Minnesota Prairie Roots

Writing and photography by Audrey Kletscher Helbling

Glimpse farming of yesteryear at rural Dundas show September 3, 2026

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Plowing with horses at the 2025 Rice County Steam & Gas Engines fall show. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

STEP ONTO THE RICE COUNTY Steam & Gas Engines showgrounds this Labor Day weekend in rural Dundas, and you’ll return to farming of yesteryear, exactly as the organizers intend. The fall show, along with the spring show in May, honors the past in a big way with hundreds of old tractors, several steam engines, demonstrations of long ago farming and a whole lot more.

An Allis-Chalmers guy through and through. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2025)

This year’s show features the Allis-Chalmers tractor brand, noted for its signature bright orange color.

Square dancers dance inside the music shed at last year’s show. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2025)

But you needn’t be all that interested in tractors or even have a farm background to appreciate this event. There’s plenty more to do with a flea market, petting zoo, music, food, cornhole tournament, kids’ pedal tractor pull, mini train rides and on and on. Enough to keep you on the grounds for hours, if not a full day or multiple days. The event runs September 4-6 with gates opening at 7 a.m.

This pair works at shelling corn in 2025. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

I approach this ag-focused show with historic, artistic and photographic interests. My farm background draws me to demonstrations like threshing, shelling corn and plowing. And among the rows and rows of tractors, I always search for my favorite B-Farmall, the tractor I drove as a farm kid, and a John Deere like my Dad’s.

I’m not old enough to remember steam engines, but these engines always draw lots of interest. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2025)

There’s something comforting about turning back the clock, of being in the presence of memories, of feeling a connection to my farming past. I am rooted in the rich black soil of southwestern Minnesota, the place which shaped me, my writing and my photography.

One of my favorite photos because of the admiration I see in the young boy’s eyes as he rides in the 2025 tractor parade. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

Oh, the photos I find while at the Rice County Steam and Gas Engines Show. I’ve managed through many years of attending the fall and spring shows, to gather a collection of images that reflect a deep love and respect for the land, for farmers, for heritage. I especially delight in spotting “characters” or catching a “look” or a moment. Some of my favorites came last year while roaming the showgrounds and also while watching the tractor parade.

My favorite find at last year’s flea market, a Le Sueur-based Minnesota Valley Canning Co. commemorative Green Giant mug, which I totally regret not buying. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2025)

The flea market has also always offered plenty of photo ops as I search for the weird, the quirky, the unusual, the artsy. More and more, I find merch from my youth, prompting long ago memories.

Look at the sheer joy in this boy’s face as he competes in the pedal tractor pull. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2025)

Whether I’m perusing second-hand goods, touring on-site historic buildings like a 1920s farmhouse or an old one-room schoolhouse, visiting with friends, enjoying a burger from the Knights of Columbus food stand or an Amish-made fruit pastry, listening to music, meandering among the tractors, watching a farming demo or one of many other show options, I find myself immersed in the experiences.

A horse-drawn wagon offers rides at the farm show. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2025)

Above all, I value this opportunity to reconnect with my rural roots, to celebrate my rural-ness, to honor those who’ve worked the land. Like my dad. Except for a short stint serving on the front lines during the Korean War, farming was Dad’s life. He milked cows, grew corn and soybeans, all in a time period of intense hands-on labor. He, along with my mom, raised six children to work the soil, to tend the animals, to understand the importance of faith, family and farming. And for that I am grateful

© 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

 

Cruisin’ to Dawn’s Corner Bar in Dundas June 30, 2026

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The sun glares on the bumper of a 1969 Olds Cutlass 442. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

SUN GLARED OFF shiny chrome and gleaming hoods, surfaces waxed to prideful perfection for the monthly Classic Cruise In at Dawn’s Corner Bar in Dundas. The event was a first for me on a Sunday afternoon when I could have attended several other area car shows. But Randy and I chose Dundas.

An overview of the car show taken from the hill above the parking lot. That’s Dawn’s Corner Bar on the corner in the background. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

By car show standards, this proved a small event, compacted into a paved parking lot across the street from the bar along Railway Street North.

Gathering on the back deck of Dawn’s Corner Bar. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

While we meandered among the vehicles, which included cars, trucks and a few motorcycles, The Chad Johnson Trio played on the deck behind the bar. I remember only “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” the other songs becoming background music as I tuned into the car show.

Dawn’s Corner Bar in Dundas. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
Signage high above the front entrance to Dawn’s Corner Bar. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
Randy checks out Greg’s 1956 Chrysler. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

But outside and in (I peeked inside), people packed the place, enjoying the music, $2.50 domestic tap beer and $10 cheeseburger baskets. Greg, who drove his 1956 black-and-white Chrysler to the show with a Sears bike strapped to the rear, vouched for the sizable, tasty burgers. I should have thought ahead. But Randy grilled burgers the previous evening and I was neither hungry nor thirsty.

An old shed backdrops a 1930s Ford hotrod and a 1963 Buick. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

I settled for appreciating and photographing vehicles driven to Dundas for a show-and-tell of sorts on a Sunday afternoon heating up to be a hot and humid week in southern Minnesota.

Lots of conversations happening at the car show. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

Conversations flowed as classic vehicle enthusiasts discussed whatever you talk about when you’re really into cars. Randy, who worked as an automotive machinist in next door Northfield for nearly 40 years, talked to former customers. That included a guy who brought an old truck Randy worked on. I hear those stories all the time from grateful customers. Randy was, and is, really good at what he does and knows a whole lot about everything automotive.

Big Bird dangles inside a bright yellow Firebird. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

I’m more interested in the quirky, the artsy, the unusual. A Big Bird dangling from a Big Bird-hued Firebird brought to mind my second daughter who, as a child, carried her much-beloved yellow Sesame Street stuffie everywhere.

The km/h speedometer of a Foggy Ducati motorcycle is marked with dots, presumably a visual for the driver to keep his speed in check. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

A vintage Honda motorcycle reminded me of my oldest brother revving up his bike, roaring across the farmyard, tires spitting gravel.

The show featured not only cars and trucks, but also several motorcycles. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

I expect nearly everyone attending the show could share a story, for classic vehicles are the stuff of memories.

A beautiful, artsy shifter knob in a Ford hotrod. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

Grandpa’s car. Siblings piling into a boat of a family car for a road trip. First car. Learning to drive a stick shift. Saturday night at a drive-in movie. A stop at the root beer stand. Racing down a back county road. Young love in a car parked at a dead end. Lights out under an inky dark sky. So many memories and stories.

A Model A Ford. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

As I walked among the many classic vehicles, I could only imagine the stories, told and untold. I wonder sometimes if that isn’t the real reason why people own these vehicles. It’s a way of holding onto the past, of connecting with previous generations, of reliving yesteryear, when life was, in many ways, less complicated.

A hood ornament that could grace an art gallery. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

Some may consider their vehicles an investment. And maybe they are. An investment in life as it once existed in quieter, gentler times.

I have no idea what this car art symbolizes. But it caught my eye. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

By the end of my walk about the classic vehicles, I’d taken some 80 photos and engaged in several conversations. But mostly, I observed. The setting. The people. The vehicles. The art. After all that, and as the pavement was heating up I needed to cool off in air conditioning. I also needed a drink of icy cold water, although a beer may have hit the spot, too.

As noted on this 2017 tee, Henderson hosts a Classic Roll In. That happens from 5-8 p.m. every Tuesday, June-September. However, the Tuesday, June 30, show was cancelled due to the extreme heat. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

FYI: Dawn’s Corner Bar in Dundas hosts a Classic Car Cruise In from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. the last Sunday of the month June-September.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Music, food & conversation on the prairie June 15, 2026

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The Rev. Penny Bonsell of Little Prairie United Methodist Church, in the background, welcomes the crowd and introduces the Old Country Boys at a June 10 concert. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

HEAT AND HUMIDITY gave way to a lovely evening on the prairie. Here, on a grassy space edged by trees, a cornfield, county road and gravel parking lot south of Dundas, folks gathered for “Music on the Prairie.”

Waiting to buy a $5 meal deal. The meat portion of the menu varies at each concert. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

And, oh, what an event, the first in a three-part summer concert series hosted, fittingly, by Little Prairie United Methodist Church. As I took in the scene, I thought, life doesn’t get much better than this—great food, music and conversation in the outdoors on a perfect summer evening in southern Minnesota.

Volunteers grill burgers crafted from locally-raised beef. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
Waiting in line for food. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
A volunteer hands out delicious homemade cookies. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

Even waiting in line for a fresh local beef patty, a cup of specialty beans (the special ingredient being sauerkraut) and the most delicious homemade chocolate chip cookie sprinkled with sea salt didn’t phase typically-impatient me. Conversation flowed. And the down-home music of the Old Country Boys thrummed a beat across the land as they performed atop a flatbed trailer.

Dancing to the music of the Old Country Boys. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

This was an evening meant for pulling out the lawn chairs, for coming here to eat a meal served up by church members, to chat with friends old and new, and to listen to songs like “Ring of Fire,” “King of the Road,” “Sweet Caroline,” “Country Roads” and more. Music that got some in the crowd waving their arms, singing along and others on their feet dancing across the lawn.

The Rev. Penny Bonsell, accompanied by the Old Country Boys, sings to her husband, Tom. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

The Rev. Penny Bonsell and her husband, Tom Hollenhorst, dressed all in black, briefly took the stage to entertain the crowd as June Carter and Johnny Cash singing “Jackson,” the duo’s 1967 billboard country chart hit. The performance was a hit with the audience as was a song Bonsell sang for her husband in honor of their third wedding anniversary.

Cowboy hats fit the music. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

Another couple in the crowd was celebrating their 70-something anniversary (I didn’t catch the exact year). They were married at Little Prairie, a picturesque white country church located on a country crossroads corner just to the east of the concert site.

The band performs as smoke from the grill drifts and a large crowd listens. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

Both anniversaries were recognized with rounds of applause. A band member also led the crowd in welcoming a woman home from a lengthy hospital stay while he videotaped the message for Deb. Such care and compassion builds community, connects us.

Afton hangs out by coolers filled with pop and water available for purchase. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

All ages came to “Music on the Prairie”—babies in strollers, toddler Afton in her floral skirt and soft pink Princess tee celebrating her first birthday the next day, a four-year-old girl who had just finished preschool, young people, parents and grandparents. All generations.

Creating big bubbles on the spacious green space next to a cornfield. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
Daughter and dad string beads into a bracelet. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
Kids run around the grounds and play on the fenced in playground built next to a mini Little Prairie church replica facade. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

I watched as a little girl dipped an over-sized wand in a bucket, then drew bubbles across the air. I watched as a dad helped his two-year-old daughter thread beads onto a string, making a bracelet for her mom. I watched as kids climbed ladders inside the Little Prairie Playground, a mini replica of the church.

I stepped into the cornfield to take this photo of concert goers. This is a definitively rural location in the middle of farm fields. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

I listened as a train whistle blew, the train rumbling past on a track through a tree line next to the cornfield next to the lawn where we sat enjoying the music of the Old Country Boys.

Kids pull on the rope to ring the bell inside the steeple of the playground church. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

I listened to the clang of a church bell inside the playground, the hum of a generator powering the band’s amplifiers and electric guitars.

The Old Country Boys drummer. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

I hugged my friend Lee whom I haven’t seen in a while. I talked to other friends I haven’t seen in a while. And I made new friends here at Little Prairie where great food, music and conversation connected all of us on a beautiful early June evening in the countryside.

