Minnesota Prairie Roots

Writing and photography by Audrey Kletscher Helbling

Honoring mothers, including mine, on Mother’s Day May 7, 2026

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A photo of me with my mom taken several years before her death in 2022. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo by Randy Helbling)

AS MY FIFTH MOTHER’S DAY without my mom approaches, I’m thinking of her, missing her, remembering her.

She lived a long life, living until nearly ninety, something none of us expected given her heart issues. Several times we were called to her hospital bedside to say goodbye. I remember one instance when Mom was not expected to make it through the night. The next morning she woke up much-improved and told us, “I guess God wasn’t ready for this stubborn old lady.”

I’ll never forget that. But I would argue that Mom was not stubborn. She was kind, caring, compassionate, loving and patient. With six children, she had to be patient. I raised three children and understand the patience required of mothers.

We all hold memories of our moms—positive, negative and otherwise. Moms, like all of us, are imperfect. But they try. They do their best.

Mom’s journals. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

And sometimes they leave us a gift that offers glimpses into their lives. My mom left a stack of notebooks journaling her life from 1947-2014 with a few years missing. These are not diaries with personal feelings and thoughts expressed, but rather a documentation of daily life.

I treasure these notebooks filled with her handwritten observations and notes about life in rural southwestern Minnesota. Hard work filled her days. I pulled out her stenographer’s notebook dated 70 years ago to learn what she was doing in the 10 days before my birth.

Even into her senior years, Mom was still working, supervising a family horseradish-making event and then counting jars of the condiment. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2012)

There was the usual washing clothes in the Maytag wringer washer, mending, housecleaning, baking and preparing meals. But Mom also picked grapes with my dad, made grape juice the next day and the following day made 32 jars of grape jelly and 18½ quarts of tomato juice. And she was only days away from delivering me.

The day before I was born, Mom dusted floors, baked bread and cherry nut cake, took 13 dozen eggs into town and then celebrated her wedding anniversary with her in-laws. I’m tired simply reading that list of work she accomplished while nine months pregnant.

At 3 a.m. the next morning, Mom awoke in labor and arrived at the Redwood Falls hospital at 4:20 a.m., giving birth to 8 lb 12 oz. me 36 minutes later. That’s cutting it close, in my opinion. But when you go into labor in the early morning, need to get your one-year-old son to his grandparents’ house, and then travel 20 miles to the hospital, well, the time lapse seems reasonable.

The only photo I have of my parents, Elvern and Arlene, with me as a baby. My dad is holding my oldest brother, Doug. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo)

Six days after my birth, Mom returned home. I should note here that on her fifth day in the hospital, Mom wrote, “Days are plenty long.” I suppose for a woman used to being busy all the time, lying around proved difficult. But she should have enjoyed the respite from work while she could.

Shortly, Mom was back in full work mode, not only caring for a newborn and a one-year-old and doing other routine household chores, but also feeding a crew of men picking corn on the farm for several days running.

Oh, how I admire this generation of Minnesota farm women who fed and cared for their families and others without the modern conveniences of today. No automatic washer, dryer, dishwasher, microwave. No bathroom or phone in our old farmhouse. Food came mostly from the farm, not the grocery store. And that meant gardening and putting up produce.

A sample entry from Mom’s journals. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

I’m thankful my mom found time to journal daily. Even if her entries were only several lines long, she apparently thought this documentation important. And I suppose in farming it was, allowing her and my dad to look back on the previous year’s weather, planting and harvesting progress, and such. But I think, too, writing in those spiral bound notebooks gave her a creative outlet and time for herself.

