A Swish player shoots a basket in a July 18 game against a French team. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
SWISH, AND HE SCORES. Or Swish, they score.
The scene from the balcony. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
I love the Swish uniform graphic with a basketball and unicycle overlapping. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Things were pretty informal with folding chairs serving as team benches. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Swish, a team from California, earned the bronze medal in unicycling basketball competition this week at Unicon 21, the international unicycling convention held in Bemidji July 14-26. I saw them play early on against a French team in the high school gym. They lost that match in a close game.
More basketball action… (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Watching from above. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Aiming for the basket for the French team after being fouled. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Although winning was the goal, it’s clear these basketball players are dedicated to a sport they love playing. I can’t imagine that hopping onto a unicycle, then dribbling and passing a ball, guarding and shooting baskets is easy. You gotta love the challenge this version of basketball presents.
Fans sat on folding chairs or on the gym floor, up close to the game. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
As the toddler daughter of one Swish player napped in her stroller, the game progressed. Nothing awakened Rosie, not even errant basketballs bouncing toward her and deflected by Grandpa, in Minnesota from Mississippi for the competition.
Most players simply threw their unicycles down when not riding them. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Posted on the entry door to the school. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Playing hard, the California team vs the French. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
I watched the game, watched Rosie, got up and walked around looking for photo ops. Basketball, actually sports in general, don’t hold my interest for long, even an international competition. Plus, and I hesitate to write this, but the gym smelled of sweaty locker room. I stepped out occasionally simply to breathe fresher air in the air conditioned hallways.
A unicycle lies atop Paul Bunyan’s axe blade on the gym floor. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
On the exterior of Bemidji High School, Paul Bunyan’s axe. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
While wandering, I noted the Paul Bunyan legendary influence. On the gym floor, a unicycle lay on the blade of Paul’s over-sized axe. It’s only fitting that the school mascot is the Lumberjacks given Paul is a lumberjack.
Unicon 21 attendees got Paul Bunyan-themed tote bags. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
His likeness, and that of his sweetheart, Lucette, and Babe the Blue Ox, adorned red buffalo plaid Unicon 21 swag bags scattered across the gym floor. The stuff of folklore, Paul and Babe are a major marketing brand in northern Minnesota. Statues of the pair stand along Lake Bemidji, for example, and are widely used in branding throughout the region from Brainerd northward.
The game ends. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
I wonder what the Californians thought of the whole Paul Bunyan lore, or if they even noticed. Swish was in Minnesota, after all, to play basketball. While Rosie napped and I wandered in and out of the gym, they wheeled across the gym floor, focused on scoring, on winning the game.
Competing for Japan, one team member has just passed off the baton. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
THEY PROPELLED down the track, leaning into the forward thrust of their unicycles as they pedaled toward teammates, then sped to the finish line in an international unicycling relay race. I was there, trackside on July 18, photographing teams from around the world at Unicon 21 in Bemidji.
Relay race competitors between races. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Admittedly, I am not a sports fan (or sports photographer) and can’t recall ever seeing a relay race in person. But this, this was decidedly different due to the unicycles and due to the international level of competition at The Unicycling World Competition and Championships. This interested me.
Nearing the finish line with batons in hand. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Running a race on your feet takes talent and skill. But try racing on one wheel, and the bar rises. That’s my opinion anyway. I thought of the balance required to ride quickly and then connect with a teammate to hand off a baton. I thought, too, of the pressure to succeed, to not let your team down.
Riding for Japan. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Yet, the mood at the Unicon relay race at Bemidji High School didn’t feel oppressively competitive to me, an observer. Rather, it felt fun, connective. Perhaps the riders and their coaches thought differently.
This particularly colorful unicycle grabbed my attention. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
I love the graphics on this German uniform with a unicycle incorporated into the shape of Minnesota. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Unicycles galore dropped by the bleachers after the races. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
I watched the races as much as I watched people watching them. I am a quiet observer, taking in overall scenes and details. My eyes focused on a multi-colored unicycle, t-shirt graphics, unicycles dropped in a pile by the bleachers…
German teammates between races. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
They came from around the world (here Germany and Japan) to support their teams. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Volunteers were integral to the success of the international unicycling convention. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Each detail is like a sentence written in to a paragraph written in to a story. Trackside conversations, including one I had in German with a man from Germany, and overheard in the stands added a personal international connection. To witness athletes from around the world come together in small town northern Minnesota was gratifying. I expect anyone participating or attending the Summer Olympics in Paris will experience that same feeling of unity, even in the competitiveness of the events.
German teammates circle the track before a race. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
The Bemidji High School Lumberjacks (“Jacks” for short) hosted the track and field events on their athletic field. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
A Paul Bunyan-themed food truck serves food in the high school parking lot. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Under a partly cloudy blue sky on a perfect July day in northern Minnesota, the world grew closer, while mine grew wider. Athletes wheeled around the BHS track, racing to win. In reality, they’d already won. They were here, together in Minnesota, connecting with other unicyclists, embracing a sport they love.
Randy and I pose in front of a Unicon 21 banner at Bemidji High School. (Photo credit: C. Helbling)
THEY ARRIVED from around the world, some 1,200 strong, to attend the Unicycling World Competition and Championships July 14-26 in Bemidji. Everything aligned for me to be there on July 18. Not many Minnesotans can say they’ve attended an international unicycling convention. But I can, and the unicyclists impressed, entertained and inspired me.
Unicycles were everywhere, including on the basketball court at Bemidji High School. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
The US last hosted Unicon in 2002 in Washington state. And 30 years ago, Minneapolis hosted Unicon 7. Held every two years, the prior international gathering was in France in 2022.
Paul Bunyan, his sweetheart, Lucette, and Babe the Blue Ox graphics on the back of a Unicon t-shirt. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
My road to Unicon 21 in Bemidji started when my son, who lives and works in Boston, and, yes, rides a unicycle, decided to attend the convention. Not as a competitive athlete, but as someone who likes unicycling and wanted to connect with, and learn from, other unicyclists. Randy and I happened to be vacationing only 1.5 hours from Bemidji, so the timing was perfect to head farther north into Paul Bunyan land.
A graceful freestyle performance by Japanese unicyclists reminded me of ballet. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
On the Thursday we were in Bemidji, we watched relay races, basketball, an obstacle course competition and freestyle performances along with touring the pop-up unicycle museum and watching people try their skills on a wide range of unicycles.
Skilled unicyclist Indiana (who is from Michigan) unicycles outside the Sanford Center. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
It takes balance, skill, patience, determination and a certain amount of fearlessness to ride a unicycle. At least that’s my assessment after observing both competitive athletes and ordinary unicyclists like my son. He started riding in grade school, performing once at a local church talent show—simultaneously unicycling and yo-yoing. I thought that took skill, and it does, but the skill level of the athletes in Bemidji was beyond impressive.
A team from California plays basketball with a team from France. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Imagine dribbling and passing a basketball, then shooting a basket all while balancing and rolling and turning on a unicycle. I saw all of that as a team from California played a team from France in the Bemidji High School gym.
Pedaling with a baton in hand during the relay race. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Outside, unicyclists pedaled around the high school track as they raced to connect with their team members to pass a baton. It was there that I used the German I learned more than 50 years ago. Although a bit rusty, I was able to welcome a man from Germany and exchange a few other words with him. He clued me in that a young boy from Japan was a speed demon, the athlete to watch. He was right.
The Unicycling Unicorn’s 44-foot tall unicycle. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
Then it was over to the Sanford Center across town to visit the Unicycle Museum. Unicycles of all ages, sizes and styles ringed the conference room along with unicycle t-shirts, merch and more. Among the unicycles was a 44-foot long custom-made unicycle stretched across the floor. Jamey Mossengren, known as The Unicycling Unicorn, rode the tower-like structure at Unicon 21 in an attempt to break the World Record for Tallest Rideable Unicycle. He failed during his public performance, but achieved his goal during practice, pedaling seven revolutions while in control. I didn’t see his attempt. My son did. As a side note, Mossengren travels around the world performing his unicorn unicycle themed comedy and circus show. He appeared at this year’s Bullhead Days in Waterville.
Riding this unicycle requires two riders who weigh about the same. A weighted backpack on the front rider’s chest makes attempting to ride this unicycle possible. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
The Unicycle Museum was about much more than looking, reading, learning. It was also participatory, with most unicycles available for temporary check-out. Outside the Sanford Center, individuals of all ages and skill levels tried out an assortment of unicycles. Me? I passed.
This unicyclist navigated planks, pallets and steps before jumping onto a plank atop a tire. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
For a while, we watched solitary unicyclists ride across narrow planks onto stacked pallets, jump steps and leap onto a single plank inside the Sanford Center. Short on time, we headed to the Bemidji State campus for supper in the cafeteria before the evening freestyle performances.