The crowd gathers and settles in for the Old Country Boys concert. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)

FYI: The next “Music on the Prairie” on Wednesday, July 22, features the Over and Back Band playing funky rock n roll and gypsy bluegrass. The third and final summer concert happens on Wednesday August 19, with The Rockin’ Hep Cats performing roots rock n roll. Attendees can purchase a meal beginning at 5:30 p.m. Music is from 6-8 p.m. The concert is free with donations accepted to support Little Prairie ministries.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Churches connect community at summertime concerts June 5, 2026

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Little Prairie United Methodist Church, rural Dundas. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

SET AMONG THE FARM FIELDS of Rice County south of Dundas, Little Prairie United Methodist Church joins several area congregations hosting free family-oriented mid-week summertime concerts aimed at connecting community.

Gathering on the prairie for a 2025 summer concert at Little Prairie with music by The Old Country Boys. (Photo courtesy of Little Prairie UMC)

Little Prairie kicks off its second summer of “Music on the Prairie” concert series from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday, June 10, with The Old Country Boys performing old country and rock songs. Subsequent concerts also happen on Wednesday evenings with the Over and Back Band on July 22. Minnesota Music Hall of Fame fiddler Dr. Mike Hildebrandt plays with the band, presenting a unique blend of funky rock n roll and gypsy bluegrass. At the season’s final concert on August 19, The Rockin’ Hep Cats will perform roots rock n roll.

The food service area at a 2025 “Music on the Prairie“ concert. Serving starts at 5:30 p.m. (Photo courtesy of Little Prairie UMC)

Besides listening to music, attendees can purchase affordable $5 meals prepared by Little Prairie church members. Up first on June 10 are grilled burgers crafted from locally-raised beef, Jim’s famous German beans (originally created for Oktoberfest in Dundas), chips, dessert and pop or water. July’s main menu item is locally-made hotdogs from Greg’s Meat Shop. And on August 19, Sloppy Joe’s will be served. Serving begins at 5:30 p.m.

Kids can play with bubbles at Little Prairie, just like they did in this photo from “Holy Smoke” at Christ Lutheran Church in Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

“Music on the Prairie” also includes activities for kids featuring yard games, big bubbles and several small crafts.

Enjoying the music of The Old Country Boys at “Music on the Prairie” on a beautiful summer evening in 2025. (Photo courtesy of Little Prairie UMC)

While the concerts are free, free will donations are welcome to benefit Little Prairie’s ministries. This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with community and enjoy a variety of music, plus a meal, in a quiet countryside setting.

The “Holy Smoke” pizza baking crew at Christ Lutheran Church, Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

The same can be said for the Wednesday evening summer concert series at Zwingli United Church of Christ in Berne, located in the country south of Wanamingo or a half hour northeast of Owatonna. This summer marks the 15th year Berne has served up music and its handcrafted wood-fired pizzas. The church grounds open at 5 p.m. every Wednesday, June-August, for the themed events benefiting Zwingli UCC, other churches and area non-profits.

It was Berne’s long-running, successful concert series which inspired the Rev. Penny Bonsell to try a summer mid-week music series at Little Prairie. After a pilot run in 2024, the event really took off in 2025, she said, with a goal of growing community.

Wood-fired brisket pizza crafted at Christ Lutheran’s “Holy Smoke.” (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

Wood-fired pizza is also on the menu at Christ Lutheran Church, high atop a hill on Faribault’s east side. The second Wednesday of the month, June-August, “Holy Smoke” pizza and music event runs from 5:30-8 p.m. Proceeds benefit local nonprofits, this summer the Paradise Center for the Arts, Habitat for Humanity and St. Vincent de Paul.

Connecting over music and pizza at “Holy Smoke.” (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

I’ve only ever been to “Holy Smoke,” multiple times, but intend to check out the newest of these summer concert series at Little Prairie. Perhaps eventually I’ll make it to the more distant, larger and busier gathering at Berne.

If you opt to attend any of these, remember your lawn chair. Also bring your appetite, your appreciation of music and your enthusiasm for connecting with others. These three concert series build community with music and food, giving us just one more reason to get outside on a summer evening in southern Minnesota.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Fish, music, wrestling & drama March 26, 2026

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(Promo sourced from Little Prairie website)

FAITH COMMUNITIES are especially busy this time of year as they prepare for the celebration of Christ’s resurrection. Mid-week Lenten services, Friday night fish fries, Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week all usher in Easter morning.

Locally, you’ll find not only the usual, but also a few unique happenings at several area churches. First up, Little Prairie United Methodist Church, rural Dundas, hosts its annual Fish Dinner from 3-8 p.m. Friday, March 27. The meal features fried or baked fish, baked potatoes, salad bar and pie. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Take-out is available. Click here for details.

Also on Friday evening, the Concordia Academy Choir, based at the Christian high school in Roseville, presents an hour-long concert of inspiring music for all ages beginning at 7 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Faribault. A free will offering will be taken.

Saturday, March 28, brings more activity to Trinity with the Trinity Radio Rumble beginning at 2 p.m. in the Faribault Lutheran School gym, connected to the church. The event, a fundraiser for the congregation’s radio ministry, features family-friendly, live professional wrestling. Click here for more info and to purchase discounted tickets in advance.

St. John’s 50th presentation of The Last Supper Drama in the sanctuary. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

On Sunday, March 29, The Last Supper Drama comes to St. John’s United Church of Christ, Wheeling Township. The drama in the rural Faribault church has been a Palm Sunday tradition for more than 60 years. Performed in the darkness of the sanctuary by 12 actors role-playing the disciples, the drama begins at 8 p.m. Each disciple speaks individually, explaining his relationship to Christ. Refreshments follow the free performance, which will also be live-streamed on Facebook and YouTube.

So whether you like fish, music, wrestling and/or drama, you’ll find all four in faith communities in the Faribault area this coming weekend.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Musings during a multi-day southern Minnesota blizzard March 15, 2026

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My husband, Randy, blows snow from our driveway Sunday morning. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

WHILE I SAT IN THE RECLINER hand-stitching loosened seams in a cuff of Randy’s flannel shirt and listening to “Face the Nation,” my husband was outdoors firing up the snowblower.

We are in the middle of a major winter storm in much of Minnesota. Snow began falling here Saturday evening and continues with some nine-plus inches of accumulation thus far in Faribault. Winds are whipping the new-fallen snow into a blizzard with no travel advised, roads closed, and more cancellations than I could possibly list. That includes cancellation of church services.

Little Prairie United Methodist Church, rural Dundas. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

Across town, while I was stitching, then dicing celery and onions for the Chicken Wild Rice Hotdish I’ll make for supper, my friend Marian was tucked inside her home watching Little Prairie United Methodist Church services online. Broadcast not from the rural Dundas church, but from Pastor Penny Bonsell’s living room in nearby Northfield.

“She (the pastor) was in her slippers with a cup of coffee and her puppy needing to be removed from front and center!” Marian shared with me. “A close neighbor trudged through the snow to play the piano and she and her husband have beautiful voices. The puppy didn’t sing!”

Marian invited me to watch the service. I did. After I finished the breakfast dishes, ate the brunch Randy made, washed dishes again, and video chatted with my second daughter and one-year-old grandson four hours away in southeastern Wisconsin. Only light snow is falling in Madison.

Randy had just finished clearing the driveway and sidewalk when the snowplow came by, filling in the ends of the drive and walk with a deep ridge of snow. Back to blowing. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

Snow is still piling up here, falling thick and heavy. But the Rev. Bonsell gave thanks for the new white snow, which “reminds us to be clean and make a new start in life.” I appreciated her positive perspective, which can be difficult to consider when you’re out shoveling and blowing away snow in fierce winds as Randy did for 1½ hours this morning.

But as I watched the Little Prairie UMC Church service, I felt such peace. Pastor Bonsell has a calming voice, graceful and poetic. As she led the service from her cozy living room, fire blazing in the fireplace, slippers on her feet, sipping coffee, rocking in a rocking chair, I felt the comfort of words offered in song, prayer and in her message, “Restores My Soul” (based on Psalm 23). Said the pastor, “You are never, ever alone.” She also talked about light and darkness, referencing Ephesians 5:8-14 and choosing to live in the light, to choose good.

I took this photo early Sunday morning as the wind-driven snow began to pile up against the garage door. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

I didn’t intend to watch a church service when I was shaping the idea of this blog post around our winter storm. I attended worship at my church last evening given this morning’s service was canceled. But then my friend Marian’s words about the puppy and the pastor in slippers drew me to the Little Prairie UMC YouTube video.

Once online, I immediately felt at home in the pastor’s living room. I noticed a pillow with the directive to “Be Kind” positioned on a child-sized rocking chair. The fire blazed. The puppy roamed. Pianist Peter Webb sat poised at the piano.

Just like the Rev. Bonsell, I advised Randy to be careful while clearing the heavy snow. Here he blows open the sidewalk with dried hydrangea in the foreground. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

And the Rev. Bonsell, in her welcome on this “snowstormy day” (her words), advised everyone to be careful when shoveling the heavy snow. Then, before beginning the worship service, she asked for more people to make pies and salads for a March 27 Fish Dinner. She announced the Holy Week schedule and a 90th birthday party open house for twins Doris and Doug, showed a video of a youth group bowling outing, and more.

And during a sharing of the peace, typically hand-shaking, the pastor and her husband, Tom, kissed. That sealed it. The snow may be falling at a rapid rate as I write. The wind may be creating chaos in the world outside. But in a small southern Minnesota living room, a pastor brought peace and love in the middle of a blizzard that won’t end until 7 a.m. Monday.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

My top 12 (not 10) southern Minnesota people photos from 2025 December 31, 2025

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When I walked into Ron’s hodgepodge of a shop in downtown Waterville, I found him working on a puzzle. I asked to take his photo and he agreed. He loves puzzling and that shows. I really like this everyday slice-of-life-in-a-small-town portrait. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)

THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, I take thousands of photos, many of them at public events. At these gatherings, whether celebratory or somber, I am drawn to document moments of humanity. Perhaps it’s a look, a reaction, an interaction. I’ve been doing photography long enough to understand when something will make a good photo. And when I say “good,” I mean a well-composed image that tells a story and, hopefully, garners a reaction from anyone who sees it.

I come from a journalism background, earning a degree in mass communications, news-editorial emphasis, in 1978. I was required to take a few photography classes as part of that long ago degree. Those taught me the basics, which I carried with me to every newspaper reporting and freelance job I’ve ever held. I didn’t always have the luxury of a staff photographer. I was the reporter and the photographer.

In the decades since, from film to digital, I’ve gained confidence and skills in photography. And I continue to the love the craft. For me, photography centers on storytelling.

As I’ve been out and about in southern Minnesota during 2025, I’ve used my Canon EOS 60D, an older DSLR camera, to document what I’ve seen. Among the thousands of people photos I took this past year, I chose my top 12 to highlight in this end-of-year post. Only one image, the photo at the top of this post, was not photographed at a public gathering.

Enjoy! And feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.

I caught the moment a firefighter rang a bell outside the Faribault fire hall during a 9/11 commemoration. The morning light was perfect and everything fell into place to make this an especially moving photo. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2025)
A tender moment when a mom retied a ribbon on her daughter’s Czech costume during a dance at Montgomery’s Czech May Day celebration. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2025)
Oktoberfest in Dundas provided plenty of photo ops, including this one where a young boy wanted to join the dancing adults. Or maybe he was just watching, happy to be on the sideline. Whatever, I like the photo a lot. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
In this inter-generational scene, a grandfather teaches marbles to his grandsons at the Valley Grove Country Social, rural Nerstrand. They were so intent on the game that they paid me no attention, just as I like it. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
I found this scene humorous and likely relatable for every guy who has ever waited for their partner to finish shopping. I took the image outside RR Revival in Lonsdale during a craft show in that small town. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
If ever there was a photo that exudes love of country in rural Minnesota, it is this image of a wagonload of people heading to the Memorial Day program at the Cannon City Cemetery. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2025)
In the context of everything happening in America, especially in Minnesota, this photo sends a strong message of American pride. These Somali-American children, U.S. flags in hand, watched the Memorial Day parade in downtown Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2025)
As a cannon shot off during the Riverside Rendezvous & History Festival in Faribault, attendees were told to cover their ears for protection. I framed this scene to tell that story. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2025)
There were no second chances to get this photo of two women greeting each other at a downtown Faribault Car Cruise Night. I love the joy I was able to photograph in one single shot. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2025)
The Rice County Steam & Gas Engines Show tractor parade offers plenty of photo ops. I see total admiration on this young boy’s face and was delighted to photograph that sweet moment. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo August 2025)
I loved watching and documenting the younger and older generations shelling corn together at the Rice County Steam & Gas Engines Show in a living rural history scene. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo August 2025)

© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Plenty of pumpkin stands popping up October 7, 2025

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A customer picks pumpkins at a roadside stand along Minnesota State Highway 19 in Stanton. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)

FROM PUMPKIN PATCH to pop-up roadside stands and elsewhere, pumpkins are popping up everywhere just weeks away from Halloween.

Pumpkins for sale at Little Prairie Sunflower, Pumpkin & Produce roadside stand along Minnesota State Highway 3 between Faribault and Dundas. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)

I love the pops of color these seasonal stands add to the landscape, setting the mood for October and the fun festivities the month brings.

Pumpkins of all sizes and shapes for sale at the Little Prairie stand. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)

Growers gather in the pumpkins, heaping them atop wagons for ease of display and purchase.

A payment box and price list for mums and other plants at a seasonal roadside stand in Stanton. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)

Buying is made easy with secure drop boxes, pay on the honor system via cash, check or Venmo. I love the trust the sellers place in the buyers.

Oversized pumpkin art directs passing motorists’ attention to the Stanton pumpkin stand backed by a cornfield. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
Decorative Indian corn decorates the pumpkin wagon at Stanton. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
Beautiful potted mums for sale at the Stanton stand. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)

I love, too, the signage, art and seasonal decorations which draw customers to stop and shop for pumpkins and often other goods like squash and mums.

Knucklehead pumpkins get their own display area at the Stanton stand. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)

It all feels so good and earthy and connective, this buying direct from the grower who seeds, tends, harvests, markets. Locally-grown at its most basic.

A field of sunflowers, ideal for photo ops, grows next to pumpkins and corn at the Little Prairie roadside market. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)

I love, too, how rural pumpkin stands pop up next to cornfields and occasionally sunflower fields. Sunflowers make me smile with their bright yellow blossoms. Sort of like thousands of smiley faces beaming happiness upon the land.

Getting in the spirit of Halloween on the Little Prairie pumpkin wagon along Highway 3. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)

All these pumpkins placed for purchase prompt memories of Halloweens past. Of pulp and seeds scooped from pumpkins. Of pumpkins carved into jack-o-lanterns with toothy grins. Of jack-o-lanterns set on front steps and candles extinguished by the wind. Of pumpkins buried in drifts of snow in the Halloween blizzard of 1991 which dropped up to three feet of snow on parts of northern Minnesota and somewhat less here in southern Minnesota, but still a 20-inch storm total.

Pumpkins heap a wagon parked next to sunflower and corn fields at the Little Prairie stand along Highway 3. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)

Pumpkins represent more than a prop or seasonal decoration. They represent nostalgia, stories, the past, the present, the timelessness of tradition. Those are the reasons I can’t pass a pumpkin stand without feeling grateful, without remembering the childhood Halloween when I clamped a molded plastic gypsy mask onto my face or the Halloween I fingered cow eyeballs (really cold grapes) at a party in the basement of a veterinarian’s home or all the years I crafted Halloween costumes for my three kids.

Unpicked pumpkins in the Little Prairie field. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)

Then there’s the year I helped my father-in-law harvest pumpkins from his muddy patch in the cold and rain so he could take them to a roadside market in central Minnesota. Because of that experience, I understand the occasional challenges of getting pumpkins from vine to sale.

A cornfield backdrops the pumpkin wagon and signage at the Little Prairie pumpkin stand. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)

I appreciate the growers who are offering all of us the beauty of autumn, the fun and fright of Halloween, and the gratitude of Thanksgiving with each pumpkin grown, picked and placed for sale at a roadside stand.

TELL ME: What does a pumpkin represent to you? Do you buy from roadside stands or elsewhere? I’d like to hear.

© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Having fun & building community at Dundas Oktoberfest September 23, 2025

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Fest-goers, some in festive attire, gathered at picnic tables and under tents. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)

ATTENDING OKTOBERFEST IN NEARBY DUNDAS last Saturday, I felt a sense of unity, of community, of celebration. It felt good. We were all there just to have fun. Even the kids.

Kids roll down the hillside near the main celebration tent. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
I love this photo of this young boy watching the adults dance. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
On the edge of the fest grounds, a place for kids to paint pumpkins. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)

From dancing to painting pumpkins, riding in a barrel train and rolling down a hillside, the youngest among the fest-goers appeared to have as much fun as the adults.

Volunteers are behind the success of Oktoberfest. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)

I love that organizers thought of the kids. It takes a lot of man, and woman, power to run an event like this in a town with a population of some 1,800. I’m grateful to the many volunteers who stepped up so the rest of us could come and enjoy ourselves on a lovely Saturday of clouds mixed with sun and occasional showers.

Three of the remaining contestants in the women’s mug holding contest. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)

As I roamed the fest grounds, chatted with people, encouraged my husband in the mug holding contest, sang some German songs, watched enthusiastic dancers, drank beer, and shared savory and raspberry handhelds from Martha’s Eats & Treats, plus cheese curds from the Dundas Dukes baseball team, I thought, I’m having such a good time.

Biking through downtown Dundas past the car show, these kids wore festive German hats. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
Umbrellas came out when a brief shower passed through. I ducked into a tent and used Randy’s jacket to protect my camera. I wasn’t expecting rain. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
Even some of the youngest came dressed in German costumes. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)

It’s fun to photograph events like this, too. To take in the activities, the details. To notice kids rolling in the grass, a boy splashing in a puddle, a toddler hidden by an umbrella, two kids pedaling a two-seat bike down Dundas’ main drag…

Loved all the German messages on shirts such as this wish for a good day to everyone. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)

The adults are equally as interesting to watch. I loved seeing the happy faces, the conversations, the mixing of fest-goers in this small Cannon River town with the champion baseball team, several bars, a makerspace, Martha’s Eats & Treats, a paint store, Chapel Brewing, a big box store along the highway and more.

An enthusiastic emcee under the big tent. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)

Oktoberfest focused on celebrating German culture and heritage in music, dance, song, food, drink, dress. Whether you were German or not really didn’t matter. On this day, this gathering was mostly about having a good time, connecting, and building community among family, friends and strangers.

NOTE: Click here to read my first blog post about Oktoberfest in Dundas.

© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling