Minnesota Prairie Roots

Writing and photography by Audrey Kletscher Helbling

Halloween fun, frights & memories October 29, 2026

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Among the many animatronic frights at the Cauldron County Scare Grounds, 234 First Avenue Southwest, Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

WHAT SCARES YOU? If you say nothing, I won’t believe you.

Ghosts overlook Bridge Square on the second floor of Cottage Tearoom Fare in Northfield. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

Here are a few things that frighten me: Tornadoes, pandemics, bats, mice and unleashed dogs in public places. But not Halloween.

The hand of an animatronic fortune teller in a Faribault Halloween display reaches out. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

A time existed, though, when Halloween held some fright for me. Imagine for a moment a Halloween party in the basement of a local veterinarian’s house. Then imagine playing a game of touching objects while blindfolded. And then imagine being told you were fingering a cow’s eyeballs. That would be me, a gullible elementary-aged girl who truly believed that cold grapes were a bovine’s orbs. Why wouldn’t I trust the veterinarian’s daughter?

A hanging skeleton in the Lanes’ Halloween display, which is open to the public. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

Fast forward six decades and I consider myself a Halloween observer. All around me, southern Minnesotans are getting in the Halloween spirit. Just up the hill from my house at 234 First Avenue Southwest, Coy and Kathy Lane transform their Faribault yard, the Cauldron County Scare Grounds, into a spectacular, interactive Halloween display.

Coy Lane drew the clown for this bean bag toss board while Kathy painted it. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

While the Lanes buy many of their frightful props, they also craft many, making this a truly home-grown display that includes games for guests to play. Last time I stopped in about a week ago, they’d already counted 1,000 visitors to their Circus De Soulless which is open from noon-9 p.m. daily through October 31.

Halloween decor is featured in the front window of Antiques of Northfield. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

While out and about in the region, I’ve seen the creativity of residents, business owners and others who clearly enjoy Halloween.

A funeral staged in the window of Fate Vintage, Northfield. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

Take Fate Vintage in Northfield, a Division Street antique shop now showcasing skeletons in funeral and medical scenes. Definitely creatively creepy, these front window displays draw shoppers inside to peruse racks of Halloween costumes and more in this packed store.

A Fonzie costume for sale at Fate Vintage. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

Looking at a “Happy Days” The Fonz Halloween costume here, I was reminded of the importance of choosing just the right costume. My two Minnesota grandkids, ages seven and 10, chose Gryffindor and Ravenclaw robes from houses at Hogwarts School as their Halloween attire. Mega fans of the Harry Potter book series, their choice did not surprise me.

A Little Free Library in Elysian offers some books fitting for Halloween. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

Over in Elysian next to Scoops Ice Cream & Rentals, readers won’t find Harry Potter books in a Little Free Library. But they can take home books in The Vampire Diaries and the Goosebumps series.

Suggested Halloween reading at the Cannon Falls Library. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

To the east in Cannon Falls, the public library has gotten into the Halloween spirit by creating an outdoor “DYING FOR A GOOD BOOK” display. Staff slipped covers of fright-appropriate books, like Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Tales,” into empty DVD cases and hung them on a tree. I’ve always found the story of the headless horseman to be ghoulishly creepy.

“Bloody” cupcakes at Sweet Kneads, Cannon Falls Bakery. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

Down the street and around the corner from the library, display shelves at Sweet Kneads bakery are filled with Halloween-themed cookies and cupcakes, some cutesy, like an over-sized green spider, and others macabre, like a blood-dripping knife stabbing a cupcake. It’s all in good fun.

A roadside stand in Stanton vends pumpkins, squash and more. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

Fun comes in choosing a pumpkin from a patch, roadside stand or store and then a parent carving just the right face while the kids supervise. I remember those jack-o-lantern days.

A scene from the Faribault Fall Festival earlier this month which included kids in costume and kids’ activities. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo October 2026)

I also remember, and this is going back to my childhood again, the rock-hard popcorn balls handed out by my Great Aunt Gertie. To eat one was to risk a trip to the dentist. And, yes, my siblings and I chomped our teeth into the sugary sweet popcorn balls. Now I’ll take dark chocolate candy over any Halloween treat, if you’re so inclined to “treat” me.

