Minnesota Prairie Roots

Writing and photography by Audrey Kletscher Helbling

Protesting in Faribault January 11, 2026

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Me with my new friend, Bashir, a U.S. citizen who now carries his passport with him at all times. Bashir works as a family and community engagement specialist in the Faribault Public Schools. (Copyrighted photo by & courtesy of Chloe Kucera, Faribault Daily News)

SATURDAY AFTERNOON, as a raw northwest wind swept down Minnesota State Highway 60, I stood side-by-side with others at a busy intersection in the heart of downtown Faribault. I stood in solidarity over concerns about ICE enforcement locally, across the state and country. I stood in solidarity over concerns about the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on January 7. I stood in solidarity over concerns for our democracy. And I stood in love and support of my neighbors.

Neighbors like Bashir, a long-time Faribault resident whom I met shortly after arriving at the gathering to the sound of bagpipes. My interaction with him nearly broke me emotionally after Bashir reached inside his jacket and pulled out his passport. “I carry this with me everywhere now,” he said. It’s one thing to hear and read about this in media reports. It’s quite another to meet a U.S. citizen “forced” to carry his passport by a president who has publicly stated he wants Somalis out of the country.

My humanity, my compassion, my heart and soul and spirit call upon me to support individuals like my new friend, Bashir, in this moment. My humanity also calls upon me to support the Latino and Hispanic communities who comprised the majority of the 25 or so of us gathered during the quickly-organized protest on Saturday.

Organizer Sonia mingled among us, protesting, passing out hot chocolate and later distributing educational information about Constitutional rights, alerting others to ICE’s presence and more.

The second protest sign I made and which my husband carried. Many at the rally held similar signs. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo January 2026)

ICE IN FARIBAULT

In conversations, I learned that ICE has been especially active in Faribault recently. I’d heard this previously from multiple sources. Protester Travis, who works in the school system, confirmed this, noting that student attendance is down. He watched for ICE vehicles during the rally and had every right to be worried given ICE activity along Lyndale Avenue in Faribault earlier Saturday. That resulted in multiple 911 calls, including one from a caller claiming they were “about to get shot,” according to a media release from Faribault Police Chief John Sherwin. Officers responded to ensure public safety. ICE was there. But no shooting occurred.

We are a state and community on edge following the killing of Renee Good. We are a state and community under incredible stress as the federal government relentlessly targets Minnesota and the people who call this state home. It is unfathomable to think that those of skin tones other than white must fear they will be taken by masked agents. It was not lost on me that I am (at least for now) exempt because I am white.

Another new friend, a young Hispanic woman named Christina, shared how ICE agents are patrolling the Cannon River Mobile Home Park, home to many Hispanics and Latinos. Residents are afraid to leave their homes for fear of being taken by ICE. Doesn’t matter if you are here legally or not.

Protesters line the sidewalk at the intersection of Central Avenue and highway 60. I am hugging Bashir in this image. (Copyrighted photo by & courtesy of Chloe Kucera, Faribault Daily News)

OVERWHELMINGLY POSITIVE SUPPORT

As I stood with Bashir, Sonia, Travis, Christina, Hannah, a high school senior and a mix of multi-aged Latinos, Hispanics and white people like me, I felt empowered. Our numbers may have been small. But for a last-minute protest and the first in Faribault, turn-out was encouraging.

Even more encouraging was the overwhelmingly positive response we got from passing motorists in honks, friendly waves, thumbs up and more to counter the few middle fingers, thumbs down and venomous words spewed by one especially angry young female driver. How anyone can hold such hate toward immigrants is beyond my understanding.

I felt only love in the presence of my new friends. Many thanked me for coming. I hugged several, offered words of encouragement. Words matter. And so do actions. A Somali couple arrived to distribute hot tea. I’d been protesting for 1 ½ hours and felt chilled to the bone by the estimated zero-degree windchill. That offering of Somali tea warmed my body and my heart. As I reached for a cup of the hot beverage, I was overcome by emotion. The message I carried—“I LOVE my immigrant neighbors”—reflected back on me as I, too, felt loved in that moment.

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NOTE: I moderate all comments on this, my personal blog. I will not publish comments which express hatred or are otherwise offensive, include intentional false information and/or do not meet the standards of decency I expect here.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

A winter walk along the Straight River inspires January 7, 2026

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Walking along the Straight River Trail near Fleckenstein Bluffs Park on a recent winter day. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)

WITH WINTER OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED, it’s easy enough to stay home, settle in, curl up with a good book and avoid the ice, cold and snow that define Minnesota weather in January. When winter burrows in, I’m more inclined to hibernate. But I push myself to get out. It’s good for my physical, mental and emotional health.

An extensive city trail system runs throughout Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)

Faribault offers plenty of options for aging Baby Boomers like me and others who simply want to take a walk. On the worst of winter days, I can loop around the soccer field at Shattuck-St. Mary’s School, which opens its dome to the public most weekday mornings (except holidays) from November into early spring. Hours vary, but generally run from around six-ish to 9:30 am.

The Straight River Trail stretches before me in the area known as Frog Town. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)

And when I want to be outdoors, the city’s paved recreational trails are usually cleared, allowing me to safely immerse myself in nature. There’s something about walking outdoors at a brisk pace on a cold winter day that invigorates.

Even in the drab winterscape, color can be found, such as in these dried berries. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)

Sometimes, though, I opt to carry my camera and focus on the environment rather than upping my heart rate. Photography improves my well-being, too, because I begin to notice nature’s details in a mostly monochrome landscape. Winter’s beauty emerges. And that is good for my spirit, my soul, my creativity.

The Straight River is anything but straight as it winds between woods and bluffs in Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)

I especially delight in following the Straight River Trail because water, whether frozen or flowing free, mesmerizes me. I think humans have always been drawn to water. Near Fleckenstein Bluffs Park, the Straight River curves, winding through the woods, under the railroad bridge, along the bluffs.

Barely discernible, a temporary riverside shelter in the woods near Fleckenstein Bluffs Park. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)

On a recent afternoon along the trail, with Canon camera in hand, I spotted a flash of red across the river in the woods. From a distance and through the trees, I couldn’t clearly distinguish details. But I knew this was a temporary shelter for someone without a permanent home. I saw a person shoveling snow.

Tangled twigs along the Straight River Trail. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)

And I thought of my poem, “Misunderstood,” inspired by a previous walk along the Straight River Trail. That poem published in 2024 in Talking Stick 33, Earth Signs, a Minnesota literary anthology:

Misunderstood

Tents cluster along the Straight River,

home to the homeless on land

once held by the Wahpekute.

History and hardship merge here

in long-ago and present-day stories.

Bison skin tipis and nylon tents.

Different times. Different peoples.

Drawn to the water, the sheltering woods.

Misunderstood then. Misunderstood now.

This homemade trail sign, screwed to a tree along the Straight River Trail in Frog Town, leads to a path beaten through the snow. I did not follow the unofficial trail, not this time. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)

Getting outdoors feeds my creativity. If not for that walk and my knowledge of Faribault history, I would not have crafted that poem about the Dakota and those experiencing homelessness today in my community. I observe, photograph, write, creating photos and stories that need to be shared.

© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Art, history & laughter at the Paradise January 6, 2026

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The H.H. King Flour Mill as painted by Faribault artist Maybelle Stark in 1959. This is a photo of a print I own. Stark’s mill painting is included in a new exhibit at the Paradise Center for the Arts. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo January 2026)

THE VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS come together under one roof this Friday evening, January 9, at the Paradise Center for the Arts in historic downtown Faribault during an opening gallery reception from 5-7 pm followed by an improv comedy show at 7:30 pm. I’m excited about both. I love art. And I like entertainment that makes me laugh.