Acrobatics, dancing, gymnastics…all were part of the freestyle performances. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
This was my favorite event with costumed unicyclists performing together. They twirled, leapt, moved like gymnasts, acrobats, dancers and ballerinas in time to music. It was beautiful. Mesmerizing.
The crowd does the wave in between performances at the freestyle competition. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2024)
In that university gymnasium, filled with people from around the world, I felt an overwhelming sense of unity. The crowd encouraged performers with whistles, shouts, applause and foot-stomping. Flags waved. Smiles abounded. I felt a spirit of positivity, the sense of joy that prevails when we realize that we are all just people enjoying an event together. Our differences mattered not in that moment, in that place, among some of the world’s best unicyclists. To be part of that experience at Unicon 21 proved particularly uplifting and inspiring. And that it all happened right here in Minnesota felt, oh, so incredibly good.
NOTE: Check back for more photos from the international unicycling convention in Bemidji.
Along a main route into Montgomery’s downtown, this sign points to the KC Food Stand several blocks away. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Volunteer Ernie at one of two walk-up food service windows at the KC stand. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
The small corner building with walk-up food service windows houses the Knights of Columbus Council #1573 Food Stand. And, by all accounts, business is brisk. Every weekday, from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., from June until Labor Day, volunteers run this street-side stand at 206 Vine Avenue West.
Food and signs, including a sign that reads “Thou shalt not whine.” (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
On the Thursday I stopped by, drawn by street signage to check out this food stand, Ernie, Jean and Evelyn were running things. The offerings are simple, basic: wieners (not hot dogs), brats, pork burgers, chips, candy bars, ice cream treats, pop and water. Not all meats are served daily. Wednesday is Brat Day. Pork burgers are served on Fridays.
Evelyn, left, and Jean await customers on an afternoon in early June. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Jean serves a wiener/hot dog from Edel’s Meat Market. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Condiments and menu specials at a serving window. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
The meat comes from Edel’s Meat Market just down the street. The brats, Edel’s Shelterbelt Beer Brats, are made with Shelterbelt beer from Montgomery Brewing, also just down the street. This food stand is all about supporting local.
Most Holy Redeemer Catholic School, Montgomery. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo June 2024)
Proceeds from the stand benefit local entities: youth scholarships/trips, Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church and School, Tri-City United (the public school) activities, membership death benefits and the Montgomery community in general.
Signage at the KC Food Stand. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Funds raised here are no chump change. In 2023, the stand grossed $12,000, netted $8,000, according to volunteer Ernie. The KC stand has been around since the 1950s, although not always at today’s location. The stand is meeting a need in the community, the trio of volunteers agreed.
The KC Food Stand is on the same block as Most Holy Redeemer Church, just to the east on the corner. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo June 2024)
It follows the Knights of Columbus principles of charity, unity and fraternity by giving to the community and bringing people together. I love this about small towns, the way folks work together for the good of people and place. That’s happening in the small blue building on the corner of Vine in Montgomery every weekday during the summer.
This identifying signage is posted on Kenyon’s city building. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
WHEN IT COMES to branding, everything is coming up roses in Kenyon. Literally.
Welcome to Kenyon and its Boulevard of Roses. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Roses bloom throughout the summer in the boulevard. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
So many lovely roses… (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
This community of just under 2,000 identifies itself via its Boulevard of Roses which is, indeed, a rose-filled boulevard on Minnesota State Highway 60/Gunderson Boulevard. For blocks along this heavily-traveled roadway on the west side of downtown, tree roses grow, blooming beauty into the landscape.
So many beautiful roses in assorted hues. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Whether growing individually or in clusters, these tree roses are glorious. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Traffic whizzes by on both sides as you smell/view the roses. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Recently, I stopped to smell the roses. Literally. I dipped my nose into the perfume-scented flowers, delighting in their fragrance as semi trucks and other motor vehicles blew by me only feet away. Smelling the roses here requires caution. I’ve often wished Kenyon had a public rose garden, allowing for rose viewing, and smelling, in a peaceful setting.
