April 2025

Memory Care Corner: Happy May Day!

How many of you grew up celebrating May Day? I remember my older siblings talking how they would fill paper baskets or cones with treats and bring them to neighbors and friends. Once the baskets were prepared, you would set them down on the neighbor’s steps, knock on the door, yell Happy May Day, and run! If the gift receiver caught you, then you would have to give them a kiss! I even have nieces and nephews who remember their grandmother (my mom) running after them-and almost catching them!

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Bluenose Gopher Public House to re-open after temporary closure

Bluenose Gopher Public House is a volunteer-led, cooperative organization that owns and operates a taproom in downtown Granite Falls that opened six years ago. The venue has been closed since late February, but will re-open after the cooperatives membership voted on a plan presented by cooperative member Brian-Paco Bertrand that included reversing the board resolution to close the venue, and move forward with the taproom under a revised business model.

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School Board passes resolution to call for special election

At last week’s meeting of the Yellow Medicine East Board of Education, the board unanimously passed a resolution to call for a special election. The resolution comes after the recent facilities survey, which had 802 respondents, a 22 percent response rate that showed a favorable response from the community to the open-ended question of whether or not the district should explore a bond referendum for facility improvements. The estimated bond referendum amount is $74,395.

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Zempel named historical society Hall of Fame Honoree for 2024

At last week’s annual Chippewa County Historical Society banquet, Arnold Zempel was named the 2024 Hall of Fame Honoree. Zempel was born in Montevideo and attended country school at District 74 for five years until it closed in 1960. He then attended Sanford School for sixth grade, before attending grades 7-10 at Montevideo High School. Zempel went to the “new” high school for grades 11-12, graduating in 1968.

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