First up is the reception celebrating the work of artists showcased in four galleries. That includes “Homegrown Art: The Local Artist Collection of the Rice County Historical Society,” individual artists Barbara Schwenk and Leo Bird, pottery from the Paradise Center for the Arts pottery department and art by Bethlehem Academy students.

The RCHS exhibit in the main gallery kicks off a year-long celebration of the county historical society’s 100th birthday. “From a fantastical creature made of tin to bright, creative pottery and beautiful paintings, this gallery highlights items normally tucked away in storage and spotlights the talents of the Rice County community,” according to a media release from the RCHS.

“1938 Church Wedding” by Linda Van Lear is based on The Holy Innocents Church at the Rice County Fairgrounds/Historical Society grounds. The painting was previously shown at the Paradise. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo August 2020)

Naturally, I wondered about the artists to be featured in the 20 pieces chosen for the Paradise show. They include, among others, Grace McKinstry, Linda Van Lear, Ivan Whillock, Maybelle Stark and Frieda Lord. I’m familiar with all of them except Lord, although I have seen and photographed the art of her granddaughter, Dana Warmington Hanson. Lord and Stark were among the founding members of the Faribault Art Center, which evolved into the Paradise Center for the Arts.

“Rain,” a woodcarving by Ivan Whillock exhibited previously at the Paradise. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo October 2020)

McKinstry and Whillock are perhaps the best-known in that short list shared with me by the RCHS. Whillock, who has a studio in Faribault, is an internationally-renowned woodcarver and also a painter. McKinstry (she died in 1936) traveled the world in pursuit of creating portraits and landscapes. Her art is featured in the Smithsonian, the Minnesota Historical Society, the Minnesota State Capital and elsewhere worldwide. Locally, the county historical society owns more than 40 pieces of her artwork, the largest collection of McKinstry’s art anywhere.

I own art by one of the artists, Maybelle Stark, whose work is included in the RCHS gallery exhibit. That’s a print of the H.H. King Flour Mill, once located along the Cannon River on Faribault’s west side and destroyed by fire in 1975. Stark painted the scene in 1959 and exhibited it locally the same year. Now that painting is back on public display nearly 70 years later.

All of the art showcased in the Paradise galleries from now through February 21 is sure to draw plenty of interest among those who value creativity. And local history.

Promo for Little Fish Improv. (Sourced online)

And for anyone who also values the performing arts, Little Fish Improv presents improv comedy beginning at 7:30 pm Friday. I’ve seen this group of area comedians perform several times on the Paradise stage. They are a talented bunch who think quickly on their feet (thus the word “improv”) and get their audience engaged and laughing. It seems to me a really challenging art form.

Bonus, this comedy show is a fundraiser with all proceeds benefiting the Paradise Center for the Arts. I feel incredibly fortunate to live in a community with an outstanding arts center and with a deep appreciation for the arts.

FYI: Click here to purchase tickets for Little Fish Improv.

At 1 pm Saturday, January 17, Diane Lockerby, pottery instructor at the Paradise, will lead a “Historic Pottery Workshop at the Paradise.” Following her brief talk about pottery and local history, attendees will make a piece of pottery to take home. There is a fee. Space is limited. Click here to register.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Thoughts as we begin 2026 during these challenging times in the U.S. January 1, 2026

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I took this award-winning photo in 2012 at an International Festival in Faribault. To this day, it remains one of my favorite images reflecting diversity in my community. The gathered kids cared not about ethnicity, but only about breaking open a pinata. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2012)

AS THE NEW YEAR begins, I enter it with a whole lot of trepidation, uncertainty and concern. Feeling optimistic right now does not come easily. I fear for our country. I fear for my community. I fear for my Latino and Somali neighbors, targeted by the federal government. Yes, ICE agents are visible and active in Faribault. Though I have not seen them myself, this information comes from reliable sources.

