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.

In preparation for Thanksgiving, the Le Sueur County Veterans Office is providing $25 gift vouchers during the month of November to veterans. The office is partnering with O’Keefe’s Meat Market in Le Center to provide the gift vouchers, according to a press release from the Le Sue County Veterans Office.

Area veterans can stop by the Le Sueur County Veterans Office to pick up a voucher, while they last, said the press release. This is a benefit for veterans of Le Sueur County because of their service to our nation.

Some people make golf, painting, photography, porcelain figurines or traveling to exotic places as a favorite hobby. Paul Bongers enjoys growing pumpkins in the backyard of his house in Lonsdale.

And for Bongers, bigger is unquestionably better.

He grows Dills Giant Atlantic pumpkins in his backyard. He started growing them in 2020. This year’s crop of three pumpkins ranged from 1,200 pounds when it split, a condition leading to rot, to 1,219 pounds and the largest of the three tipping the scale at 1,819 pounds.

Elko New Market firefighter Jodi Muelken was honored Monday, Oct. 6, with the 2025 Minnesota Crime Prevention Association Volunteer of the Year award.

The award is given to a person who has demonstrated by their actions, a furthering of crime prevention efforts in a given community or specific area. The MCPA has been presenting the award since 1973.

Jay Simon, fire chief of Elko New Market’s volunteer fire department, nominated Muelken.

New Prague High School hosted its second annual Career & Tech Day, Thursday morning, Oct. 2, in the high school’s auditorium, gymnasium and back parking lot. There were 55 area businesses that participated.

The event showcased community employers and provided sophomores and juniors a high-impact, effective, and efficient day to explore various career areas, said principal Brian Thorstad.

Many students were able to talk with business representatives in the gymnasium, while others were able to get a bit of hands on experience with demonstrations in the parking lot.

Gopher Stat Railway Museum, north of New Prague along Highway 21, had 300 people come out for its annual Pumpkin Express, Saturday, Oct. 11. Many families rode in one of two cabooses pulled by its train engine to a pumpkin patch where they could pick out a pumpkin.

“This is our first time,” said Tom Murphy of Dundas, who was with his children Edward and Georgina. He looked up the schedule for the Pumpkin Express on the museum’s website. “We decided to take advantage of it. It’s a fantastic family event, it’s the right size and it was close by.”

The Elko New Market City Council came to a consensus at its Thursday, Sept. 25, meeting for a compensation plan for impacts to private wells that experienced water quality issues during the late November/early December 2023 aquifer pump test conducted by the city. More than 30 people attended the meeting with many commenting on how their wells have been affected by the four week test in 2023.

Friends, from left, Amber Hauge, Bekki Hruby, Courtney Braith and Kari Hankinson wanted their own color to stand out during Ladies Night Out in New Prague, Thursday, Oct. 2. The theme was Friday Night Lights and many shoppers and business owners wore jerseys or football gear during the night of sales and specials. For more see an upcoming print edition of The New Prague Times.

New Prague High School’s Homecoming king Cade Borwege, center left, and Mallie Lock, center right, rides with the high school’s football team during the Homecoming parade Friday, Oct. 3, along New Prague’s Main Street. The two received their crowns during the annual pep fest rally in the high school’s gymnasium. The Trojans’ football team will battle the Rochester Century Panthers Friday evening at Trojan Stadium with the Homecoming dance after the game.

Lisa and Jeff Decker remember hearing about the signs and the green T-shirts among the home side of Trojan Stadium showing their support for their teenage son, Mason, at a football game four years ago. But there was support from the Northfield student section across the field that also touched the Decker family’s collective heart.

The Northfield students arrived dressed in green. They rolled out a huge sign that told the Deckers and their friends they were not alone. The sign said, “No one fights alone- #MasonStrong.”

New Prague High School announced their candidates for homecoming king and queen Friday, Sept. 26. Queen candidates are (left to right, back row) Karly Ophus, Mallie Lock, Ashlee Nelson, Alice Kartak, Kyla Klein, Chloe Wiita, Lily Schoenecker, Lydia Yarolimek; king candidates are (front row) Anthony Baker, Mason Decker, TJ Washtock, Tyler Flicek, Thomas Geiger, Marty McBroom, Mason Deutsch and Cade Borwege.

New Prague High School will celebrate homecoming beginning this Friday, Sept. 26, with Class Color Day. There will also be the powderpuff football game Sunday, Sept. 28, Homecoming continues Tuesday, Sept. 30, through Friday, Oct. 3.

The reason for the change is this coming Monday, Sept. 29, is a staff only/professional development day, said Heather Vikla Dobias, homecoming advisor. This Friday with class color day, seniors will wear black, juniors wear purple, sophomores wear green, freshmen wear blue and staff wear gray.

Despite a cloudburst Friday evening, Sept. 19, people still came out to enjoy Dozinky, New Prague’s Czech harvest festival, Saturday, Sept. 20.

The cloudburst came during the Classic Car Cruise, Friday with people taking shelter under awnings or umbrellas. The passengers of one convertible in the car cruise had several umbrellas with them.

Before the parade of vintage vehicles on Main Street, cars gathered at New Prague High School’s parking lot. The New Prague Rotary Club took care of registration of the vehicles and a rough count had 297 vehicles participating.

Members of the Barten family of rural New Prague, from left, Felix, John and Vincent Barten get one of several cornstalks set up Monday evening, Sept. 15, along New Prague’s Main Street. The Barten family cut cornstalks from their field earlier on Monday using their 115 year old machine. The family helps decorate Main Street for Dozinky, New Prague’s Czech harvest festival, that will be held Thursday, Sept. 18, through Sunday, Sept. 21. Also helping Monday evening were Fran Barten and Joe Barten and the Hughes family of Brian, Allison, Maggie and Leah.

They walked across a stage in Trojan Stadium, ceremoniously accepted their diplomas and began the next chapter in their lives, not expecting they would one day be back in their hometown as visiting members of a college pep band.

Superintendent aims for district to be ‘better together’

In the wake of a successful performance review, New Prague Superintendent Andy Vollmuth laid out a series of goals and steps to achieve them last week.

The draft of the goals were provided to board members Monday, Sept. 9, at a workshop meeting. They include:

• To support the NPAS School Board to achieve excellence in governance;

• To create systems and structures to enhance excellence in management;