The Northern Lights, photographed northeast of Faribault near Cannon City (with a treeline in the foreground) around 9 p.m. Tuesday, November 11. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo November 2025)
IT TOOK A LIFE TIME, but I finally saw the Northern Lights for the first time. Ever. And they were poetic, artistic, inspiring, incredible, wondrous, glorious…all the adjectives you can use to describe a dark night sky colored with streaks of green, red and pink.
Randy and I were sitting comfortably in the warmth of our southern Minnesota home Tuesday evening when our son texted that he could see the Northern Lights even in the city lights of Boston. A photo proved it. Then the daughter who lives 35 minutes to the north of us texted that they, too, could see the lights in Lakeville, south of the Twin Cities. Photos proved it.
We popped up, grabbed our coats and set out to see for ourselves. We didn’t have to drive far into the countryside before we noticed the first streaks of light. Turning onto a gravel road, we parked, stepped outside and turned our eyes heavenward. Then we eventually tried to figure out how to photograph the majestic scene above us on our smartphones, with only minimal success.
While I would have loved some spectacular images, what matters most is that I saw, with my own eyes, that which I’ve wanted to see my entire life. Others were doing the same. We counted about a dozen vehicles parked along rural roads, the occupants gazing skyward.
This imprinted upon me how something like the Northern Lights can bring people outdoors, appreciating this beautiful natural world that surrounds us and, which on this November evening, put on a spectacular light show.
TELL ME: Have you seen the Northern Lights? When and where? How would you describe them?
WHEN I WRITE about music, it’s not with any expertise. I can’t read a single musical note. I can’t carry a tune. But I do know when I like a song. And most of my “likes” hearken to my youth, when music boomed from the radio. Or, in the case of Simon & Garfunkel, flowed.
From my favorites “The Sound of Silence” and “Bridge over Troubled Water” to many more, this group performs a lengthy list of Simon & Garfunkel songs in addition to some Paul Simon favorites. I’ve never heard this tribute band, but I’ve been told, and read, that they are outstanding. Or, in 1960s and early 1970s lingo, I might say they are cool, groovy, far out.
The Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2024)
The Feeling Groovy tribute to Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel is part of the Cathedral Concert Series. While the concerts are free, donations are welcomed for the Cathedral Preservation Fund. The massive stone cathedral, built between 1862 and 1869, is on the National Register of Historic Places. Bishop Henry Whipple, prominent in local and state history for his outreach to Indigenous Peoples, led the church at the time.
It’s a beautiful structure. And the acoustics inside the massive sanctuary are perfect for a concert that also features audience participation. I expect when Barb Piper and Pauline Jennings step up to sing, the audience will feel immersed in the lyrics and in the groovy sound of music, not of silence.
My father, Elvern Kletscher, on the left with two of his soldier buddies in Korea.(Photo from Elvern Kletscher’s collection)
WHEN I CONSIDER THE TRAUMA of war, I think of my dad. A combat veteran of the Korean War, he struggled with undiagnosed depression and post traumatic stress disorder. Not until the later years of his life did he find support among other veterans. They met to share their stories, trauma and struggles. Therein he found empathy and compassion. As a child and young adult, I admittedly and sadly failed to understand the emotional pain my dad experienced. If only I had, I would have listened, given him the compassion he deserved.
Memorable photos from the Vietnam Memorial traveling wall while in Faribault. The words on the soldier’s helmet reminded me of my dad. He brought home a souvenir patch from Korea which read “RETURNED FROM HELL 1952 KOREA 1953” (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2016)
Today I get it. I recognize that Dad’s time on the front lines in the mountains of Korea, where he killed the enemy and was wounded by shrapnel that would later earn him the Purple Heart, were life-changing. He returned to the farm fields of Minnesota a completely different young man than the one who sailed across the ocean to war.
A scene from the 2023 Critical Overwatch at the Rice County Veterans Memorial. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo November 2023)
Thankfully, the passing of time has brought positive change and much-needed help for our veterans, plus increased awareness. In my community, that awareness includes an “Operation: 23 to Zero Critical Overwatch” vigil at the Rice County Veterans Memorial beginning at noon on Monday, November 10, and continuing for 23 hours until Tuesday, November 11. The vigil concludes with an 11 a.m. Veterans Day program followed by a noon luncheon for veterans at American Legion Post 43 in Faribault.
Boots for Damian Wilson at the 2024 Critical Overwatch vigil. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo November 2024)
I’ve attended this vigil, now in its ninth year, multiple times. Verbs like honor, cherish, reflect, help, support and encourage come to mind when I consider this event aiming to curb veteran and military suicides. That’s the core premise of this visually-impactful overwatch. Every hour at the bottom of the hour, a pair of boots is placed on the veterans memorial plaza. Those boots represent a veteran lost to suicide. Attached to the boots are names, photos and dates of the deceased. Personal. Powerful. Emotional. Each set of boots represents a soldier from the area or connected to someone from the area.
The number 23 is also intentional, reflecting the number of veterans who daily commit suicide. One active military member also does the same each day.
This sign was posted at the vigil in 2024. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)
It’s sobering to see all those boots ringing the veterans plaza. But it’s also heartening to see the support at this vigil—to know that veterans are standing by, literally, to listen, encourage and provide resources and help to anyone who needs it. I’ve seen and felt the compassion. Overheard the conversations.
We need to keep talking. I’m grateful to the Operation: 23 to Zero Southern Minnesota Chapter for their ongoing efforts to raise awareness about suicide and to work toward suicide prevention. They listen. They care. They stand at the ready to serve those who’ve served.
FYI: If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, immediate help is available via the Suicide and Crisis Hotline at 988. Text or call that number. Or call 911. Please also seek additional professional help.
NOTE:Faribault Harley Davidson, 2704 West Airport Drive,is hosting a post Veterans Day Chili Cook Off on Saturday, November 15, with all proceeds benefiting Operation: 23 to Zero. Chili tasting costs $10 and runs from 11 am-2 pm. Prizes awarded. For more information, click here.
A portion of an acrylic on canvas painting, “Crazy Minds,” by Bethlehem Academy senior Payton Eckhardt. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
I LOVE LIVING in a community with a thriving arts center and arts scene. Why? First and foremost, I love the arts. Second, the arts connect and build community. Third, the arts are a form of expression, a source of entertainment, a way to learn more about each other and the world around us. Simply put, we need the arts to feed our spirits, to uplift, encourage and grow us, especially in turbulent times such as these.
“Ducks,” acrylic on hardboard by Julie Fakler. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
I need only grab my camera or put my fingers on my computer keyboard to create. I am driven to create not because it’s something I have to do. Rather I love to create with images and words and I cannot imagine my life without either.
The Paradise Center for the Arts in Faribault recently featured Comedian C. Willi Myles. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
Ask any visual, literary or performing artist and you will likely get similar comments about creativity and the importance of access to the arts. I don’t take for granted that Faribault has a hub for the arts in the Paradise Center for the Arts located in our historic downtown. It’s a gem—a place to attend theater, a concert or a comedy show; take a class; create art; display art; view art; perform art…
An overview of the “I Am Minnesota” exhibit by Kate Langlais in the main gallery. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo October 2025)
Recently I popped into the Paradise to view four gallery exhibits, including “I Am Minnesota” by Kate Langlais in the main gallery. It features the portraits of first and second-generation immigrants in Faribault and their stories. I wrote about that exhibit in an earlier post. (Click here.)
“St. Olga of Kiev” an acrylic on canvas by Varvara Meshkova, Bethlehem Academy tenth grader. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
In the Paradise’s three other much smaller galleries I found equally impressive art, which will be on display until November 15. Four of the artists participated in the recent Studio ARTour of South Central Minnesota while the rest are students at Bethlehem Academy in Faribault.
A close-up of Kathy Weed’s textile art, “Songflowers” Sunflowers. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
What I saw was a whole lot of talent. From the textile art of Northfielder Kathy Weed to the pet portraits of Paradise Executive Director Julie Fakler to the pottery of Johnnie Walker, visual arts department chair at Shattuck-St. Mary’s School, to the fiber and clay art of Char Johnson to the assorted artworks of high school students, I delighted in it all. To view these collective works is to see an artist’s hand, an artist’s mind, an artist’s spirit and inspiration on display.
A sampling of Kathy Weed’s textile art currently displayed at the Paradise. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
Quilter Weed, for example, clearly loves nature as it themes her textile art recreations of the natural world.
“Happy Goat,” raku clay by Julie Fakler. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
Fakler shows her love for animals in vivid animal portraits done in acrylic and clay. Her art is signature recognizable to me. I’ve often thought Fakler’s colorful animals would be perfect in a children’s picture book or splashed upon a tee shirt. They always make me feel happy.
A mug crafted by Johnnie Walker. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
And then there’s Walker’s pottery, equally as appealing, but in a totally different way. I want to wrap my hands around his pottery, to feel what he felt when he shaped a mug or a bowl from clay. I value such connections to art.
Ceramic necklaces created by Char Johnson. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
Char Johnson brings her love of nature and of animals into her detailed art created in the mediums of clay, animal fiber and photography. I find needle felting particularly intriguing as, in my mind, it hearkens to hardy pioneer women.
“Woohitike Courage” wood intarsia by Lain Kuhlman, Bethlehem Academy sophomore. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
When I walked over to view the wall gallery of Bethlehem Academy student art, I wondered about the stories behind their creations. What of the untitled piece featuring three masks? What of the colorful abstract “Crazy Minds”? What of “St. Olga of Kiev”? Or “Wóohitike ‘Courage’”? I reacted to each. I thought of the masks we all wear, of mental health, of the war in Ukraine, of Indigenous peoples.
An untitled acrylic on cast plaster by Hannah Miller, Bethlehem Academy senior. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
And I thought, too, of how much I love and value the arts and my access to them.
More pottery by Johnnie Walker. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
TELL ME: What do you love about the arts? Where do you access the arts? Are you a creative?Or simply share your thoughts on the art featured in this post.
Julie Fakler’s animal portraits, painted with acrylics on hardboard.
FYI: The Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave. N., Faribault, is open from noon-5 pm Wednesday-Friday and from 10 am-2 pm Saturday.All art featured in this post was photographed with permission of the PCA. Artists own the copyrights to their art.
An anonymous mother’s story and commentary as written by Kate Langlais for her “I Am Minnesota” project. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
I ALMOST MISSED IT. “Anonymous Mother’s Story” positioned next to “The Young Mother” charcoal portrait in the “I Am Minnesota” exhibit by Faribault artist Kate Langlais. But there it was, tucked in the corner near the light switches in the Paradise Center for the Arts main gallery.
The exhibit features some 20 portraits and stories of first and second-generation immigrants from my community. None is more relevant than that of the young mother who now faces deportation and separation from her infant. Here are key words in her story: young mother. here legally. green card. application suddenly canceled. awaiting deportation. ankle bracelet. cruel and inhumane.
We’ve all heard countless media reports of people snatched from the streets and elsewhere by masked agents of the federal government, unlawfully detained without due process, separated from family, deported… That is, indeed, cruel, inhumane, heartbreaking and wrong. Even when immigrants are following all of the rules, all of the laws to legally live here, they find themselves targeted.
Martha Brown took this photo of the anonymous mother which is included, along with text, in the “I Am Minnesota” exhibit. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
To read the story of this young mother from my area, to see the faceless portrait, and then to also view a photo taken by Martha Brown, candidate for Minnesota House District 19a, deeply touched me. Brown photographed only the young woman’s legs and the wheels of her baby’s stroller. That was absolutely the right and compassionate thing to do.
The intentionally-framed image is more effective and powerful than if Brown had photographed the woman’s face. Every single person who sees this image should understand the reasons for anonymity. In a statement with the photo, Brown urges southern Minnesotans to reach out to their U.S. congressman “to stop this cruel and inhumane treatment.”
Langlais’ inclusion of the anonymous mother’s portrait and story, along with Brown’s photo and words, is perhaps the most important part of the “I Am Minnesota” exhibit. And to think, I nearly missed it there in a corner of the gallery. Don’t miss this exhibit, which closes on November 15 at the Paradise Center for the Arts. It’s located in historic downtown Faribault, a place many immigrants call home.
One of my favorite images from downtown Faribault shows a group of Somali men visiting on a street corner. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2024)
FYI:The Northfield Public Library is hosting “Bridging Communities: A Celebration of Somali Culture” from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, November 8. The event features interactive dance workshops led by the Somali Museum of Minnesota Dance Troupe;a performance by the Faribault Middle School Choir; and a participatory sing-along of Somali songs. Other activities include henna art, face painting, bilingual Somali storytelling, a scavenger hunt with prizes and more. The library is collaborating with Somali community partners and St. Olaf and Carleton colleges to bring this event to Northfield.
NOTE: I photographed the “I Am Minnesota” exhibit with permission of the Paradise. I also received permission from Martha Brown to include her photo in this post.
Kate Langlais’ newest installment of her “I Am Minnesota” project fills the main gallery at the Paradise Center for the Arts with nearly 20 portraits. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
EACH TIME I VIEW the portrait art of Faribault artist Kate Langlais, I feel gratitude. Gratitude for the project she’s undertaken to showcase first and second-generation immigrants in my southern Minnesota community. Titled “I Am Minnesota,” this collection of portraits and accompanying first-person stories is now displayed in the main gallery at the Paradise Center for the Arts in downtown Faribault until November 15.
Kylee, as drawn in charcoal by Kate Langlais. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
Every single person in Faribault, Rice County and Minnesota ought to see this enlightening exhibit. In her artist’s statement, Langlais shares her own family story of descending from immigrants. She invites everyone to write their stories in the gallery guestbook and then to take the time to read the posted stories and “open your heart to connecting with all of your Faribault neighbors.”
The Monroy Lara Family, an oil on canvas by Kate Langlais. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
I appreciate those words, “open your heart to connecting.” It is when we begin to talk to one another, to meet each other on a personal level, to see each other as individuals, that barriers begin to fall and we become neighbors, even friends.
A charcoal portrait of Cathlena by Kate Langlais. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
This “I Am Minnesota” exhibit connects us in a way that is effective. It doesn’t get much more personal than faces and stories. These are the stories of individuals rooted in Africa, Asia, North America, South America and Europe.
In her own words, Cathlena’s story. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
The Molina Family as drawn in charcoal by Kate Langlais. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
Born in the US and raised in Texas and Minnesota, Rosa has struggled with racism. She tried to fit in while growing up—reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, joining Girl Scouts, throwing toilet paper at houses… Still, Rosa was told to “go back” to her own country. America is her own country. She was told, too, to “speak English because this is America.” Being bilingual is, in my opinion, a strength in today’s interconnected world.
Another view of portraits in the “I Am Minnesota” gallery exhibit. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
Even among acquaintances, I’ve heard derogatory comments about Faribault’s immigrant population, especially Somalis. I don’t let those negative remarks go unchecked. Rosa says it well: “I just think sometimes that some people forget that their families were once the different ones.”
Kate Langlais’ drawing of Sam, born in a Cambodian refugee camp. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
To be “different”—in how you dress, the language you speak, the food you eat, the way you look, your customs and traditions—often makes you a target. The first and second-generation immigrants who shared their stories with Langlais don’t hold back. They’ve been bullied, misunderstood, struggled, been told to assimilate… It’s disheartening at times to read their truth. But these are words we need to read.
The Echeverria Family operates a successful food truck, Delicious Pupusas, as drawn in charcoal by Kate Langlais. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
Silvia Echeverria’s story about how her family business came to be accompanies the family portrait. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
In the corner of another portrait is the name of a popular Faribault restaurant, El Tequila Family Mexican Restaurant in business for 27 years in multiple communities. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
Among all of the tough truths there are beautiful words, too, of friendships, dreams, opportunities, goals, hard work and success. Restaurants opened. A food truck business started. And many other stories of obstacles overcome to achieve personal happiness and professional success.
Charcoal portrait of Dawud, whose family story is rooted in Somalia, by Kate Langlais. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
Second grader Dawud, born in St. Paul and living in Faribault, holds unbridled optimism about his future. “I want to grow up to be a business owner, just like my dad, and travel around the world,” he says. But then he also dreams of becoming a professional basketball or soccer player, like many other Minnesota boys his age. I hope nothing, especially not his immigrant background, holds him back. Ever.
As Marco, who came to the US at age seven shares, “We love autumn, flowers, the sun, nature, and the great opportunities to become better people.”
The Paradise Center for the Arts in historic downtown Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
FYI: The Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Avenue North, Faribault, is open from noon-5 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdayand also during scheduled events and performances.
This exhibit was photographed with permission of the PCA. Portraits are the copyrighted work of artist Kate Langlais.My photos, in some cases, do not show the entire portrait.Please visit this gallery exhibit to view all of the portraits in full and to read the accompanying stories.
One of several scary characters positioned in a residential yard near downtown Waterville. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
HAPPY HALLOWEEN, my friends!