Even a plaque on Kenyon’s city building has the rose brand. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
But that the city has this, this Boulevard of Roses, is a gift. Back in 1962, city employee Lloyd Jystad asked to plant 10 tree roses to spruce up the boulevard. Permission granted. He cared for the rose bushes, which require burying in the ground before winter and then uncovering in the spring. From that initial request, the rose idea grew to include some 100 bushes, which are still cared for by city employees today. The Boulevard of Roses was dedicated in June 1968. That’s a long time of growing and tending roses.
Rose branding on the city liquor store. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Throughout Kenyon, roses bloom. In many ways, it’s remarkable for a community this small to have such a strong identifier. But I saw roses everywhere during a recent visit, far beyond the real ones that bloom along the highway. The red rose symbol graces many a sign in Kenyon.
A sandwich board sits outside a small business well in advance of Rose Fest. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Business branding on a shop door. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Promoting the upcoming Rose Fest car and truck show in a storefront window. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
The city also celebrates roses in August with the Kenyon Rose Fest, this year August 14-18. It’s your typical small town summer celebration with fest royalty, a parade, a car and truck show, vendor and craft market, great food, and more. Mostly, Rose Fest is about connecting people and community. It brings folks together to celebrate small town life.
A fitting name for a floral shop in Kenyon. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
I often wonder if motorists, as they drive through Kenyon in their hurry from Point A to Point B, even notice the beauty they’re passing by in the Boulevard of Roses. I’m here to say it’s worth your time to stop, exit your vehicle and smell the roses. Life is much sweeter when we slow down and appreciate the nuances of small towns like Kenyon with its Boulevard of Roses.
At the Kenyon Public Utilities building, signage marks the birth and bicentennial of our country from 1776-1976. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
BUILT BY THE PEOPLE FOR THE PEOPLE. I suppose in many ways that could describe the building of America. We are a nation built by the people on the principles of freedom, of democracy. That’s important to remember in the hoopla of the Fourth of July, a holiday synonymous with BBQs, parades, fireworks and a day off from work.
Spotted on a house in Kenyon. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
But the founding of our country, the birth of a nation, is at the core of our July Fourth celebration. Or at least it should be.
A stunning house along Red Wing Avenue showcases beautiful landscaping and the red-white-and-blue. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
On recent day trips to several small towns in southern Minnesota, I noticed the red-white-and-blue on full display. Visual reminders that loyalty to country and liberty are still cherished.
A flag flies at Kenyon’s hardware store. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
I appreciate when people, businesses, governments showcase the colors of this country in ways that honor and respect the integrity of America. Not to make a political statement.
Patriotism in carved eagles and an American flag in a Kenyon neighborhood. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
In Kenyon, a rural community of just under 2,000 in Goodhue County, I found an array of red-white-and-blue. From Main Street to residential neighborhoods, locals have infused the colors of our country into the landscape.
Allan and Connie Turner have lots of kitschy handcrafted art in their yard at the corner of Red Wing Avenue and Eighth Street next to the Kenyon water tower. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2024)
American made sold at All Seasons Thrift Store. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Patriotic bags for sale in the thrift shop. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Flags fly. Kitschy yard art celebrates the Fourth. Even inside a thrift store, American pride shows.
An American and MIA flag fly at the Kenyon Post Office. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
An American flag is barely visible to the right as a sprayer passes Kenyon’s veterans’ memorial. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
A patriotic barn and porch quilt, available at D & S Banner, Sign & Print. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
This is America. From small town to big city. From coast-to-coast. No matter where we live in this big wide country, we are, today, one nation celebrating the birth of our nation.
One of several flag decals in the windows of the VFW. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Happy birthday, America! And happy Fourth of July, dear readers!
American pride displayed at a brewery in Montgomery, Minnesota. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
A flag flies from the popular Franke’s Bakery in downtown Montgomery. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
How often have you sung those words, heard those lyrics, considered the meaning of our national anthem? Perhaps, after time, the words have become simply rote, voiced without much thought of their meaning.
A flag rock in a flower garden at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic School. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Our nation’s birthday seems a good time to ponder the depth of bravery required to attain and maintain our freedom. It’s come at great cost with loss of life and physical, mental and emotional trauma. And, at times, with events that have rocked the very core of our democracy.
A flag flies near The Monty Bar, a mammoth building anchoring a corner. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Through everything, our flag still waves—sometimes tattered, torn and abused—but still there. A symbol of our country and the freedoms we live.
