Some people feign grateful for all they have to be thankful for this time of year. Bill Beranek needs no reminder he has plenty to be grateful for when he gathers with friends and family at Thanksgiving.

Last December, Beranek, a New Prague resident, heard the words nobody wants to hear. He had cancer, an aggressive type of cancer in his prostate. While some prostate cancer patients are told doctors plan to hold off on treatment and observe the cancer for change or growth, Beranek’s doctor told him the cancer was so aggressive that doing nothing was not an option, he said.

The New Prague Area Historical Society (NPAHS) hosted an event, “The History of Medicine,” Wednesday evening, Nov. 19, featuring Dr. Michael Wilcox, MD, as the presenter.

The historical society judged the event a success as a capacity crowd filled the Werner Giesen Bierstube room at Giesenbrau Bier Co. in New Prague.

Dr. Wilcox delivered a comprehensive presentation on 11 prominent physicians who practiced in New Prague between 1875 and 1975.

This Friday, Nov. 21, New Prague High School’s students begin a two-weekend run of the musical, “Bye Bye Birdie” which the directors call a fun classic.

Allie Meyer and Matt Stensrud are directors of the production with showtimes Friday, Nov. 21, and Saturday, Nov. 22, 7 p.m. each night and Sunday, Nov. 23, 2 p.m. The second weekend of performances are Saturday, Nov. 29, 7 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 30, 2 p.m.

“Matt and I read scripts and listened to soundtracks this summer and came up with lists of shows. ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ was on both of our lists,” said Meyer.

Sunday, Nov. 16, St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church welcomed veterans to a Mass by The Rev. Eugene Theisen, a veteran. Veterans were honored during the service and even children offered their thanks to the veterans.

After the Mass, 50-plus veterans and their spouses were the guests of honor at a special breakfast at the club room at the Park Ballroom. The breakfast, sponsored by Chuck Tupy and his insurance agency, was a continuation of a longstanding tradition in New Prague of recognizing and honoring veterans for their selfless service.

Autowash Systems, Inc. (ASI), the leading car wash distributor serving the Upper Midwest, announces the purchase of the New Prague Car Wash, located next to Casey’s Gas Station. This investment marks a new chapter in ASI’s ongoing commitment to advancing technician training and supporting the local community.

The primary purpose of this acquisition is to create a hands-on training facility for ASI technicians while showcasing the latest in in-bay automatic wash technology. As an added benefit, the wash will also be open to the community.

Since 1903, the Bruzek family has served New Prague and area families at times of grief and sorrow over the loss of loved ones.

On Wednesday, Nov. 12, a two-vehicle crash happened around 11:58 a.m. on the east side of New Prague.

According to the Minnesota State Patrol a flatbed towestbound on Highway 19 approaching 141st Street in the left lane. The tow truck was hauling recreational items and pulling a pontoon.

The tow truck rear ended a stopped Ford vehicle at the intersection. After the impact the tow truck and pontoon jackknifed blocking the westbound lanes.

The driver of the Ford vehicle was air lifted by North Memorial, with non-life threatening injuries.

New Prague High School’s National Honor Society recently held an induction ceremony with 53 new members inducted. The National Honor Society (NHS) now has a total membership of 93 members.

“I feel that new members add an influx of energy to the organization,” said Matt Stensrud, NPHS language arts teacher and National Honor Society advisor. “These are people that are motivated, passionate, and caring individuals, and it’s always great to see that many people apply and be accepted. They are what keeps the organization going.”

Recently, more than two dozen volunteers with Crossroads Church of Elko New Market picked apples at Nelson’s Apple Farm of Webster. The apples were sent to area food shelves to help families in need.

“It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon to get out and pick apples,” said Pastor Gordon Deuel of Crossroads Church. He noted their group got to see and help how apples are washed and packed at the apple farm owned and operated by Ross and Karen Nelson. Plus, those who helped were able to have an apple dandy, a deep-fried doughnut, afterwards.

The Scott County Sheriff’s Office is opening its ninth annual greeting card design contest.

The New Prague Fire Department aided a farmer whose arm became caught in a corn picker Tuesday evening, Nov. 4, along the 23000 block of Helena Boulevard.

New Prague Fire Chief Steve Rynda said the call came in at 8:25 p.m. The farmer, a male in his early 60s, was working on the machine out in a field when his hand and arm became stuck in the machine, said Rynda, adding the farmer was the one who called the fire department.

After arriving on the scene, firefighters were able to free the farmer’s arm and hand.

Voters in the New Prague Area School District approved the school district’s request for additional local revenue by a wide margin.

Falcon Ridge Elementary School’s multipurpose gym was extremely quiet Friday, Oct. 24, as students participated in the school’s Read-A-Thon.

During the day each grade at the school, which has 500 students, had a designated time to read and celebrate the day in the gym, said Greta Deutsch of the Parent Advisory Committee (PAC).

Besides reading in the gym, students were also reading in their classrooms for the event, said Deutsch. The event has two purposes, to encourage reading and raise funds for the school.

When word that Scott, Le Sueur and Rice counties could no longer process applications for assistance under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Rita Goggins knew more people would be looking for assistance.

The counties are expecting additional pressure on the food shelf created by the federal government shutdown.

The Elko New Market City Council discussed the future of the former police department building at 26518 France Avenue at the council’s Thursday, Oct. 23, meeting. A study workgroup had come up with three possibilities for the building, demolish, sell or save. The council decided to bring the building back for discussion in January.

Hope for the Community in Elko New Market teamed up at the beginning of October with the non-profit Feed My Starving Children and local business Niagara Bottling, LLC to serve 340 families in the Elko New Market area. The three organizations provided 110 pounds of donated food and hygiene supplies to families in need.

“That was a great event,” said Jim Muelken, who with his wife, Jodi, started Hope for the Community Elko New Market in 2017 with the help of Al Goracke, the board president of Hope for the Community in Blaine.