My mom saved everything, including this Mother’s Day card I made for her in elementary school. I cut a flower from a seed catalog to create the front of this card. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted image)

Mother’s Day offers a time to reflect on motherhood. Most give selflessly, love unconditionally, do the best they can. Mine did. And she left, too, her words chronicling everyday life as a mother and as a farm wife. As a writer I cherish this gift, not only on Mother’s Day, but always.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Kenyon up close, the details of community April 30, 2026

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A street scene in the heart of downtown Kenyon. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo April 2026)

TO WRITE A FICTIONAL BOOK, you begin with an idea, which births words. Words beget sentences, then paragraphs, then chapters. But the process is not quite that simple. Creating a work of fiction requires attention to detail from character development to dialogue to setting to plot. I’ve written short stories that have published, thus understand the craft.

I want to hone in on one word—details. They are a hallmark of a good story, of creative writing. And they are also the hallmark of small towns. Let me explain.

Just as you drive into Kenyon from the west, you’ll see this TARDIS in a residential yard. It’s the featured mode of transportation in the BBC sci-fi television show “Doctor Who.”

How many times have you driven through a community without really seeing it, without noticing the rich details that, like details in a story, make it unique, interesting?

I notice the little things. Perhaps it’s my journalism and photography background that draw me to look closer, beyond the surface. I seek out anything that is different, unusual, surprising. And I’m never disappointed.

Help wanted in Kenyon. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo April 2026)

Drive slowly around any small town or walk along Main Street with a focused perspective and you will soon see the details that integrate into the story line of a community. That includes Kenyon, a Goodhue County town of around 1,900 best known for its Boulevard of Roses.

Sign painter Mike Meyer, formerly of Mazeppa, painted the sign for the former Martin Fox Garage. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2026)

Minnesota State Highway 60, along which all those roses grow, runs right through the heart of Kenyon, intersecting with state highway 56. The intersection thrums with traffic. But I wonder how many motorists notice the bold Fox’s Garage Firestone Tires sign painted on the side of a stalwart brick building half a block away from that busy intersection? It’s an artsy nod to local history.

This memorial is located in the veterans park along Minnesota State Highway 56. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo April 2026)

Nearby, at the Kenyon Veterans Memorial Park, I discovered Jacob’s Tree and a plaque honoring Jacob Wetterling and all missing children. It was an unexpected memorial in a place focused on veterans. But it also seemed fitting to honor the 11-year-old Minnesota boy who was abducted by a stranger in 1989, his remains found 27 years later. Jacob was, after all, a small town boy grabbed while biking to a video store.

The video store is closed, but the sign remains. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo April 2026)

Kenyon once had a video store, now a tobacco and vape shop. The K-Town Video sign tells me that.

For a small town, Kenyon offers several downtown food options, including Che Che’s Lunchera at a former corner gas station. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo April 2026)

Likewise, remnants of fuel pricing signage still banner a former gas station where today Che Che’s Lunchera food truck serves up Mexican food under the station canopy.

Old, faded signage posted long ago for snowmobilers. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo April 2026)

Details like these point to a town’s history, to its evolution. Back at the vets park, a fading vintage sign once directed snowmobilers to gas and food along a designated trail route.

The newest sign at Kenyon Meats. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo April 2026)

I hold a fondness for signs and Kenyon offers plenty of homegrown signage. That includes clever and humorous messages posted outside Kenyon Meats along highway 60. I expect many motorists have noticed SMOKE MEAT NOT METH and DON’T FRY BACON NAKED. And now the newest—YOUR MOM LIKES OUR MEAT.

A tractor and a pick-up truck, rural hallmarks. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo April 2026)

But it takes a turn onto a side street and through an alley to see an old John Deere tractor parked next to a pick-up truck behind a building. This is a farming community rooted in rural.

A basketball hoop in an unexpected place. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo April 2026)

Along that same alley, next to the post office parking lot, I noticed a basketball hoop standing between dumpsters and a recycling bin. It seemed out of place until I realized there’s probably an apartment above the post office. The hoop hints at teens dribbling a basketball across the pavement on a hot summer evening, arms and legs flailing in a pick-up game, sweat beading their foreheads.

