MY CLOSEST CONNECTION to Prince, Minnesota singer, songwriter and performer, came in 1983. I was working as a reporter for the Owatonna People’s Press when a co-worker’s girlfriend joined the set of Purple Rain as a movie crowd extra. Had I been thinking, I would have interviewed Kim about her small part in the 1984 film. But, for whatever reason, I didn’t. It was a missed opportunity to take a broader, state-wide story and localize it.
Flash forward to now and the 10th anniversary of Prince’s death on April 21. I’m not a Prince fan, but I appreciate that many are worldwide. He rates as one of Minnesota’s best-known, most-beloved musicians. As such, it’s fitting to write about him a decade after his untimely passing.
I could write about Paisley Park, Prince’s Chanhassen home and recording studio now turned museum and music venue. Thousands pay homage to the Purple One each year by visiting the site. But 75 miles to the southwest in New Ulm, the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame also honors Prince, among its 229 inductees. Prince was inducted in 2007, joining the likes of Minnesotans Bob Dylan, John Denver, Marilyn Sellars and even the St. Olaf College Choir.
I have yet to visit the MMHF, although I’ve passed by many times en route to my native southwestern Minnesota hometown. Located along a main route, U.S. Highway 14/Broadway Street, the museum is land-marked by a 16-foot tall sculpture of Prince’s purple guitar outside the front entrance. Iowa artist Jefferson Davis created the upcycled metal artwork, showcased first in a sculpture walk in neighboring Mankato before finding a permanent home in New Ulm.
Step inside and volunteer “host to the visitors” John Kass says you’ll find the museum’s largest exhibit to be the one on Prince. It draws people from all over the world, including those who’ve first toured Paisley Park before venturing into rural Minnesota and the New Ulm museum. Many come on the anniversary of Prince’s death and on Prince Roger Nelson’s June 7 birth, Kass notes.
Highlights of the Prince exhibit, according to Kass, include a motorcycle from the movie Purple Rain; a script from Prince’s third movie, Graffiti Bridge; clothing from his wardrobe; memorabilia; and even the valances that went around the curtains in the living room of Prince’s house. I must admit that I inwardly chuckled when Kass mentioned the valances. But I suppose to avid Prince fans, those offer a glimpse inside the musician’s home.
Additionally, the exhibit includes a granite memorial bench and also a brass sculpture of Prince crafted by Brodin Studios of Kimball. Both once stood at a memorial garden in downtown Henderson as part of the Prince Legacy Henderson Project. I visited that Minnesota River town’s Prince shrine in 2020 before items were donated to the New Ulm museum.
Henderson remains a draw for Prince fans where a scene from the movie Purple Rain was filmed along the river. A mural of Prince with his signature purple guitar and little red Corvette is all that’s left of the Henderson tribute site. The artwork graces the side of the Healing Hub along state highway 19 in the heart of downtown.
Tuesday, April 21, marks a big day for Prince fans as they remember the music icon. In Red Wing, the Sheldon Theatre is hosting a 7 p.m. concert, “Celebrating the Legend of Prince—10 Years Later,” by Chase and Ovation. The Minneapolis-based band exclusively performs the music of Prince.
I expect Twin Cities media will note the day of Prince’s death, too, with tenth anniversary stories. And in the community of New Ulm, the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame, 27 N. Broadway Street, will likely await a surge of visitors later in the week. The MMHF is only open from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday from April-October. Admission is $7, a small price to pay, says volunteer Kass, for a museum that showcases the best of Minnesota’s musicians. And that includes the Purple One, Prince Roger Nelson.
© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
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