I fear that we are becoming desensitized to the ICE snatchings. I fear we are becoming desensitized to the lies, the rhetoric, the hatred, the awfulness spewing from, well, way too many leaders and even everyday people.

A pin gifted to me by a friend this past summer. I now have it pinned to a small bag that holds my cellphone, my way of getting a message out there. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

What happened to common decency and goodness and kindness? And due process? Why is anyone accepting suppression, oppression, racism, discrimination and more as OK, especially those who claim Christianity as their belief system? None of what’s happening is Christian, not according to my Christian beliefs anyway. Not according to the Bible I read.

Encouraging words posted near a garden in the heart of downtown Faribault many years ago. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

It’s hard, really hard, to remain hopeful in the light of all this. But I try. My mom raised me to be caring, kind and compassionate. She lived that way, helping others through volunteerism and monetary gifts, but mostly through her kind, quiet, gentle and caring spirit. She treated everyone with love and compassion. I wish Mom was still alive so I could talk to her about all of this.

A simple directive on a tombstone at Valley Grove. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

But sometimes the dead still speak to us. I don’t mean that in a literal sense, but rather in the legacies and words the once-living leave behind. It is one of the reasons I meander through cemeteries. Valley Grove Cemetery, rural Nerstrand, is one of those final resting places that offers an abundance of wisdom upon gravestones.

From my personal collection, a painting on burlap by Mexican artist Jose Maria de Servin that depicts peace. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

One particular tombstone stands out for the many positive affirmations it lists under the banner, BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS. (And this means authentic peacemakers, not those who pretend or claim to practice/bring peace.) Under that gravestone header is this broader message: EVERYONE HAS SOME GIFTS THAT CAN MAKE OUR WORLD A LITTLE BETTER. I absolutely agree.

Among a long list of ways we can make the world a better place as listed on a tombstone at Valley Grove Cemetery. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

Then, on the massive slab of stone, are written specific ways in which we can make the world better and live as peacemakers. I especially appreciate these two messages: TREAT OTHERS THE WAY YOU WANT TO BE TREATED. And BE KIND TO ALL AS YOU NEVER KNOW THEIR BURDENS.

Those are simple, uncomplicated directives that seem easy enough to follow. In 2026, it is my hope that we can shift back to being a caring country, where we treat others as we would like to be treated. And that is with kindness, compassion, care and love.

TELL ME: What are your hopes for 2026 in the U.S., your community? What are your concerns for the new year?

© 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

 

Reflections on diversity & growing community in Faribault December 30, 2025

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Among the many hands of the Faribault community, painted in a mural. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)

WHAT ARE WE without community? The answer: alone.

We, at our very core, need each other. In times of celebration. In times of challenges. Even in times of great division. Without friends, family, neighbors and others, we are but individuals without community.

This mural was painted for and placed outside the Congregational Church in Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)

And in Faribault, among the many murals adorning public spaces in the downtown area, one piece of art stands out as representing community. That is a free-standing mural placed on the west side of the Congregational Church of Faribault United Church of Christ this past summer. It seems an appropriate focal point to end 2025 and begin the new year.

The artwork, created by Shirley Rainey and her son Jason, features outstretched arms rising from the earth against a backdrop red heart and blue sky. “The mural represents the importance of coming together to share burdens and triumphs, while reaching for our highest selves,” Rainey said in an artist’s statement.

Henna painted on a hand reflects Somali culture. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)

I see that in the mural. But I also see a community of diversity. The Raineys show that in assorted skin tones, clothing, hand sizes and even henna painted on a hand. I love that about this art, this intentional, varied depiction of Faribault as it is—gloriously diverse.

That said, I am well aware of the racial tension (and that’s a tamped down word) in my community. I wish it didn’t exist, that we all got along, welcomed and embraced one another. We are, after all, just people who live, love, work, play, laugh, cry… The list of commonalities we share as humans goes on and on. Yes, we are different, too. But differences seen as negative, those we create.

The diverse hands of Faribault, up close, in the new community mural. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)

We can learn from that church painting. We can choose to love one another, as portrayed in the over-sized backdrop red heart. We can stand side-by-side and raise our hands to help one another. We can see, in those arms stretched skyward, the possibilities in building community. In that blue sky, we can envision not only our personal dreams, but the dreams of all who call Faribault home.

Faribault is a multi-cultural community, always has been. From early settlement days to today, people have come here from around the world to start anew. Whether French, Irish, German, Scandinavian, Latino, Asian, Sudanese, Somalian or any of many other ethnicities, this place has become home. We can choose to create community or not.

I hope in 2026 that Faribault can build a better, stronger, more unified community which celebrates our commonalities, and our differences.

© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

When a Minnesota blizzard alters plans December 28, 2025

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Pedestrians cross Central Avenue in downtown Faribault during a blizzard Sunday afternoon. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)

IT’S LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON and we should be on the interstate right now driving from Faribault to Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport. But instead, wicked winter weather changed everything. We are hunkered down at home, in the midst of a good old-fashioned Minnesota blizzard predicted to drop as much as 10 inches of snow on our area.

Another view of Central Avenue looking north. You can barely see the stoplight a block away. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)

Fifteen minutes to the south, Interstate 35 southbound is closed from Owatonna into Iowa. Travel is not advised in many areas, including north of Faribault, the direction we would be going. There are crashes, spin-outs, jack-knifed semis. Snowplows have been pulled in some counties due to deteriorating conditions with wind whipping snow, creating white-out conditions.

And at the airport, where we should be headed to drop off our son for his 7 pm flight back to Boston, cancellations and delays are stacking up. Saturday afternoon he rebooked to an early Tuesday morning flight per our suggestion. We did not want to be driving on Interstate 35 to the airport in a blizzard.

The scene as we left Gather on Central around 3:15 pm Sunday. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)

But Randy and I did head downtown Faribault, a short drive from our house, to celebrate a friend’s 80th birthday earlier this afternoon. In the 90 minutes we were there, weather conditions worsened substantially. The wind picked up, swirling snow along Central Avenue. If things look this bad in town, I can only imagine how conditions are in the open countryside.

Willow Street in Faribault Sunday afternoon a block from our home. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)

Yup, I’m thankful to be home and not attempting a trip to the airport. The son can work remotely on Monday. We’re all safe, sheltered inside waiting out this blizzard.

© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Holiday spirit glows at Keller Christmas Farm December 23, 2025

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Across a farm field, the Keller farm glows with holiday lights. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)

AS DUSK DESCENDS on the prairie 11 miles east of Faribault, countless holiday lights glow on the Keller farm, just down a gravel road from St. John’s United Church of Christ, Wheeling Township. In this country church, I first met members of the Keller family years ago. For more than 50 years the Kellers, rooted in faith, family and community, have decorated the home place with holiday lights and displays.

One of the first things you will see are these lighted grain wagons parked in the farmyard along the gravel road. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)

The Keller Christmas Farm is a sight to behold and a must-see during the holidays. Some families have been coming here for years.

A Nativity scene outside St. John’s United Church of Christ, Wheeling Township. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)
The beautifully-decorated Keller family farm home. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)
Vehicles head up the eastern driveway, circle past the barn and then back out through the western driveway. “What Child Is This?” reads the message on the barn roof. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)

On a recent evening, Randy and I followed back county and township roads, past farm sites, fields layered in snow and St. John’s church, to the place where Craig Keller has lived his entire life. He and his brother Keith coordinate this annual holiday display which draws thousands to this rural location. A steady stream of vehicles followed the snow-packed, icy driveway into and around the farmyard to view the scenes as Christmas music blared.

Holiday lights glow bright atop a grain bin. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)

Randy and I wound through twice since I was trying to photograph scenes and we didn’t want to slow others down. For a bit I trudged in the snow to take a few photos, not something visitors should do. But I figured Craig knows me and he would be okay with me stepping briefly outside the van for a brief walk about.

Lights are everywhere, even up the side of the silo. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)

There’s so much to see here that, even if you’re not taking photos, a second drive-through seems necessary. Seemingly every building from house to barn to grain bin to sheds, even the towering silo, shines with lights and decorations.

This handcrafted Santa has been around for a while. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)

I especially love that many of the decorations are homemade—painted on pressed wood and plywood and weathered by decades of Christmases exposed to the elements.

One of many signs welcoming visitors. This one, written in German, reads “Welcome. Merry Christmas.” (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)

I love that vintage, hard plastic holiday decorations stand aglow in the dark. I don’t recall seeing a single blow-up anything. I love the personal messages, too, written by the Kellers.

That’s Santa all aglow inside this tractor. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)

I love that farm equipment, like a tractor, grain wagons, a corn planter, grain drills and more are incorporated into Christmas scenes. Even a tractor tire has been transformed into a wreath.

A festive corner outside the barn. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)

This festive holiday display definitely looks and feels uniquely rural.

One of my favorite parts of the display is this country church. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)

Here you’ll find secular aspects of Christmas—Santa, his elves, snowmen, etc.—but also, and mostly, the faith aspect focusing on the birth of Christ. I didn’t even try to count all the Nativity scenes. But there are many, including next to a mini white wooden church. Outside the church, an organist plays a massive pipe organ. In real-life, Craig Keller plays the organ at St. John’s.

I love the birthday cake and also how the Nativity scene shadows onto the grain bin. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)

A three-layered birthday cake for Jesus, complete with red candles, is strategically placed by the church, a focal point that draws attention to the real reason for Christmas—Christ’s birth.

Among the many Nativity scenes staged at the farm. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)

After about 45 minutes at the Keller farm, I left with cold fingers (from taking photos), but a warm heart. Family matriarch Elsie Keller, who died in 2019 at the age of 93, would be happy that her family continues with this annual holiday lighting tradition, only a field away from the country church her immigrant grandparents helped found in 1856. The place where I met Elsie and her descendants, the family that has shared Christmas with the public for more than half a century in rural southern Minnesota.

Near the exit, a final message. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)

FYI: The Keller Christmas Farm drive-through holiday light display is open from dusk to 10 pm daily until January 6. To get there from Faribault, take Minnesota State Highway 60 east for 8.3 miles, turn left/north onto Jacobs Avenue for two miles and then, by the church, turn right/east onto 190th Street East. You’ll see the farm on the right at 10557 190th Street East. While the display is free, donations are accepted in a special donation box between the house and barn.

© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

A tree full of memories December 22, 2025

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The Memory Tree at Trinity Lutheran Church, Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)

WHEN THE PAPER ANGELS come off the tree, the personalized ornaments go up. From Angel Tree to Memory Tree, an artificial tree standing in the narthex of my church, Trinity Lutheran in Faribault, morphs each holiday season.

From Angel Tree to Memory Tree. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)

First, my long-time Bible study group assembles and decorates the tree which serves duo purposes. From this tree, people choose paper angels upon which anonymous identifying information is printed. Age, sex and Christmas gift ideas. People who pick an angel then buy gifts and bring them back unwrapped. My bible study group wraps most with some left unwrapped as nonprofit social service organizations request.

This mini John Deere tractor honors Harland. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)

Once this project is done, the tree becomes a Memory Tree, a place where people can honor loved ones via a personal ornament tagged with the name of the deceased and his/her death date.

Barb ran a local hair salon. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)

I love this idea because we have all lost loved ones whom we miss, especially during the holidays. The ornaments on this tree are a visual reminder of our loss and love. This tree represents communal grief. To acknowledge and share grief is to find our way toward healing.

Marv loved living in the country and farming. His youngest daughter and her family now live and farm on the family farm. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)

This Christmas, may the memories you hold of loved ones now gone bring a smile to your face, joy to your heart, perhaps even tears to your eyes. We grieve because we loved. Hold onto the memories, hold onto the love.

© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Neither wicked winds nor storm of day shall stop a trip to the airport December 19, 2025

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 2:44 PM
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Winds and blowing snow produce near white-out conditions during a past winter storm in southern Minnesota. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

“I DIDN’T THINK it would be that bad,” Randy said. Neither did I.

But our drive to and from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Thursday afternoon to get our son, arriving from Boston, proved difficult and stressful. Let me set the scene.

As we headed out of Faribault toward Interstate 35 shortly after lunch, freezing pellets pinged our windshield and the wind blew fierce, limiting visibility. And we weren’t even out of town.

A WICKED WIND

Once on the interstate, though, the precipitation soon stopped. But the wind gusted with such ferocity that I could feel it tugging at the van and observed semi truck drivers struggling to keep their rigs in their lanes.

Yet, the wicked 40 mph winds—or whatever ridiculous speed they reached—dried the pavement of the rain that fell earlier in the morning. That rain later transitioned to intermittent snow as temps continued to drop throughout the day. The morning temp started at nearly 40 degrees.

We detoured from our airport route to stop at our nephew’s house in Apple Valley to pick up a Christmas gift and stained glass supplies. Within that 45-minute visit, the weather worsened. But, surprisingly, our son’s flight arrived 15 minutes early. Here I’d been concerned about a possible late arrival due to weather conditions.

As we got onto Cedar Avenue aiming for the airport, traffic volume increased. We blended into the traffic flow, proceeding with caution like almost everyone else. Except the usual few motorists who do not drive for conditions. Snowplows were out sanding and salting and spreading whatever to de-ice road surfaces.

WAITING & MORE WAITING

I thought we would be late and Caleb would be waiting for us inside the terminal. But no. He was waiting for his luggage. We waited in the cellphone lot for a good half hour as he waited for his bags. Yes, a lot of waiting.

Eventually we were back in bumper-to-bumper traffic as vehicles crept toward passenger pick-up. This always feels like a game of chicken to me, trying to wedge into the gridlock so your loved one can see you and get safely to your vehicle. Eventually we reached door four, spotted Caleb, hefted his mammoth suitcase into the back of the van, placed the backpack behind the driver’s seat, grabbed a quick hug and started home.

AT LEAST WE’RE MOVING

Traffic congestion continued, although we were moving. And moving is always better than not. I just wanted to get home before the weather got worse, before rush hour traffic peaked and because, well, I really had to pee. It’s not the first time I’ve wished for a porta potty in the cellphone lot.

To move this story along, once we got farther out of the metro, past Elko New Market, traffic lessened. The wind still blew fierce and snow fell. We were in wide open country, rural Minnesota. The wind swept the snow away like a broom, leaving traffic lanes clean.

SNOW GATES

All was going fine until we got about 10 miles from Faribault. Visibility wasn’t reduced to white-out conditions, but wind-driven snow diminished visibility considerably in some spots. “I bet they closed the snow gates in Owatonna,” I said in the midst of all this. Snow gates, if you’re unfamiliar with the term, are actual gates pulled across the top of entrance ramps to keep motorists off the interstate during a winter storm.

I haven’t read any media reports that Interstate 35 snow gates were closed yesterday. But I did read of a multi-vehicle crash that happened on I-35 between Owatonna and Ellendale at 3:15 pm in blizzard-like conditions. That closed the southbound lane for three hours. Owatonna is a 15-minute drive south of Faribault.

We arrived home at 3:30 pm, safe and sound with an hour to spare before dark. Soon thereafter, our eldest daughter texted that no travel was advised in Rice County. We’d gotten home just in time as our county was now among many Minnesota counties in a blizzard warning. We cozied in for the night while the wind howled, me thankful that we made it to the airport and back without incident.

This morning we awoke to sub-zero temps. And a fresh layer of snow to shovel.

© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling