Minnesota Prairie Roots

Writing and photography by Audrey Kletscher Helbling

Showcasing the creativity of student artists March 27, 2025

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This hauntingly beautiful portrait by Alaina, a Faribault High School 10th grader, is included in an art exhibit showing at the Paradise Center for the Arts, Faribault, until April 12. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2025)

EVEN NOW, MANY DECADES LATER, I can still picture the art I created in grade school and junior high school. A rug woven from strips of fabric. A cat crafted from a spray painted 7-UP bottle and Styrofoam. A swan painted on glass. A girl created with scrap fabric and yarn glued onto burlap. A color wheel painted on paper. A small bowl shaped from clay. If only I still had that artwork which holds the work of my hands, the memories of youth. And if only I could step back in time, I would take art classes in high school. I didn’t and really have no idea why.

Student art covers walls along hallways and inside a room on the second floor of the Paradise. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2025)
Love this bold graphic of a skunk by WEM senior Clara. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2025)
Faribault High School senior Nadia created this portrait. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2025)

Today students seem to have more opportunities in the arts and more opportunities to get their work out there to the public. One example is the Area Student Art Show which opened in early March and closes April 12 at the Paradise Center for the Arts in Faribault. Students from Jefferson Elementary School, Faribault Middle School and High School, the Faribault Area Learning Center, Cannon River STEM School, Bethlehem Academy and Waterville-Elysian-Morriston Schools (WEM) have art in the 2025 exhibit.

I can envision this grasshopper by WEM fourth grader Mathea in a children’s picture book or on a t-shirt. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2025)

Each year I am amazed at the art these talented students from kindergarten to 12th grade create. It is remarkable really. I expect some will, post school, pursue art either for enjoyment or professionally. At least I hope they do. I see the possibilities to work in design, marketing, photography, teaching, fashion, even book illustrating…

Edwin and his mom view the student art. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2025)
Edwin’s bee art. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2025)

When I view the artwork of students from these seven southern Minnesota schools, I see a passion for art fueled perhaps by their own inner desire to create, but also by parents and teachers who foster creativity. I watched and listened as WEM kindergartner Edwin and his mom found his bee art and then artwork created by classmates. Edwin was clearly proud of his art as was his mom. I loved that they drove over to Faribault from the Waterville area just to see the student exhibit. That’s sending a strong message to Edwin, that what he created matters.

This dog portrait by Faribault Middle School seventh grader Juliet simply makes me smile. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2025)

And I think that’s part of the reason the annual Area Student Art Show rates as one of my favorite exhibits at the Paradise. It’s important to encourage students in the arts. Oftentimes, it seems athleticism is valued and the arts are not. All of us are not athletic. I am raising my hand high on that statement. Not all of us care much about sports. I am raising my hand high on that statement also. Yes, sports have their place and value. I’m not saying they don’t. But so do the arts.

An especially creative and emotional portrait by FHS senior Isabella. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2025)

I truly am in awe of this student art exhibit. The portraits, especially, impress me. And to think most of these artists are still in high school or younger.

WEM third grader Paisley created the floral art on the left while her classmate Zariyah created the floral on the right. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2025)

But I am equally as impressed by the vivid florals, the animals, the abstracts, the still lifes, the landscapes, insects and much more.

WEM 11th grader Noah created an especially expressive portrait. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2025)

There are no cats crafted from 7-UP bottles. No swans painted on glass. No woven rugs. But there exists in each work of art the element of creativity. To create is to put yourself out there, to share something with the world, to show that, hey, I made this. I matter. My art matters.

Jefferson Elementary School second grader Julissa drew this portrait. Amazing talent at such a young age. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2025)

FYI: In addition to the Paradise Center for the Arts in Faribault, other area art centers are hosting exhibitions of student art in celebration of National Youth Art Month in March. Those include shows at the Owatonna Arts Center until March 30, the Waseca Art Center until April 18 and The Arts & Heritage Center of Montgomery until May 17. Art featured in this post is only a small sampling of the wonderful student art showcased at the Paradise during this exhibit.

© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling. Photographed with permission of the Paradise Center for the Arts. Student artists retain copyrights to their work.

 

A rose is not just a rose & other gravestone symbolism March 25, 2025

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A graveyard surrounds the historic Valley Grove Churches, rural Nerstrand. I’ve walked this cemetery often. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

I’M TRYING TO RECALL when I first began walking through cemeteries while out and about. But I think it started with my interest in old country churches. Cemeteries typically embrace historic countryside houses of worship. Baptized, confirmed, married and buried often defines those rooted in these rural churches. There’s a lot of history to uncover in a graveyard.

An angel sculpture graces the cemetery of St. Patrick Church of Cedar Lake Township, St. Patrick, Minnesota. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

But it’s not just the history that interests me. It’s the art. And the stories, many of which remain unknown, unless you’re familiar with the deceased or connected in some way. Sometimes you can piece stories together by looking at dates, names and inscriptions.

I find signage like this posted at Oak Ridge Cemetery to be helpful when visiting a cemetery. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

As a creative, I’ve always been particularly interested in the artistic side of a cemetery, specifically the art of tombstones. Aged grave markers, most made of marble, feature images and words hand-chiseled by local stone masons. It is those long ago tombstones that focused a recent talk, “Understanding Gravestone Symbols and Icons,” by Oak Ridge Cemetery Association board member Tom Rent. An avid volunteer in the upkeep, preservation and restoration of the cemetery, Rent previously talked at the Rice County Historical Society about preserving Faribault’s oldest cemetery, one of 61 in the county.

Biographical markers are posted for some notable people buried at Oak Ridge Cemetery. I really like this way of sharing history and people. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

Oak Ridge Cemetery, founded in 1857 on land donated by Levi Nutting, encompasses 10 acres, features 371 family names and is the burial site for 111 veterans, according to Rent. Rebecca Lougee, 29, who died of tuberculosis, was the first to be buried in the incorporated hilltop cemetery in October 1857. Earlier burials occurred before Oak Ridge officially became a cemetery. Many recognizable names from the early days of the Faribault area grace gravestones here: Andrews, Batchelder, Mott, Nutting, Roberds, Sheffield…

Oak leaves on a tombstone at Oak Ridge Cemetery symbolize strength and power through patience and faith. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

And on many of those tombstones, you will find symbols, a common way of communicating messages back in the day. I’d never really thought much about the meaning of the art I’ve seen on hundreds of aged tombstones beyond recognizing that lambs are on children’s grave markers. That Rent shared his knowledge and passion has opened a deeper understanding and appreciation of cemeteries for me.

This massive urn marks a grave at Oak Ridge Cemetery. The urn symbolizes mourning and eternal remembrance. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

He introduced his points about gravestone symbology simply by stating that symbols are something to which we have an emotional connection. For example, an eagle, a rose, a cross, are all symbols we can understand as representing freedom, love and faith. That makes sense to me.

Tom Rent prepared this slide explaining floral symbols on tombstones. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2025)

And then Rent broke it down further—into floral, hand and animal symbols. I found this particularly revealing. For example, ivy, which symbolizes immortality and everlasting love, is very popular on aged tombstones, according to Rent. So are weeping willows, although I don’t recall ever seeing one chiseled into stone. The willow, indicating intense grief and mourning, is often carved onto the gravestone of someone who has died unexpectedly, he said. He referenced the long ago drowning of a young boy in Faribault’s mill pond. A rose, which is difficult to carve, symbolizes heavenly perfection. An unopened rose bud implies a person died way too young.

Tom Rent prepared this slide explaining hand symbology on gravestones. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2025)

And then there are those hands, all those hands I’ve seen chiseled into marble tablet gravestones. The hand symbology traces back to Masonic handshakes mostly. Some are single hands, others handshakes, and all hold meaning. Rent shared that a heart on the palm of an open hand indicates charity and generosity. One such symbol decorates the Oak Ridge grave marker of Faribault police officer Henry Kaepernick, accidentally shot to death by a guard at the Faribault jail where the Younger brothers were held following a failed bank robbery in nearby Northfield on September 7, 1876.

Oftentimes the graves of long ago deceased babies are unmarked or simply marked such as this one at Emmanuel Lutheran Church Cemetery, Aspelund. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

Finally, Rent talked about animal symbols, reserved for children’s gravestones. He named lambs, sheep and doves, symbols of innocence and peace.

Before even entering Calvary Cemetery, Faribault, you can learn something about town founder Alexander Faribault on this memorial. He’s buried at Calvary. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

Of course, Rent shared much more in his hour-long presentation. But these are highlights, information I will take with me the next time I walk through the gates of a cemetery, symbolic of a threshold into the afterlife. I will no longer see just a daisy or a rose, a hand with a finger pointing heavenward, a sheep atop a child’s grave. Rather, I will see the emotional connections in the symbology. The choices made for gravestone art and messages, past and present, hold deep meaning, if only we pause to see, consider and honor.

© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Marking time in Faribault March 6, 2025

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I took this photo 10 years ago, when the refurbished Security Bank Building clock was reinstalled in downtown Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2015)

THIS WEEK MARKED a week of time. Of deadlines and changes. Time to get the fish house off the lake by midnight Monday in the lower two-thirds of Minnesota or risk a fine or house removal. Time to pull out the snowblower, for some the first time this winter. Time to give up sweets, or whatever, in the penitent season of Lent. And now this weekend, time to move time forward an hour.

Looking from the bank clock south on Central Avenue. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2015)

That got me thinking about some of the outdoor public clocks I’ve seen through the years. They are not only useful if you want to know the time. But they are also works of art and part of local history.

A 1950s scene along Faribault’s Central Avenue, with the Security Bank Building clock in the background, is depicted in this mural in our downtown district. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

Take for example, four prominent clocks in Faribault. A refurbished 1915 box style clock graces the Security Bank Building at 302 Central Avenue in the heart of downtown. In 2015, a professional clock “doctor” and a local stained glass artist restored the clock with funding efforts led by the Faribault Rotary Club. The bank clock is truly an historic and artistic jewel in my community. I can only imagine how many people have walked beneath that clock in its 110-year history.

The 1929 section of Buckham Memorial Library with its signature central tower. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

Several blocks to the south, a clock focuses the base of the central tower at Buckham Memorial Library, a lovely Moderne/Art Deco style limestone building constructed in 1929 and on the National Register of Historic Places. The stained glass window below the clock was designed by Charles Connick of Boston. This is a timeless classic building where generations of families have pulled books from the shelves to grow their knowledge and simply for the joy of reading.

A bagpiper plays outside the Rice County Courthouse topped by a clock. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

Just blocks away, a clock fronts the Fourth Street side of the Rice County Courthouse, built in 1932, also in the Art Deco style. Each year, events honoring veterans happen at the Rice County Veterans Memorial within view of the courthouse clock. For a moment or an hour, time stands still as we remember the sacrifices made for country, for democracy, by our veterans.

A view of the Shumway Hall tower from City View Park. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

And then across the Straight River on the east side of Faribault, the Shumway Hall clock tower rises on the campus of Shattuck-St. Mary’s School in a complex of buildings that looks more castle than private college prep school. City View Park atop a hill blocks from campus offers a bird’s eye view of the tower, a view that is especially stunning in autumn. Shumway’s tower is assuredly a Faribault landmark, with Shumway Hall built in 1887 and on the National Register of Historic Places. Thousands of students have passed beneath that clock tower as they learned, studied and grew. Time passages.

Each day we mark time. Just as these notable outdoor public clocks do in Faribault. I expect most locals take these historic clocks for granted, pass by them without a thought. Too often we do that in our personal lives also, thinking we have all the time in the world. Until we don’t.

© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Cosmic places & happenings in southern Minnesota February 26, 2025

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An artistic interpretation of the night sky painted on the underside of the water tower in Cosmos, Minnesota. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)

THE NIGHT SKY HOLDS a vastness that makes me feel small. It’s mysterious and dark and, in some ways, intimidating. Yet, it possesses an alluring beauty that draws me to gaze heavenward. To imagine. To delight. To stand in awe of its infinity.

Fascination with the night sky seems universal. Kids, like my kindergartner grandson and, years ago, my own son, fixated on the solar system and all the night sky encompasses. I, too, find it interesting, although not to the degree of learning everything I can about the expanse above me.

Rather, if I learn of a newsworthy event in the night sky, I may step out after dark to look. Right now, that’s a seven-unit “planet parade” of Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn visible to the naked eye after sunset and Uranus and Neptune visible via a visual aid.

My first view of the space-themed water tower in Cosmos. The town is located at the intersections of Minnesota State Highways 4 and 7. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)

All of this reminds me of a cosmic discovery I made this past fall while on the back roads to Morris in far western Minnesota. In the small town of Cosmos, population around 500, in southwestern Meeker County, I discovered a unique space-themed water tower and community event, the Cosmos Space Festival.

The underbelly of the Cosmos water tower is themed to space. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)

With a town name like Cosmos (originally called Nelson), it should come as no surprise that the community would build on the Greek word meaning “order and harmony.” The cosmic focus makes this place along Minnesota State Highways 7 and 4 stand out among all the other little towns in this part of the state. When I spotted the water tower with a space shuttle, planets, stars and more painted on its underbelly, I immediately wanted to stop and photograph this work of art, this town identifier.

You’ll find cosmic street names in Cosmos. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)

In the process, I discovered that all the streets are named after planets and constellations and that the town celebrates the Cosmos Space Festival annually on the third weekend of July. That started in 1969 as a celebration of man’s (Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in Apollo 11) first moon landing. I’m old enough to have watched that monumental moment in history on a black-and-white television.

Cosmos Space Festival banners hang throughout the downtown, shown here. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)

The Cosmos space fest has been going strong ever since, marking its 57th year on July 17-20, 2025. The festival features your usual small town celebration activities like street dances, softball tournaments, city-wide garage sales, a hog roast, pedal tractor pull, pony rides, beer garden, fireworks, parade and much more. That includes the crowning of fest royalty—Little Miss Universe and Man on the Moon. Gotta love those cosmic titles.

And you gotta love how kids (and adults) get excited about the night sky. Locally, River Bend Nature Center is hosting its annual Minnesota Starwatch Party from 8-10 p.m. on Thursday, March 27, with retired meteorologist, amateur astronomer, stargazing columnist and author Mike Lynch. I attended the starwatch party with my husband and son many years ago. Lynch brings telescopes and vast knowledge, so this is a hands-on educational program.

The memorable water tower in Cosmos, zip code 56228. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)

Another opportunity to view the night sky through telescopes happens more frequently, from 8-10 p.m. the first Friday of every month inside and outside Goodsell Observatory on the campus of Carleton College in neighboring Northfield. I’ve been to this free monthly activity twice, again years ago with my husband and son. The next open house is on Friday, March 7. But only if the night sky is clear for viewing.

The Cosmos water tower is among the best I’ve seen. It’s interesting, unique, artsy and makes this small Minnesota town stand out. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)

Whatever your interest level in the night sky, it’s fascinating. Vast. Dark. The subject of poetry and song and science. And above all, it’s a cosmic wonder, whether viewed from Cosmos, Faribault, Northfield or your little place in the big wide universe.

© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

A glimpse of Northfield on a folk art mural inside the post office February 4, 2025

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The historic post office in Northfield, Minnesota, holds an art treasure. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)

OF ALL THE TIMES I’ve visited neighboring Northfield through the decades, I’d not once stepped inside the downtown Northfield Post Office. Until last May. I’ve frequented Bridge Square across the street, admiring the public art I often find outdoors in this park along the Cannon River. Yet, I never thought to look for art inside the impressive limestone structure angling around a corner of the town center.

The mural above a row of mailboxes was designed by Margit Carson Johnson. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)

But inside the historic 1936 post office, I found a massive piece of public art designed by Northfielder Margit Carson Johnson. The commissioned work defines the essence of Northfield. The city is perhaps most famously known for the townspeople’s defeat of the James-Younger Gang in September 1876 as the outlaws attempted to rob the First National Bank. Johnson’s 1986 mural, though, doesn’t show that. The entire bank robbery history can be learned a few doors down at the former bank site, now the Northfield History Center.

The Dakotah Wahpekute, also known as “Leafshooters,” were the original inhabitants of the land that would become Northfield. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)

Rather, the mural on the east side of the post office lobby visually summarizes Northfield’s early history as home to the Dakota Wahpekute, then settlement as a farming (dairy and crop) and milling (flour and sawmills) community, followed by growth as a center for education (St. Olaf and Carleton Colleges), industry (including Post Consumer Brands cereal, formerly Malt-O-Meal) and tourism.

Farmers plowed the prairie grass to seed wheat. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)

For anyone who knows little to nothing about Northfield, the folk art style painting completed by a team of volunteers is a good starting point to learn the basics about this community. It’s a visual Cliff Notes type of guide.

Founders John and Ann North are depicted in the painting of Northfield. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)

Like many early Minnesota settlements, rivers and railroads determined the location for new towns. Northfield sits along the Cannon River, a source of water power for early milling and a route for trade. Today the river continues to center this community, creating a picturesque and engaging downtown core with businesses along Division Street backing to the river. A River Walk leads locals and visitors riverside to appreciate the natural beauty of water flowing through Northfield.

My favorite part of the mural, probably because I grew up on a dairy farm, shows Holsteins. The buildings are actual buildings in Northfield, including the historic Archer House, destroyed in a fire several years ago. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)

I love Northfield, once promoted with the theme of “Cows, Colleges and Contentment.” It’s still that, although with fewer dairies than once defined the area. Today the local tourism website tags Northfield as “Close to Home/Far From Ordinary.” That fits, too.

A view of the River Walk and the historic Ames Mill (to the right in the distance) from the pedestrian bridge spanning the Cannon River in the heart of downtown Northfield. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo May 2024)

Northfield ranks as a popular tourist destination with its James-Younger connection and its many home-grown shops housed in historic buildings in a downtown that fits the definition of “charming.” The setting is decidedly comfortable and homey and as picturesque as a Norman Rockwell painting. There’s a seasonal popcorn wagon in Bridge Square, anglers fishing along the river, an old-fashioned barbershop with barber pole…

Northfield’s much-beloved seasonal popcorn wagon at Bridge Square. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo May 2024)

There’s a strong sense of community and of community pride in Northfield. Art matters here. From riverside murals to poetry imprinted upon sidewalks to artwork showcased inside the Northfield Arts Guild to theatre, concerts and much more (including at the two colleges) the arts flourish.

Beautiful Bridge Square, Northfield’s town center. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo August 2022)

And inside the aged, massive post office, once slated for closing, the folk art mural designed by Margit Carson Johnson stretches above a wall of mailboxes to reveal the core story of Northfield. From the Big Woods to the once glacial meltwater-fed Cannon River, from the Wahpekute to dairy farmers, from tallgrass prairie to the city it is today, Northfield thrives.

© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Inspiring garden rocks kindness in Pine River January 28, 2025

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The Damsite Supper Club in Pine River, Minnesota. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)

SIX MONTHS AGO, Randy and I met friends, Sue and Charley, for lunch in Pine River while vacationing in the north central Minnesota lakes region. We enjoyed our meals and conversation at the Damsite Supper Club, which really isn’t a supper club by my definition, but which serves damn good food. It sits across the road from the Pine River Dam, thus the restaurant name.

A section of the beautiful rock riffle dam on the Pine River. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)

Afterwards, our friends headed back to their Hackensack home while we poked around Pine River. I love exploring small towns for all the treasures they hold. And Pine River holds many, starting with the Kindness Rocks Inspiration Garden, just across from the supper club and river bridge.

The kindness garden celebrates kindness and Bryce Mink. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
This is what it’s all about–love and loving one another. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
In a bend of the rock river by the lily, a memorial stone quotes Christopher Robin in A.A. Milne’s “Winnie the Pooh”: “Promise me that you’ll always remember that you’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think.” (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)

Kindness rock gardens, or simply scattered kindness rocks, are, in my opinion, an inspiring addition to any place. Every time I find kindness rocks, I feel a surge of happiness. The positive messages and art painted, written or drawn onto rocks (technically stones) always uplift me.

(Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Peace, a universal message, a universal hope, a universal prayer. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
An overview of the kindness rock garden, which curves like a river. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)

And right now I feel like we could use a whole lot of kindness rocks in this country. Boxcars full. Truckloads full. Cargo holds full. Dump them upon the land. Let them rise like mountains or flow like rivers. Let inspiring words, followed by acts of kindness, generosity, love, compassion and care, spill upon the soil and take root.

(Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Bryce was known for his kindness. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
“We love Bryce” kindness rock. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)

In Pine River, the Kindness Rocks Inspiration Garden grows from tragedy. The corner community garden honors the memory of 11-year-old Bryce Mink, who died nearly two years ago on March 12, 2023, a month shy of his 12th birthday. Bryce went into cardiac arrest, was airlifted to Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis and died two days later. He had undiagnosed lymphoma with a large mass pressing on his chest, restricting his airway, impeding CPR efforts by his mother and resulting in brain damage.

Not only DO your best, but BE your best. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)

This is nothing short of tragic, to lose a child unexpectedly, so quickly, so young. But to see Bryce’s legacy of kindness continue in that public park, well, that says something about the impact he made on his community. Bryce was described as “a kind boy and a friend to all.” I believe it. Children, at that age, are often not yet tainted by the unkindness of adults. They live life unencumbered. Make friends easily with most anyone. Play. Learn. Smile and laugh and love and live with exuberance. It’s no wonder we often wish we could still be kids, free of the challenges that come with adulthood.

An encouraging message, even in the most difficult of days. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)

It’s tough being a grown-up sometimes, especially now, in a country that seems lacking in the very basics of decency and kindness. Certainly not in everyone and not everywhere, but in too many people and places.

The essence of kindness rocks, to shine your light in a positive way. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)

Perhaps it’s time we pick up a rock and, instead of hurling it, print a message of kindness upon it. Write of goodness, generosity, compassion and care: Peace. Do your best. Be kind. Shine your light. Then live those words. Like Bryce did.

© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

In the deep of January, floral murals jolt joy January 21, 2025

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A Northfield Arts and Culture Commission mural by Brett Whitacre, just off Division Street in Northfield, blooms love. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

IS IT COLD out there?” I asked before rolling out of bed on a recent subzero morning.

In an underpass tunnel along a recreational trail in Northfield, Adam Turman created this summer scene on a mural. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

“No, it’s summertime,” he answered.

A Montgomery Wings Mural Walk wing on Lanette’s Coffee Shop features flowers watered by Scarlett, who is wearing traditional Czech clothing. That honor’s the Czech heritage of Montgomery, MN. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

That sarcastic response from my husband acted as a writing prompt during this week of cold weather advisories and warnings in Minnesota. We’ve experienced wind chills ranging from -25 to -50 degrees across the state. That’s brutally cold.

Wild geraniums painted by Adam Turman inside an underpass tunnel in Northfield. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

On the morning I asked Randy about the cold, the 7:17 a.m. air temp registered -12 degrees. With the wind chill, it felt like -29 degrees. That marked the coldest day in six years. I know we are not alone here in Minnesota as frigid air and snow sweep the country, including into the deep South.