Halloween fun in Faribault began October 3 at the Fall Festival. The event included a chili contest with this offering from Faribault Transportation. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

Ah, Halloween. Onward with the fright, the fun and the sweet, and not-so-sweet, memories.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Book cover sourced online)

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Why everyone ought to read “Theo of Golden” September 10, 2026

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Book cover sourced online

WHEN I RESERVED Theo of Golden through my regional library system, I ranked as number 300 on the waiting list for this New York Times bestseller by Allen Levi. I don’t think I’ve ever been on a longer reserve list.

But within about two months I had the book, recommended by my dear friend Valerie, in hand. She read it in four days. I finished this fictional story in 10 days, primarily because I took notes to write this review.

One would not necessarily expect a novel published in 2023 to still be so popular. But, after reading Theo of Golden, I understand its ongoing appeal. This is one of those books everyone needs to read. Let me repeat. Every. Single. Person. It’s that good.

Ever since my friend Sue gifted me with this kindness button in the summer of 2025, I’ve displayed it on my clothes or purse. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

EVERYONE HAS A STORY

Goodness, kindness and generosity center the story of octogenarian Theo who arrives in Golden, Georgia, from New York City. He soon settles in, slowly connecting, building friendships, bestowing blessings. He does that by purchasing portraits of locals displayed in a coffee shop and then arranging to meet the subjects beside a central fountain.

And that is where this story takes root. Theo looks into the eyes of the people he meets, draws out their stories, their sadness, their strengths in one-on-one conversations. He listens. He cares. He encourages. He gifts them with their portraits drawn by local artist Asher Glissen.

What’s important to emphasize here is that none of this is about Theo. He intentionally doesn’t reveal his last name. He artfully dodges questions about himself. The focus is always on the individual before him, the face he sees. Theo wants to hear the stories behind each face in every portrait.

This shows part of a quote by Congressman and Civil Rights leader John Lewis displayed several years ago on a residence in Dundas. The complete quote: “Let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide.” (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

THE IMPORTANCE OF LISTENING

That is one of the “lessons” that threads through this novel. How often do people try to one-up a story, shift a conversation onto themselves and away from the storyteller? Happens all the time. Theo values every individual, gives them grace, gives them voice. He listens intently, not with the ear of someone waiting to interject his own story.

He listens to Tony, Vietnam veteran and owner of the Verbivore bookshop. He listens to Ellen, who is experiencing homelessness but who is brilliant, artistically-gifted and worthy of hearing. He listens to Simone, a gifted student of the cello. He listens to Minnette with her own secrets and dream of becoming a mother. He listens indirectly to the story of Mateo Mandez, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala. Yes, this book is relevant to today.

Theo tells every person he meets during his bestowals of portraits that they are capable of saintliness. Imagine if you heard that. And when he encounters individuals while out and about and engages in “sidewalk chats,” he listens with genuine, not surface, interest.

A LOVE mural in the heart of downtown Northfield, just off Division Street. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

RELATABLE, EMOTIONAL

I cried several times while reading this novel. The book is not without heartache, tragedy, cruelty, violence, meanness, disappointments and suffering. The stories therein are real. Often relatable. But it is a book which, at its core, centers on treating others with respect, kindness, goodness and love.

Encouraging words that once graced a garden area in downtown Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

“DO UNTO OTHERS…”

As I read page after page, story after story in this remarkable first novel by Allen Levi, my mind kept returning to the title, Theo of Golden. Why “Golden?” The answer that repeatedly popped into my thoughts was “The Golden Rule” of “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” The author quotes Scripture, the influence of Levi’s faith clear in his writing, but not in a preachy sort of way.

Today, more than ever, we need a book like Theo of Golden to remind us to be kind, loving, forgiving. To listen. To encourage. To uplift. To think before we speak or write. To be like Theo, the mysterious stranger who showed up in Golden, Georgia, and forever changed a community with his kindness.

THOUGHTS? I’d like to hear your thoughts on Theo of Golden, whether you’ve read the book or just read my, or another, review.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

About that backwards book display at Buckham library August 18, 2026

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Buckham Memorial Library, Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

AS AN AVID READER, I always have a stash of books stacked on the floor next to the recliner. Most come from Buckham Memorial Library, which I frequent often. Having grown up in a rural area of southwestern Minnesota without a library nearby, I feel incredibly grateful to live within blocks of the public library in Faribault.

Sprayed book pages with artsy designs are featured in a display at the library. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo August 2026)

On a recent stop at Buckham, I not only picked up more books, but also took note of a vibrant and unusual book display. Identifying signage suggests: “Don’t judge a book by its COVER. Judge it by its EDGES!”

Patterns and solids sprayed onto the edges of book pages. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo August 2026)

Below that sign, colorful books line three shelves. They look a bit like bolts of vivid plain and patterned fabric with page edges, not spines, exposed.

The backwards placement is intentional to showcase the sprayed, or painted, edges of the books. I love the artsy display, which appears fitting for an art gallery.

Signage explains why page edges are painted. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo August 2026)

Additional signage further explains that spraying the edges makes a book appear richer, of better quality, premium. While the practice of painting edges was once used to protect books from dust and moisture, the process is now primarily decorative, according to Buckham Public Services Librarian Allyn McColley.

Sprayed pages up close of artsy designs. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo August 2026)

That’s confirmed with signage listing sprayed edges as done in a solid color, gradient, stenciled or artwork style. The art, especially, from dripping blood, to a dagger, floral pattern, feathers, nature themes and more, focused my creative eye.

About five years ago, spraying book edges became a “thing” again. McColley has noticed that trend in the genres of fantasy, science fiction, horror, romance and regular fiction. One look at the exposed pages in the display created by library technician Caitlin Boran confirms that.

I pulled out the book to see the title of this fantasy. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo August 2026)

Examples of the 49 books I counted with painted edges are “His Face Is the Sun” by Michelle Jabes Corpora, “The Dragon Wakes with Thunder” by K.X. Song and “Wild Reverence” by Rebecca Ross, all fantasy; “Strange Ink” by Gary Kemble, horror; and “Overdue” by Stephanie Perkins, fiction.

Another fantasy book pulled to reveal the title. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo August 2026)

The fact that I hadn’t noticed the revived trend of painting page edges perhaps comes from my personal reading choices. I don’t read fantasy, science fiction, horror or romance.

But I read lots of fiction (especially murder mysteries and books by Minnesota authors) and some nonfiction. I’m at the library often, perusing the shelves, pausing sometimes to look at the displays created by library staff.

An overview of the display. Additional info can be found on printed sheets on the right exterior side of the shelving unit. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo August 2026)

The current artsy “Don’t judge a book by its COVER. Judge it by its EDGES!” creation remains up until the end of August. Once a month library staff changes out the book nook display located between the front check out and information desks.

Other times you might find books there featuring topics like winter, gardening, Halloween, sports, poetry and much more, whatever staff decides to showcase each month. And right now it’s the colorful sprayed edges of book pages, displayed like a mini art exhibit on three coved library shelves.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Pioneering Minnesota seedswomen featured in library exhibit July 27, 2026

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Carrie Lippincott built a successful seed-selling business in Minnesota. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)

IF CARRIE LIPPINCOTT, Emma White and Jessie Prior toured Buckham Memorial Library in Faribault, I expect they would appreciate not only what’s inside the library, but also outside. They were, after all, pioneering Minnesota businesswomen who ran successful seed companies at the turn of the 20th century.

Buckham Memorial Library, Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)

The trio would be impressed by our local library, which actively promotes gardening via programming, a seed library, an organic learning garden, bee lawn, pollinator habitat and native prairie plantings. Plus, the current children’s summer reading program, “Plant a Seed, Read/Planta una semilla, lee,” themes to seeds.

Three informational panels comprise the Seedswomen exhibit. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)

All of that makes Buckham an ideal location for the traveling exhibit, “Minnesota Seedswomen 1890s-1900s,” on display until July 31 in the hallway linking the library to the Faribault Community Center.

Credit info is featured at the bottom of the panels. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)

Lippincott, White and Prior focus the three-panel exhibit crafted from information in the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum’s Andersen Horticultural Library.

Jessie Prior marketed herself as a “flower seed specialist.” (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)

My love of libraries, reading, learning, flowers and vegetables drew me to the exhibit. I’d never heard of the three enterprising women who became successful in their field on a national scale. Prior, who started Prior Seed Company in 1895 at age eighteen, called herself a “flower seed specialist.”

Among the many flowers growing on library grounds. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)

Lippincott labeled herself as “The Pioneer Seedwoman of America,” operating Lippincott Flower Seeds in partnership with family. She made a point of hiring women.

