Minnesota Prairie Roots

Writing and photography by Audrey Kletscher Helbling

Fall colors the local landscape October 15, 2026

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This view from hilltop City View Park in Faribault shows the beauty of the autumn landscape. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

AUTUMN RATES, undeniably, as my favorite season. I love the crisp mornings and evenings, the often sunshine-drenched afternoons. I love wrapping myself in the warmth of flannel or fleece. I love the cinnamon scent of apple crisp baking in the oven, the smell wafting through the house. I love roadside stands packed with plump pumpkins. I love hiking in woods, fallen leaves crunching underfoot.

My husband, Randy, photographs the vibrant trees across Kelly Lake, rural Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

But, above all, I love the fall colors. In shades of red, orange, yellow and brown, singular trees, pockets of trees and entire hillsides are ablaze. Now is the time to get out and view the colorful landscape before wind, rain and time strip those trees bare.

South Cordova Farms, Waterville, set up this roadside pumpkin stand in a rural area near Cordova. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

In the four-plus decades I’ve lived in Faribault, I’ve found this community and the surrounding area to be especially colorful. So there’s no need to leave town or travel far to enjoy the hues of autumn.

City View Park offers a bird’s eye view of Faribault and beyond. Here buildings at the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf poke through the treetops. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

Several local spots draw me back year after year. In town, City View Park by the water tower and just above Roosevelt School on Faribault’s east side, offers a spectacular vista view of the valley below. I picnicked there the other day at high noon, taking in the tree-scaped land for as far as my eyes could see. Even in the haze of the dusty air, colors popped in the mass of dense trees. It’s a spectacular setting any time of year.

A maple in City View Park. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

Among all those trees, I picked out local landmark steeples, struggling to identify some, sure of others. I also paused to appreciate the colorful maples in the park.

From the public boat landing, I zoomed my camera lens to photograph the distant color-splashed shoreline of Kelly Lake. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

To the west of Faribault, Kelly Lake, as viewed from the public boat landing, rates as another favorite local color spot. Each October I walk out on the short dock and take in the scene across the lake, the orange treeline slicing color between blue water and blue sky.

Whether in town or out, autumn shows her rugged beauty, here along a gravel road buffeted by cornfields. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

Within the Faribault city limits, the Straight River bluff packs a colorful punch as do trees along many streets, like Second Avenue and Seventh Street. The campus of the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf, a place where I sometimes walk, presents more color.

Driving into woods along a back gravel road west of Faribault, exact location unknown. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

As with anything, we often bypass beauty that lies directly before us, blending into the background of daily life. In my own backyard and next door at my neighbor’s, maples fire orange and yellow.

On a fall color drive in the Montgomery area. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

Consistently each autumn, fall color drives take me along roads around area lakes like Roberds, Union and French. I have yet to do the complete lake tour this year. I’ve found fall colors aplenty in the Montgomery and Lonsdale areas, too.

A rural fall scene of harvested corn along a hilly gravel road, Falk Avenue, near Cannon City and Nerstrand. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

I have not yet headed over to the Nerstrand area for a stop at the historic hilltop Valley Grove churches where color splashes a treeline across the prairie. Nearby Nerstrand Big Woods State Park rates as a popular fall color destination, parking lots crowded to overflowing on October weekends. I prefer the quiet of Valley Grove.

A farmer picks corn along Falk Avenue near Cannon City against a colorful backdrop of trees. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

Mostly, I simply want to immerse myself in autumn. Visually by viewing distant treelines and rolling farm fields along Falk Avenue northeast of Cannon City. Or up close along Farmer Trail, a twisting gravel road snugged by woods.

Across fields, I photographed this picturesque farm site near Richter Woods County Park west of Montgomery. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

I love autumn. The woodsy, earthy scent. The feel of soft flannel and cozy fleece. The crunch of biting into a locally-grown apple. The taste of cream cheese frosted pumpkin bars. And, above all, the oranges, reds and yellows of this season blazing color across the southern Minnesota landscape.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Fall harvest observations in southern Minnesota October 14, 2026

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A recent fall drive took us deep into the southern Minnesota countryside, where harvest is underway. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

A PLANNED FALL COLOR DRIVE evolved into more like a harvest drive as Randy and I traveled recently through parts of Rice, Steele, Waseca and LeSueur counties. While we saw some color in the trees, fall field work centered our observations.

Combining beans, a dusty, dirty job in dry conditions. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

Area farmers were busy harvesting soybeans on the day we meandered through the countryside to the west of Faribault with no set destination.

A beautiful barn, fronted by a cornfield, somewhere west of Owatonna. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

Given our farm backgrounds—Randy rooted in Morrison County in central Minnesota and me in Redwood County in southwestern Minnesota—we remain interested in farming, particularly in spring planting and fall harvest.

An overview of soybean harvesting with multiple combines and trucks in the field and on the road. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

On this unseasonably warm autumn day, farmers hustled to get the beans out, their mammoth combines enveloped in dust as the machines raked across the acres. A stretch of hot, dry days made for ideal harvest weather.

A farmer waits outside the grain elevator in Montgomery. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

Grain trucks idled, awaiting loads of beans. Others brimmed with golden orbs. Gravity flow wagons pulled by tractors or pickup trucks also held the bounty of crops.

A red and white cooler sits inside the cab of this combine. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

I noticed the details, too, like a small cooler inside a combine cab, probably packed with lunch. My friend Virginia shared recently that she delivered lunch to her son harvesting in the Millersburg area. It’s likely not all that uncommon for family members to take meals to farmers in the field. Going up to the farmhouse for lunch takes too much time.

A grain truck barrels down a gravel road in a cloud of dust near Cannon City. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

Time is the farmer’s constant companion during this season of harvest. As the days tick closer to winter, pressure mounts to get first the soybeans, then the corn, out.

Grain bins dominate a farm site near Blooming Grove United Methodist Church, rural Morristown. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

And then there’s the weather, always the weather. Unwanted rain can delay harvest, adding to an already stressful situation.

Farmers, whether in the field or on the road, are in a time crunch to finish the harvest. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

It takes a lot of mental fortitude to crop farm—to handle the stressors of time, weather, fluctuating prices and increasing operational expenses. But help is available 24/7 through a free and confidential state-funded Minnesota Farm & Rural Helpline at 833-600-2670. Trained counselors will listen, help and connect as needed. Other resources such as NAMI Minnesota and the Suicide Lifeline (call, text or chat to 988) are also available to assist.

A fire extinguisher hangs on the combine exterior as a farmer harvests soybeans. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

Along with mental health are physical safety concerns. I was reminded of that when I noticed a fire extinguisher attached to the side of laddered steps leading into a combine. Occasionally fire erupts when crop debris meets hot machinery or parts get overheated or for other reasons.

Machinery parked in a farmyard, at the ready for harvest. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

I expect most farmers take safety seriously. Yet it’s easy, when you’re working long, exhausting days and late into the night on minimal sleep, for accidents to happen. Every harvest season across Minnesota there are stories of grain bin rescues, sometimes successful, sometimes not.

An Allis Chalmers corn chopper, like this one exhibited at the 2010 Rice County Steam & Gas Engines Show, claimed my father-in-law’s left hand and part of his forearm. Randy is standing next to the machine. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

Thankfully safety shields on modern day machinery mostly protect from serious injuries, unlike when my father-in-law’s left hand was pulled into a corn chopper in 1967. The accident happened as he hand-fed corn into the chopper. The blades chopped off his fingers with a surgeon later amputating part of his forearm. Eleven-year-old Randy, in the field with his dad when the accident happened, turned off the power take-off and then ran to a neighbor’s farm for help.

With much of the soybean harvest now done, corn harvest is underway, here near Cannon City. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

As we drove through the southern Minnesota countryside, deep into harvest, I thought of that long ago farm accident involving the man who would become my father-in-law. And I considered all the farmers today who love the land and farming, but who work in one of the top 10 most dangerous occupations in the U.S.

A tractor pulling a gravity flow wagon, turns off old U.S. Highway 14 in Owatonna. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

Farm life may, on the surface, appear a bucolic, simple life. But in reality, it isn’t. It’s hard work. I’m reminded of that as I travel through the countryside, documenting field work. This chosen life comes with rewards and risks, from planting to harvest.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Recent memorable life moments October 13, 2026

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Loving words once posted in downtown Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

IN LIFE, SOME MOMENTS stand out. Not for their WOW factor, but rather in the power of simplicity. A smile. A loving word. An unexpected act of kindness. In recent days, I’ve experienced such feel-good moments.

IN MY KITCHEN

The most personal came in a family group hug as our eldest daughter and her family were about to leave after a Saturday afternoon with us. Randy and the two grandkids were hugging each other goodbye when 10-year-old Izzy called for a group hug. So the six of us circled by the kitchen door, wrapped our arms around each other and held each other tight. It was the best moment of the entire day.

I made this sign last winter during the height of Operation Metro Surge. I pulled it from my basement stash, refreshed the letters and carried it on the protest line again last Saturday. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo by Randy Helbling)

ON THE PROTEST LINE

A week later, while standing on the protest line in Faribault holding a resurrected sign with the message to “love each other,” I locked eyes with a passenger in a passing car. She happened to be a Somali woman. Upon seeing my sign, her face spread into a wide smile. This is one of the reasons I protest—to stand up for those who’ve been targeted, hated on, including by our own president.

At that same protest, several middle school-aged boys, walking past on the opposite side of the street and who happened to be Hispanic, waved and smiled in support of our messages. I can only imagine how good it felt for those youth and the Somali woman to see that others care enough to publicly stand up for them. That “love each other” sign is now displayed in my front living room for all to see who drive along my busy residential street.

AT THE GROCERY STORE

While grocery shopping hours after the protest, I spotted a woman wearing a “Kindness Matters” floral tee. I paused to tell her how much I appreciated the message on her shirt. Kindness does matter. And expressing kindness in words ranks high with me.

This is the photo that includes my friend Sharon and her family. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo October 2026)

IN A TEXT

My friend Sharon expressed such kindness to me via text after I shared a recent photo I took of her and her family at the Faribault Fall Festival. In part, Sharon wrote, “You do a lot for Faribault with your articles and photos. So uplifting.” I try. I try to follow the lessons learned from my kind, compassionate and caring mom. A strong woman of faith, she gave back to community through her extensive volunteerism all the while raising and teaching six children the importance of always speaking kindly of others.

A sign posted at the Bell Church last Friday afternoon. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

AT BELL CHURCH

Kindness comes in actions, too. While on a fall color drive several days ago, Randy and I stopped at St. Peter Bell Lutheran Church, rural Waterville. We’ve always wanted to see inside the church. So when we noticed several vehicles parked outside, we stopped. Inside the fellowship hall, three women were prepping for a Smoked Pork Chop Dinner. Trudy paused in her work and took us into the sanctuary. Not only was that kind of her, but, as we were about to leave, she gave us a bag holding two servings of pumpkin ice cream made by the pastor for the fundraising dinner. Trudy didn’t expect anything in return, but Randy gave her a small donation anyway. Later, we enjoyed the flavor of fall in that delicious pumpkin ice cream at Richter Woods County Park in rural Montgomery.

ON FACEBOOK

Yesterday brought another sweet moment when Randy showed me a Facebook photo of our two eldest grandchildren, ages seven and 10, walking down the sidewalk, arms wrapped around each other. Unbeknownst to them, their mom, following behind, snapped the image. “Best buds,” she labeled the sibling photo.

Scott Hoffbeck’s motorcycle lies in the street by our house following an August 26 crash. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo August 2026)

AT THE POLICE STATION

Finally, at 5 p.m. this Thursday, October 15, the Faribault Police Department is recognizing Randy and also Paloma Sanchez for their actions following a late August car-motorcycle crash by our house that severely-injured the motorcyclist. The two likely helped save the life of Scott “Scooter” Hoffbeck, according to the responding police officer. They tended to and stayed with Scott until he was taken via ambulance directly to the local airport and airlifted to St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester. He remained in ICU for several weeks, but is now back in Faribault recovering at a local care center. Scott hopes to attend the public event in the second floor meeting room of the police station. (You are welcome to attend.) More memorable moments are yet to come in that anticipated emotional reunion and in the recognition of two individuals who truly showed what it means to “love your neighbor” by helping a stranger lying severely-injured in the street.

Moments matter. Love each other. In words. And actions.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Library highlights “freedom to read” during Banned Books Week October 7, 2026

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A button in a banned books display at Buckham Memorial Library, Faribault, encourages patrons to find and read a book that has been banned somewhere, not locally. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

“LET BOOKS BE. Protect the freedom to read.” Those statements theme this year’s nationwide October 4-10 Banned Books Week. That event focuses on informing all of us about book censorship attempts in libraries, schools and bookstores.

This is the main banned book display showcased on shelves between the check-out and information desks at Buckham. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

Locally, Buckham Memorial Library is spotlighting Banned Books Week in two displays. There I read a list of 10 far-fetched reasons for banning books, according to the American Library Association. For example: Shel Silverstein’s A Light in the Attic “encourages children to break dishes so they don’t have to dry them.” Or “the basket carried by Little Red Riding Hood contained a bottle of wine, which condones the use of alcohol” from the story by Jacob and Wilhelm K. Grimm. Or “if there is a possibility that something might be controversial, then why not eliminate it?,” referencing Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown.

On the book ban list because “kids might break dishes.” (Book cover sourced online)

As I read down the list of ridiculous reasons for banning books, my jaw dropped. I laughed at the absurdity of it all. Really?

This display shows books that have been banned elsewhere. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

Because I’m a writer, an avid reader, a journalism school graduate who has worked as a newspaper reporter, and a strong supporter of First Amendment rights, I hold zero tolerance for banning books. If someone objects to the content of a book, then don’t read it. But don’t tell me I can’t read it. And certainly don’t pull it from a public space.

The Faribault library’s displays on banned books will be up through October. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

With kids, adults should consider age, maturity and the consequences of withholding a book from a child in their life. If I was a tween or adolescent and my parents or school banned a book, I’d probably try really hard to find a copy. Banning books from public libraries and schools is not a decision I can support. Ever.

I believe that knowledge is power. I’d rather a child be informed than uninformed. I’d rather a child learn from a reliable information source, such as a book, than “learn” from peers, social media or the internet. Or be kept in the dark. Kids are way smarter, know way more, than we adults realize.

Popular books that have been banned in some places. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

All of those thoughts flitted through my mind as I viewed the two Banned Books Week displays at the Faribault library. Those displays featured books like Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.

Freebies at Buckham Memorial Library promote the freedom to read. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

I fingered the free LET BOOKS BE swag—bookmarks, buttons, wristbands, stickers—grabbing a few to show that I’m not OK with banning books.

We need only look at history, to Nazi Germany, to understand the devastating consequences of banning books. Consider May 1933, when 40,000 people gathered in the Berlin town square and burned some 20,000 books deemed as “un-German.” That is perhaps the most extreme example of book banning ever.

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” wrote George Santayana in The Life of Reason in 1905, years before the book burnings in Nazi Germany. Now more than ever with attacks on the free press and on First Amendment rights, it’s important and necessary that we, and I don’t mean just librarians and teachers, stand strong against censorship, against book bannings.

A book that some have wanted banned. (Book cover sourced online)

To suggest that The Diary of Anne Frank should be censored because “it is a real ‘downer’” is among the far-fetched reasons given for banning a book on the ALA list I read at my local library. Imagine suppressing the voice of that remarkable teenager by pulling her diary from library shelves. I cannot fathom the thought of such absurdity, of Anne’s story left unread because someone objected. “LET BOOKS BE. Protect the freedom to read.”

FYI: To learn more about Banned Books Week and banned books, visit the American Library Association website by clicking here.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Connecting & celebrating community at Faribault Fall Festival October 4, 2026

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Kids create at activity stations along Faribault’s Central Avenue during the Fall Festival. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

KIDS COSTUMED as Big Bird, Buzz Lightyear, a firefighter, cowboy, dinosaur, pig, even a cupcake, and many other characters descended on Central Avenue Saturday for the Faribault Fall Festival. What a delight to see the street crowded with costumed kids and with adults enjoying a beautiful, sunshine-drenched autumn day in our historic downtown.

Creating art for buttons at an activity offered by Friends of Buckham Memorial Library. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)
Kid-painted pumpkins line the curb to dry. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)
One of the many art stations set up for kids to create. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

The event featured not only kids’ activities and trick-or-treating, but also the Studio ARTour, fire department open house, vendor market and chili sampling.

Serving up chili for Faribault Transportation. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)
A homemade sign marks the Faribault Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism chili table. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)
Next to his wife serving chili for Faribault Transportation, this volunteer serves Christ Lutheran Church chili. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

Randy and I arrived at noon specifically to sample chili made by non-profits, businesses, candidates for public office, a church and other cooks. For $5 each, we enjoyed a tasty lunch of chili samples. But it wasn’t all about the food. Moving among chili serving stations set up on sidewalks along several blocks, I met new people, talked with friends, dodged costumed kids, all the while feeling a strong sense of community connection.

Faribault City Council candidate Natalie Halverson serves turkey pumpkin chili (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)
Fest-goers answered a question posed by candidate Halverson. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

City council candidate Natalie Halverson scooped out pumpkin chili made with foods sourced in Faribault, including turkey and beans. But she also served up an opportunity for locals to jot down their answers to this question: “What are the most important qualities of an effective Faribault City Council?” That engagement impressed me.

Fest-goers sample chili and other food made by Nancy Greer. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

Around the block, Nancy Greer served her beefy chili, cornbread, cheese and crackers with a pepper spread, and mini cupcakes on a festive table outside Our Place on 3rd. Like Halverson, she offered more. Greer shared mental health and suicide prevention information, handing me a flier about World Mental Health Day on October 10 and Recovery Road MN. The Recovery Road team is walking 1,776 miles to raise awareness about youth mental health and reduce the stigma.

A beautiful autumn-themed centerpiece crafted by Nancy Greer for her chili serving table. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

Greer’s care, compassion, generosity and optimism—she wore a butterfly tee emblazoned with “BELIEVE in who you are”—left me feeling really good. I walked away with a business-sized card telling me “SOMETIMES YOU FORGET you’re AWESOME. SO THIS IS YOUR REMINDER.” The flip side of the card included validating words such as strength, bravery, smartness and love.

Launching stuffed animals. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

All around me I witnessed and felt the love. Families walking together. Grandparents, parents and volunteers leading, assisting or simply standing by as kids painted small pumpkins, colored cloth trick-or-treat bags, jumped in a bouncy house, launched stuffed animals toward a dinosaur, created sand and button art, and more.

Signage marks one of two Studio ARTour sites in downtown Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

Inside Runamuck Workshop, throngs of kids and adults crammed the toy store. Across the street, Books on Central was also busy. And a block to the north, the Paradise Center for the Arts teemed with art-lovers there for the Studio ARTour, gallery shows and live music.

Creatives brought their homemade and handcrafted goods to sell in downtown Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

Vendors selling everything from sweet treats to handcrafted items lined the center of Central Avenue.

Family activities set up in a block of Central Avenue. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

I didn’t hit every aspect of the Faribault Fall Festival. But I experienced enough to feel the strong sense of community created by this event. It’s good for the heart and soul of a community to come together, to have fun, to appreciate one another, and to recognize that this city we call home is worth celebrating.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

“Up North” observations from a southern Minnesotan October 1, 2026

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Breezy Point is a popular resort destination in the Brainerd Lakes area. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

TRAVELING NORTH OF THE TWIN CITIES from Faribault toward cabin and lake country, I’ve noticed a distinct difference in roadside billboards and businesses along the way. And that’s a reflection of how the southern part of Minnesota, where I live, differs from areas around Mille Lacs Lake, Brainerd and farther north.

Deer hunting requires processors like this one promoted on a billboard along U.S. Highway 169 in the Milaca area. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

While I come from a region rich in farmland and mostly wide open spaces with some lakes, that changes to the dense woods and pristine water of “Up North,” a decidedly Minnesotan term for a region of cabins, vacation rentals, lakeside homes and all things woodsy outdoors.

Woods hug State Highway 371 north of Jenkins. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

For nearly 10 years now, Randy and I have headed north along U.S. Highway 169 once or twice annually to a family member’s cabin south of Crosslake in Crow Wing County. And it is along that route, outside Zimmerman, that the land begins to shift from urban to a more rugged, rural, outdoorsy feel.

A float plane flies over Horseshoe Lake during a poker run. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

Here I begin to see signs for boats, beer and guns. Some of that reflects the hunting culture, others the recreational opportunities offered by the area’s many lakes. Fishing. Boating. Tubing. Even float planes flying in for a beer and brats poker run.

Mille Lacs Lake just south of Garrison. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

Mille Lacs Lake, which hugs a section of highway 169, is especially impressive for someone like me who grew up on the prairie, mostly absent of lakes. I feel somewhat unsettled looking across the vast expanse of water with no distant shoreline visible. Mille Lacs, at 132,516 acres, is Minnesota’s second largest inland lake.

In Nisswa, an ice cream parlor taps into the Paul Bunyan and Babe legend. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

There’s a lot of water, a lot of woods Up North, where Paul Bunyan is comfortably at home among the pines. Businesses play off the fictional legendary lumberjack and his side kick, Babe the Blue Ox.

The appropriately-named A Pine Restaurant near Jenkins. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

Log cabin and A-frame style buildings, which would seem mostly out of place in southern Minnesota, blend seamlessly into the landscape here. The look is signature northwoods. Cozy. Comfortable. Often set against a backdrop of trees.

Logged lumber stacked along Minnesota State Highway 371 south of Hackensack. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

Stacks of logged trees and campfire wood for sale frequent roadsides.

A welcome sign on my brother-in-law and sister-in-law’s lake home south of Crosslake. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

Life feels more laid back Up North. Or maybe that’s because I arrive with the perspective of a visitor, someone who comes here to relax, to get away from everyday life. Whatever, this part of the North Star state feels different than southern Minnesota.

A lakeside cabin west of Hackensack. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

Here, rather than acres of corn and soybeans, acres of thick woods prevail with narrow roads cutting pathways to lakeside cabins, resorts, homes.

The start of an evening campfire along the shore of Horseshoe Lake. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

Here, Up North at the cabin, if I get up early enough, I can drink my morning coffee lakeside as the sun rises over Horseshoe Lake. Or listen to the haunting echo of loons. Or relax lakeside in the evening around a campfire.

A loon rises and flaps its wings on Horseshoe Lake. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

Last trip north in mid-September, I didn’t want to leave. I dreaded heading south into heavy metro traffic, the speed, the chaos erasing the peace I carried within me. I knew work, in the form of an unfinished house project, awaited us.

The Hairy Mosquito Trading Company along U.S. Highway 169 near Milaca. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

As we drove home, past the leaping deer statue in Deerwood, the deer processing billboards along the highway, the signs and art of The Hairy Mosquito Trading Company, the landscape began to change. Farms and fields. Abundant roadside businesses. More housing.

Traffic volume increased as we neared the Twin Cities. Busy, busy, busy. Oh, so busy. All the way to Faribault, even south of the metro along Interstate 35, vehicles zoomed.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Celebrating a memorable milestone birthday September 29, 2026

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Some of the many birthday cards I received, including a watercolor floral, right, painted by my friend Valerie. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

I REACHED A MILESTONE birthday recently. I didn’t celebrate in any big way. Birthdays have become for me almost like any other day. Yet, my closest loved ones assured that I would experience some memorable moments.

My birthday bouquet from the farmers’ market. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

Let’s start with the morning of my birthday. Randy, per my “I would like a caramel roll for breakfast” word drop the evening prior, delivered on that. He also picked up the loveliest mixed bouquet of dahlias and other flowers from the Faribault Farmers’ Market. My birthday was off to a great start.

The rest of the day was low key with grocery shopping, protesting (I could have done without the obscene words shouted at us and the vehicles threatening our safety), a library visit, a walk between rain showers and then, for supper, take-out from The Twisted Chicken. The owner, when I told him my new age, proclaimed that no way did I look fill in the blank here. He even asked an employee to guess my age. Her answer of 55 was way off. I laughed. Whether they were messing with me or not doesn’t matter. They made me feel good.

Video chats with my second daughter and the 20-month-old grandson in eastern Wisconsin and another with my son and his girlfriend in Boston added to my birthday happiness. Above anything, I want to connect with family on my birthday.

My hand-quilled birthday card crafted by young women in rural Vietnam. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

Earlier in the week, the Boston couple sent me a birthday card handcrafted in Vietnam. It features a clutch of reddish orange flowers created by rolling and gluing strips of kishu paper into a design via the art of quilling. This card, representing resilience, hope and the power of creativity, as noted on the back, will soon be displayed as art in my home. I love the piece and the from-the-heart messages the two wrote inside.

My family knows me well and how much I appreciate the arts. And cards. When my birthday card arrived from Wisconsin, it included abstract art by my toddler grandson. That immediately went on the front of my fridge.

Not to be outdone by their much younger cousin, my other two grandkids, ages seven and ten, gave an impromptu concert the following day for Randy and me. Surprisingly, it did not include the Happy Birthday song, but rather a short song the granddaughter wrote and then songs her younger brother is playing as he starts piano lessons. I couldn’t have asked for a more enjoyable concert.

The interior entry to Escapology in the Burnsville Center. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

The music followed my biggest birthday adventure, joining my eldest daughter and her family at Escapology in Burnsville where we tried to find a missing treasure in the game “Lost City.” We did an escape room several months ago at Copper Cat Escape Games in Brainerd and enjoyed it immensely. So we thought we’d try again. Although we found the treasure and escaped the room in Burnsville with several minutes to spare, it was not easy. We needed help along the way. I also struggled to see in the dimly-lit rooms. And all of us struggled to decipher markings. This experience won’t dissuade me from doing an escape room again though.

I joked with the Escapology game master that the treasure chest should have held chocolate coins. I expect my daughter was thinking, “I’m sure glad I got Mom a bag of dark chocolate sea salt caramel candy.” That’s exactly the sweet treat I found along with a handful of family photos when I opened a gift bag afterwards at her house.

I blow out candles on my slice of birthday cheesecake. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

We gathered in the kitchen for my favorite dessert, cheesecake, among festive birthday decorations. I even had candles on my slice of turtle cheesecake as my family sang “Happy birthday!”

Family and friends, via cards, texts, video chats, art, music, flowers, treats and an escape room adventure, made this milestone birthday memorable. I felt, and still feel, incredibly loved.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Crocheting calms, connects community via “Friendship Trees” project September 24, 2026

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Colorful squares of crocheted art hug a tree near the Cannon River in Bridge Square, Northfield. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

AS SUMMER COZIES INTO AUTUMN and temps drop, I pull out the fleece, flannel and sweaters, wrapping myself in warmth. And in the evening, when I settle in to read a book, I snuggle under a throw or an afghan.

This happy face makes me smile. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

Those images came to me as I meandered recently around Bridge Square in Northfield where crocheted art wraps the rough bark of tree trunks.

A bear hug on a tree felt like a bear hug for me. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

This is the “Friendship Trees” project, an effort of the local Hispanic community to share beauty and friendship, according to Mar Valdecantos, director of Rice County Neighbors United, the lead on this artistic endeavor. Grants from the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation and the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council funded the project.

A project summary hangs on a tree of flags. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

But these crocheted pieces created by 39 individuals rooted in nine countries is about much more than beauty and friendship. This is also about healing, specifically recovering from the trauma of federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota last winter. Although dubbed Operation Metro Surge, the lengthy, targeted Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in my state impacted communities far beyond the metro area, including Northfield.

Merchandise for sale at Mercado Local, a shop where local immigrants sell their creative works and goods. An arts space is also housed in the nonprofit. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2024)

If you’ve ever crocheted, you understand that rhythmically working a crochet hook through yarn calms and soothes. Gathering to crochet in the arts space at Northfield’s Mercado Local helped ease the anxiety many in the Hispanic community were feeling, and continue to feel, over immigration enforcement, Valdecantos noted in an email.

The florals in this piece include sunflowers, a global symbol of solidarity and resistance. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)
Even the skinniest of trees, this one across the street from Bridge Square, got a crochet wrap. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)
This cute bunny reminds me of the blue bunny hat worn by 5-year-old Liam Ramos, detained by ICE in Minnesota along with his father. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

As I wandered among the many artsy trees, I thought of all those fingers manipulating yarn to create something beautiful and meaningful from emotional trauma. I expect every artist intentionally crocheted art with meaning.

Division Street backdrops a tree upon which crocheted flags hang. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

Some intent seems obvious to me. Flags hugging a highly-visible tree along Division Street show pride in country of origin and in America.

Monarchs are incorporated into this art piece in the heart of Bridge Square. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

Monarch butterflies on another tree are symbolic of migration, solidarity, hope and resilience. Monarchs became a national symbol of resistance against ICE.

The frog as a form of resistance began with a frog costume in Portland, Oregon. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

Likewise, I spotted a frog, that, too, a form of resistance with a humorous take.

I interpret the lion to stand for fierce strength. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

A lion, I expect, is meant to stand for bravery, fierceness, the power of standing strong.

The Cannon River at sunset as photographed from Bridge Square. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

All around Bridge Square, which centers Northfield’s downtown along the Cannon River, these crochet-wrapped trees represent the strength, courage and resilience of the local Hispanic community. I saw that in the designs, in the bold and bright colors, and felt it simply by seeing.

I expect there’s some symbolism in this mass of spiders. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

Art is powerful.

Bridge Square is centrally-located in the heart of downtown Northfield across from these Division Street businesses. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

These inter-generational crocheters continue to meet at Mercado Local, pulling crochet hooks through yarn, crafting not only for themselves, but also for the greater Northfield community. Connecting. Creating. Calming anxieties, building and strengthening community through art.

In the glow of early evening, sunflowers wrap a tree in solidarity. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

FYI: “Friendship Trees” is a temporary two-month art installation. I photographed the art in early September, shortly after it was installed.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Taking the top fiction prize with “Ingrid’s Dream” September 23, 2026

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Audrey Kletscher Helbling holds a copy of “Lyrics, Talking Stick #35” next to a Paul Bunyan cut-out at Jack Pines Resort. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo by Randy Helbling, September 2026)

I’M EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE that I am no longer simply a bridesmaid, but now a bride. “But, Audrey,” you’re likely thinking, “you’ve been married a long time.” Oh, yes, I have. However, I recently placed first in a writing competition, making me a “bride” after numerous past honorable mentions and second placings as a “bridesmaid.”

This past Saturday I traveled to Jack Pines Resort near Park Rapids in far northern Minnesota to collect my cash prize and to read my winning short story, “Ingrid’s Dream.” It is the story of a writer who plans to build a writer’s shed with wood salvaged from the barn on the homestead of her great grandparents. Conflict arises when her husband objects.

The beginning of my short story, “Ingrid’s Dream” as published in “Lyrics, Talking Stick #35.” (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

I’m not giving away the ending to this 564-word short story. You’ll have to buy a copy of Lyrics, Talking Stick #35 published by the nonprofit Jack Pine Writers’ Bloc (no connection to the resort). But I will share that, even though I didn’t realize it while writing this piece back in February, real-life events subconsciously influenced my story. Operation Metro Surge, the federal immigration enforcement effort in Minnesota, was in full-on mode when I crafted “Ingrid’s Dream.” And Ingrid’s great grandparents were Norwegian immigrants with hopes and dreams.

This story is in no way a political statement. Those are not allowed in the Talking Stick competition. But it touches on immigration, reminding all of us that, unless we are Native or the descendants of slaves, we are, or are of, immigrants.

To read Ingrid’s story aloud to an appreciative audience of Minnesota writers and others on Saturday felt simultaneously humbling and empowering. I was honored to have my work initially selected by the Talking Stick editorial team for prize consideration and then chosen by Minnesota author Jeanne Cooney for the top fiction prize. Cooney writes the Hot Dish Heaven mysteries and the It’s Murder series.

(Book cover sourced online)

Lyrics, Talking Stick #35 features the work of 68 writers who are either Minnesotans or who have a strong connection to our state. That’s an entry requirement. In this year’s contest, 132 writers submitted 330 entries with 71 poems, 18 creative nonfiction stories, 15 fiction stories and 17 creative twist stories chosen for publication.

This shows past volumes of “Talking Stick” in which my work has published. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2024)

I enter in all four categories, a bit of an anomaly among writers. My writing has published for nearly 20 consecutive years in the Talking Stick anthology. In addition to the fictional “Ingrid’s Dream,” my creative nonfiction entries, “About That Hole in the Wall” and “Unlocking Silence,” made it into this year’s book. One is about an embarrassing cardboard wall covering a hole in my dining room and the other about an aged accordion gifted from an aunt to her nephew.

While listening to other writers read their works at Jack Pines Resort, I was once again reminded of the incredible creative talent rooted in Minnesota. This includes recognizable names like Nicole Borg, Charmaine Pappas Donovan, Laura L. Hansen, Margaret Hasse, Mike Lein, Niomi Rohn Phillips and more along with Brenda Charpentier, a newbie to the competition and first place winner in creative nonfiction. Like me, she comes to creative writing with a journalism background as does another writer, Bernadette Hondl Thomasy, originally from Owatonna and with a poem and creative nonfiction story published in Lyrics, Talking Stick #35.

My admiration of Minnesota writers was reinforced after the reading when some of us socialized and talked shop afterwards over dinner. Writing is such a solitary pursuit. But in gathering with others who love the craft, I felt a surge of energy, of validation, of gratitude that I can do what I love. Write.

FYI: Lyrics, Talking Stick #35 is available for purchase online.

 

On the road into harvest in southern Minnesota September 16, 2026

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En route to Vesta and back, we passed endless ripening fields and farm sites, including this one in the New Ulm area. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

ACRE UPON ACRE of drying corn and soybean fields unrolled before us as Randy and I headed west 120 miles from Faribault to my hometown for a mournful family gathering, this time to honor my cousin Jeff. He died unexpectedly at the age of 63 only three months after his mother, my Aunt Marilyn.

Here we were again, back at the hilltop Vesta Cemetery, circling around gravestones to hear Scripture, to pray, to sing, to comfort one another, to remember Jeff while a fierce wind blew and the bright sunshine warmed us.

On the northwest edge of Vesta, a sign notes a corn research site. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

As I stood there, I took in the countryside of this prairie place. I love this land of rich, dark soil. This land from which seeds sprout, grow into plants reaching toward the sun. This is fertile land that holds the promise of a plentiful harvest. Redwood County has, undeniably, some of the best farmland in Minnesota.

Combining soybeans north of Sleepy Eye. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 12, 2026)

All through our 5-hour round trip, Randy and I kept a watchful eye on the crops, noting some nearly ready for harvest, others awaiting ripening. And in one spot north of Sleepy Eye, we came across farmers harvesting soybeans.

A gravel road southeast of Morgan threads between corn and soybean fields. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

We are both farm kids—he a native of Morrison County in central Minnesota. As such, our observation of crops comes from a childhood of living on the land, of working the land (Randy more than me), of watching our farmer fathers work.

Farmward Cooperative centers the agricultural business community in Morgan. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

On this mid-September road trip, I was, in some ways, transported back in time to the farm. My focus shifted to the impending harvest. Preparation. Grain bins emptied to receive new crops. Combines and grain trucks at the ready.

Corn has already been harvested at this farm along Minnesota State Highway 19 only miles from Vesta. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

A sense of anticipation prevails this time of year as farmers prepare to gather in the crops.

A barn near New Ulm. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

But beyond the fields, I noticed, too, the detailed ruralness of place the farther west we traveled. West of Mankato, the agrarian way of life always seems more defined as distances between farm sites grow.

Cattle grazing in the Janesville area. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

With fewer visual distractions, I see the barns, the grain bins, the occasional cattle grazing.

Roadside pumpkin stands, like Moll’s Produce near New Ulm, are beginning to pop up. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

I see roadside stands stocked with plump pumpkins ushering in autumn.

The soybean field backdropping this Old Sod Days sign south of Belview is beginning to ripen. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

I see corn leaves curling, drying. I see soybean fields morphing from green to yellow to brown.

A partially-visible sign next to a cornfield thanks farmers. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

Near Morgan, the site of Farm Fest, a yearly Minnesota agricultural celebration, I spot several signs thanking farmers. Likewise in areas along U.S. Highway 14 between Owatonna and Mankato, farm-themed signage billboards the roadway.

Sugar beets piled at a dumping station along Minnesota State Highway 19 between Redwood Falls and Vesta. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

There is reason to feel grateful for Minnesota farmers who grow the corn, soybeans and sugar beets I saw on this road trip. They work hard. They invest time, energy and lots of money in producing crops that benefit all of us. I could not do their job; I am risk averse.

Parked next to a cornfield along U.S. Highway 14 in the New Ulm area, a John Deere tractor for sale. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

In a year like this with current diesel fuel prices at their highest level ever, profit margins will be slimmer, if at all. I cannot imagine the stress farmers feel as they crunch numbers, check prices, budget for expenses, wonder how they will make loan payments or pay for diesel to fuel up farm equipment.

A billboard in the Janesville area advertises a seed brand. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2026)

It takes courage to be a farmer. Optimism. Strength, too. Yet, farmers are a resilient bunch. Come next spring, most will be back on the land, seeding another crop in anticipation of another harvest.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling