Members of New Prague High School’s Class of 2021 enjoy their senior walk through Falcon Ridge Elementary School while being cheered on by students at the school. The walk allowed the seniors to see teachers they had when they went to the elementary school. The walk through was originally planned to be held outside, but continuous rain required the event to be moved indoors. For more see an upcoming print issue of The New Prague Times. (Patrick Fisher Photo)

Father George Grafsky will celebrate his golden jubilee, marking 50 years in the priesthood, this weekend at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Montgomery.
Grafsky retired from active ministry in 2015, but continues to help with Masses at area churches when needed. He also serves as chaplain for many of the fire departments and emergency medical services in the area.
Grafsky will celebrate Most Holy Redeemer’s 5 p.m. Mass on Saturday evening, May 29 and the 8:30 a.m. Mass on Sunday morning, May 30.

The Le Sueur County Board held a very short meeting Tuesday, May 25.
Among the items on the agenda was the recognition of three long-time employees, who are retiring at the end of the month.
Public Health Director Cindy Shaughnessy (40 + years), Chief Deputy Auditor-Treasurer Connie Kopet (39 years), and County Auditor-Treasurer Pam Simonette (36 years) received retirement plaques.
In other business:

Area Memorial Day ceremonies will be a little closer to normal, although there will be some changes. The New Prague Veterans Honor Guard will be visiting area cemeteries starting at 9 a.m. and the parade will be back, but there will be a different route due to the reconstruction of Main Street and the Memorial Day service will be held in the Park Ballroom, 300 Lexington Ave. S. Featured speaker at the service will be Keith Deutsch of New Prague, a member of New Prague American Legion Post 45.

Father Michael J. Miller, son of Mary Jane Miller and the later Carlton E. Miller is marking the 25th anniversary of ordination Father Michael J. Miller, son of Mary Jane Miller and the late Carlton E. Miller is marking the 25th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood on Tuesday, May 25. He is currently the pastor for St. Patrick Catholic Church of Cedar Lake, and St. Catherine Catholic Church of Spring Lake Township in rural New Prague.

Family, friends and community members line Columbus Avenue near Falcon Ridge Elementary School on Sunday, May 23, as the New Prague High School Class of 2021 had its Graduation Parade. An estimated 100 vehicles of all sorts participated in the second year of the parade. Some vehicles had one senior as larger ones had five or more seniors. The weather stayed sunny and with temperatures at 77 degrees Fahrenheit. The parade wound through neighborhoods in the community. For more see an upcoming print issue of The New Prague Times. (Patrick Fisher Photo)

It was already a busy day for Laker’s New Prague Sanitary around 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 22, during New Prague’s City Wide Clean-up. Held at the parking lot of the New Prague Memorial Park Baseball Stadium, the local business had four garbage trucks for trash, a bin for scrap wood, two for scrap metal and an area for batteries. The clean-up at the stadium is going on until 12 p.m. For information on what items can be dropped off check the City of New Prague’s website. There will also be document shredding at the City Hall’s parking lot from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The parents of New Prague High School’s graduating class of 2021 are coming together to honor the senior class with a Graduation Parade at 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 23. Like last year’s parade, the parents are working with the New Prague Area School District and the City of New Prague to organize a parade that will take a route through the community.

New Prague High School has named Julie Schlup as its new Activities Office Assistant, pending approval by the New Prague School Board. Schlup is taking over for Lynn Swaggert, who is retiring. Schlup is coming from Tri-City United High School where she was the 7-12 grade Activities Administrative Assistant from 2016-2021. She and her husband, Brian, reside in New Prague. She enjoys vacationing with family in California and Tennessee. She also enjoys relaxing at the lake fishing with her husband Brian. For more see an upcoming print issue of The New Prague Times.

Lukas Janicek was a dinner guest of the New Prague Czech Heritage Club on Tuesday, May 11, 2021. Lukas is an exchange student from his hometown of Rokycany, Czech Republic, and is a student at New Prague High School. His host parents are Jessica and Jeremy Dohm.
The dinner took place at the Fishtale Grill in New Prague, where all feasted on pork, dumplings, and kraut with vomacka. Lukas said the food was very good and very similar to the foods he enjoys in his Czech home. He commented that the word “vomacka” doesn’t mean “soup” but rather means “gravy” or “sauce”.

The City of New Prague has determined that the main store front of Downtown Sound, located at 104 E. Main Street is no longer unoccupiable based on a recent structural review relating to the building at 102 E. Main Street. Additionally the sidewalk will be open to Downtown Sound at 104 E. Main Street. The rear portion of Downtown Sound also remains open as it previously has been.

The Hwy 19/Main Street construction crew will be adding two temporary bridges for pedestrian traffic to cross Main Street over the weekend! You can find the crossings at Central Ave (by the Chamber office) and near City Club Bar

NAMI Minnesota (National Alliance on Mental Illness) has set up a wide variety of free online mental health classes for May and June. They include such classes as Hope for Recovery, Transitions, Ending the Silence, Understanding Early Episode Psychosis for Families, In Our Own Voice, Family to Family, Positive Psychology, Creating Caring Communities, a suicide prevention class called QPR – Question, Persuade and Refer, a special QPR class for Agricultural Communities and many more.

The Lonsdale Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a Street Fair and Business Expo on Thursday evening, May 20 from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m.
The family friendly event will be located on Ash Street NE near Mackenthun’s Fine Foods.
Lonsdale area businesses will be showcased. There will also be food vendors, a beer garden, inflatables, music, and more.

A free food distribution for those in need of food or newly struggling to make ends meet due to the COVID-19 crisis is being held Tuesday, May 18 from 2 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. at the Le Sueur County Fairgrounds, 320 South Plut Ave, Le Center. The event is being hosted by Le Sueur County and Second Harvest Heartland with food provided from the COVID Food Assistance Program (CFAP).

The Czech Heritage Club announced Friday that it was recently awarded a monetary gift (grant) from the Government of the Czech Republic for 2021.
The grant was 25,000 Czech koruna or Czech crown (Kč/CZK), which converts to $1,114.67 US dollars.  According to Czech Heritage member, Jean Keogh, the funds will be used for the Club’s monthly cultural and historic programming, and printing updated cemetery books listing Czech immigrants and their decedents in the two New Prague cemeteries.