The Dam Store photographed in 2010. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2010)
A FIXTURE NEAR THE RAPIDAN DAM since 1910, The Dam Store is no more. On Friday, crews demolished the historic eatery along the Blue Earth River in southern Minnesota.
Its collapse into the water seemed inevitable after the flooded river carved a path around the west side of the dam, eroding the land, taking down trees, buildings and an electrical substation. The Dam Store appeared next in line.
Officials considered their options, including consulting a professional about moving the store, according to media reports. When that was deemed unsafe, the decision was made to demolish the building. If the river claimed the store, that would add more debris to float downstream, creating additional hazards and safety risks.
Before demolition, the Hruska family, which has owned The Dam Store for some 50 years, and friends removed items from the long-time business. The store opened in 1910 to serve workers constructing the Rapidan Dam.
The loss of The Dam Store is a major loss not only to the Hruska family and locals, but also to the region and to Minnesota. It’s more than a place to grab a burger and a slice of homemade pie. It’s an icon, a destination, one of those genuine slice of Americana spots that stands out for its quaintness, friendliness, uniqueness and great food. Did I mention the pies?
The Hruska family has already stated this is not the end of The Dam Store. I believe them. For now, though, they have much to deal with emotionally and otherwise. The family home, near the store, fell into the river earlier this week. It’s a lot. But the community has rallied to support them financially via donations through GoFundMe and an account at MinnStar banks in Mankato and Lake Crystal. I expect the outpouring of support for this family to continue.
The Dam Store in Rapidan, photographed in 2010. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2010)
FOURTEEN YEARS AGO, I wrote a magazine feature story on The Dam Store, a rural southern Minnesota business serving up food, bait and tackle. People travel for miles to buy a burger and a slice of homemade pie here. It’s the kind of place that appeals to me—unpretentious and welcoming. Cozy, homey and comfortable, with great food.
The calm Blue Earth River, photographed in 2010, looks nothing like this today. The raging river has taken out trees, a house, a county shed, and electrical substation as it cut a new path around the Rapidan Dam. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2010)
The small eatery is located by the Rapidan Dam, a dam which has been in the news all week due to its possible imminent failure. Thus far, the dam has held. But the roaring, overflowing Blue Earth River carved a path around the dam to the west, eventually claiming the Hruska family’s riverside home. They run the nearby cafe.
This shows the short distance from the dam walkway to The Dam Store. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2010)
The Hruska family, including Jenny Barnes, has run The Dam Store for some 50 years. Her nearby childhood home fell into the raging river Tuesday evening. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2010)
The Dam Store has been written about often as shown in this wall of feature stories. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2010)
The Dam Store sits a short distance away, close enough that it could possibly be overcome by floodwaters. At least that’s my non-professional opinion. And if that worries me, I can only imagine how the family feels.
Delicious burger and fries. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2010)
Notebooks full of praise for The Dam Store. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2010)
Homemade rhubarb pie. The Dam Store is known for its fruit and cream pies. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2010)
This place is a treasure. A destination. A slice of Americana run by folks who care deeply about their customers. People rave about The Dam Store. I read that in comments filling a notebook when I was there back in 2010. I feel the same. To dine here is an experience, a step back in time to days when life seemed simpler.
Public officials are now concerned about the integrity of this bridge as the river is no longer flowing over the Rapidan Dam but cutting a path to the west. This 2010 photo shows a low, calm river. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2010)
The Dam Store was packed with diners during my 2010 stop. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2010)
The dam, built in 1908-1910, is 475 feet wide and measures 87 feet from the top to the streambed. This 2010 image shows a section of the dam and the nearby bridge, now in jeopardy due to river bank erosion by floodwaters. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2010)
The scene unfolding today in Rapidan is decidedly one of concern and watchfulness. And for many, one of hope. Hope that The Dam Store will remain standing, untouched by floodwaters. The building has been there since 1910, the eatery in the Hruska family for more than 50 years. This is their history, their life, their livelihood. Their home. Their place.
The main dining area of The Dam Store with booths and lunch counter. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2010)
The Rapidan Heritage Society has established a relief fund for the Hruska family with donations accepted at MinnStar Bank offices in Mankato and Lake Crystal. Click here for more information.
These guys ordered burgers at the lunch counter. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2010)
Now, until The Dam Store reopens—and I’m being optimistic that this will all turn out OK—enjoy these photos taken in 2010. I think you’ll understand why this place is so popular, so loved.
Roses bloom in the Rice County Master Gardeners Teaching Gardens at the Rice County Fairgrounds in Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
OH, HOW BEAUTIFUL the flowers that gardeners tend. Petals flash color, painting the landscape in bold and delicate hues. Flowers dip and bend in the wind like silent writers penning poetry. Flowers inspire, bring joy, carry love stories and memories.
Delicate pink flowers in a garden at the Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Flowers have always been a part of my life. From my paternal grandma’s unruly flowerbeds to my mom’s rows of colorful zinnias in the vegetable garden to my own flowers growing in a chaotic mess, I’ve delighted in blooms.
Clematis climb an arched trellis at the teaching gardens. An historic church and school, part of the Rice County Historical Society, are a lovely backdrop. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Vivid yellow lilies jolt color into Cathedral gardens. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Another Cathedral lily. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
At one time I could identify flower parts, like those shown in this lily close-up blooming at the Cathedral. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Right now, the lilies are in full bloom. They appear a sturdy lot to me, a lesson in botany with stamens and pistils and all those parts I once learned in a long ago science class. Now I don’t care much about that, just the beauty my eyes take in as I wander among the flowers.
An inviting garden, complete with benches, graces the northside entry to the Cathedral. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Iris bloom at the Cathedral. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
For use at the teaching gardens when needed. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
I’m thankful for the volunteers who plant, weed and care for flower gardens created out of a love of gardening and out of a desire to beautify a community. It takes time, effort, commitment, and that does not go unnoticed by me.
A clump of daisies, similar to these photographed at Faribault Energy Park, grow on my boulevard. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo July 20219)
Life is full of opportunities to brighten this world. Flowers are one way. I watched the other day from my living room window as a young boy picked a daisy from an errant patch growing in the boulevard by my house. Then his mom plucked one, too, tucking a single stem into the front of her tank top. I didn’t care that they picked the daisies. I could see how happy it made them.
At the teaching gardens, flowers ladder a stem. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
The daisy, such a simple flower, blooming profusely in the grass next to a busy street. Bent by the wind and rain, as if bowing to the earth. The daisy has always been a sunny favorite of mine. Daisies were woven into my bridal bouquet, my bridesmaids’ baskets of flowers and corsages on my wedding day 42 years ago. Flowers hold love stories, memories.
Fanciful astilbe grow in the teaching gardens. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
In bloom at the Cathedral. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Spots of purple in a Cathedral garden like a single line of poetry. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
I expect, if pressed, anyone could share a flower story. Stories of love and loss, celebration and sorrow, gratitude and healing. Flowers hold stories as much as they write them. Creativity thrives in their bold and delicate hues, in the way they grow and flourish and fade. In the way they stand or bend in the wind, like silent writers penning poetry.
An egret flies over the Cannon River by the barely visible dam at North Alexander Park on Friday evening. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 21, 2024)
WILDLIFE SENSES, understands, picks up on nuances that we as humans often fail to notice in our heads-bent-to-our-smartphones, busy scheduled lives.
A blue heron perches on the edge of a tree along the Cannon River by the park-side dam. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 21, 2024)
The recent flooding is a prime example. I saw countless cellphones raised to record floodwaters and rising rivers. I carried my 35 mm Canon camera, drawn just like everyone else to document the historic natural event unfolding before me along the Cannon River in Faribault.
An egret and blue heron seem to be checking out the river as a red-winged blackbird sits among the grasses to the right. That’s the Faribault Mill in the background, railings for the park-side dam in the foreground. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 21, 2024)
But I also noticed the wildlife. They, too, were observing. Watching the water. And watching people invade their river habitat by the hundreds. I sensed how uncomfortable the egret, blue heron, ducks and red-winged blackbirds were amid all the human chaos. So many people and so much traffic.
Flying high above the flooded river. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 21, 2024)
I expect they longed for quiet. Peace. A respite from the attention. A return to normalcy. No more peering eyes. No more crowds gathering.
A bullhead partially emerges from shallow water on dam’s edge as it tries to swim up the floodwaters. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 21, 2024)
Another bullhead attempts to swim up river. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2021)
And then there were the fish, primarily bullheads, but a few bass, attempting to swim up through water that was rushing down, spilling over the edges of the dam by North Alexander Park. The fish appeared determined to make it to the other side, to the quieter waters of the widened river. It seemed a losing cause to me. But who am I to discourage a stubborn bullhead? If anything, it was fascinating to watch.
A duck family swims in the shallow floodwaters next to the top of the dam. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 21, 2024)
Finally, I observed a mama duck and her brood aside the top of the dam. They began edging, descending toward the river. Foolish ducks, I thought, judging the mother mallard. And then I voiced my concern out loud, “Stop, you’ll drown!”
The ducks move toward the deep river. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 21, 2024)
I can only imagine the thoughts of that mother and her six ducklings. “Did that woman really say that, warn us to stay out of the water lest we drown?” If ducks could laugh, the seven of them would have chortled, chuckled, carried on and then shared what they’d heard me say. Quack. Quack. Quackity. Quack.
A mallard drake swims in the Cannon River, nowhere near the female duck and ducklings. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 21, 2024)
But it was my husband who spoke for them. “They’re ducks, Audrey,” Randy said. “They can swim.”
An egret stands watchful and tall, next to the water rushing, roiling over the dam. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 21, 2024)
Uh, yeah. He was right. But it was the mom in me emerging, the protective spirit that, in that moment, did not separate wildlife from human so focused was I on the dangers of the swollen, swift-moving river.
Roads are closed throughout the area due to flooding. Here a barricade blocks Dahle Avenue at its intersection with 220th Street East along the Straight River east of Faribault late Sunday afternoon. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 23, 2024)
A couple checks out flooded Dahle Avenue. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 23, 2024)
As inconvenient as these road closures may be, especially to locals, it’s nothing compared to the flooding of businesses, homes, campgrounds and more, especially in neighboring Waterville. The small town draws lake-lovers to summer cabins and campgrounds with tourism an important part of the local economy.
The muddy, fast-moving Straight River, photographed late Sunday afternoon from a bridge on 220th Street East, east of Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 23, 2024)
Other small towns, like Morristown and Warsaw, have also been impacted by the rising Cannon River. That water (and water from the Straight River) eventually ends up in Faribault and then Northfield and other places along the river and its watershed. In Faribault, public safety officials are keeping a close eye on the King Mill Dam, over which the Cannon flows. I’ve not seen that area, which is now barricaded to motor vehicle and foot traffic, and wisely so. The dam is a popular fishing spot. The road past the dam is also a busy traffic route, a connection to Minnesota State Highway 60.
Rounding 195th Street West, a flooded cornfield, photographed northwest of Faribault late Friday morning. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 21, 2024)
Out in the countryside, too much rain has drowned corn and soybean crops, turning fields into lakes. I feel for the farmers, who depend on a good crop for their livelihood. It’s too late in Minnesota’s short growing season to replant. Crop insurance will cover some of their losses.
Excessive rain flooded this cornfield, transforming it from farmland to lake. Photographed late Friday morning along 195th Street West. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 21, 2024)
Rice County has a diverse topography of flat lands and rolling hills, plus differing soil types and drainage systems. Those, and rainfall amounts, affect whether a farm field floods. The entire county has experienced substantial rains. Just last Friday afternoon and into Saturday morning, we measured 3.1 inches of rain in our gauge. The day prior, 1.75 inches. Ten inches of rain fell here in eight days. Too much.
A flooded cornfield along 195th Street West, photographed Friday morning. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 21, 2024)
Ducks swim in the cornfield turned lake late Friday morning along 195th Street West. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 21, 2024)
Ask any farmer, and he/she can likely give you rainfall totals. I saw some of that rainwater on Friday morning while on a short drive along backroads northwest of Faribault. And that was before Friday’s three-inch rainfall.
A bit down the road, more flooding in the rolling terrain along Fairbanks Avenue northwest of Faribault, photographed late Friday morning. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 21, 2024)
On Sunday afternoon, most fields in the area I traveled were not flooded, but at least one township gravel road along the Straight River was flooded and barricaded. I expect if I expanded my tour, I’d see a whole lot more road closures and flooded fields. (Click here for a list of roadways that are closed in Rice County.)
Public officials are warning people to heed warning signs (like this one on Dahle Avenue) and stay out of flooded areas due to the dangers of swift-moving, high water. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 23, 2024)
In the all of this, there’s nothing we can do to control the weather. We can only prepare and then deal with whatever comes. Those, of course, are just words, not really helpful to anyone dealing with flooded fields, flooded roads, flooded homes, flooded businesses, flooded campers, flooded parks, flooded…
Friday evening the Cannon River was well above flood stage at the dam by the entrance to North Alexander Park. More rain overnight into Saturday raised the river level even higher. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 21, 2024)
NEARLY 10 INCHES OF RAIN fell in the past eight days at my Faribault home, half of that in the last three days. The significant rainfall not only in my community, but throughout southern Minnesota, has resulted in flooding as rivers swell and overflow their banks.
The same dam scene Saturday morning. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 22, 2024)
By Saturday morning, the Cannon encroached on even more land and the river rose higher under the Second Avenue bridge by the entrance to North Alexander Park. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 22, 2024)
This churning water at the dam shows the power of the river. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 21, 2024)
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz declared a peacetime emergency authorizing the National Guard to assist and support with emergency flood operations as needed. Faribault Mayor Kevin Voracek has declared a local emergency as my city deals with flooding. In nearby hard-hit Waterville, some residents have been evacuated. Mankato has also experienced significant flooding.
A police cruiser is parked Saturday morning under the historic viaduct near Teepee Tonka Park, an area prone to flooding. By Saturday evening, the Straight River had flooded even more of the park and surrounding land. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 22, 2024)
A chunk of south central Minnesota, including Faribault and other areas of Rice County, plus portions of Le Sueur, Steele and Waseca counties, remain in a flood warning until 10 a.m. Monday.
Teepee Tonka Park in Faribault, along the Straight River, was completely flooded Saturday morning. By evening, floodwaters crept onto the bridge. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 22, 2024)
Saturday morning the bridge at Teepee Tonka Park was open to pedestrians with a police officer stationed there. By evening, the bridge was cordoned off. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 22, 2024)
A Faribault police officer chats with the public and monitors the Straight River on the bridge into Teepee Tonka Park Saturday morning. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 22, 2024)
It’s a lot—this flooding of homes and businesses, city parks and railroad tracks, parking lots and roadways, cropland… A few blocks from my home, Xcel Energy crews are monitoring an electrical substation surrounded by water from the overflowing Straight River.
Floodwaters surround this warning sign by the Woolen Mill Dam. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 21, 2024)
A fire department truck stops on the Second Avenue bridge over the Cannon River on Friday evening as emergency personnel keep an eye on the rising river. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 21, 2024)
Police tape along the Cannon River by North Alexander Park is in place to keep people away from the roiling river. Friday evening the river nearly touched the bottom of the bridge. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 21, 2024)
I arrived home from church late this morning to automated messages from the 911 emergency system. One issued a cautionary warning from public safety officials to honor barricades by not walking or driving around them. Ignoring such signage in flooded areas will result in a citation from law enforcement.
Watching the swift-moving Cannon River from behind police tape Friday evening near the historic Faribault Mill. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 21, 2024)
Tree debris floats down the Cannon on Friday evening. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 21, 2024)
There’s a dam here, unseen as the Cannon River floods. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 21, 2024)
For the most part, I observed people being careful around floodwaters in Faribault while I was out on Friday evening and then again Saturday morning. The areas I accessed and photographed in that time frame have since been closed to the public, a smart move given the power of the river and the sheer volume of people checking things out. We are all naturally drawn to see for ourselves that which is unfolding in our backyard.
A car sits submerged in the parking lot of Two Rivers Health Center by Two Rivers Park on Saturday morning. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo June 22, 2024)
Two rivers—the Cannon and the Straight—run through Faribault, converging at Two Rivers Park. Near that park, a car sat submerged Saturday morning in a parking lot. I’ve seen other vehicles sitting in floodwaters at the new riverside Straight River Apartments.
Along the Straight River on Third Avenue Northeast, floodwaters fill a backyard which, ironically, includes a boat. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 22, 2024)
Yet, as difficult as this flood event has been, it does not match the Faribault floods of 2010, 2014 and 2016, at least not from my recollection. Still, any flood is challenging.
Along the Straight River, a section of railroad tracks flooded. The Depot Bar & Grill patio is on the left. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 22, 2024)
For those affected, there’s clean-up and paperwork and unexpected expenses. Emergencies like this often bring out the best in people, as a community comes together. At the local government level, I expect emergency personnel have been working overtime. The Rice County Landfill, rural Dundas, opens at 7:30 a.m. Monday to begin accepting flood-contaminated materials.
Below the historic viaduct, the Straight River overflows its banks Saturday morning. By evening, it had risen even more. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 22, 2024)
I am fortunate. There’s no flooding in my home or yard. But I know others are struggling. I hope that in Sunday’s sunshine—finally, a day without rain—they feel a sense of hope. Floodwaters will recede. And life will, eventually, return to normal.
Walking along the Cannon River by the dam Friday evening, before the river flooded even more. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 21, 2024)
A crew works to protect the Carlson Capital Management building along the east bank of the Cannon River. This is by the “Poem Steps” leading to the Riverwalk, now flooded. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 22, 2024)
MANY AREAS OF SOUTHERN MINNESOTA, including my county of Rice, have been inundated with torrential rain during the past week. That’s led to flooding of rivers and property and to road closures. Like so many others, I’ve been out and about observing, taking photos.
People gather on the pedestrian bridge and along a sidewalk above the Riverwalk to see flooding along the Cannon River. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 22, 2024)
Saturday evening, on our way home from visiting family in Lakeville, Randy and I drove through Northfield and stopped to walk along the Cannon River. The river runs through the heart of this historic downtown, which features a waterside river walk.
Flooding and sandbagging along the west bank of the Cannon near the Lady Cannon mural.
Sandbag wall on the west side of the river. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 22, 2024)
Lady Cannon is nearly swimming in the river. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 22, 2024)
The Cannon has spilled over its banks, flooding the river walk and adjacent land and threatening buildings at water’s edge. Sandbags are in place. Pumping is underway.
People line the pedestrian bridge across the Cannon for a wide perspective of the river and the flooding. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 22, 2024)
Looking north from the pedestrian bridge to the Second Street/State Highway 19 bridge. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 22, 2024)
Looking south from the pedestrian bridge toward the Water Street bridge by the Ames Mill Dam. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 22, 2024)
And people are coming to the river by the hundreds to view its raging power. A pedestrian bridge high above the water offers a unique perspective.
The dam is barely visible by the historic Ames Mill. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 22, 2024)
Among the many people viewing the river at the dam site. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 22, 2024)
And a bridge across the river by the historic Ames Mill provides a close-up view of the Cannon roaring over the dam.
Protecting Carlson Capital Management. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 22, 2024)
A maze of hoses channel water out of the Carlson building while sandbags protect it. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Froggy Bottoms on the west bank floods whenever the river floods. A neon green poster on the building reads: “This Frog Swims Again.” (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 22, 2024)
It is impressive, all of it. The nauseating movement of the water. The speed. The danger. The feeling of overwhelming respect and awe in the presence of such power.
Fitting words on the door of the Froggy Bottoms building. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 22, 2024)
This I felt as I took in the scene unfolding before me on a Saturday evening in Northfield.
A sandbag wall protects property along the west bank of the Cannon River. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 22, 2024)
A sandbagging station. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 22, 2024)
A line of sandbags protects property on the west bank of the Cannon. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 22, 2024)
Life jackets drape a barricade blocking access to the flooded east side Riverwalk. Below, workers work to protect the Carlson building from the river. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 22, 2024)
NOTE: Check back tomorrow for flood photos from Faribault.
Kindness rocks have been planted in gardens outside Most Holy Redeemer Catholic School. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Recently I discovered an assortment of kindness rocks in flower gardens outside this small southern Minnesota school that educates preschoolers through eighth graders. The school sits across Vine Avenue West from a stunning Catholic church with the same name. I appreciate beautiful historic churches. And kindness rocks.
Hope, always hope, one of my favorite words. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
You can feel the love that went into creating these kindness rocks. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
To say I felt excited about finding the church and rocks in Montgomery would be an understatement. Both inspire, offer hope, encourage. In today’s world, we need more of all three, along with compassion and plenty of kindness.
Words that need repeating. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
A while back, I began collecting kindness rocks, which are actually painted stones with inspirational words and/or art written/painted thereon. I collect these rocks with my camera, photographing them rather than taking them with me. Not all are meant to be taken.
Imagine reading these words when you are struggling. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
The students at Most Holy Redeemer filled my heart, mind and spirit with such positive thoughts via their artwork. Reminders to be kind, friendly, forgiving. Reminders to be hopeful and strong. Those words, especially, resonate with me as I’ve overcome much in the past year while dealing with long haul COVID and vision issues.
This encouraging message fits me perfectly right now. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
“You can and you will” read one message. That could have been/be my 2023-2024 mantra. I expect many others have been uplifted by short messages that grace these stones. “You matter.” “You are loved.” Even if you know that, to read those reaffirming words feels incredibly validating.
We all need to read these encouraging words. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Life often isn’t fair. But we can all strive to be fair. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Onward, fearlessly, never give up. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
I love that the students at Most Holy Redeemer are learning the value of positive thoughts and actions, sharing those in an artsy, public way on kindness rocks.
Inspirational signage in one of the gardens. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Lilies. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Flowers found on a kindness rock. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
The rocks are spaced atop mulch among flowers and shrubbery alongside the school. I was so focused on the kindness rocks that I paid minimal attention to the plants. And I love flowers. But then again, I suppose you could say these kindness rocks are flowers. Beautiful. Lovely. Flourishing. Blooming in a space where weeds have no place.
It’s all about kindness… (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
FYI: I was interviewed recently about kindness rocks by Katy Read, a writer for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Her story about kindness rocks published online Friday morning and will be in print Saturday, June 22, in the Strib, on the Inspired page of the Variety section. She interviewed multiple sources, including those who create the rocks and why they do. Thank you, Katy, for spreading kindness with your wonderful feature story.
Deer at River Bend Nature Center, Faribault. Photo used for illustration only. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo April 2024)
OH, DEER, I thought to myself Thursday evening. And then about an hour later, I thought, oh, dear.
What prompted this deer/dear thinking? First, an actual deer running through my neighborhood. And then an attempt to try a new art form at a community event.
First the deer. Shortly after 5 p.m., I noticed a rather long-legged dog running down the middle of the side street alongside my house. I live on a corner lot. I quickly realized this was not a canine, but rather a deer. This neighborhood deer spotting was a first in 40 years of living at this location.
The large deer cut across the corner of my neighbor’s yard before dashing into busy Willow Street during rush hour. And, yes, there is rush hour traffic in the early morning and then when folks are on their way home from work. Go ahead and laugh if you live in a metro area.
Thankfully, drivers were alert enough to slow down and give the deer some space. It continued northbound, right along the center line, until I lost sight of the animal. It apparently escaped unscathed (perhaps to the nearby woods along the river) as I did not see roadkill while en route to my “oh, dear” moment. I can only imagine how thankful that deer was to return to his natural habitat.
Grand Rapids-based Adessa & The Beat performs Thursday evening in the Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
An hour later I arrived at the Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour for free hands-on art activities offered by the Paradise Center for the Arts as part of the weekly summertime Concerts in the Park series. Due to endless rain, the arts event and concert were moved from the park across the street to the Cathedral.
Rhonda Norgaard’s book art previously displayed at the Paradise Center for the Arts, Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo April 2024)
Once there, I had art choices: drawing, felting, working on a collaborative project or “making a book.” I heard the word “book” and I was in. Except it wasn’t creating a book, but rather learning basics of design for a mini-book. After watching for a moment, I grabbed a red folding chair and settled onto a corner of the crowded table. Teaching artist Rhonda Norgaard handed me a thick black Sharpie and scraps of colorful paper. At that moment, I didn’t quite grasp the concept of what I should be doing.
I should pause here to admit that my confidence level was about zero. My friend Paula drew a lovely free-hand bird and tree on a colorful bookmark-size paper scrap. Kids were bent over their papers, too, happily creating. Me? This was not my wheelhouse. I create art with words and my camera, not with scraps from expired calendars, Sharpies and gel pens.
But, by then I was semi-committed to giving this unfamiliar art form a try. I began outlining flowers in black, attempting to make this my own. It looked OK. Then I added words, because, well, it needed words and I am a writer. I added plant, hope, bloom. I would later learn that, like me, hope is Rhonda’s favorite word.
I was hearing encouraging words from Rhonda and from others. When I had done all I could with the black Sharpie, I stepped away to check on my husband’s progress. He was drawing with charcoal pencils. Definitely not my wheelhouse.
The art I created from a scrap calendar page, a black Sharpie and a white gel pen. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Back at Rhonda’s station, a white gel pen was finally available for my use. As white flowed from the fine tip of the pen, I began feeling more confident. I liked what I saw, how the white added to the design. Rhonda admitted that she wanted to suggest I outline in white, but thought I might be offended. Nope, not offended. I was here to learn.
As I worked, I commented how soothing this was. Relaxing, added Rhonda. I’d done it—stepped outside of my creative comfort zone. Already, I’m imagining picking up gel pens and Sharpies and creating greeting cards using recycled paper. Now I just need some expired paper calendars…
A young concert-goer creates art at a past Art in the Park event. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo August 2020)
THREE DECIDEDLY DISTINCT EVENTS are happening in my area Thursday evening and on Sunday. One focuses on the visual and performing arts, another on a pre-Columbian Aztec deity, the other on weddings.
First up, the Paradise Center for the Arts is offering free arts activities for all ages beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 20, as part of Faribault’s summertime Concerts in the Park series. Teaching artists Kate Langlais and Julie Fakler will lead the hands-on art making in Central Park. At 7 p.m., Grand Rapids-based Adessa & the Beat performs a mix of country, classic rock and pop covers from the park bandshell.
Inside the Mercado Local marketplace. To the far right on signage is the shop logo created by Rocky Casillas. It is his version of the Aztec deity, Quetzalcoatl. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo April 2024)
Also on Thursday evening in neighboring Northfield, Mercado Local, a marketplace for immigrant vendors and the home base for Rice County Neighbors United, hosts artists Rocky Casillas and Leslie Mendez. They will talk about art inspired by the Aztec feathered serpent, Quetzalcoatl. Casillas designed a version of the colorful snake as the Mercado Local logo. Mendez then crafted her own serpent inspired by Casillas’ art.
Mercado Local, located off Division Street just behind the Reunion restaurant. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo April 2024)
Attendees at the 7-8:30 p.m. June 20 event in the Mercado Local community and art room at 108 Fifth Street E. can create their own Quetzalcoatl art.
In addition to art talk and hands-on art, Mexican food will be served. It’s a great opportunity to learn about and connect with other cultures while celebrating the arts.
The historic Valley Grove churches, rural Nerstrand. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
Then on Sunday, June 23, two historic Norwegian churches near Nerstrand Big Woods State Park will host “Celebrating Weddings at Valley Grove” from 2-4 p.m. The Valley Grove Preservation Society is inviting anyone who has attended a wedding at the Valley Grove country churches, been married there or who is planning a wedding at the hilltop site, to attend. Even those of us who have no wedding connection to these churches are welcome to join the celebration.
A wedding in the wooden church at Valley Grove. (Photo courtesy of Valley Grove Preservation Society)
Wedding stories and photos can be shared from 3-3:45 p.m. in the wooden church. Besides stories, people are encouraged to wear or bring photos of their wedding attire. To add to the celebration, there will be Nordic music plus coffee, lemonade and cookies. No wedding cake. But I expect some guests will bring photos of wedding cakes.
A photographer will be on-site to take photos for a donation with proceeds going to ongoing restoration projects at Valley Grove, located at 9999 155th Street E, Nerstrand.
What a lovely way to spend a June afternoon. Celebrating love at a bucolic location, one of my favorite country spots in Rice County.
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
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