Flowers fill the LoveForAll mural by Jordyn Brennan in downtown Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

Because I can’t flee to a warmer location, I opted to transport myself from the currently cold, colorless landscape of southern Minnesota to a place of beauty. Without leaving the area. For me, that comes in photos I’ve taken of floral-themed murals blooming throughout the area. In the deep of winter, these paintings hold the hope of warmer days, of sunshine and flowers.

My most recent mural discovery was several months ago on Wild Wood in Nerstrand. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

I love when communities embrace this form of public art, because murals are accessible to anyone, anytime. They spark joy, generate interest in place, show community pride. I get excited when I unexpectedly happen upon a mural.

The rare Dwarf Trout Lily grows only in Rice, Steele and Goodhue counties in Minnesota and is depicted here by Adam Turman on an underpass tunnel wall in Northfield. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

Floral-themed murals, especially, have a way of uplifting spirits, of celebrating all that is beautiful and lovely. Bold, vivid hues in the deep of January in Minnesota, offer a welcome visual respite.

A close-up of mums and peonies, forefront, in Jordyn Brennan’s LoveForAll mural. Faribault was once renowned for those two flowers. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

I can almost imagine meandering through a flower garden, dipping my nose into blossoms, appreciating each scent, each petal, each stem. Oh, the beauty of it all.

Floral-themed wings appropriately placed outside Posy Floral & Gifts in Montgomery as part of the Montgomery Wings Mural Walk. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

On these frigid days, when I view a drab landscape of muted tones, trees stripped of leaves, snow layering the earth, I delight in sharing the floral murals I’ve photographed. No one ever promised me a rose garden. But these murals hold the promise of spring and of summertime in Minnesota.

© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Celebrating the bald eagle locally, elsewhere in Minnesota & now nationally December 26, 2024

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A bald eagle photographed in Faribault by the Cannon River. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo March 2018)

THE BALD EAGLE IS NOW America’s official national bird as of a bill signed into law on Christmas Eve. And that’s exciting, especially for Minnesota, home to the National Eagle Center in Wabasha and home to the second largest population of eagles in the US, behind Alaska.

The National Eagle Center in Wabasha. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2014)

I expect this designation will draw more visitors to Wabasha. I last visited the Eagle Center in 2014 and need to return as it was recently expanded and updated, building on an already impressive place to learn about eagles.

Up close with an eagle at the National Eagle Center along the Mississippi River in Wabasha. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2014)

Wabasha’s National Eagle Center not only houses rehabilitated resident eagles (used in programming), but also features eagles in art, history and more. I’m all about learning more about a bird which I never tire of seeing. There’s something about an eagle soaring that imprints upon me a sense of awe.

The Bicentennial Eagle by A. Giannelli inside the National Eagle Center. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2014)

On Christmas Day, as Randy and I sat home alone eating French toast (instead of a ham dinner due to illness in the family), I looked out the dining room window to see a large bird flying directly toward our house. Even as high as the bird flew, I recognized it as an eagle. Soon I spotted a second trailing eagle.

Just south of Union Lake Trail along Rice County Road 46, a bald eagle watches me. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2018)

This isn’t the first time I’ve seen bald eagles simply by looking out windows in my south Faribault home. I’ve watched an eagle glide low past our picture window. I’ve seen one a block away flying at treetop level. Several blocks up the hill, an eagle flew above Fourth Avenue Southwest. I’ve observed an eagle following the course of the Straight River while dining at The Depot Bar & Grill. On Faribault’s north side, I’ve spotted eagles flying near the Cannon and Straight Rivers. On the way to Dundas, eagles perch in a nest visible from Minnesota State Highway 3.

Eagles perch in a tree near Waseca. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2012)

I’ve seen eagles in other areas of Rice County and in Waseca County. They are seemingly everywhere throughout Minnesota.

Glimpse of a bald eagle in a lakeside treetop south of Crosslake in central Minnesota. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

To the north in the Brainerd lakes area of Central Minnesota, eagles once nested in a tree at a family member’s lake cabin. The nest fell in a storm, but the eagles relocated along Horseshoe Lake. So there’s still plenty of eagle watching at the cabin.

Eagles suspended from the ceiling and a view of the Mississippi River from the second floor of the National Eagle Center. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2014)

We once nearly hit a bald eagle south of Hackensack as it lifted off the shoulder just as our van passed. Let me tell you that seeing the massive wing span (from 5 to 8 feet) of an adult eagle passing across your windshield is not only startling, but scary. Fortunately, the eagle cleared the windshield. Near Kenyon another grazing-on-roadkill eagle took flight within seconds of our van striking it. Aside from those close encounters, eagle watching has proven pleasant.

My photo of an eagle and dove at the Rice County Veterans Memorial now hangs in the Minnesota Veterans Home, Bemidji. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

I also appreciate how bald eagles are incorporated into many veterans memorials as symbols of America and of freedom. I’ve photographed many of those memorial eagle sculptures, including one right here in Faribault. Today that photo from the Rice County Veterans Memorial graces a wall at the new Minnesota Veterans Home in Bemidji. along with five other veterans memorial photos I took. What an honor to have my work displayed there for veterans and others to appreciate.

The bald eagle at the vets park in Morristown flanked by flags. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

The bald eagle symbolizes freedom and strength. Now to have this majestic bird as our national bird seems fitting. And long overdue. The bald eagle is a powerful symbol connected to democracy. To see an eagle soar is to see freedom soaring.

© Copyright 2024 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Forgiveness on December 26 December 24, 2024

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 9:20 AM
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This limestone sculpture by Thomas Miller depicts a Dakota warrior. It sits across from Reconciliation Park in Mankato at the Blue Earth County Library. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo November 2023)

FORGIVE EVERYONE EVERYTHING.

Powerful words on a bench at the Dakota 38 Memorial in Reconciliation Park. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo November 2023)

Those uppercase engraved block words, white against red on a stone bench at the Dakota 38 Memorial in the heart of downtown Mankato at Reconciliation Park, hold the strength of a people who really have no reason to forgive. But they choose to do so. And in forgiveness comes healing.

The names of the 38 Dakota men hung in Mankato are listed on the Dakota 38 Memorial. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo November 2023)

December 26 marks the date in 1862 when 38 Dakota men were hung near this site along the Minnesota River in America’s largest mass execution. Originally, 303 Dakota were sentenced to death following “trials” (the quotes are intentional) after the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862. President Abraham Lincoln reviewed the list of those sentenced to death, approving the hanging of thirty-eight. Thousands gathered to watch the execution on the day after Christmas 162 years ago.

Up close, names of the Dakota who were hung. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo November 2023)

This history I learned early on, but only from a White perspective and only because of my roots in southwestern Minnesota, at the epicenter of the war. I expect many Americans, including many Minnesotans, to this day know nothing of this conflict that killed hundreds of Whites and Dakota. Internment and exile of the Dakota followed. Native Peoples suffered because of the atrocities before and after the war.

A massive limestone sculpture of a white buffalo in Reconciliation Park represents the spiritual survival of the Dakota. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo November 2023)

This is history I’d encourage everyone to study. And not just from a one-sided perspective. I won’t pretend that I am fully-informed. I’m not. I do, though, have a much better understanding than I did growing up. I’ve read, listened, learned. I know of stolen land, broken treaties and promises. Starvation. Injustices. Demeaning words like those attributed to a trader who told starving Dakota to “eat grass.” Andrew Myrick was later reportedly found dead, his mouth stuffed with grass.

A sign in Reconciliation Park directs visitors to the many sites around Mankato focused on reconciliation and remembrance. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo November 2023)

But back to those three words on that stone bench in Mankato: FORGIVE EVERYONE EVERYTHING. The Dakota truly have no reason to forgive. But they choose to do so. I’ve learned that forgiveness is part of Dakota culture and beliefs.

An overview of the location of Reconciliation Park along Riverfront Drive in Mankato, along the Minnesota River and across from the public library. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo November 2023)

In the month of December, the attitude of forgiveness extends beyond words in stone to an annual horseback ride honoring the 38+2 (two more Dakota were sentenced to death two years later). This year, two rides—The Makatoh Reconciliation & Healing Horse Ride and The Dakota Exile Ride, the first originating in South Dakota, the other in Nebraska—will end on December 26 with gatherings at Reconciliation Park and the Blue Earth County Library, located across from each other.

Just down the street from Reconciliation Park, murals on the Ardent Mills grain silos celebrate the diversity of Mankato, including that of the Dakota. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo November 2023)

These rides focus on educating, remembering, honoring, healing and forgiving. Five powerful verbs when connected with the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862.

Katherine Hughes’ poem ends with the word “forgiveness.” (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo November 2023)

The poem “Reconcile,” written by Katherine Hughes and posted in Reconciliation Park, closes with this powerful verse: Hope for a future/When memories remain/Balanced by forgiveness.

A Dakota prayer in the park ends with the word “reconciliation.” (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo November 2023)

FORGIVE EVERYONE EVERYTHING.

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FYI: Here’s the schedule for the December 26 events. A community gathering is set for 9 am-10 am at Reconciliation Park and the library. Horseback riders arrive at 10 a.m. A ceremony in the park takes place from 10 am-11:30 am. From 11:30 am-1 pm, a healing circle will happen at the library with discussion surrounding the events of December 26, 1862, covering the past, present and future. A community meal for the horseback riders, who rode hundreds of miles to Mankato, follows.

© Copyright 2024 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Focus on vintage at Christmas & beyond December 18, 2024

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:00 AM
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A creative merchandise display inside the barn at “Vintage Christmas in the Barn,” which featured old stuff for sale inside a barn, an outbuilding and outdoors. My older brother had a Tonka digger. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)

MENTION THE WORD “vintage” and I’m all in. Perhaps it’s my age. But probably not. I’ve always preferred the stuff of yesteryear to the stuff of today. For that reason, I am drawn to shops, garage sales and other places selling antiques, primitives, collectibles, second hand and vintage.

The site of the recent holiday market, “Vintage Christmas in the Barn,” in Cannon City. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)

This time of year, especially, “old” is out there, including in Cannon City, where Debbie Glende, aka The Crabby Wren, opens her outbuildings for occasional seasonal sales. Her holiday market, “Vintage Christmas in the Barn,” is no longer open. But it got me thinking about how much I appreciate the goods of yesteryear. And how this old stuff can make an ideal Christmas gift. It’s even a bit trendy now, especially with the younger generation, to shop thrift stores. Repurpose, reuse and keep stuff out of the landfill.

I recycled festive holiday trim and a card from Christmases past to decorate this gift. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

I’ve been doing this for a long time. Buying used, using goods passed down to me from family, even gifting second hand. And, yes, I save and reuse gift bags, tissue paper, ribbons and bows and recycle greeting cards as gift tags, all to the ridicule of my siblings. Let ’em laugh. Mom would be proud that I’m following her thrifty example.

A paint-by-number winter scene painted by my Great Grandma Anna and currently displayed in my home for the holidays. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

If you were to step into my home, you would find lots of vintage. I have collections of vintage glassware, which I use daily; vintage tablecloths, pulled out whenever I have dinner guests; and vintage art (including paint-by-number), displayed throughout my home.

My vintage early 1970s vinyl with two songs by Bob Dylan. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2024)

And then there’s my vinyl collection including a recording of a young Michael Jackson of The Jackson 5 singing “I’ll Be There” in a high-pitched voice. I got that record as a Christmas gift in 1970. Likewise my vinyl of heartthrob David Cassidy making his case in “I Think I Love You” with The Partridge Family. I can still belt out the words as that love song blasts on a garage sale turntable. And not to be forgotten, Minnesota native Bob Dylan with his ballad “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” That’s especially timely with the Christmas release of “A Complete Unknown,” a movie about Dylan. Yes, I like vintage.

Gathering with extended family in my home for a Thanksgiving dinner around George and Clara’s table many years ago. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

My dining room table, of unknown vintage, came from George and Clara’s home, purchased at George’s farm auction after he passed. The couple lived a few sections over from my childhood home near Vesta. For the past four decades plus, my family has gathered around that large oval wooden table with the graceful, curved legs. We’ve shared thousands of meals, talked and laughed and, yes, even cried. Kids did their homework there. Grandkids drew. Tabletop dings mark memories.

The 1960s amber glasses purchased for my mom and which I now have and use daily. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

Perhaps that’s the appeal of vintage. The memories. Vintage connects me to my past or to loved ones. When I drink from textured amber glasses, I think of my mom. The glasses were purchased at Marquardt’s Hardware Store in Vesta as a Mother’s Day gift for her sometime in the 1960s. They are a tactile reminder of Mom, who died in January 2022.

My Aunt Rachel crafted and gifted this to my mom in the 1960s. Now I have the tree and hang it in my home at Christmas. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

The handcrafted pinecone Christmas tree, which my beloved Aunt Rachel made for my mom in the 1960s, now hangs in my home each December. In the dining room, within view when dining at George and Clara’s table.

The Shiny Brite Christmas Angel Band, vintage 1960s. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

Atop a vintage chest of drawers (one my dad and his older brother used as children) in my living room, six plastic angels gather as part of the Shiny Brite Christmas Angel Band. My brother Doug and I bought the tiny figurines for Mom at a hardware store in Echo. A Christmas gift sometime in the 1960s.

Vintage outdoor holiday decorations like this were for sale at “Vintage Christmas in the Barn.” (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)

Vintage. Whether viewed inside or outside a barn in Cannon City, in my home or in a local shop, these goods of bygone days spark memories, ignite joy, remind me of the passage of time. Will my adult children or grandkids care about any of this after I’m gone? Maybe. But I expect they will wonder why Mom/Grandma kept all this old stuff. Perhaps they will choose a piece or two to keep as a memory of me. And then they will box up the rest, wondering who the heck David Cassidy is and why I needed all those vintage tablecloths and drinking glasses and what’s with this pinecone Christmas tree?

© Copyright 2024 Audrey Kletscher Helbling