For sale at The Barn craft sale in September in Cannon City. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
If I was a kid, I’d be super excited about putting on my costume, grabbing my candy collecting bucket or bag and heading out to trick-or-treat. But, since I’m an adult, there will be none of that, only a quiet evening at home. I didn’t even buy candy to hand out since the number of trick-or-treaters to our house sometimes numbers zero. Plus, the cost of candy is too high.
Thrift shops, like the Salvation Army in Red Wing, are good sources for Halloween costumes. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
But my grandkids, ages nine months, six and nine, will join countless costumed kids canvasing neighborhoods for treats. Izzy is dressing as Pikachu, Isaac as Numberblock Six and baby Everett as a dragon. Not that a baby can eat candy, but, well, his parents are pretty excited about their son’s first Halloween. I remember our oldest daughter’s first Halloween costumed as an angel. And I remember my childhood Halloweens in rural Minnesota, especially the year I dressed as a gypsy.
In Waterville, warnings in a neighborhood Halloween display. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
I remember Mom dropping me and my siblings off in my hometown of Vesta, population around 360, to collect goodies. This wasn’t necessarily ring the doorbell or knock, then grab and go. Sometimes we stepped inside to show off our costumes and sign a guestbook before being given our candy. Or, in the case of Great Aunt Gertie, a homemade popcorn ball, which was quite capable of causing a chipped tooth. When we were done gathering treats, we went to Grandma’s house where Mom picked us up for the short ride back to the farm.
The entrance to Coy and Kathy Lane’s Haunted Mini-Golf interactive Halloween display at 234 First Avenue Southwest in Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
One aspect absent from my childhood Halloweens were yards full of spooky decorations. Today they are everywhere. My neighbors up the street, Coy and Kathy Lane, create a themed display in their yard that is open from 10 a.m.- 9 p.m. the entire month of October. This year they built a haunted mini golf course. It’s impressive. Sound, lights and action make this a fully-immersive experience created by a couple who clearly love Halloween. They’ll be handing out full-sized candy bars on Halloween, the final date the display is open to the public…until next October.
A Halloween display on a front porch in small town Nerstrand. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
All around Faribault and neighboring communities, inflatables and other factory-made decorations have popped up in yards. Cats. Frankenstein. Skeletons. Witches. And on and on.
As much as I dislike creepy dolls, I posed with this one at Coy and Kathy Lane’s haunted mini golf course. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo by Randy Helbling, October 2025)
But the single freakiest Halloween decorations for me personally are the dolls. I can’t quite put my finger on why they creep me out other than that they do. My neighbors have an entire family of creepy dolls circling one hole in their mini golf course. I posed with one of them while Randy took a photo. We were there with our two oldest grandchildren during daylight hours, which likely explains why all of us were more entertained than scared.
I spotted this creepy doll in a storefront window in Montgomery, Minnesota. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
Now had a mouse been running around or a bat flying about, I would have fled the Halloween scene, snap, just like that.
My favorite hole at the Lane Halloween display features clowns. And, yes, some move. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
TELL ME: What are you doing for Halloween? Also, I’d love to hear a Halloween memory or story. Please share.
City View Park on Faribault’s east side provides a sweeping, colorful view of the city in October. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2022)
IF I WANT TO VIEW fall colors, I needn’t go far. I can step into my backyard to see glorious golden maples. Up the street from my Willow Street home, more trees blaze. If I follow Second Avenue to its intersection with Seventh Street, I’ll find especially vibrant trees on a corner property owned by friends Mark and Laurie. There are more splashy hues along Seventh Street and all about town. Tree-lined bluffs rising above the Straight River burst with color. Faribault is a beautiful, historic riverside city anytime, but especially in autumn.
A view of the Cannon River from the pedestrian bridge at the Cannon River Wilderness Area between Faribault and Northfield. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
Yet, even with all the colorful trees in town, I like to go into the countryside to see the colors, too. And it’s not just about the orange, red and yellow leaves. It’s also about sky and water, fields and farms, the “all” which comprises and defines rural Minnesota in September and October.
This weathered barn with the fieldstone foundation sits along the gravel road leading to Richter Woods County Park west of Montgomery in Le Sueur County. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
It’s also about following back gravel roads, the vehicle kicking up dust. It’s about meeting massive farm equipment on roadways. It’s about stopping to look at a weathered barn. It’s about traveling at a slower pace.
A view of Kelly Lake and a colorful shoreline. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
And it’s about stopping, exiting the van to walk into the woods or stand along the shoreline of an area lake to admire a colorful tree line.
A sweeping view of the countryside in the Union Lake area. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
As a native of the mostly treeless southwestern Minnesota prairie, it was not until I moved to Rice County in 1982 that I fully realized just how overwhelmingly stunning this season is in our state. I didn’t grow up going on vacations with the exception of two—one at age four to Duluth and the second to the Black Hills of South Dakota during my elementary school years. But each autumn, my siblings and I piled into the Chevy with our parents for a Sunday afternoon fall color drive along the Minnesota River Valley from north of Echo to Morton.
A partially-harvested cornfield in the Union Lake area. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
And so my love of Sunday drives (which were frequent during my youth because Dad wanted to look at the crops) evolved. As did my understanding that all we needed to do was travel a short distance to see a different landscape. One with woods, colorful woods, in autumn.
Colorful trees by Union Lake. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
The topography of Rice County is incredibly diverse. From the familiar flat prairie to rolling hills and valleys to lakes and rivers and streams, it’s all right here. Lovely.
Sometimes you just have to stop and look up, here in Richter Woods. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
I encourage Sunday afternoon drives, or whatever day works for you. Forget about schedules and the work at home. Get in the vehicle and go. Go local. Appreciate what’s right in your backyard.
Pull over along a gravel road, if it’s safe to do so, and take in the countryside. Stand along the shore of a lake. Walk into the woods. Hear the crunch of dried leaves beneath your soles. Look up at the colorful leaves. And see, really see, the autumn beauty that surrounds you…before winter strips the land, leaving it naked and exposed.
THIS WEEK ONE OF MY FAVORITE area writers comes to downtown Faribault. He’s Owatonnan Chris Norbury, award-winning author of three books in the Matt Lanier mystery-thriller series and a stand alone middle school novel, Little Mountain, Big Trouble.
Books on Central, a used bookshop of the Rice County Area United Way, is hosting Norbury beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, October 23, as part of its author series. Norbury will read and talk about his books and the craft of writing.
I’m excited to see Norbury again. We’ve chatted briefly several times when he was selling his books at events in Faribault. He is a genuinely nice guy whose writing I happen to love. As a writer, I recognize Norbury’s devotion to craft—the time, energy, inspiration and hard work it takes to write a book. I expect to learn more during his upcoming talk and the Q & A that follows.
My first introduction to Norbury came via his mysteries, all set in Minnesota with recognizable place titles like Castle Danger, Straight River and Dangerous Straits. Main character Matt Lanier is a southern Minnesota farm kid turned professional musician. I’m especially drawn to books set in Minnesota and with strong home-grown characters like Lanier.
(Book cover sourced online)
But it is Norbury’s novel for middle schoolers (and older, including adults), Little Mountain, Big Trouble, which really resonates with me. I encourage you to read my review of this book (click here) about 12-year-old Eduardo, who is bullied and eventually paired with a Big Brother, Russ. Like Russ, Norbury was a Big Brother for 20 years and today donates a portion of his book sales to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Minnesota. I appreciate Norbury’s generous ongoing support of an organization which helps young people.
(Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
Books on Central also gives back to community through its umbrella organization Rice County Area United Way. Book sale proceeds go to the United Way which in turn provides financial support to select nonprofits in the county. All book inventory is donated by community members and all staff at the used bookshop are volunteers. There’s so much to love about this Minnesota bookstore and Minnesota writers like Chris Norbury. Kindness, compassion and community center both as they embrace books and the craft of writing.
FYI: Books on Central, 227 Central Avenue North, Faribault, is open from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Friday and from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays and other times for special literary and other events.
Flowers blooming a few weeks ago in the Rice County Master Gardeners Teaching Gardens. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
IN THIS FLEETING TIME before winter arrives, I find myself drawn to end-of-the-season blooms. And plenty remain, clinging to summer past, attaching to autumn present, but some already ceding to the inevitable cold and snow yet to come.
A mass of brown-eyed (I think) susans. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
Even as days grow shorter and nightfall presses dark upon the land, these flowers remain. And I delight in them wherever they stand, bend into the wind, catch the light of the morning and evening sun.
The roses are still blooming. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
Most surprising, perhaps, are the roses that linger. I dip my nose close, expecting the heady scent of perfume, only to be disappointed. They smell ever so faint, a scent barely noticeable.
When I took this photo in late September, Monarchs flitted among zinnias. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
Zinnias flash color, a beacon for monarchs.
Stunning sedum, absolutely beautiful in the evening light. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
Sedum and seed heads and sunny yellow flowers all cozy together, some spent, some still determined to survive as the season shifts toward winter.
Paver pathways weave through the gardens which include benches, a water feature, rock snakes and more. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
I feel this sense of urgency to focus my eyes on flowers, to imprint upon my memory their glorious beauty. And so I wander among the blooms and dying blooms in the Rice County Master Gardeners Teaching Gardens in Faribault.
Photographed up close or at a distance, these flowers are lovely in the evening light of autumn. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
I love this oasis on the Rice County Fairgrounds next to the historical society. It offers a peaceful respite just off heavily-trafficked Second Avenue where vehicles rush by, their drivers seemingly unaware of the nearby gardens.
The garden includes two rock snakes, this flower stone among the many forming the serpent. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
But I long ago discovered this spot. Perfect for a picnic. Perfect for wandering. Perfect for photographing flowers. Perfect for reflecting and learning and enjoying. I’m grateful for every volunteer who lovingly tends this garden so I can come here. Sit. Walk. Photograph. Snapshot the scene for future reference.
A grass stem glows in the light of sunset. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
When winter comes with its wind and deep-freeze cold and snow, I will remember the pink roses, the bold brown-eyed susans, the grass glowing in the sunlight.
A coneflower seed head. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
And when winter drags on, I will remember this place and how, when spring arrives, the perennials will resurrect and pop through the earth. I will remember, too, how seeds sown in the soil will sprout and push green shoots through the earth to leaf and blossom and bring me summer joy.
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
“Anonymous mother” & a call to action November 5, 2025
Tags: "I Am Minnesota", art, commentary, Faribault, immigrants, immigration, Kate Langlais, Martha Brown, Minnesota, Paradise Center for the Arts, portraits, stories
I ALMOST MISSED IT. “Anonymous Mother’s Story” positioned next to “The Young Mother” charcoal portrait in the “I Am Minnesota” exhibit by Faribault artist Kate Langlais. But there it was, tucked in the corner near the light switches in the Paradise Center for the Arts main gallery.
The exhibit features some 20 portraits and stories of first and second-generation immigrants from my community. None is more relevant than that of the young mother who now faces deportation and separation from her infant. Here are key words in her story: young mother. here legally. green card. application suddenly canceled. awaiting deportation. ankle bracelet. cruel and inhumane.
We’ve all heard countless media reports of people snatched from the streets and elsewhere by masked agents of the federal government, unlawfully detained without due process, separated from family, deported… That is, indeed, cruel, inhumane, heartbreaking and wrong. Even when immigrants are following all of the rules, all of the laws to legally live here, they find themselves targeted.
To read the story of this young mother from my area, to see the faceless portrait, and then to also view a photo taken by Martha Brown, candidate for Minnesota House District 19a, deeply touched me. Brown photographed only the young woman’s legs and the wheels of her baby’s stroller. That was absolutely the right and compassionate thing to do.
The intentionally-framed image is more effective and powerful than if Brown had photographed the woman’s face. Every single person who sees this image should understand the reasons for anonymity. In a statement with the photo, Brown urges southern Minnesotans to reach out to their U.S. congressman “to stop this cruel and inhumane treatment.”
Langlais’ inclusion of the anonymous mother’s portrait and story, along with Brown’s photo and words, is perhaps the most important part of the “I Am Minnesota” exhibit. And to think, I nearly missed it there in a corner of the gallery. Don’t miss this exhibit, which closes on November 15 at the Paradise Center for the Arts. It’s located in historic downtown Faribault, a place many immigrants call home.
FYI: The Northfield Public Library is hosting “Bridging Communities: A Celebration of Somali Culture” from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, November 8. The event features interactive dance workshops led by the Somali Museum of Minnesota Dance Troupe; a performance by the Faribault Middle School Choir; and a participatory sing-along of Somali songs. Other activities include henna art, face painting, bilingual Somali storytelling, a scavenger hunt with prizes and more. The library is collaborating with Somali community partners and St. Olaf and Carleton colleges to bring this event to Northfield.
NOTE: I photographed the “I Am Minnesota” exhibit with permission of the Paradise. I also received permission from Martha Brown to include her photo in this post.
© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling