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The Kenyon Leader
New year brings new menu, location for Whole Hog Barbecue in Northfield
Here’s the lowdown on Scotty’s Whole Hog Barbecue: the Northfield-based bbq operation has moved to the Lowdown, the basement space in Northfield’s Armory, smack in the middle of downtown. Local barbecue master Scott Barvir has made the commercial kitchen there his command center, from which he will serve his unique wood-fired whole hog slow-roasted meats and sides once per month. Since 2019, Barvir has been rotating his barbecue operation from...
Graduation rates stable statewide; Kenyon-Wanamingo stays above 90%
Figures released by the Minnesota Department of Education last week show that the four-year graduation rate remained stable last year, with more than 60,000 Minnesota students earning a high school diploma as part of the class of 2023. In total 83.3% of Minnesota students graduated in four years last year, with 58,293 students earning their diploma on time. An additional 3,874 students from earlier classes were able to graduate five, six or seven years after beginning High School. ...
K-W student brings cap gun to school, leadership sends out message to parents
Kenyon-Wanamingo Public Schools leadership told parents and guardians in a message Tuesday that a student had brought a cap gun to school. K-W Superintendent Beth Giese told The Kenyon Leader, “The cap gun was found today, when a student told the teacher he remembered he had it in his coat pocket from two days earlier at Easter. The cap gun was right in the coat pocket as the student said it would be.” ...
Depot Park egg hunt draws crowd
With a slight chill in the air and a bright sun overhead, Saturday proved to be the perfect day for an egg hunt. Kids and families packed Depot Park Saturday morning for Kenyon Parks and Recreation’s ninth annual Easter Egg Hunt. The annual event is a big undertaking for the department. City Council Member Kim Helgeson, who serves on the Parks and Rec Committee, estimated organizers had packed 3,400 eggs...
Angie's introduces delivery, more additions on the horizon
“It was nice to wake up on a Saturday morning and be like, ‘I think I want an omelet, and I just want to sit on my couch. I don’t want to leave.’” Recalling her formative years in Kenyon, restaurant owner Angie Anderson can rattle off the names of delivery spots she once enjoyed. Options have dwindled over the years, even as delivery services are exploding in popularity nationwide. ...
Municipal Utilities offers $500 scholarship to local students
Students who are continuing their education after high school face a lot of expenses — whether they be tuition, books or room and board — and scholarships are key for many to realize their ambitions. Kenyon Municipal Utilities (KMU) is helping local students again this year, bringing back its annual $500 scholarship for high school seniors. The opportunity is open for all seniors whose parents are members of KMU. The city of Kenyon recently announced it’s accepting applications. The deadline for application is April 12,...
Kenyon Muni to get updates
Despite difficulties in finding interested contractors, Kenyon’s City Council was able to get a trio of bids and selected the cheapest, paving the way to move forward with a roof replacement and other overdue maintenance at the Kenyon Municipal Liquor Building. The council accepted a bid of $40,640 from Red Wing-based Chandler Roofing & Construction, which will cover the cost of removing the current PVC membrane roof and insulation and replacing it with a new RhinoBond System, a PVC roof manufactured by Sika Roofing. ...
K-W 6th graders compete in Math Masters
The sixth-grade Kenyon-Wanamingo Math Masters had a fun time competing in Rochester. There were 163 students competing and 36 teams. While K-W didn’t have any students place in the top 20, the students did great and had fun. Cora was the school’s top scorer in the fact drill round, and Noah was the top scorer in the individual rounds. Of course, they all love stopping at McDonald’s on the way home, too.
Kenyon, Faribault Lutheran churches share new, young pastor
During Lent, Wednesdays and Sundays are a bit of a scramble these days for Pastor Joe Jorgensen. Especially Sundays. After delivering the sermon at 8:30 a.m. in Kenyon, Lutheran pastor Jorgensen drives to Faribault to deliver that same sermon at 10:30 a.m. The current service schedule will be reversed after Easter, so that Jorgensen, who...
Cape campaign for local kid shoots past crowdfunding goal
Five-year-old Keshawn Boyland has the resilience and positivity of a superhero, and now he has the cape to match. Keshawn, who has Down Syndrome, recently received his cape from TinySuperheroes after the runaway success of a crowdfunding campaign launched by his teacher Stephanie Wunderlich. TinySuperheroes is a company that creates capes for children with disabilities, illnesses and other adversities. ...
Wanamingo council sees vision for North Zumbro Sanitary Sewer District
A year after $10 million was secured for the project through the state bonding bill, the future North Zumbro Sanitary Sewer District, which will replace aging wastewater treatment plants in Wanamingo and three neighbors to the east, is starting to come into view. At its Monday night meeting, Wanamingo’s City Council received an update from Project Engineer Brandon Theobald of WHKS & Co. on ongoing design work and project planning, just weeks after preliminary designs were released for the lift station and treatment plant. ...
Wanamingo vintage snowmobile show returns despite warm weather
The ride may have been cancelled, but the show must go on. Wanamingo Vintage Ride and Show returned Saturday at the fire hall for its 15th year, minus the ride. Although some portions of the event were cancelled due to warm weather, it still drew a crowd with games, gallons of chili and an impressive lineup of vintage snowmobiles. The show spanned decades of snowmobile history, with 101 registered. Awards...
Rochester attorney announces candidacy in CD1
Attorney and former Rochester Township board member Rachel Bohman is announcing her candidacy for Congress as a member of the DFL Party in Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District. She aims to challenge current Rep. Brad Finstad, a Republican from New Ulm. Finstad was first elected to the CD1 seat during a special 2022 election, following the death of Rep. Jim Hagedorn who died that February. He was re-elected in the regular election that November. In both election, Finstad defeated Democrat Jeff Ettinger, of Austin, securing more...
Dreams and dresses distributed this spring at Cinderella's Closet at Hope
A fuchsia-colored, cascading tiered gown with an intricately beaded bodice was brought to a Faribault church last Saturday. The gown came with its original $480 price tags on a custom-made hanger with a name. In an emotional exchange, a mother told Hope Grambart that her daughter never had a chance to wear the dress last year. Her daughter died before prom. “We’ve never had a story quite like this,” said...
WILL POWER: Van Epps pulls off state title stunner
Will Van Epps was in relatively unfamiliar territory. He hadn't lost a match in nearly two months. The senior's best wrestling of his illustrious prep career was reserved for the back half of the 2023-24 season. Van Epps stormed to a section title and a No. 2 seed in the individual state tournament. "I believe...
K-W theater debuting "The Addams Family"
Kenyon-Wanamingo School Theatre is looking to scare up some laughs with “The Addams Family” next week. Students are rehearsing for the upcoming musical, which opens Saturday, March 9, followed by a matinee the next day. Randy Hockinson is directing the production, and Hannah Johnson is serving as music director. The play finds the creepy, kooky family in a season of growing pains as Wednesday Addams ages into adulthood and begins...
Kenyon council reviews master plan for Depot Park
Major new amenities could be coming to Kenyon’s Depot Park over the next few years, with a group from Minnesota State University, Mankato releasing a potential “master plan” based on public feedback solicited last fall. City Engineer Derek Olinger briefed the council on the newly released plan, which was discussed by the city’s Parks and Recreation Committee. Among the improvements proposed were a walking trail, paved sports court and ADA improvements to existing facilities. ...
Traxlers realizing longtime goal with new construction
Though the business inside has grown and expanded, the shop that houses Traxler Power and Equipment has remained largely unchanged for decades. Now, that shop stands in the shadow of something much larger — its replacement. After years of aspiring to build a bigger shop, owners Jeff and Ann Traxler broke ground on the project in December. They hope to move into the new building and begin tearing down the...
Dollar General developers pull out of plans to build store in Wanamingo
After an about-face that shocked city officials, plans to bring a Dollar General to Wanamingo have abruptly been canceled, leaving the Wanamingo EDA’s visions of a modestly sized commercial district along Highway 60 facing a decidedly uncertain future. The project, which could have provided city residents with the opportunity to meet their basic shopping needs without traveling to Zumbrota or Kenyon, had appeared set to move ahead, despite sticking points between the city and developers over access to the highway. ...
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The Kenyon Leader has been serving Goodhue County since 1885 and publishes Wednesdays & online at www.TheKenyonLeader.com
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