2023 Year in Review: August

Ron and Mary Dockendorf were named by the Watkins Fire Department to be the grand marshals for Kraut N Wurst 2023. When Ron Kramer called from the Fire Department to ask them to be grand marshals, Ron says he was surprised to be asked. “Us?” was Mary’s response. Both were overwhelmed by the honor, and neither had seen it coming.

Kraut N Wurst took place on the first Friday/Saturday in August, Aug. 4-5. Again this year was a frog race, and axe throwing. There was no firemen’s waterball because of the drought. “Mitch Gordon and the Unleaded Band” played for the street dance.

Eleven candidates for Little Miss Watkins competed on Aug. 4. Little Miss Watkins 2023 was Molly Pederson, and Princesses were Maxyne Schneider and -Brinley Kramer.

Fr. Don Wagner was selected as the 2023 Kimball Days grand marshal. A Kimball native and KAHS alumnus, Fr. Wagner had recently been assigned to be the parish pastor of St. Anne’s Church in Kimball.

Kimball Days 2023 took place the second week of August, Aug. 7-13. 

The Red Cross Bloodmobile was at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Eden Valley on Aug. 7. 

Samuel Ehlinger had designed and coordinated completion of a Kimball mural in 2022. In the summer of 2023, he was asked by the Watkins Chamber and the Watkins Lions to create a similar mural in -Watkins. After about 65 hours of work, the framework was completed. It’s on the north side of the Ertl Hardware building on Central Avenue, the main street through Watkins. Ehlinger designed the mural, and he painted it on the building with high-quality exterior house paint. The mural itself is on a much larger canvas, and is about four times the size of Kimball’s. 

The Tri-County News moved offices from Main Street to 39A Maus Drive in Kimball. The Tri-County News building (for more than 20 years, and originally the hardware store in town) was sold to Maine Prairie Studio which did some remodeling and opened their ceramics showcase and workshop later in the year.

Both the Kimball Express and Watkins Clippers town ball teams secured their positions at the state tournament for town ball, each in their respective regions, both teams seeded at #3.

The Maine Prairie Theatre Company, in collaboration with Kimball Area Community Education, proudly presented three performances of “The Addams Family” during Kimball Days weekend. Directed by Kenzie Traurig and Music Director Amber Wang, the 33 cast members ranged from third-graders through adults. The musical was well received by the community. 

The 37th annual Antique Car Run stopped in Kingston for lunch on Aug. 12. The annual trip runs from New London to New Brighton. 

The Kimball Class of 1961 held a reunion Aug. 17 at Triple R in Kimball with 16 class members attending. 

The Kimball Area High School Class of 1973 met for their 50th reunion Aug. 18 at SOB’s in Kimball. 

The annual Forest City Threshers Show features a tractor parade at noon each day. 2023 was the 35th annual show, held Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 19-20. 

Just across the road, the Forest City Stockade – a restoration of what was an 1860s fort in central Minnesota – took place the same weekend.

The Valley Tractor Club held their annual plow day Aug. 20 in a field just north of Eden Valley. 

The last performance for Music in the Park in Eden Valley featured Midwest Songwriters Round & Country Music with RJ Graff, Greg Michaels Huberty, and Jon Theis, Thursday, Aug. 24, in Friederichs Park in Eden Valley.

The Kimball Area High School Class of 1974 met for a reunion get-together Aug. 25 at SOB’s in Kimball. 

On Saturday, Aug. 26, members of Unit 261 of the Kimball American Legion Auxiliary visited the Eagle’s Healing Nest in Sauk -Centre. The Eagle’s Healing Nest is a facility for healing veterans, -soldiers, and families from the invisible wounds of wars. The Auxiliary was able to take a tour of the grounds, and visit the inside of a few of the buildings including the chapel. The Eagle’s Healing Nest is located on 120 acres of land outside of Sauk Centre.

Both Kimball’s Express and Watkins’ Clippers teams moved up in the town ball state tournament, although neither team made it to the final weekend. The Kimball Express lost their final game on Aug. 26, against the Buckman Billygoats, the game was an absolute nail-biter and it was lost to a last-moment home run after 11 innings. The Watkins Clippers were shut out by Waconia Aug. 25 ending the Clippers’ state tournament run; the final score was 3-0. It was an exciting season for both teams.

During the state tournament, at the Aug. 26 game played in Litchfield, the Kimball Express was honored as one of 15 “Teams of the Era/2000’s” with a brief ceremony. The Watkins Clippers were named to that same list, although we are not aware of a ceremony held for them. 

The Stearns County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) co-hosted a free nitrate water-screening event Thursday, Aug. 31, at Maine Prairie Township Hall. Nitrates are the most common contaminant in Minnesota’s groundwater. Since you can’t taste it or see it, many people are not aware it is in their water.

The Eden Valley Eagles won their first football game of the season on Aug. 31 against the Melrose Dutchmen, 50-14.

The Kimball Cubs won their first football game of the season against Howard Lake Waverly Winsted Lakers on Aug. 31; the score was 36-8.

Departures

Pamela (Notch) Opitz-Burns, 63, of Waite Park; Aug. 5, 2023

Vernone (Muehring) Wylie, 91, of New Ulm; Aug. 20, 2023

Thomas Zipoy, 57, of Kimball; Aug. 27, 2023

Catherine “Kitty” (Klein) Winter, 100, of Maple Lake; Aug. 29, 2023

Celebrations

Betty Jackman 90th birthday celebration, Aug. 30

Jim and Mona Haag 50th anniversary celebration, Aug. 20