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Northfield News
Next fair manager knows how to make events come together
Peter van Sluis admits he was a little hesitant about applying to become the next manager of the Rice County Fair. He has experience planning community events, but he said he does not know much about agriculture, which is a significant part of the fair. But retiring manager John Dvorak convinced him that wasn’t a prerequisite. Van Sluis said he learned the fair has a team of dedicated staff, volunteer...
Northfield Soccer Association (NSA) set for fall programming
The Northfield Soccer Association (NSA) has several options to learn the game and improve skills for youth soccer players in ages ranging from 4 to 14, beginning in fall 2023. “Fall soccer is a great entry point into the sport here in Northfield. It’s a shorter season, making for a lighter commitment for players and families, but all three of our hallmark programs — in-house, academy and traveling — are active,” said Helen Clarke of the Northfield Soccer Association.”We group players into programs and teams...
Vintage race cars fill open building at Rice County Fair
A sprint car built by an Owatonna man in the 1950s and a kids car that was banned for being too fast are among the racing vehicles on display for the first time at the Rice County Fair. This year, in addition to paying to watch vehicles race and ram into each other from the grandstand bleachers, fair-goers can check out vintage race cars still in good condition. The latter vehicles aren’t moving. But visitors can get an up-close look, and for free. ...
Rotating food trucks add menu variety to Imminent Brewing
From barbeque to burritos, salads to sliders and pizza to pasties, the wide variety of menu offerings provided by the rotating food trucks parked in front of Imminent Brewing is certain to add pizzazz to any party. During the summer months, the patio at Imminent fills up with parties of people enjoying the brews along with the bites. Imminent Brewing owners Derek and Laura Meyers have connected with 20 different...
Northfielder Ben Wang is star of Disney+ hit show
When local actor Ben Wang moved to Northfield from Shanghai, China, he was 6 years old and the only Asian American here in public school. Today, two decades later, Wang’s breakout role as Jin Wang in the Disney+ hit series “American Born Chinese” feels more than familiar to the 25-year-old actor; it feels personal. Not only is Wang the central figure in the show that tackles head on cultural differences...
Suspect charged in high-speed motorcycle chase
A bloody helmet and a profane phrase helped identify a Faribault man as the suspect in a high-speed motorcyclist chase that started in downtown Northfield and ended in a crash near Faribault earlier this month, charges say. Casey Daniel Bauer, 32, was charged Monday in Rice County District Court with felony fleeing police and misdemeanor careless driving. Bauer is suspected of fleeing from an attempted traffic stop for speeding on...
Northfield Arts Guild presents 2 unique summer events
This month, music and theater aficionados are in for a double treat dripping with arts and culture served up from the Northfield Arts Guild. Pauline Jennings, interim performance arts manager at the Guild, said she’s excited that Northfield audiences will be treated to a 411 concert at the Guild Theater and one of Shakespeare’s least produced plays “A Winter’s Tale,” performed in Central Park. “I’m super excited to bring these...
Light of Hope replaces Relay for Life to keep funds local
At last August's Rice County Relay For Life, Shelly Prieve said she and other organizers were feeling that enough of the raised funds were coming back to the community. So they formed the Light of Hope Cancer Foundation was formed. From 4-10 p.m. on Sept. 30 at Central Park, the new organization will host its first-ever celebration. The new celebration will be similar to the Relay For Life. It will...
Rice County Fair returns as manager ends his 'enjoyable run'
Zipping around the Rice County Fairgrounds directing vendors to their spots, unlocking buildings and doing hundreds of other tasks, the third Monday and Tuesday of July are John Dvorak’s busiest days of the year. But not for much longer. 2023 marks Dvorak’s 10th and final year as manager of the Rice County Fair. “I’m still...
Curbside Compost works toward Rice County facility
The Curbside Compost Cooperative estimates having prevented 3 to 4 million pounds of waste from Northfield from entering the landfill. Cooperative co-owner Rae Enfiejian said this is important, because the Rice County Solid Waste Facility is filling up. To help extend the life of the landfill, slow down climate change and provide quality soil for farmers, gardeners, construction projects and more, the Curbside Compost Co-op is working toward building a...