Patriotic art on Legion Post 79 is part of The Montgomery Wings Mural Walk. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
It always amazes me how small towns, especially, fly so many American flags. Take Montgomery, a southern Minnesota community that honors its veterans with photos and bios of them posted throughout the downtown area. Montgomery also flies a lot of U.S. flags.
To the far right in this photo, an oversized flag flies along Main Street Montgomery. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Those flags mostly grace lampposts, but also flagpoles, businesses and flower gardens. The red-white-and-blue flashes color into Main Street and elsewhere, creating a visual of patriotism. There’s something about a crisp, new American flag publicly displayed that swells the heart with love of country.
Another flag rock in a Most Holy Redeemer garden. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
My country ‘tis of Thee, sweet land of liberty of Thee I sing…let freedom ring.
A flag drapes on a pole outside The Rustic Farmer on Main, an event center and community gathering spot in Montgomery. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Let freedom ring, unsuppressed by anyone who may attempt to silence it via words, actions, ego, authority. Let freedom ring strong and loud in this land.
Even small flags like this in the storefront window of a cleaning service make an impact. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Let the flag fly as a symbol of a free people, a free country, where democracy is to be valued, cherished and respected.
Montgomery has a lot of drinking establishments and a lot of American flags. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
This Fourth of July, the 248th birthday of the United (emphasis on united) States of America, let’s remember the freedoms we have and vow to always honor them. Always.
The Dam Store photographed in 2010. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2010)
A FIXTURE NEAR THE RAPIDAN DAM since 1910, The Dam Store is no more. On Friday, crews demolished the historic eatery along the Blue Earth River in southern Minnesota.
Its collapse into the water seemed inevitable after the flooded river carved a path around the west side of the dam, eroding the land, taking down trees, buildings and an electrical substation. The Dam Store appeared next in line.
Officials considered their options, including consulting a professional about moving the store, according to media reports. When that was deemed unsafe, the decision was made to demolish the building. If the river claimed the store, that would add more debris to float downstream, creating additional hazards and safety risks.
Before demolition, the Hruska family, which has owned The Dam Store for some 50 years, and friends removed items from the long-time business. The store opened in 1910 to serve workers constructing the Rapidan Dam.
The loss of The Dam Store is a major loss not only to the Hruska family and locals, but also to the region and to Minnesota. It’s more than a place to grab a burger and a slice of homemade pie. It’s an icon, a destination, one of those genuine slice of Americana spots that stands out for its quaintness, friendliness, uniqueness and great food. Did I mention the pies?
The Hruska family has already stated this is not the end of The Dam Store. I believe them. For now, though, they have much to deal with emotionally and otherwise. The family home, near the store, fell into the river earlier this week. It’s a lot. But the community has rallied to support them financially via donations through GoFundMe and an account at MinnStar banks in Mankato and Lake Crystal. I expect the outpouring of support for this family to continue.
The Dam Store in Rapidan, photographed in 2010. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2010)
FOURTEEN YEARS AGO, I wrote a magazine feature story on The Dam Store, a rural southern Minnesota business serving up food, bait and tackle. People travel for miles to buy a burger and a slice of homemade pie here. It’s the kind of place that appeals to me—unpretentious and welcoming. Cozy, homey and comfortable, with great food.
The calm Blue Earth River, photographed in 2010, looks nothing like this today. The raging river has taken out trees, a house, a county shed, and electrical substation as it cut a new path around the Rapidan Dam. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2010)
The small eatery is located by the Rapidan Dam, a dam which has been in the news all week due to its possible imminent failure. Thus far, the dam has held. But the roaring, overflowing Blue Earth River carved a path around the dam to the west, eventually claiming the Hruska family’s riverside home. They run the nearby cafe.
This shows the short distance from the dam walkway to The Dam Store. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2010)
The Hruska family, including Jenny Barnes, has run The Dam Store for some 50 years. Her nearby childhood home fell into the raging river Tuesday evening. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2010)
The Dam Store has been written about often as shown in this wall of feature stories. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2010)
The Dam Store sits a short distance away, close enough that it could possibly be overcome by floodwaters. At least that’s my non-professional opinion. And if that worries me, I can only imagine how the family feels.
Delicious burger and fries. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2010)
Notebooks full of praise for The Dam Store. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2010)
Homemade rhubarb pie. The Dam Store is known for its fruit and cream pies. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2010)
This place is a treasure. A destination. A slice of Americana run by folks who care deeply about their customers. People rave about The Dam Store. I read that in comments filling a notebook when I was there back in 2010. I feel the same. To dine here is an experience, a step back in time to days when life seemed simpler.
Public officials are now concerned about the integrity of this bridge as the river is no longer flowing over the Rapidan Dam but cutting a path to the west. This 2010 photo shows a low, calm river. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2010)
The Dam Store was packed with diners during my 2010 stop. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2010)
The dam, built in 1908-1910, is 475 feet wide and measures 87 feet from the top to the streambed. This 2010 image shows a section of the dam and the nearby bridge, now in jeopardy due to river bank erosion by floodwaters. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2010)
The scene unfolding today in Rapidan is decidedly one of concern and watchfulness. And for many, one of hope. Hope that The Dam Store will remain standing, untouched by floodwaters. The building has been there since 1910, the eatery in the Hruska family for more than 50 years. This is their history, their life, their livelihood. Their home. Their place.
The main dining area of The Dam Store with booths and lunch counter. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2010)
The Rapidan Heritage Society has established a relief fund for the Hruska family with donations accepted at MinnStar Bank offices in Mankato and Lake Crystal. Click here for more information.
These guys ordered burgers at the lunch counter. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2010)
Now, until The Dam Store reopens—and I’m being optimistic that this will all turn out OK—enjoy these photos taken in 2010. I think you’ll understand why this place is so popular, so loved.
A vintage 1969 or 1970 Chevy pickup truck parked in a car port at Twin Lakes Auto Parts in Waterville.(Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
EVERY PLACE HAS CHARACTER, especially small towns. Or at least that’s how it seems to me, someone with an affinity for rural. I am not a big city girl, preferring quiet Main Streets to city traffic, low-slung buildings to soaring skyscrapers, small gatherings to crowds. I feel grounded, rooted, at home in rural locations.
One of Waterville’s most unusual homes, a small house sandwiched between businesses along Main Street. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
For me a day trip to explore small towns is as appealing as a day in the big city for someone who prefers cities. We are all different and that is a good thing.
A ghost sign on a downtown building. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Recently I toured seven area communities in a single day while working on a photo essay column for SouthernMinn Scene, a regional arts and entertainment magazine. I found myself photographing scenes well beyond the scope of my themed essay focusing on small town bar exteriors and signage. With camera in hand, I always scan for interesting photo ops.
Vintage bullhead art signage hangs on the Waterville Event Center. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Among my stops was Waterville, in the southern Minnesota lakes region of Le Sueur County. Summertime residents and visitors plus bikers pedaling the Sakatah Singing Hill State Trail swell this town’s population well beyond 1,868. Waterville folks definitely recognize the value these people bring to the local economy, to the community.
Unexpected art on the side of the Corner Bar. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
I realize not everyone sees what I see upon walking through a small town business district like that in Waterville. I tend to notice details, oddities, the small things that make a place interesting. I’ve photographed the heart of Waterville several times, so this trip I mostly zeroed in on different details.
I see this often in small towns, specific notes left for delivery drivers. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
I should note that I’m particularly drawn to signage—handwritten to business signs.
Classic’s Pub opens soon in this massive building. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Waterville will soon be home to two new businesses, as noted on signage. Classic’s Pub, a bar and event center featuring displays of vintage cars and motorcycles, is opening in a spacious corner building along South 3rd Street. Waterville has several other bars. But I’m excited about this one (not that I’ve been in the others) because of its vintage theme.
Another business opening soon in Waterville. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
And just across the street, a sign notes that The Cleaver & Corn is opening soon, serving sandwiches, gourmet specialty popcorn from the local The Snack Shack, sweets and more. That, too, sounds like a great addition to the community. And the business name…I find it particularly creative.
A customer pulled up to the hardware store on his riding lawnmower. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
As I walked about the downtown, I saw a whole lot of character. In buildings. In signage. In storefronts. Even in a John Deere riding lawnmower driven to and parked outside Harry’s True Value Hardware.
Waterville Hardware Hank, just across from True Value. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Just across the street sits Waterville Hardware Hank, offering a second option to locals, cabin owners and campers. I’ve been inside this store with its narrow aisles and original wood floors. Not this trip, though.
Lots happening at the Corner Bar in June. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2024)
Rather, I kept my feet on the sidewalk and pavement, opting to photograph downtown Waterville while outdoors only. That focused perspective revealed plenty of character that makes this small town unique, welcoming, a place I always enjoy visiting.
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