The outstanding swimming career of Tri-City United (TCU) senior Ella Schmiesing has come to an end with more positive performances for the school’s top swimmer of all-time.

For the eighth time Schmiesing advanced to the finals at the Class A State Swimming and Diving Meet Friday, Nov. 14 and Saturday, Nov. 16.

She competed at State for the fifth time in the 100-yard freestyle and for the fourth time in the 50-yard freestyle, advancing to the finals in both events.

earance at the Minnesota State High School League’s State Girls Swimming and Diving Class A Tournament on Saturday in Minneapolis. She came home from the University of Minnesota’s Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center with a 4th place finish in the 50 yard freestyle and 7th place in the 100 yard freestyle.

Two downtown Montgomery businesses had cause for celebration recently — Quilter’s Dream changed ownership and held a grand re-opening, and a new business went in called Grandma’s Garage.

Quilter’s Dream

About 40 people gathered for the grand re-opening of Quilter’s Dream, 116 1st St S, on Friday, Nov. 7.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is seeking public input on the potential installation of an aeration system on Cody Lake between Lonsdale and Montgomery within Wheatland Township in Rice County. This would essentially be a reinstating of aeration that had been turned off a number of years ago operated by Wheatland Twin Lakes Sportsmen Club (WTLSC).

WTLSC, working under new leadership this year, has been doing a number of improvements to the Cody Lake public access site area that resides between Cody Lake and Phelps Lake.

The start of November brought about the shutdown of funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP because of the government shutdown and the contingency funds not being used as they were meant to be for such an event. This left many people in the nation with a gap in essential food sources, even in our own backyard.

Caitlin Huiras teamed up with the Montgomery Public Library to try and provide those needs for anyone who might need them.

Ten members of the Tri-City United School’s FFA Chapter and one graduate spent Tuesday, Oct. 28, through Saturday, Nov. 1, on a trip to Indianapolis, Ind., to the 98th Annual National FFA Convention & Expo.

TCU FFA President Isaak Worm said that the members also partook in three separate educational site visits on the trip. “The first day we spent at ‘Caves of Mounds’ in (Blue Mound) Wisconsin on the way down,” said Worm. Caves of Mounds is a cave system known for its colorful formations as one of the oldest cave formations in the midwest, located west of Madison, Wis.

Scott County Veteran Service Officer and Honorably Discharged Army Veteran Derek Farwell, a Montgomery native, is set to speak at the Tri-City United High School Veterans Day Program. The public is invited to attend this program in the high school’s performing arts center at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 11, entering at the north door (stadium side).

Along Montgomery’s Historic District, the streets were lined with monsters, dinosaurs, ninjas and so, so many princesses.

The annual Monster Mash on Main may have been on the eve of Halloween, but it brought no less of a crowd. Local businesses handed out candy and goodies, and kids, parents and the young at heart walked along 1st Street. There was also a trunk-or-treat area stationed at Frandsen Bank, for businesses who didn’t have a physical location along the street. The bank grounds also had games and activities for trick-or-treaters.

A small group of residents along Elm Avenue Southeast and 7th Street Southeast expressed concerns at the Monday, Oct. 20, city council meeting over a potential 43-unit apartment building off the end of the circle on 7th Street Southeast by Community Asset Development Group.

Tri-City United High School students once again introduced Hispanic heritage to younger students at TCU Le Center PreK-8 School on Friday, Oct. 24, in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.

The theme this year revolved around vaqueros (cowboys) with interactive opportunities. TCU Cultural Coordinator Mary Lou Velásquez said, “Kids learned how to line dance to a popular song played at many fiestas, ‘Payaso de Rodeo.’ They also had a chance to learn how to lasso a bull, draw butterflies, learn about popular candies and dance folklore.”

Tri-City United Schools FFA chapter will be out again trick-or-treating to collect non-perishable goods for local food shelves again this Halloween, Friday, Oct. 31. Teams from the chapter will be visiting all three towns in the school district -- Le Center, Lonsdale, and Montgomery. 

Residents are encouraged to gather items from their pantries in preparation for them Halloween late afternoon and early evening. 

Once items are collected, they will be centralized at the high school and divided up accordingly to be distributed in our communities.

Before you know it, the Christmas holiday season will be here. The 2025 Torchlight Parade & Fireworks button contest winner is here to remind us of that.

Soleil Neshek, 9, a student in Brenda Petersen’s 4th grade class at Tri-City United PreK-6 School in Lonsdale, was announced the winner this Monday. She is the fourth student to win the button contest from Petersen’s class of the 13 total contests that have been held.

The button contest was open to all 4th grade students within the TCU School District, including home-schooled individuals.

Montgomery Chamber of Commerce and the Community Economic Development Association (CEDA) held a Business and Retention Engagement Conversation at the Montgomery Police Department on Monday.

Business owners and leaders of the community were treated to lunch and participated in open conversation about the climate of business within the city of Montgomery.

Tri-City United Boys Soccer Team is hoping for further advancement Tuesday, Oct. 21, 5:30 p.m., in the Minnesota State High School League's Boys Soccer Class A State Tournament. The quarterfinal game is being held at the Shakopee West Middle School's Vaughan Field, 200 10th Avenue East.

Spectators should park on the east side of the stadium, entering along Spencer Street South, and enter at the main entrance to the field on the north side. Additional parking will be available in the middle school's parking lot directly to the north. 

It was an action-packed, pleasant week for Tri-City United Schools homecoming week.

Festivities were kicked off Monday with coronation and the start of daily themed dress-up days. Wednesday was a flip of the sports with boys playing a volleyball game and the girls playing the powderpuff football game.

Students from around the greater area flocked to Tri-City United PreK-8 School’s back yard last Friday afternoon for the Montgomery Elementary Parent-Teacher Organization’s Ninja Warrior Family Night fundraiser.

This year featured a new, more ‘ninja-like’ course feature that had hanging rings, climbing wall, ladder hang, platforms, rope climbing, and foot course by Ninja Anywhere. There was also an inflatable course adjacent to it.