11th book by YA author tackles global water scarcity
A few years ago, while on a Wartburg College alumnae trip to Tanzania, local author Mary Bleckwehl visited a village where Maasai nomads came to fetch water. Watching them draw the well water into vessels, they balanced on their heads for the long walk back inspired her to focus her latest young adult novel on the global scarcity of water. “I knew there and then I wanted to write this book,” said Bleckwehl on her latest fictional work titled “Fetching Dreams.” ...
Summer interns at St. Olaf focus on research; faculty on mentoring
Climate change and artificial intelligence are two of the hot button issues St. Olaf College students are most interested in researching this summer. That’s according to Jill Dietz, the new director of the Collaborative Undergraduate Research and Inquiry, or CURI, a program at St. Olaf. Dietz, a mathematics professor at St. Olaf for 27 years, said the 10-week CURI program, which pairs undergraduates with faculty for a summer of research, is as “robust” as ever. ...
Historic Bridge Square popcorn wagon gets makeover
The red and yellow antique popcorn wagon is a fondly familiar fixture of Northfield’s Bridge Square. A campaign to raise funds to restore the 105-year old wagon is underway. The restoration effort spearheaded by FiftyNorth was launched last month. While some of the work has already been completed, there is plenty more to do. Kerry Hjelmgren, director of FiftyNorth, said she calls the story of the popcorn wagon and its...
Historic Bridge Square popcorn wagon gets makeover
Like Santa’s House in December, the red and yellow antique popcorn wagon is a fondly familiar fixture of Northfield’s Bridge Square. Now, a campaign to raise funds to restore the 105-year old wagon is underway. The restoration effort spearheaded by FiftyNorth was launched June 1, and while some of the work has already been completed, there is plenty more to do. Kerry Hjelmgren, director of FiftyNorth, said she calls the...
First county open forum sees sparse comments
Only four people showed up to the first Rice County open forum on Tuesday morning. Three of the speakers shared their appreciation for the new monthly opportunity. The open forums allow citizens to share concerns with the Rice County Board of Commissioners on any topic. Previously public comment was limited to items on the agenda of any given commissioner meeting. The push came from Rice County’s newest Commissioner Gerry Hoisington....
Northfield athlete's gymnastic prowess on display in Circus Juventas
When Northfield athlete Paige Mier isn’t on the links this summer, she’s likely working on her trapeze and acrobatic moves she’ll be performing for the professional circus in the Twin Cities. Mier, 18, stars in the Circus Juventas summer production “Excalibur,” which promises to bring King Arthur’s legend to life under the Big Top in St. Paul. Circus Juventas is a large-scale, professionally produced show featuring a troupe of young...
Annual garden tour aided by sunny, dry weather attracts steady weekend crowds
A steady stream of visitors took advantage of the sunny and dry weekend weather to cycle through the six gardens on display during the annual Northfield Garden Club tour. At Amanda and Matt Eastvold’s garden on Northfield’s west side, a daughter’s tribute to her Master Gardener father, visitors were treated to three distinct zones: a water-wise pollinator-friendly boulevard; the shade front and side garden, and a small patch of sunny ground filled with annual cut flowers. ...
Northfield's Pagel earns statewide Female Athlete of the Year honor
Northfield High School junior-to-be Ella Pagel added another achievement to her growing list of athletic accomplishments, as she recently received the All-Metro Sports Award Female Athlete of the Year for 2022-23. The All-Metro awards are presented each year to the top high school athletes in the Twin Cities area by the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and Pagel received the award in a ceremony at the Target Center on June 28 in Minneapolis. ...
A berry good day to pick berries
A few hundred pickers arrived at Little Hill Berry Farm Saturday morning to take advantage of the unseasonably cool early July temperatures to pick the season’s just ripened organic blueberries. Some arrived with hats, sunblock and bug spray, while others toted stools, baskets and appetites. Little Hill Berry Farm owners Aaron Wills and Molly McGovern Wills operate the only organic pick your own berry farm in the state. Wills told...
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Northfield News has been serving Rice County, MN since 1876 and publishes Wednesdays and online at www.NorthfieldNews.com
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