Colorful artwork promotes Emma White’s company, Choice Flower Seeds. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)

Likewise, White’s Choice Flower Seeds tapped into women, specifically female artists, to create catalog covers. She marketed to women with Sunbonnet Babies and Brownies (elf-like creatures) artwork. The previous owner of the seed company enthusiastically endorsed his successor, telling customers White deserved their business and trust.

Each of the three panels is packed with information and illustrations. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)

Each woman, in her own way, made her mark in the seed-selling business. Yet, together they shared the commonality of women entering business during a time when most businesses were run by men. I expect these businesswomen had to work hard to prove themselves, to distinguish themselves, to compete and succeed.

Seeds in Buckham’s seed library come from Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)

And succeed they did. Prior won a bronze medal in the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair for the pansies she grew. White, especially active in the Minnesota State Horticultural Society, became the first to guarantee packet size rather than seed numbers. Lippincott set herself apart by arranging catalog seed offerings alphabetically. In many other ways these women promoted and grew their Minneapolis-based seed companies.

“Why Local Seed Matters” posted on a library wall. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)

In the competitive world of seed-selling, the three most assuredly understood the importance of standing out. Whether through colorful, eye-catching catalogs (Lippincott), creative writing and pansy growing competitions (White) or becoming an accomplished grower of sweet peas (Prior), the three seedswomen showed business savvy.

Creativity in encouraging reading, a woodcarving, “Story Time,” by world-renowned carver Ivan Whillock of Faribault hangs in Buckham Library. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)

All were decidedly creative in marketing through their colorful catalogs, growing guides, leaflets and books. They shared their gardening knowledge, which likely helped grow a loyal customer base. These women were business smart. And they were strong. Those are among my take-aways from the traveling exhibit.

Posters hang throughout the library promoting the seed-themed summer reading program for kids. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)
The log for the summer reading program at Buckham. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)
Seed-themed, gardening and other related books on display at the library. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)

After I read the information on the panels, I entered Buckham library, thinking about Lippincott, White and Prior. I pictured them opening the drawers of an old library card catalog, now holding seed packets. I envisioned them paging through the seed and gardening books on display. And I imagined them enthusiastically encouraging kids to participate in the “Plant a Seed, Read” summer reading program.

Community members can harvest vegetables from the library’s organic learning garden. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)

Stepping outdoors, I saw them admiring the many flowers flourishing around the library. And they may have, like me, pulled ruby red rhubarb from the organic learning garden.

The rhubarb crisp I made with exceptionally red rhubarb from the library garden. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)

Afterwards, I would have welcomed my new friends, Carrie, Emma and Jessie, to my home blocks from the library. Over plates of tangy rhubarb crisp, I would thank these seedswomen for their pioneering efforts as strong, innovative and creative businesswomen. And, if they were willing, I would put them to work in my tangled mess of flower gardens.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Growing kindness via a children’s picture book July 15, 2026

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(Book cover sourced online)

IF ONE JUDGES a book by its cover, then Kindness Grows is assuredly a book you will want to read. The unique cover features a cut-out, a peek-through that continues through the pages, first as a narrow crack, then a sapling and, finally, a mature, leafy tree.

My friend Sue gifted me with this kindness button last summer and I’m getting more and more compliments on it. It’s one small way I can spread the message of kindness. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

When I saw this children’s picture book written and illustrated by Britta Teckentrup on display at Buckham Memorial Library in Faribault, I immediately grabbed it. Both for the novel, artsy cover and for the title. Kindness is desperately needed right now in America.

I’ve found, as an avid reader, that children’s picture books are as much for adults as kids, especially when they carry a universal message for all ages. In this book the message of kindness.

This author-artist smartly uses dark colors in her illustrations to represent negative behavior on one page balanced by light colors, positive behavior, on the opposite page.

Kindness themes this inspirational garden in Pine River, Minnesota, where uplifting words and messages are written on rocks. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

For example, Teckentrup writes about friendship and how mean words can damage a relationship. That’s shown in two children with their backs turned to one another against a dark sky backdrop. On the opposite page, the friends face each other in a sunny garden scene. Teckentrup writes about how encouragement, positive actions and words can grow love.

Another two-page spread shows a group of children arguing in a rainstorm with pointed finger, pulling arms, clearly mad at one another. On the opposite page, they hold hands, play together under a blossoming tree. Words and art reinforce each other.

This author does not shy away from truth when she writes of the widened cracks of anger, of our inability to listen or to try and understand.

Among several kindness signs I photographed in Deerwood, Minnesota, several years ago. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

But she shows the reader how to overcome disagreements and differences, starting with a smile. Simple actions—like care, kindness and love—bridge division. No matter our age, together we can be better. That’s the resounding message shared in Kindness Grows.

TELL ME: What children’s picture book has resonated with you on the subject of kindness or another topic especially relevant to today?

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Owatonna author collaborates on medical thriller set in Minnesota July 7, 2026

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(Book cover sourced online)

A SINGULAR THOUGHT niggled in my mind the entire time I read The Kill Code Collective, a medical thriller co-authored by five Minnesotans. And that is just how many people I know with implanted cardiac devices (ICD). Like characters in the book, they could be exposed to possible hacking of implant technology. That crime focuses this fictional story.

But the collaborating writers repeatedly emphasize that Kill Code is a work of fiction and that medical device companies are very concerned about security. “And we really mean it,” an authors’ note reinforces. Still…

My strong reaction speaks to the believability of the plot, which evolves around Voyageur Cardiac Systems’ VC-25-4750 implanted defibrillator. When several people with ICDs die, the investigation is underway to determine the cause.

Early on in the story, I struggled with keeping the many characters and the evolving story line straight. But I eventually settled into Kill Code with each turn of the page, each twist in the plot.

Owatonna writer Chris Norbury

From a CEO to an international field operative, a shady deal maker, an attorney, a computer whiz, a musician, a software engineer, an aircraft mechanic and more, an eclectic mix of characters are part of this intriguing story. I was familiar with one, Matt Lanier, a professional musician and amateur detective in a mystery-thriller series by Owatonnan Chris Norbury. I’m a fan of his series set in fictional Straight River in southern Minnesota and Castle Danger, an actual unincorporated community up north.

Kill Code is also set in Minnesota, which is no surprise given the authors—Norbury, Brian Lutterman, John Baird Rogers, Julie Holmes and Rob Jung—are Minnesotans who form the Midwest Mystery Works. This book pulls the main characters from their individual books into Kill Code as an unofficial group determined to get to the bottom of the ICD deaths. That includes several strong and talented women, which I, as a woman, appreciate.

Technology is an integral part of the story line. But it’s basic enough that even someone with minimal understanding of tech can follow that key aspect of the plot. That would be me, although I do have a family member who works in software research and development and I’ve learned a bit from him. He would have been a great addition to the team trying to solve the Voyageur Cardiac Systems’ mystery.

Suspense, blackmail, death threats, greed, secrets, revenge, violence…all are part of Kill Code. So is a distinctly Minnesotan flavor. As a life-long resident of the North Star state, I enjoy books rooted in our culture, our way of life. And our food—like our signature walleye, the typical funeral luncheon menu of ham and cheese sandwiches, coleslaw and bars (a sweet treat, not a place), and our go-to winter comfort food of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.

Because this story takes place in winter, the writers reference the cold and snow. Minnesotans, even in fiction, take pride in showing their cold weather hardiness.

Kill Code is unlike any mystery I’ve read, because of the technology aspect, but also because five authors collaborated to write this book. As a writer myself, I can only imagine how daunting that task. But the five succeeded in collectively writing a medical mystery that left me wondering, could this really happen?

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Honoring America locally in red, white & blue July 1, 2026

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Red, white and blue define this front yard along First Street Southwest in Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

RED, WHITE AND BLUE banner everyday life annually around this time each year. I’m talking not only U.S. flags flying from poles, but much more. And this July 4, the 250th birthday of our nation, American pride seems especially abundant. Or maybe I’m simply noticing because of the milestone celebration.

Harvest Time Church in Faribault is celebrating the Fourth on July 5. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

Whatever, I challenge you to see how your friends and neighbors, local businesses, churches and other organizations are celebrating and/or running with the July 4 theme.

A patriotic front window display at Keepers Antique Shop. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

Locally, I found plenty of examples in expected, and unexpected, places. At Keepers Antique Shop along Central Avenue in Faribault, I always expect proprietor Nona Boyes to create a window display appropriately themed to a particular event. She didn’t disappoint, staging two mannequins draped in red, white and blue holding an American flag between them. The patriotic theme carries to a corner curio and additional window space. Boyes’ art education and background show in every single window display she creates for her antique shop.

A July 4 tabletop display at Books on Central, owned by the Rice County Area United Way and run by volunteers. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

Across the street at Books on Central, I happened upon another July Fourth display, this one atop a table. Because this is a used bookshop, books center the space created by volunteer Jeanne Campbell with assistance from Mary Campbell.

“The Star Spangled Banner” was among patriotic songs performed at a recent concert by the Mankato Area Community Band in Faribault. Singer Barbara Dunker dressed in patriotic attire for the finale of “The Stars and Stripes Forever.” (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

Books about the White House, “The Star Spangled Banner” and Alexander Hamilton are for sale along with other volumes artfully placed among mini American flags, a Betsy Ross statue and touches of red and white ribbon. “We the People—A Pictorial Celebration of America” and “1776” by Pulitzer Prize winning author David McCullough are also among the selections.

A holiday ribbon adds a festive touch to a straw hat worn by a woman attending a recent concert in Faribault’s Central Park. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

If you really want to get to the basics, you’ll find a pocket book of the U.S. Constitution propped in a front window display themed to celebrating the birth of this country.

A special holiday sale at Fashions on Central, selling used clothing for women with proceeds going to the local senior center, Buckham West. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

To the north on Central Avenue, Fashions on Central promoted a RED WHITE BLUE SALE on a sandwich chalkboard.

A State Bank of Faribault flower pot decorated with an American flag for the holiday. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

At the State Bank of Faribault, an American flag graces a lush pot of flowers outside the bank’s front entry.

A floral scene created by Faribault homeowner Kay in celebration of America’s 250th birthday. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

But it was red flowers planted in galvanized tubs and backdropping white hydrangea that drew my admiration for July Fourth floral plantings. I was en route to a garage sale in a south-side Faribault neighborhood when I spotted the work of gardener Kay, who planted red, white and blue flowers throughout her yard. She wasn’t home when I stopped. But her husband, Paul, promised to pass along my praise.

Gerda Dolman pieced together Lady Liberty. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

When I stopped at an estate sale, I purchased an unusual piece of art perfect for the Fourth of July. For $3, I snagged a puzzle of the Statue of Liberty pieced together by Gerda Dolman of Madison, Minnesota, when she was 100 years old. She lived to nearly 102, dying in 2021. Her son mounted the puzzle on wood. Gerda’s Lady Liberty now hangs on my dining room wall, a visual reminder of freedom, liberty and hope for all who came, and continue to come, to America. Like Gerda’s Norwegian ancestors.

I photographed this boy dressed in patriotic clothing and clinging to his mom’s leg at a recent car show in Dundas. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

As we celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday, I focus on those foundational words of liberty and freedom. I hope others do, too, as they don patriotic attire, enjoy parades and BBQs, watch fireworks, and consider all this nation has endured from the Revolutionary War to present.

For sale in the Rice County Historical Society gift shop, 250th anniversary caps. The RCHS is celebrating its 100th birthday this year. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2026)

This message lifted from the tabletop display at Books on Central says it all: “For 250 years, we have maintained and loved this country that was created as the great American experiment, an exercise in self-governance and respect and freedom. Long may this great experiment reign, cherished and supported by those it protects and honors. Happy birthday to the United States of America!”

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Author tracks the James-Younger Gang’s escape from Northfield May 29, 2026

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An overview of a presentation given by Russ Swanson at the Rice County Historical Society on May 28. The coat lying on the podium is a replica of the inverness capes worn by the James-Younger Gang. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2026)

THEY WERE, HE SAID, masters of deception. And after listening to a well-researched and entertaining presentation about the James-Younger Gang at the Rice County Historical Society in Faribault recently, I agree.

This assessment of the outlaws who attempted to rob the First National Bank of Northfield on September 7, 1876, comes from Russ Swanson of Canton, South Dakota. The ag teacher, farmer, author and researcher shared a wealth of information on the gang, focusing on the outlaws’ efforts to escape capture after the failed robbery.

(Book cover sourced online)

But Swanson, author of A Chase to the Death: The Detailed Pursuit of the James-Younger Gang Following the Northfield Raid, also provided plenty of pre-robbery history that I found especially interesting. The eight-member gang arrived in St. Paul in late August 1876 after a 13-hour train ride from Sioux City, Iowa. I always thought they rode into Minnesota on their horses and headed for Northfield. Not so.

Instead of robbing the bank in Mankato, the gang attempted to rob the Northfield bank, pictured here. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

PLANS TO ROB MANKATO BANK

The gang split upon their arrival in St. Paul with some going to Red Wing, where they stayed at the St. James (National) Hotel. Others went to St. Peter, then to Madelia. By this time, they’d purchased horses. Eventually the eight met in Mankato, intending to rob the First National Bank of Mankato, their original Minnesota target. But they were recognized and ditched the plan.

Swanson threw out a lot of information as he led the audience on the gang’s journey through Minnesota, then back west to Dakota Territory and Iowa. En route to Northfield, they stayed in LeSueur Center (current-day Le Center), Janesville and then Millersburg, imbibing in whiskey purchased there. Swanson spun a detail-rich storyline.

He didn’t spend much time on the actual seven-minute Northfield bank robbery, a point Swanson acknowledged at the beginning of his presentation. The short crime left a bank cashier, a bystander and two of the outlaws dead and others wounded.

This slide created by Russ Swanson shows the eight outlaws with information in red about them and also their horses. To the left are the locals wounded and killed during the attempted robbery.

PURSUIT & ESCAPE

The gang’s efforts to escape capture prompted the largest manhunt in U.S. history with 1,000 men searching for the outlaws. Swanson used maps to show the routes taken by the gang, which eventually split. Frank and Jesse James traveled together while the three Younger brothers and Charlie Pitts stuck together.

The saga is one of stolen horses, the first taken near Dundas. Of gunfights, including south of Shieldsville. Of taking men captive to guide them through the Big Woods near Kilkenny and elsewhere. Of awakening to church bells by Marysburg. Of abandoning horses near German Lake. Of crossing the Cannon, the Blue Earth and other rivers. Of hiding in cornfields.

Russ Swanson points to information specific to Northfield in another slide. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2026)

MASTERS OF DECEPTION & HORSE THIEVES

To hear so many familiar place names took me along the escape route—riding into woods, crossing an unguarded railroad bridge, traversing rivers, stopping at farm sites. Desperate to evade capture, the savvy outlaws pretended to be members of the posse pursuing them. They stayed with farm families under those false pretenses.

That their true identities remained mostly hidden speaks to that “masters of deception” label Swanson tags to the gang. The outlaws stood out in their mannerisms, their talk and even their dress—draping, sleeveless inverness capes concealing their firearms—yet still fooled many.

They stole Percheron draft horses in Garden City. The James brothers stopped for breakfast in Luverne and then were pursued into Dakota Territory, stealing more horses. Blind and partially-blind horses. Eventually, the pair stole a horse at gunpoint north of Canton, South Dakota. Turns out that horse owner, Peter Wahl, homesteaded on land that Russ Swanson now owns. That prompted his 10 years of researching the James-Younger Gang, authoring a book and today presenting on the topic.

“This area is a hotbed of their territory,” Swanson told the audience in Faribault. He backs up that statement with extensive research, tapping into maps, newspaper articles, census records and more from Minnesota into South Dakota and Iowa. He noted the abundance of eyewitness accounts.

The First National Bank is now a museum with tours available. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

DETAIL-RICH STORIES

I found the entire presentation intensely fascinating, rich in details. A lost hat. Nights of impenetrable darkness. Stolen chickens. Too much whiskey. Eleven bullet holes in Cole Younger, whose toenails fell off when he removed his boots after days of riding. A bullet that wounded a pursuer’s horse still in possession of his family generations later.

As Swanson concluded his talk, he shared a quote from Cole Younger, captured in a September 21 shoot-out in Hanska Slough near Madelia that took the life of outlaw Charlie Pitts. “Be true to your friends if the Heavens fall,” Younger said, refusing to give up any information to authorities. The Younger brothers went to prison while the James brothers escaped to Missouri.

Swanson shared more, much more, in his lengthy talk and Q & A. In the all of it, I was surprised to learn of so many locations in this region connected to the failed Northfield bank raid. Had the eight gang members remained incognito while in Mankato, this story would have followed a different plot line, a different path into history.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling