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On Monday, Aug. 14, Fran Barten of New Prague was surprised by her children and grandchildren and members of the New Prague Chamber of Commerce when they asked if she would be the 2023 Parade of Farm Pride’s grand marshal.
“It took me awhile to process it,” said Barten, who was speechless for a moment. She did say yes.
The Parade of Farm Pride is one of the highlights of Dozinky, New Prague’s Czech harvest festival held Friday, Sept. 15, and Saturday, Sept. 16. The parade will be held Sept. 16, on New Prague’s Main Street.

Crews have been busy Monday, Aug. 14, removing the two gas tanks at the former Crawford’s Standard Services, at the southwest corner of the intersection of New Prague’s E Main Street and SE First Avenue.
Kevin Crawford, who ran the business for 40 years before closing it March 25, 2022, said the tanks have to be out of the ground before he can sell the property. He said the tanks have to be checked to make sure they didn’t leak and the ground has to be tested. If there is any gas pollutants in the ground new dirt will have to be brought in.

A Kilkenny woman’s house was damaged but nobody injured when fire broke out inside the front porch Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 9.
Just after 3:30 p.m., Constance Weber noted the air-conditioner window unit inside her front porch at her house on Laurel Avenue in Kilkenny had overheated and was ablaze. Weber discovered the fire after she heard crackling coming from the air-conditioning unit. The fire had spread from the front porch and was spreading other rooms inside of the house, according to the Le Sueur County Sheriff’s Office.

Crews from New Prague Public Works were busy Tuesday afternoon Aug. 8, removing a soft maple with a 4 to 5 foot diameter that fell in the alley between 310 and 312 Central Avenue N.
Advanced age of the tree is expected why it fell between 1:30-1:45 p.m. Robert Sammons, the homeowner at 310 Central Avenue said the tree caused damage to the roof of his garage. No one was injured when the tree fell.
For more information see an upcoming print edition of The New Prague Times. (Patrick Fisher photo)

The children of Horseshoe Lane SE were among at least four New Prague neighborhoods observing National Night Out Tuesday evening, Aug. 1.
There were treats, games, visits from members of the New Prague police and fire departments. The two departments and North Memorial Ambulance also had vehicles and members at Memorial Park for people to visit with and enjoy cold treats. (Patrick Fisher photo)

There were no injuries when a semi tractor trailer carrying sand tipped over at the roundabout of the intersection of Scott County roads 2 and 91 in Elko New Market Thursday, July 27.
Members of the Elko New Market Police Department, Scott County Sheriff’s Office and State Patrol responded and directed traffic around the single-vehicle crash for a little over two hours.

Without clarity and reform by the Minnesota State High School League on issues of gender equality and transgender girls playing sports and on teams traditionally conducted by biological girls, Dan Call wants the New Prague Area School District to eventually stop supporting and being a member of the league.

New Prague area residents are reminded about Wednesday’s meeting of the POPS (Praha Outdoor Performance Stage) leadership team/committee at 6:30 p.m. at Giesenbräu Bier Co.

FOX9 anchors Amy Hockert, left, and Tim Blotz, listen as Terry Kalina, Mike Kalina and Scott Malecha talk about being on the 2002 Lonsdale Aces baseball team which placed second at the state tournament. They were among those from the Lonsdale Aces that FOX9 interviewed during its last stop in its Town Ball Tour that featured ballparks around Minnesota. For more see upcoming print editions of The New Prague Times and the Montgomery Messenger. (Patrick Fisher Photo)

Hope. That one word in the form of a tattoo led The O’Neill Foundation of Hope to help Kyle Schultz, who has ALS, receive a new motorized wheelchair.
“I was watching the news and I saw he had his van and wheelchair stolen,” said Ryan O’Neill who grew up in New Prague and founded the foundation, a private 501c3, with his brother, Tim, in 2022.
Schultz, 26, lives in St. Paul and has been dealing with ALS for two years. ALS is an incurable disease that weakens muscles over time and attacks the nervous system, eventually making walking and talking difficult.

Police, firefighters and medics responded to a motorcycle-vehicle crash along Highway 19 near its intersection with Lincoln Avenue Monday, July 17, just after 3 p.m. Details of the crash are not available.
A request for information has been placed with the New Prague Police Department.

Hadley Dorick, left, Emmett Ryks and Malachi Watson enjoy treats from Dairy Queen in New Prague Friday, July 14. The three were the winners in the New Prague Police Department’s coloring contest of posters that celebrated the Fourth of July. For more see an upcoming print edition of The New Prague Times. (Patrick Fisher photo)

He remembers the fear sweeping through his being in 2003 when he heard his wife had cancer. Two years later, Chris Smith heard a doctor direct those same words at him.

She never imagined an unexpected knock on the door in 1974 would start a friendship that would one day save her life.
Forty-eight years later, the two women remain close friends. They know the importance of sharing a gift and hope others will consider doing the same, be it for someone they care about or someone they’ve never met.
“Never did I think this girl would save my life,” Pat (Pumper) Christensen said. “She means everything to me. I was running out of options. I was running out of people.”

Demolition of the house at 208 Central Ave. N by Deutsch Construction began around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 28. By that evening, the roughly 100 year-old-house was gone and crews were spreading dirt around the site. Plans by the City of New Prague call for the spot to be seeded with grass.
The house had been rented by Irene Ellman and her late husband, Kenneth. The couple raised their three daughters in the house.

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