An honoring message on a door at the VFW. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo April 2026)

Across the street at the Kenyon VFW, I spotted the silhouette of a veteran on a side door with an honoring message of “WE SALUTE YOU.” More characters, more dialogue, more stories. On this visit to Kenyon, I looked for details that often go unnoticed. And when I looked, I saw community.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Earth Day: Stories, roots & local events April 21, 2026

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Garbage I recently picked up from my yard. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo April 2026)

DECADES AGO, when I worked a summer job with the Redwood County Highway Department through a government program for low income families, our crew of several teens was tasked one day with walking the ditches along a county road. That proved an eye-opening experience as we gathered litter. Most memorable among our finds were a dirty disposal diaper and a torn love letter. We spent our lunch break piecing together that heartbreaking love note.

Today I’m still picking up litter, now in my Faribault yard. Living on a corner lot along a high traffic street, my lawn gets plenty of garbage tossed by passing motorists. Every time I grab another beverage container, a fast food bag or box, a whatever that should have gone in the garbage or recycling, I wonder why people are too lazy to properly dispose of waste.

Photographed several years ago on a public recycling dumpster in Northfield. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

EARTH DAY BEGINS IN 1970

With those personal backstories, I’m grateful for ongoing efforts to educate all of us about taking care of our planet during annual Earth Day events. This marks 56 years since that celebration began on April 22, 1970.

I remember the early 1970s, when America was in the thick of an energy crisis. Prices rose at the pump. Fuel was in short supply. In some ways, all of this fueled an awareness that we need to conserve our natural resources, choose alternative energy sources, and respect and care for our planet.

(Black Beach book cover sourced online)

BLACK BEACH

Because I like to learn, I popped into the Faribault library recently with the intention of checking out children’s picture books about Earth Day. Others apparently had the same idea. I found only one book, Black Beach—A Community, an Oil Spill, and the Origin of Earth Day, written by Shaunna and John Stith and illustrated by Maribel Lechuga. But it was the only book I needed to root out the origin of Earth Day.

A large oil spill from drilling off the coast of Santa Barbara, California, on January 28, 1969, prompted outrage, action and the eventual establishment of Earth Day the following year. I high-recommend this book as an invaluable resource with an interesting, factual-based story, a timeline of events, additional information on Earth Day and actions we can take to advocate for and protect our environment.

A banner flies at a past Earth Day Celebration at Bridge Square in Northfield. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

NORTHFIELD EARTH DAY EVENTS

Libraries are always an excellent resource. At the Northfield Public Library, Earth Day Game Day will be held from 10-11 a.m. Saturday, April 25. Led by Science in World and Word class students from St. Olaf College, the event celebrates planet Earth with educational games and activities geared for 6-11-year-olds. Game Day is part of Northfield’s larger Earth Day Celebration.

I’ve previously attended the Northfield celebration, now in its 17th year. Activities are centered at Armory Square from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, April 25, with workshops, eco exhibitors, crafts, a climate information session, farmers’ market, and more. Visit northfieldearthday.com for a full schedule of activities.

Other Earth Day Celebration weekend events in Northfield include clean-up of Riverside Park, a tour of regenerative Salvatierra Farms (from 1-3 p.m. Sunday), an Earth Day Contra Dance (from 7-10 p.m. Friday) and tree planting at the Carleton College arboretum.

Sky and trees in spring at Falls Creek County Park, rural Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

TREE PLANTINGS & MORE

Tree plantings are happening in other area communities during Earth Day week and on Arbor Day, April 24. At River Bend Nature Center in Faribault, staff will lead volunteers in planting trees to replace diseased ash. That’s set for 1-3 p.m. Wednesday, April 22, and from 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, April 25. The City of Faribault, a designated Tree City USA, hosts an Arbor Day tree planting ceremony at 9 a.m. at Batchelder Park. The same day, the Rice County Master Gardeners will give away tree seedlings from 3-5 p.m. at the Rice County Fairgrounds.

In Owatonna, trees will be planted at several city parks, beginning in Mineral Springs Park, at noon, Friday, April 24. This activity honors retiring city employees.

Additionally in Owatonna, the holistic wellness boutique Daisy Blue Naturals, 121 West Main Street, is hosting an Earth Day Storytime from 3:30-5 p.m. Wednesday, April 22, with Miss Midwest 2026, May Diddy. This includes a puppet show, book reading, activities and snacks.

This banner flew at the 2022 Northfield Earth Day Celebration. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

CARING FOR PLANET EARTH

Fifty-six years ago, Earth Day began in this country. To see how it’s grown and evolved is heartening. It takes each of us, individually and collectively, to do our part for this planet we call home. Whether that’s recycling, repurposing, composting, hanging laundry on the line, thrifting, planting trees and rain gardens, conserving water, and much more, we are responsible for taking care of Earth. That includes disposing of litter properly—not in a road ditch. And not in my yard.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Down the memory aisle of variety stores in Minnesota April 14, 2026

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A section of Main Street in Kasson where I discovered a variety store of sorts in the second building from the corner. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

ONCE UPON A TIME, long before shopping online became a thing, long before malls and long before the prevalence of big box stores, small town Main Street centered retail commerce.

A Ben Franklin store in downtown Park Rapids, which I popped into and photographed in 2017. The store has since closed. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2017)

Mom and pop shops prevailed, mostly meeting a community’s basics needs. But even back in the day, a few chain stores existed. I’m talking five-and-dime variety stores like Ben Franklin and Woolworths.

The Woolworths store along Central Avenue in downtown Faribault, photographed during its grand opening on June 11, 1969, and closed years ago. (Photo courtesy of the Rice County Historical Society)

As a Baby Boomer, I hold fond youthful memories of these two stores. Of buying 45 rpm vinyl singles, nail polish, embroidery patterns, fabric… But even into adulthood I shopped at both, including at Woolworths along Central Avenue in downtown Faribault. Here I bought goldfish (for my kids) scooped from tanks in the back of the store. Here our family bought basics and other goods.

That variety store closed long ago, along with many other businesses that once claimed space in my community. Today Faribault’s downtown looks much different than when I moved here 44 years ago. That’s to be expected. Businesses close. New businesses open. A few endure for generations. As a place and times change, so do its businesses.

I didn’t notice the sign on the building, but rather a small hometown sausage sign on the window to the left of the door at KLG. That drew me inside. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

But occasionally I discover a place that takes me back to yesteryear in a flashback of memories. That happened recently in the small town of Kasson, just west of Rochester along U.S. Highway 14. While walking through the downtown, I found KLG Store. The name itself told me nothing about the business. But a printed sign in the front window advertising “Kasson Hometown Sausage Sold Here!” drew me inside. Not that I like sausage. I don’t. But I appreciate quirky no-frills signs.

Clerk and customer confer about fabric next to cubbies of yarn. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)
Piles of fabric cover tables. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)
Bolts of fabric are stashed under the tables. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

Yet, once inside KLG, I was immediately drawn to cubbies of yarn, then tables and shelves packed with bolts of fabric. I forgot all about the sausage. Instead, I ran my hands across cloth, eyed the colorful prints, remembered my teen years when I stitched nearly all of my clothing.

Rows of spooled thread to match with fabric. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)
So many colorful patterns. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)
Lots of choices for quilters, crafters, seamstresses… (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

I haven’t touched my sewing machine in years. For a moment I thought perhaps I should pull it out of storage and resume a creative activity I once loved. Spools of colorful Coats & Clark thread had me visually pairing thread with fabric. Psychedelic prints had me visually pinning and cutting patterns for a seventies fashion statement. Oh, the memories.

The vintage fold-away baskets, right, prompted me to ask if this had once been a dime store. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

Then a stash of vintage collapsible fold-away baskets distracted me, temporarily pausing my fawning over fabric, yarn and embroidery patterns. The red, green and gold fabric and metal baskets with wooden handles are signature five-and-dime store staples.

These embroidery transfer patterns brought back lots of memories. I used such patterns to embroider clothes and more in the 1970s. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

Turns out KLG once housed a Ben Frankin store. I felt giddy upon learning that, but also a tad melancholy. The fold-away baskets reminded me of the passage of time, of how quickly the decades fly.

This sausage originated in Kasson, but is now made in Waseca. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

This building in some ways still houses a variety store with fabric, yarn and notions; products produced via laser engraving, digital and screen printing; and Kasson Hometown sausage, brats and other meats filling coolers. The hometown sausage, though, is no longer made in Kasson, but rather at Morgan’s Meat Market in Waseca.

Looking from the back of the fabric and notions section to the yarn at the front of the store. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

Times change. Businesses change. But sometimes remnants of the past remain, like those fold away shopping baskets inside KLG. Durable baskets that took me back in time to Ben Franklin and Woolworths along yesterday’s Main Street.

Shelved fabric bolts are sorted by color and seasonal design. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

TELL ME: If you have any special memories of dime stores, I’d like to hear them.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

In communion at Valley Grove doughnut hole roasting February 16, 2026

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People gather on February 15 for a Doughnut Hole Roasting Party at Valley Grove. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo February 2026)

UNDER A SUNNY February sky, they gathered in communion around fire pits outside two historic Norwegian immigrant churches high atop a hill in eastern Rice County. Food, fellowship and a fondness for this place drew people here, to the fourth annual Doughnut Hole Roasting Party.

Walking up the muddy gravel driveway to the hilltop Valley Grove churches. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo February 2026)

For the first time, I attended this event, although I’ve been to the Valley Grove churches and the adjacent cemetery many times. I love this secluded spot near Nerstrand, where historic wood-frame and limestone churches rise above the surrounding countryside in an especially picturesque setting. There are prairie trails to hike here and an oak savanna. It’s peaceful here.

A group of bikers wheel up the hill to Valley Grove for the Doughnut Hole Roasting Party. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo February 2026)

On this balmy Sunday afternoon of unseasonably warm temps in the mid-fifties, sweatshirt or light jacket weather, conversations broke the quiet. The mood felt engaging, connective, of communion in community.

At the doughnut station, people could spear doughnuts, dip them in chocolate or cinnamon and sugar and/or drop a donation inside a replica church. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo February 2026)

Hosted by the Valley Grove Preservation Society Board, the roasting of doughnut holes was also an event to raise monies for ongoing preservation and restoration projects at the 1862 stone and 1894 wooden churches. Both churches are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Inside the stone church, once used for worship and today for gathering. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo February 2026)
Looking through a window of the stone church, I photographed people gathering on the lawn for the Doughnut Hole Roasting Party. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo February 2026)

Even with no personal connection to these churches or the Norwegian heritage, I understand the historical importance of these immigrant churches. Step inside either church and you can almost feel the strength of those early Norwegians who crossed the ocean, started a new life in Minnesota, built first the now 164-year-old stone church and then the 132-year-old wood-frame church.

The beautiful wooden church, where the steeple was recently-restored and the bell was rung at the Doughnut Hole Roasting Party. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo February 2026)

The stone church serves today primarily as a social gathering spot. The wooden church still hosts the occasional service—a wedding, a funeral and the annual Christmas Eve worship. Other celebrations like Syttende Mai, a wedding anniversary reunion and a country social are also held annually at Valley Grove.

Roasting doughnut holes. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo February 2026)
A group roasts doughnut holes. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo February 2026)
People stuck the metal roasting sticks in a bucket of snow when they were done roasting their doughnut holes. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo February 2026)

But on this day, we focused on doughnut holes forked onto metal roasting sticks and held over an open flame. Some roasted their treats to coal black, to caramelize the doughnuts I was told. Not fond of charred anything, I preferred mine heated then dipped in chocolate. They were sweet and tasty and messy. I found a shadowed patch of remnant snow to “wash” my sticky fingers.

Mary and her dog in the Valley Grove Cemetery. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo February 2026)

Although I knew only one person here, I made a new friend, Mary, who sat with her dog on a stone memorial bench in the cemetery, sunshine beaming warmth upon them. Others meandered through the graveyard where early Norwegian immigrants, their descendants and others lie buried beneath the cold earth.

With the historic limestone church as a backdrop, people visit and roast doughnut holes. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo February 2026)

On the dormant lawn between the two churches, people clustered—standing, sitting in lawn chairs, bending, reaching over flames to roast doughnut holes on a Sunday afternoon in mid-February in southern Minnesota.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

“Evening Prayer for Our Nation” planned at Bishop Whipple’s church in Faribault February 2, 2026

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(Promo courtesy of the Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour)

FIFTY MILES FROM THE NON-DESCRIPT Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building currently housing ICE detainees in Minneapolis, a beautiful, aged cathedral rises high in the heart of Faribault. Wednesday evening, February 4, that magnificent, massive cathedral—Bishop Whipple’s church—will center a community gathering.

The historic Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour, 515 Second Avenue Northwest, across from Central Park in Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo November 2025)

Beginning at 7 p.m. the historic Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour will open its doors for “Evening Prayer for Our Nation” in support of Faribault’s refugees and immigrants. The Cathedral’s pastor, the Rev. James Zotalis, and the Rev. Henry Doyle will lead the event, which includes prayers, readings, music and teachings from Bishop Whipple.

Organizers also promise networking opportunities and information about ways to help others.

A mural on the back side of the Central Park bandshell in Faribault features a portrait and information about Bishop Henry Whipple. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

Bishop Whipple, who shepherded this congregation while serving as the first Episcopal bishop of Minnesota beginning in 1859, would surely be pleased with the upcoming gathering just as he would surely be displeased with the imprisonment of detainees at the federal building bearing his name. He would likely be standing alongside protesters protesting immigration enforcement and asking to visit detainees inside.

This clergyman focused his ministry on “justice and mercy for all.” And that is evidenced in his ministry to the Dakota both in Faribault and parts west in Minnesota and then at Fort Snelling. Whipple went to the fort and ministered to the Dakota held captive there following the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862.

When 303 Dakota were sentenced to hanging after the war, Whipple traveled to Washington DC to ask President Abraham Lincoln to spare their lives. Lincoln pardoned most, but 38 were still hung in the nation’s largest mass execution.

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

If Bishop Whipple was alive today, I expect he would be doing everything in his power to help anyone threatened and/or taken by ICE and CBC. But because he is not here, it is up to us to help. I know many people in my community are helping quietly behind the scenes. Walking kids to bus stops. Giving co-workers rides. Delivering groceries. Donating money and food. Volunteering.

Wednesday evening’s “Evening Prayer for Our Nation” is needed, too. It’s needed to bring people together in community, to unite, to uplift, to pray, to share, to recharge, to publicly support our neighbors, to find tangible ways to help. Bishop Whipple would feel grateful. He cared. And so should we.

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FYI: Whether you live near or far, Faribault nonprofits are in need of donations to help families sheltering in place during ICE operations in Minnesota. This is not just a Twin Cities metro enforcement. Many communities in greater Minnesota, including mine, are suffering.

Please consider helping immigrants and refugees in my community via a monetary donation to the Community Action Center in Faribault (Community Response Fund) or to St. Vincent de Paul. The need for rental assistance, especially, is growing.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Learning & connecting at a bridging cultures talk in Faribault January 30, 2026

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Somali men gather on a bench in downtown Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo May 2024)

HE ARRIVED IN MINNESOTA as a teenage refugee from Somalia. Today Ibrahim Khalif heads the nonprofit Faribault Youth Empowerment Center. And Thursday evening this well-spoken young man with a sense of humor spoke to nearly 60 people at Buckham Memorial Library. We gathered to learn about Somali history and culture in a “Building Bridges Across Cultures” talk.

I am a firm believer that knowledge, understanding and personal connections do, indeed, build bridges.

Ibrahim presented a whole lot of information with accompanying slides. So, rather than attempt to cover everything, I’ll share some highlights.

The Somalian culture is an oral culture, Ibrahim said. That was not new to me, mostly because I’ve heard complaints through the years of locals fearing the Somali men who gather on street corners in downtown Faribault. I knew these men met outside to chat and share news, much like men everywhere meet for coffee and playing cards. Many Somalis live above businesses in downtown Faribault and street corners are their front porches.

ARRIVING IN FARIBAULT

In the early 2000s, Somalis began arriving in Faribault, many from refugee camps, Ibrahim said. They fled a civil war that started in 1991 with faith-based organizations—Lutheran and Catholic—helping them resettle in America. Ibrahim showed before and after the civil war pictures of Somalia that revealed absolute devastation. He also showed images of crowded refugee camps.

Minnesota is home to the largest population of Somalis, some 25,000, outside of Somalia. Thousands call my community home. Ibrahim shared that they came to Faribault for a quiet life, to be close to family already here (family is deeply-valued), for the education system, affordable housing and jobs not requiring English-speaking skills. He specifically named the local turkey processing plant as a place of employment.

Challenges upon arrival included, as you would expect, language barriers, an educational system unprepared for an influx of Somali students, difficulty making friends, racial discrimination and more, Ibrahim said.

VETTING

While I was taking notes, I starred Ibrahim’s statement that refugees undergo rigorous security vetting and screening by the FBI before they are allowed into America. I found that especially pertinent in these times when Somali refugees have been targeted by the federal government and called “garbage” by the president who wants them out of the U.S. Yes, Somalis are worried, Ibrahim acknowledged. Yet, he sounded upbeat, emphasizing several times how much he loves Faribault.

LEARNING

I appreciated that Ibrahim engaged us via asking us to repeat Somali phrases that will help us connect with our Somali neighbors. I admit, I struggled. But I tried and trying is a start. He encouraged us to love each other, to break the ice even with something as simple as a smile. To build partnerships.

But a hug or a handshake with someone of the opposite sex, unless initiated by the person, is unacceptable in Somali culture. Both my friend Ann and I publicly admitted breaking that cultural rule, unbeknownst to us. I am a hugger.

I am also an appreciator of personal details, like Ibrahim’s memory of drinking water from a dirty creek in Somalia and how much his elderly parents miss goats and cattle.

LAUGHING

I also appreciate Somali food, enjoying a savory sambusa Ibrahim brought in a heaping tray to the event. When an audience member asked about his favorite Somali food, Ibrahim replied, burgers and fries. The crowd erupted in laughter.

It felt good to laugh. In the midst of everything happening in Minnesota with ICE, we need laughter. And we need individuals like Ibrahim, standing strong and helping build bridges across cultures.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

My non-diverse background & “Building Bridges Across Cultures” January 28, 2026

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Some places are culturally-diverse, others not. This new mural at the Congregational Church of Faribault United Church of Christ reflects Faribault’s diversity. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo September 2025)

I GREW UP in southwestern Minnesota, in rural western Redwood County where diversity was absent unless you count religious affiliation or ancestry as diversity. You were either Lutheran or Catholic with a few Methodists, Presbyterians and Brethren thrown in the mix. And you were of German, Irish, Polish or Scandinavian descent, but mostly German. And your skin color was certainly white, unless you were among the Native Americans living on the eastern side of the county.

I left Redwood County for college in the early 1970s. Not much has changed in racial demographics in that rural area, population hovering around 15,000, with the exception of a sizable Hmong population resettling in small town Walnut Grove. Leaving the prairie, a place I loved and still love, broadened my perspectives.

Many Somalis live in downtown Faribault above businesses. They often meet on street corners to visit. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo May 2024)

Today I live on the eastern side of Minnesota in Faribault, a city of around 25,000 about an hour south of Minneapolis. Mine is a diverse community, home to many Hispanics, Latinos and Somalis. They work here, raise families here, open businesses here and add much color and culture to this city I’ve called home since 1984. Somalis are the newest of Faribault’s immigrants and the group which still struggles with animosity toward them. That makes getting to know them and their stories especially important.

Lul Abdi shows off beautiful wood crafts from Kenya and Somalia at a past International Festival in Faribault (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

I’ve attended Somali cultural events, diversity celebrations, talked with local Somalis, photographed them, drank their delicious hot tea, eaten their savory sambusas, walked into their shops, tried to learn about and embrace these residents of Faribault.

I love living in a community with such diversity. Not everyone here feels as I do and would prefer Faribault remain white and non-diverse, as it was when they were growing up. That saddens me. I often think, if only people would take the time to connect one-on-one, to listen, they would begin to see that we are all human, even if different.

Somali children watch Faribault’s 2025 Memorial Day parade. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo May 2025)

Instead of fearing others who may not speak the same language, eat the same foods, wear the same clothes, practice the same religion, we can choose to embrace one another. In an ideal world, that would happen. But it takes time, effort and an open heart and mind to get there.

(Promo courtesy of Buckham Memorial Library)

At 6 pm this Thursday, January 29, Buckham Memorial Library is hosting a talk, “Building Bridges Across Cultures,” by Ibrahim Khalif, director of Faribault Youth Empowerment. He will present on the history and culture of Somalia in the library’s Great Hall. The event is part of the library’s adult programming efforts.

This talk is certain to be interesting and informative. The title alone, with the words “building bridges,” reflects my feelings on what needs to happen in my community. A bridge gets you from one side to the other, to a different destination. But to get from one side to the other, you need to first build a bridge together then willingly cross it, not remain firmly planted and divided on a riverbank, unwilling to move.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Bishop Henry Whipple, the man behind the federal building bearing his name January 16, 2026

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 6:00 AM
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A mural on the bandshell at Faribault’s Central Park honors Bishop Henry Whipple. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

I EXPECT BISHOP HENRY WHIPPLE may be turning over in his grave under the altar inside the Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour in Faribault. He would be appalled by what’s happening in this community with ICE enforcement. And he would also likely be standing side-by-side with protesters outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling protesting ICE’s presence in Minnesota. The federal agents are based inside the building named after him.

Whipple was all about compassion and embracing others, especially as a friend to the Dakota in Minnesota following his arrival here in 1860 and throughout his ministry. He would not be fine with ICE violently, or non-violently, taking people from their vehicles, their homes, clinics, outside schools and churches, inside businesses…and illegally detaining them without due process. That includes those here legally and American citizens imprisoned inside the building bearing Whipple’s honorable name.

I am not OK with this. None of us should be.

HOW BISHOP WHIPPLE MIGHT REACT

As Minnesota continues to deal with the presence of 3,000 ICE agents in our state, I think of the Episcopalian bishop, known as “Straight Tongue” for his honesty, and how he would react. He would assuredly be on the streets advocating for human rights. He would be talking with the current president, just like he did in 1862 with President Abraham Lincoln. Whipple traveled to DC then to personally plead for the lives of 303 Dakota sentenced to death by hanging.

Whipple would probably also be out buying groceries for Faribault residents afraid to leave their homes. He would be walking kids to their bus stops in trailer parks. He would be preaching peace, love and compassion.

HONORING WHIPPLE’S LEGACY

Those who disliked Whipple, and the Dakota, disparagingly tagged the clergyman as “The Sympathizer.” Little has changed. There are far too many in my community who hate, and, yes, that’s a strong word, anyone whose skin color is other than white. I don’t understand. They all, unless they are Native American, can trace their presence in America back to immigrants.

If only Bishop Henry Whipple was still alive to spread love in Faribault and beyond. It’s up to us to honor his legacy by loving and helping our neighbors during these especially dark days of injustice and oppression.

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FYI: To learn more about the bishop, I direct you (click here) to a previous blog post I wrote about him and his role in Minnesota history following a 2023 presentation at the Rice County Historical Society.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling