Minnesota Prairie Roots

Writing and photography by 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

 

A prompt to lighten up & have some fun November 2, 2016

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:00 AM
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scarecrow-contest-256-riding-bike

 

LIKE A SCENE from The Wizard of Oz, the witch riding a bicycle drew me in for a closer look.

And that’s when I focused on the sign:

 

scarecrow-contest-258-wicked-sign

 

I don’t condone wicked behavior in the sense of something evil or criminal. But wicked behavior defined as fun and of no harmful consequence to anyone, that I can support.

How about you? What wicked fun behavior have you participated in?

FYI: The witch photographed here is located next to the scarecrow display at the 100 Ladies and Gentlemen Craft Sale in Kenyon. I posted about the scarecrows yesterday. If you haven’t read that piece, click here.

© Copyright 2016 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Sprinkler gymnastics on the Fourth and more family fun July 7, 2011

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 6:57 AM
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The winning team in the bean bag toss is quite obvious.

NAME SOMETHING PEOPLE save money for.

How many times does your mom have to tell you to do something before it gets done?

Name something you write down to remember.

If you know the answers (see below) to those Family Feud style questions, then you should have been at my middle brother’s home in southwestern Minnesota on Sunday. We sparred in a brief version of this television game show with young family members competing against old, “old” being anyone 50 or older.

Settled onto our lawn chairs on the driveway in front of the garage, one member of each team stepped up to a cooler, introduced themselves and then poised with hands behind backs awaiting the question. Lacking a buzzer to buzz, we substituted a plastic gallon of cheese balls plopped upon a cooler. Slap the cheese ball lid cover first and your team plays first.

If I hadn’t been so intent on winning this game, I may have thought to take pictures of the cheese ball container slapping contestants.

However, I took plenty of photos of the earlier sprinkler gymnastics. I refrained from that activity until later, at the exact moment one gymnast grabbed the sprinkler and ran onto the patio spraying all non-participants, including my 79-year-old mom. Just before that happened, I had decided to join the sprinkler crew. Timing is everything.

When you view these sprinkler gymnastics images, you will understand why I hesitated initially to join the group. I did not want to risk a leap onto water-slicked grass. Nor did I want to appear too foolish in that YouTube video my nephew-in-law was filming.

My extended family doesn't just nilly willy run through a sprinkler. Oh, no. We make it into a game. In this case, follow the leader. Whatever the leader does, you do.

From the youngest participant at age 17 to...

...one of the oldest sprinkler gymnasts at age 50.

Ah, my extended family loves to have fun.

Later, not long after the sun set on the Minnesota prairie, out came the sparklers. More fun. More laughter. More memories.

Sparkler fun for the younger ones.

Combine sparklers and a slow shutter speed and you get some interesting images.

I can’t think of anywhere else I would rather celebrate Independence Day than with my extended family on the land I love most, southwestern Minnesota.

After we shoot "nice" photos, we always like to do a fun photo. I am in the back row in the grass green shirt. Can you tell which of us were teens in the 1970s? (Hint: See the symbol we're making with two fingers. You would think we could be more creative.) All family members, except me, shall remain unidentified.

HOW DID YOU CELEBRATE your Fourth of July?

HERE ARE THE TOP answers to the three questions posed at the beginning of this post:

Vacation, two times and phone numbers.

© Copyright 2011 Audrey Kletscher Helbling