Riding and performing for UniCircle Flow from Japan on July 18 at Unicon 21. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
THEY ARE TRUE ATHLETES in every sense of the word. But they are also performance artists. Recently they traveled from around the world to compete in the Freestyle Group Small category at Unicon 21 in Bemidji. That’s an international competition and championship for unicyclists.
Teams from Germany and Japan practice before the group competition begins. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
I watched the athletes practice before performances began in the Bemidji State University gym on July 18. I saw seven teams perform their choreographed routines before I headed back to a cabin near Crosslake and then home the next morning. I wish I could have stayed longer, because these athletes put on quite a show.
The UniCircle Flow team wheeled like figure skaters. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Combining gymnastics, acrobatics and dance, these unicycle athletes had the crowd roaring, applauding, stomping. I was in awe of what they could do while maintaining their balance on one wheel.
The Tokyo Boys begin their routine. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
The unicyclist on the right really played to the audience. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
The Toyko Boys’ act even included acrobatics/gymnastics. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
The Tokyo Boys from Japan worked the crowd. They were about showmanship as much as performance in their black pants, white shirts, red jackets and bow ties. Popular boy band comparisons popped into my mind. The audience loved them. So did I.
Spinning on unicycles, the UniCircle Flow team. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
UniCircle Flow spinning, a performance matching their name. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Likewise, UniCircle Flow, also from Japan, was a personal favorite. The three female athletes in gauzy white dresses edged in blue twirled across the gym floor like ballerinas or figure skaters. It was easy to forget they were actually dancing on unicycles rather than on their feet. Their performance flowed with ease and grace, not what I would ever expect while unicycling.
The Black Pearl Group from Germany shows off their unicycling acrobatics in group competition. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
I also watched several teams from Germany and a family of three from The Wonders Unicycle Club participate in the Freestyle group competition.
UniCircle Flow circles the gym together. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
UniCircle Flow leans on each other during their routine. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Every single unicyclist, every team, impressed me. To see this level of skill, this talent right here in Minnesota was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I am grateful my unicycling son flew in from Boston to attend Unicon 21 and that his dad and I had to pick him up from Bemidji.
UniCircle Flow strikes a graceful pose during their performance. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
And to think the road to this international unicycling competition started many years ago when we gifted our then grade school son with a unicycle for Christmas. Oh, the choices we make…and where they lead.
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NOTE: Check back for more photos of the Freestyle Small Group competition and more as I continue my coverage of Unicon 21, held July 14-26 in northern Minnesota.
A Swish player shoots a basket in a July 18 game against a French team. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
SWISH, AND HE SCORES. Or Swish, they score.
The scene from the balcony. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
I love the Swish uniform graphic with a basketball and unicycle overlapping. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Things were pretty informal with folding chairs serving as team benches. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Swish, a team from California, earned the bronze medal in unicycling basketball competition this week at Unicon 21, the international unicycling convention held in Bemidji July 14-26. I saw them play early on against a French team in the high school gym. They lost that match in a close game.
More basketball action… (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Watching from above. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Aiming for the basket for the French team after being fouled. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Although winning was the goal, it’s clear these basketball players are dedicated to a sport they love playing. I can’t imagine that hopping onto a unicycle, then dribbling and passing a ball, guarding and shooting baskets is easy. You gotta love the challenge this version of basketball presents.
Fans sat on folding chairs or on the gym floor, up close to the game. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
As the toddler daughter of one Swish player napped in her stroller, the game progressed. Nothing awakened Rosie, not even errant basketballs bouncing toward her and deflected by Grandpa, in Minnesota from Mississippi for the competition.
Most players simply threw their unicycles down when not riding them. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Posted on the entry door to the school. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Playing hard, the California team vs the French. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
I watched the game, watched Rosie, got up and walked around looking for photo ops. Basketball, actually sports in general, don’t hold my interest for long, even an international competition. Plus, and I hesitate to write this, but the gym smelled of sweaty locker room. I stepped out occasionally simply to breathe fresher air in the air conditioned hallways.
A unicycle lies atop Paul Bunyan’s axe blade on the gym floor. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
On the exterior of Bemidji High School, Paul Bunyan’s axe. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
While wandering, I noted the Paul Bunyan legendary influence. On the gym floor, a unicycle lay on the blade of Paul’s over-sized axe. It’s only fitting that the school mascot is the Lumberjacks given Paul is a lumberjack.
Unicon 21 attendees got Paul Bunyan-themed tote bags. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
His likeness, and that of his sweetheart, Lucette, and Babe the Blue Ox, adorned red buffalo plaid Unicon 21 swag bags scattered across the gym floor. The stuff of folklore, Paul and Babe are a major marketing brand in northern Minnesota. Statues of the pair stand along Lake Bemidji, for example, and are widely used in branding throughout the region from Brainerd northward.
The game ends. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
I wonder what the Californians thought of the whole Paul Bunyan lore, or if they even noticed. Swish was in Minnesota, after all, to play basketball. While Rosie napped and I wandered in and out of the gym, they wheeled across the gym floor, focused on scoring, on winning the game.
Competing for Japan, one team member has just passed off the baton. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
THEY PROPELLED down the track, leaning into the forward thrust of their unicycles as they pedaled toward teammates, then sped to the finish line in an international unicycling relay race. I was there, trackside on July 18, photographing teams from around the world at Unicon 21 in Bemidji.
Relay race competitors between races. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Admittedly, I am not a sports fan (or sports photographer) and can’t recall ever seeing a relay race in person. But this, this was decidedly different due to the unicycles and due to the international level of competition at The Unicycling World Competition and Championships. This interested me.
Nearing the finish line with batons in hand. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Running a race on your feet takes talent and skill. But try racing on one wheel, and the bar rises. That’s my opinion anyway. I thought of the balance required to ride quickly and then connect with a teammate to hand off a baton. I thought, too, of the pressure to succeed, to not let your team down.
Riding for Japan. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Yet, the mood at the Unicon relay race at Bemidji High School didn’t feel oppressively competitive to me, an observer. Rather, it felt fun, connective. Perhaps the riders and their coaches thought differently.
This particularly colorful unicycle grabbed my attention. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
I love the graphics on this German uniform with a unicycle incorporated into the shape of Minnesota. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Unicycles galore dropped by the bleachers after the races. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
I watched the races as much as I watched people watching them. I am a quiet observer, taking in overall scenes and details. My eyes focused on a multi-colored unicycle, t-shirt graphics, unicycles dropped in a pile by the bleachers…
German teammates between races. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
They came from around the world (here Germany and Japan) to support their teams. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Volunteers were integral to the success of the international unicycling convention. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Each detail is like a sentence written in to a paragraph written in to a story. Trackside conversations, including one I had in German with a man from Germany, and overheard in the stands added a personal international connection. To witness athletes from around the world come together in small town northern Minnesota was gratifying. I expect anyone participating or attending the Summer Olympics in Paris will experience that same feeling of unity, even in the competitiveness of the events.
German teammates circle the track before a race. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
The Bemidji High School Lumberjacks (“Jacks” for short) hosted the track and field events on their athletic field. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
A Paul Bunyan-themed food truck serves food in the high school parking lot. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Under a partly cloudy blue sky on a perfect July day in northern Minnesota, the world grew closer, while mine grew wider. Athletes wheeled around the BHS track, racing to win. In reality, they’d already won. They were here, together in Minnesota, connecting with other unicyclists, embracing a sport they love.
Randy and I pose in front of a Unicon 21 banner at Bemidji High School. (Photo credit: C. Helbling)
THEY ARRIVED from around the world, some 1,200 strong, to attend the Unicycling World Competition and Championships July 14-26 in Bemidji. Everything aligned for me to be there on July 18. Not many Minnesotans can say they’ve attended an international unicycling convention. But I can, and the unicyclists impressed, entertained and inspired me.
Unicycles were everywhere, including on the basketball court at Bemidji High School. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
The US last hosted Unicon in 2002 in Washington state. And 30 years ago, Minneapolis hosted Unicon 7. Held every two years, the prior international gathering was in France in 2022.
Paul Bunyan, his sweetheart, Lucette, and Babe the Blue Ox graphics on the back of a Unicon t-shirt. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
My road to Unicon 21 in Bemidji started when my son, who lives and works in Boston, and, yes, rides a unicycle, decided to attend the convention. Not as a competitive athlete, but as someone who likes unicycling and wanted to connect with, and learn from, other unicyclists. Randy and I happened to be vacationing only 1.5 hours from Bemidji, so the timing was perfect to head farther north into Paul Bunyan land.
A graceful freestyle performance by Japanese unicyclists reminded me of ballet. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
On the Thursday we were in Bemidji, we watched relay races, basketball, an obstacle course competition and freestyle performances along with touring the pop-up unicycle museum and watching people try their skills on a wide range of unicycles.
Skilled unicyclist Indiana (who is from Michigan) unicycles outside the Sanford Center. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
It takes balance, skill, patience, determination and a certain amount of fearlessness to ride a unicycle. At least that’s my assessment after observing both competitive athletes and ordinary unicyclists like my son. He started riding in grade school, performing once at a local church talent show—simultaneously unicycling and yo-yoing. I thought that took skill, and it does, but the skill level of the athletes in Bemidji was beyond impressive.
A team from California plays basketball with a team from France. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Imagine dribbling and passing a basketball, then shooting a basket all while balancing and rolling and turning on a unicycle. I saw all of that as a team from California played a team from France in the Bemidji High School gym.
Pedaling with a baton in hand during the relay race. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Outside, unicyclists pedaled around the high school track as they raced to connect with their team members to pass a baton. It was there that I used the German I learned more than 50 years ago. Although a bit rusty, I was able to welcome a man from Germany and exchange a few other words with him. He clued me in that a young boy from Japan was a speed demon, the athlete to watch. He was right.
The Unicycling Unicorn’s 44-foot tall unicycle. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Then it was over to the Sanford Center across town to visit the Unicycle Museum. Unicycles of all ages, sizes and styles ringed the conference room along with unicycle t-shirts, merch and more. Among the unicycles was a 44-foot long custom-made unicycle stretched across the floor. Jamey Mossengren, known as The Unicycling Unicorn, rode the tower-like structure at Unicon 21 in an attempt to break the World Record for Tallest Rideable Unicycle. He failed during his public performance, but achieved his goal during practice, pedaling seven revolutions while in control. I didn’t see his attempt. My son did. As a side note, Mossengren travels around the world performing his unicorn unicycle themed comedy and circus show. He appeared at this year’s Bullhead Days in Waterville.
Riding this unicycle requires two riders who weigh about the same. A weighted backpack on the front rider’s chest makes attempting to ride this unicycle possible. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
The Unicycle Museum was about much more than looking, reading, learning. It was also participatory, with most unicycles available for temporary check-out. Outside the Sanford Center, individuals of all ages and skill levels tried out an assortment of unicycles. Me? I passed.
This unicyclist navigated planks, pallets and steps before jumping onto a plank atop a tire. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
For a while, we watched solitary unicyclists ride across narrow planks onto stacked pallets, jump steps and leap onto a single plank inside the Sanford Center. Short on time, we headed to the Bemidji State campus for supper in the cafeteria before the evening freestyle performances.
Acrobatics, dancing, gymnastics…all were part of the freestyle performances. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
This was my favorite event with costumed unicyclists performing together. They twirled, leapt, moved like gymnasts, acrobats, dancers and ballerinas in time to music. It was beautiful. Mesmerizing.
The crowd does the wave in between performances at the freestyle competition. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
In that university gymnasium, filled with people from around the world, I felt an overwhelming sense of unity. The crowd encouraged performers with whistles, shouts, applause and foot-stomping. Flags waved. Smiles abounded. I felt a spirit of positivity, the sense of joy that prevails when we realize that we are all just people enjoying an event together. Our differences mattered not in that moment, in that place, among some of the world’s best unicyclists. To be part of that experience at Unicon 21 proved particularly uplifting and inspiring. And that it all happened right here in Minnesota felt, oh, so incredibly good.
NOTE: Check back for more photos from the international unicycling convention in Bemidji.
A ladder leads to these tree gnomes along a trail. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
CALL IT A TREASURE HUNT or a scavenger hunt, whatever the word choice, both equate a search for something hidden. Count me in.
While vacationing last week in Crow Wing County’s Chain of Lakes area, I happened upon gnomes at Mission Park north of Merrifield. The gnomes are a recent addition to this township park, which Randy and I walk whenever we stay at a family member’s nearby lake cabin.
I remember my sister-in-law mentioning last summer that gnomes were moving into the park. But I’d forgotten until I read a sign posted at the park entry. I felt giddy with the possibilities of spotting these mythical creatures. The dwarfs are the subject of folklore. And of good luck.
Signs like this in Mission Park identify trails and notify visitors of gnomes. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
The sign warned: Leave the gnomes be, or bad luck will follow thee. No problem there. I’d adhere to the rules rather than climb a tree to take them and risk falling in the process.
Gnomes on a teeter totter by the playground. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
I spotted my first gnome in a tree next to the playground. Then we hit the Tar Trail. And, yes, it’s appropriately named given the path is the only paved one in the park.
Gnomes at home in the woods. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
We walked at a fast pace. Any pause in movement brought Minnesota’s state bird, aka the mosquito, in to full attack mode. Still, several were successful in biting me. I stopped only to snap quick photos of several gnomes with my cellphone. There would be no lingering with my 35 mm camera, zooming in with my telephoto lens, during this visit. Nope. Gnomes may intrigue and delight me, but not enough to feed myself to the mosquitoes.
The bonus tree face. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
And so Randy and I hurried along the 3/4-mile loop, me swatting away bugs while trying to spot tree gnomes in the midst of the woods. I found only three tree gnome sites, plus a bonus face on a pine. But it was enough to satisfy me. I’ll resume my gnome search upon a return here in the fall, when the weather cools and mosquitoes are perhaps less prevalent.
Whimsical gnomes are a fun addition to a park that offers pickleball, tennis and basketball courts, disc golf, horseshoes, a playground, picnic shelter, ball fields, pollinator garden and more for locals and vacationers. I love walking here, where trees stretch tall, where the wind roars like waterfalls through treetops, where, now, gnomes have settled comfortably into the woods.
A garden graces a side entry to The Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour in Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
AMONG THE FLOWERS, trees and shrubbery fronting a side entry to the space that connects church to guild house, three red benches nestle. Bold. Vibrant. Statement pieces in a garden at The Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour.
Construction on the original part of the Cathedral began in 1862 and was completed in 1869. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
But those benches outside the massive limestone church towering above the landscape along Second Avenue across from Central Park in Faribault serve as more than a place to rest. They are a place for prayers.
Prayer ribbon instructions posted on a bench. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Ribbons, representing prayers, are tied to the slatted benches. A sign explains: PRAYER CHANGES THINGS. All are welcome. Take and tie a ribbon. Say a prayer or let your ribbon be your prayer.
Choose a ribbon from the bag. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
What a creative idea. A Ziploc bag of multi-colored ribbons hangs on one of the benches. Each hue represents a different prayer. Green for forgiveness. Blue for thanksgiving. Orange for self-control. Pink for kindness. Yellow for patience. Purple for joy.
One of the three garden benches is covered with prayer ribbons. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
These prompts prove soul-searching. Too often prayers focus on needs/wants/desires, not tough topics like forgiveness and self-control. And how often we forget to express gratitude and joy in prayer.
Ribbons representing prayers of joy, kindness and self-control. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
To be reminded of these traits, these feelings, these thoughts can only make us kinder, gentler, better people.
A historical marker at the Cathedral summarizes its history. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
The Cathedral sign lists community connections. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
That follows a guiding principle of the Cathedral as a place “where history meets heart.” The Cathedral, since it’s founding in the mid-1800s, has long centered on community. Bishop Henry Whipple befriended the Dakota people and many more. Today the church still opens its doors—as the site of the Community Cafe (serving free meals weekly to the community), as a venue for free concerts, as a historic site to tour, as an active participant in Faribault’s annual Heritage Days celebration, as a location for Red Cross blood drives…
Ribbons representing patience, thanksgiving and joy. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
And now this seemingly small, yet powerful thing, this beckoning to ponder and place prayers upon public benches. Prayer changes things. Just as a faith family can, when thoughts and ideas expand into actions. Actions that embrace community, providing a welcoming place to gather, to celebrate, to contemplate life.
An inviting entry garden…with prayer beribboned benches. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
We all hold the capacity to forgive, to thank, to control our thoughts, words and behavior, to practice kindness, to exercise patience, to express joy. If tying a ribbon to a red bench encourages self-reflection and positive change, then that is a good thing. We can always be better, do better, live better, in ways that improve our lives and the lives of those around us.
In July 2014, Songs of Hope performers presented selections from Jamaica, including “Linstead Market” and “Stand Up For Your Rights.” (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo July 2014)
TEN YEARS AGO, Songs of Hope danced and sang their way into my heart at River Bend Nature Center in Faribault. Now this group of young musicians and performers from around the world will be back in town, this time at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 16, at the historic Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour.
Song and dance from Vietnam. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo July 2014)
I encourage you, if you live in the area, to attend this free 90-minute concert in the Cathedral, which boasts incredible acoustics in a remarkable setting. The concert is part of the Cathedral’s Merner Concert series offering free music to the community.
In nearly constant motion during this 2014 performance in Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo July 2014)
Young people from Finland, Italy, Germany, Vietnam, Costa Rica, Mexico, Jamaica, Turkey, Madagascar and the USA will present a program that features singing, dancing and cultural dress in a high energy show. I can vouch for that. When I attended the Songs of Hope performance at River Bend in 2014, I felt, heard and saw their energy. I left feeling uplifted and incredibly hopeful about the future of this world.
The message on this singer’s t-shirt is as relevant today as it was during this performance 10 years ago. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo July 2014)
In a time when there’s so much conflict, so much discontent, so much unease, this coming together of international youth infuses hope into communities. And who doesn’t want to feel hope?
Ready to perform in traditional Chinese attire in 2014. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo July 2014)
These youth are sharing their cultures via their performance art and dress. When we begin to learn about other cultures, we begin to recognize the commonalities among us, rather than that which we think divides us. We all share basic human needs of food, shelter and love.
Songs from Guatemala. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo July 2014)
The name, Songs of Hope, fits this group, which is part of St. Paul-based Sounds of Hope. Youth ages ten and older from around the world attend a six-week overnight performing arts summer camp before heading out on a three-week concert tour. Those concerts are performed in the Twin Cities metro and in communities outside the Cities, primarily in southeastern Minnesota.
Songs of Hope performers present a selection from India. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo July 2014)
To have Songs of Hope back in Faribault, a decidedly diverse, but not always united, community, is a gift to all of us.
Along a main route into Montgomery’s downtown, this sign points to the KC Food Stand several blocks away. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Volunteer Ernie at one of two walk-up food service windows at the KC stand. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
The small corner building with walk-up food service windows houses the Knights of Columbus Council #1573 Food Stand. And, by all accounts, business is brisk. Every weekday, from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., from June until Labor Day, volunteers run this street-side stand at 206 Vine Avenue West.
Food and signs, including a sign that reads “Thou shalt not whine.” (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
On the Thursday I stopped by, drawn by street signage to check out this food stand, Ernie, Jean and Evelyn were running things. The offerings are simple, basic: wieners (not hot dogs), brats, pork burgers, chips, candy bars, ice cream treats, pop and water. Not all meats are served daily. Wednesday is Brat Day. Pork burgers are served on Fridays.
Evelyn, left, and Jean await customers on an afternoon in early June. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Jean serves a wiener/hot dog from Edel’s Meat Market. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Condiments and menu specials at a serving window. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
The meat comes from Edel’s Meat Market just down the street. The brats, Edel’s Shelterbelt Beer Brats, are made with Shelterbelt beer from Montgomery Brewing, also just down the street. This food stand is all about supporting local.
Most Holy Redeemer Catholic School, Montgomery. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo June 2024)
Proceeds from the stand benefit local entities: youth scholarships/trips, Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church and School, Tri-City United (the public school) activities, membership death benefits and the Montgomery community in general.
Signage at the KC Food Stand. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Funds raised here are no chump change. In 2023, the stand grossed $12,000, netted $8,000, according to volunteer Ernie. The KC stand has been around since the 1950s, although not always at today’s location. The stand is meeting a need in the community, the trio of volunteers agreed.
The KC Food Stand is on the same block as Most Holy Redeemer Church, just to the east on the corner. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo June 2024)
It follows the Knights of Columbus principles of charity, unity and fraternity by giving to the community and bringing people together. I love this about small towns, the way folks work together for the good of people and place. That’s happening in the small blue building on the corner of Vine in Montgomery every weekday during the summer.
This identifying signage is posted on Kenyon’s city building. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
WHEN IT COMES to branding, everything is coming up roses in Kenyon. Literally.
Welcome to Kenyon and its Boulevard of Roses. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Roses bloom throughout the summer in the boulevard. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
So many lovely roses… (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
This community of just under 2,000 identifies itself via its Boulevard of Roses which is, indeed, a rose-filled boulevard on Minnesota State Highway 60/Gunderson Boulevard. For blocks along this heavily-traveled roadway on the west side of downtown, tree roses grow, blooming beauty into the landscape.
So many beautiful roses in assorted hues. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Whether growing individually or in clusters, these tree roses are glorious. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Traffic whizzes by on both sides as you smell/view the roses. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Recently, I stopped to smell the roses. Literally. I dipped my nose into the perfume-scented flowers, delighting in their fragrance as semi trucks and other motor vehicles blew by me only feet away. Smelling the roses here requires caution. I’ve often wished Kenyon had a public rose garden, allowing for rose viewing, and smelling, in a peaceful setting.
Even a plaque on Kenyon’s city building has the rose brand. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
But that the city has this, this Boulevard of Roses, is a gift. Back in 1962, city employee Lloyd Jystad asked to plant 10 tree roses to spruce up the boulevard. Permission granted. He cared for the rose bushes, which require burying in the ground before winter and then uncovering in the spring. From that initial request, the rose idea grew to include some 100 bushes, which are still cared for by city employees today. The Boulevard of Roses was dedicated in June 1968. That’s a long time of growing and tending roses.
Rose branding on the city liquor store. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Throughout Kenyon, roses bloom. In many ways, it’s remarkable for a community this small to have such a strong identifier. But I saw roses everywhere during a recent visit, far beyond the real ones that bloom along the highway. The red rose symbol graces many a sign in Kenyon.
A sandwich board sits outside a small business well in advance of Rose Fest. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Business branding on a shop door. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Promoting the upcoming Rose Fest car and truck show in a storefront window. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
The city also celebrates roses in August with the Kenyon Rose Fest, this year August 14-18. It’s your typical small town summer celebration with fest royalty, a parade, a car and truck show, vendor and craft market, great food, and more. Mostly, Rose Fest is about connecting people and community. It brings folks together to celebrate small town life.
A fitting name for a floral shop in Kenyon. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
I often wonder if motorists, as they drive through Kenyon in their hurry from Point A to Point B, even notice the beauty they’re passing by in the Boulevard of Roses. I’m here to say it’s worth your time to stop, exit your vehicle and smell the roses. Life is much sweeter when we slow down and appreciate the nuances of small towns like Kenyon with its Boulevard of Roses.
At the Kenyon Public Utilities building, signage marks the birth and bicentennial of our country from 1776-1976. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
BUILT BY THE PEOPLE FOR THE PEOPLE. I suppose in many ways that could describe the building of America. We are a nation built by the people on the principles of freedom, of democracy. That’s important to remember in the hoopla of the Fourth of July, a holiday synonymous with BBQs, parades, fireworks and a day off from work.
Spotted on a house in Kenyon. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
But the founding of our country, the birth of a nation, is at the core of our July Fourth celebration. Or at least it should be.
A stunning house along Red Wing Avenue showcases beautiful landscaping and the red-white-and-blue. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
On recent day trips to several small towns in southern Minnesota, I noticed the red-white-and-blue on full display. Visual reminders that loyalty to country and liberty are still cherished.
A flag flies at Kenyon’s hardware store. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
I appreciate when people, businesses, governments showcase the colors of this country in ways that honor and respect the integrity of America. Not to make a political statement.
Patriotism in carved eagles and an American flag in a Kenyon neighborhood. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
In Kenyon, a rural community of just under 2,000 in Goodhue County, I found an array of red-white-and-blue. From Main Street to residential neighborhoods, locals have infused the colors of our country into the landscape.
Allan and Connie Turner have lots of kitschy handcrafted art in their yard at the corner of Red Wing Avenue and Eighth Street next to the Kenyon water tower. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2024)
American made sold at All Seasons Thrift Store. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Patriotic bags for sale in the thrift shop. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Flags fly. Kitschy yard art celebrates the Fourth. Even inside a thrift store, American pride shows.
An American and MIA flag fly at the Kenyon Post Office. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
An American flag is barely visible to the right as a sprayer passes Kenyon’s veterans’ memorial. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
A patriotic barn and porch quilt, available at D & S Banner, Sign & Print. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
This is America. From small town to big city. From coast-to-coast. No matter where we live in this big wide country, we are, today, one nation celebrating the birth of our nation.
One of several flag decals in the windows of the VFW. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Happy birthday, America! And happy Fourth of July, dear readers!
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
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