents from 15 homes and two apartment buildings near the fire were temporarily evacuated.

“Thankfully, no one was injured as a result of this fire,” Borstad said. “I want to thank and commend every one of the first responders, fire departments and community members. They did a great job ensuring the safety of people living in the area, while bringing the fire under control.”

Borstad said the focus now is the spring field needs of farmers.

“With planting just around the corner, a lot of farmers depend on us to keep them in the field. Our folks and their families here in Madison need to know that we will do our utmost to support everyone,” he said.

The primary offices and shop building of Midwest Machinery in Madison have been deemed a total loss, according to Lac qui Parle County officials.

The cause of the fire is not immediately known, and is under investigation.

Midwest Machinery Co. is a privately owned corporation with John Deere dealerships in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The company employs more than 700 people.

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