EVERY TIME I VISIT Montgomery, I discover something new in this town of some 3,400 only 22 miles northwest of Faribault and the self-proclaimed Kolacky Capital of the World.
But this community is about much more than the Czech pastry baked in many an area kitchen and at Franke’s Bakery and celebrated every July during Kolacky Days. Montgomery is also about historic architecture, locally-grown businesses, the arts, history, farming and a people proud of their Czech heritage.
My recent brief stop in Montgomery came near the end of a fall color drive through four area counties. That included hiking at Richter Woods County Park just west of town. Colors weren’t there. But still, walking through the woods in a park situated like an island among farm fields always proves peaceful, calming.
Then it was onward to Montgomery, where getting onto Minnesota State Highway 13 during school dismissal time meant waiting and more waiting as a steady stream of traffic flowed by. Eventually Randy was able to turn the van right, then turn left toward the downtown.
We passed Montgomery Brewing, where we’ve previously enjoyed excellent craft beer. And then we passed the new grocery store in town, Mike’s Discount Foods, next to the grain elevator. I was happy to see a grocery store reopened some two years after a long-time grocer shuttered in September 2023. A small town without a grocery store creates a local food desert and a challenge for residents, especially those who are aging.
I snapped a few photos of Mike’s and then of a farmer waiting with his John Deere tractor and grain wagon outside the elevator during the height of the busy harvest season.
Then it was on to the Arts & Heritage Center of Montgomery, one of my favorite places to pop into while in town. Volunteer run, this center in the historic Hilltop Hall always stages interesting exhibits in a narrow gallery decorated with formal portraits of Kolacky Days royalty lining the walls.
Volunteer Kathy welcomed us to the “Toys from the Past” exhibit which features homemade and manufactured toys dating back nearly 100 years. I saw toys I played with, toys my kids played with and then some from my parents’ era. It was just plain fun to reminisce as I viewed all those toys loaned by locals for the exhibit which ends October 31.
Kathy, upon my inquiry, directed me to the latest Wing Walk mural, part of the art center’s public art project collaboration with Tri-City United High School art students and the Montgomery Community Foundation. I found the newest mural—meat-themed wings—at Edel’s Meat Market, passing Czech Point along the way.
Now that’s a new place I need to Czech/check out. The inviting patio was enough to make me pause. The restaurant and bar serve up not only food and drink, but entertainment in a community gathering spot. The online description of food prepared from locally-sourced ingredients whenever possible appeals to me as do specials like a Hot Beef Commercial, $8 burgers and a Crispy Chicken Mashed Potato Bowl. It sounds like a whole lot of good rural comfort food to me.
In some ways, that’s how I feel about Montgomery. Comfortably at home every time I visit. I have no personal connections here. Yet I feel warmly welcomed in a place that celebrates its Czech heritage, values community and understands the importance of the arts and of bringing people into Montgomery to experience life in small town southern Minnesota.
FYI: The Arts & Heritage Center is open from 2-5 p.m. Thursday and Friday and from 9 a.m.-noon Saturdays. If you’re looking to visit a specific local business, check hours ahead of time. Montgomery is a small town and everything isn’t open every day.
© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
This is love February 12, 2026
Tags: care, commentary, compassion, Faribault, helping neighbors, kindness, love, Minnesota, murals, Northfield, Pine Island, Valentine's Day
WHAT IS LOVE if not compassion, care and kindness, often privately, but also publicly, expressed? Each holds value.
On Valentine’s Day, I appreciate a loving valentine, a box of chocolates and/or a dozen roses as much as anyone. But what I value even more is the steadfast love that is part of my daily life. The love that comes in a hug, a kind word, a loving gesture, a caring act, a text.
I also appreciate the ways in which communities show love. Neighbors helping neighbors. Nonprofits providing for those in need of food, housing, financial assistance. Volunteers helping in their communities in whatever ways they can, whenever they can. We are seeing a lot of that right now.
This is love.
And then there’s love-themed art found in public spaces. I’ve discovered love on murals, in signs, even on the back of a car. I often photograph these love messages because I think it’s important to document the positive, that which uplifts, that which connects all of us no matter our differences.
Love is universal. And how we express and live love matters in connecting us, building relationships, bettering our communities.
Love comes in a smile, a door held, a supportive arm offered, an encouraging word spoken. Words matter. They need not be poetic or profound, simply rooted in kindness, understanding, care.
Listening, too, is love, something we could all be better at practicing. The same goes for thinking before we speak or anonymously type behind our screens.
On Valentine’s Day, I hope we can all pause and ponder the ways in which we can grow love. In our personal lives. In our neighborhoods. In our communities. For “what the world needs now is love, sweet love.” And a whole lot more of it.
© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling