Fourth of July 2022 Blooming Prairie Owatonna - Steele County Times

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Fourth of July 2022 Blooming Prairie Owatonna - Steele County Times
Fourth of July
          2022
            Blooming Prairie
                  Owatonna

                                  Featuring Blooming Prairie’s
                                        Old-Fashioned Fourth
                                              and Owatonna’s
                                                Patriotic Skies
                                                  celebrations

                                                     This cover
                                                      features
                                                Blooming Prairie
                                                Coloring Contest
                                               grand prize winner,
                                                 Lydia Kennedy,
                                               a fifth grader at BP.
                                                 Her parents are
                                                    Rachel and
                                                  Joel Kennedy.

Produced by Steele County Times
Fourth of July 2022 Blooming Prairie Owatonna - Steele County Times
2                                                            FOURTH OF JULY 2022                                                            JULY 2022

    "Saluting our great nation                                              Our 125th Commemoration Continues
    on its Independence Day!"                                               FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION
                                                                            Fun starts at 7 p.m. until fireworks finale.
                                                                                            Join us to celebrate the birth of
                                                                                       America’s independence, while marking
                                                                                    125 years of Brick Meger serving Steele County.

                                                                                        FUN FOURTH HIGHLIGHTS
                                                                            • Prime viewing of fireworks from our parking lot—bring your lawn chairs
    Ever y Life’s Stor y Deserves to be Told                                • Complimentary watermelon
                                                                            • Complimentary ice cream sandwiches
            • Full line of granite and bronze memorials                     • Spin the Prize Wheel-with prizes for youth and adults
                        • Custom laser etchings                             • Streaming Patriotic music
                     • Serving the area since 1939                          • Restrooms provided
                                                                            • Bean bag boards to test your skills
        • Pre-planning — design your memorial your way
                 Locally Owned by John & Barb Heerema                       BRICK MEGER FUNERAL HOME                   Come join us
                   1180 Frontage Rd. E., Owatonna, MN                        1603 Austin Road • Owatonna
                              507-455-9551                                         megercares.com
                                                                                                                       on the Fourth
                          OwatonnaGranite.com                                      507-451-1457                     in our parking lot!

                                                        PUBLICATION OF STEELE COUNTY TIMES
Fourth of July 2022 Blooming Prairie Owatonna - Steele County Times
JULY 2022                                                                   FOURTH OF JULY 2022                                                                                             3

 J & H Liquors owners to
    lead Fourth parade
       Farrs have been long-time
         community promoters
  BY HOWARD LESTRUD           main one being a love for         “I guess it means
   CONTRIBUTING WRITER        their family and for their    people feel we deserve it,”
                              small-town community.         remarked Harvey. He was

  I
        t’s not a new trick   Both have that infectious     pointing to the support J                                                                            STAFF PHOTO BY HOWARD LESTRUD
        for J& H Liquors      smile but they also can       & H gives to other causes:     It’s not too likely you will find J & H Liquors owners Harvey and Nancy Farr on the customer
        owners Harvey         display a stern look when     BP Youth Club, BP Cancer       side of the bar. The Farrs have been chosen grand marshals for this year’s Fourth of July
and Fancy Farr to be part     needed.                       Group and the BP Educa-        celebration in Blooming Prairie.
of the Blooming Prairie           Proud of his bald pate,   tion Foundations. “It’s a
Fourth of July celebration.   it has been said that         fun time to get together       you live in a small town,”      skills in running wine          characters on their backs.
   Harvey and Nancy Farr      Harvey could be a profes-     with family and friends        Harvey believes.                tasting parties for the BP         “I know one thing,”
have owned the popular        sional wrestler, looking      and we have been a part           Harvey and Nancy have        Area Chamber of Com-            Harvey says with convic-
southern Minnesota bar, J     somewhat like Baron Von       of it since we have been in    both been dedicated to rais-    merce. Now that Harvey is       tion, “when we retire, we
& H Liquors, for 36 years.    Raschke, The Claw. He is      business,” he added.           ing funds for the Toys for      available to pick up more       are not leaving Blooming
They have been part of the    much gentler, however.            “It’s a real honor to      Tots program. Over the 22       hours in running the bar,       Prairie.” Harvey said he
celebration for 35 years,         Harvey retired from       have been selected grand       years it has been run, Har-     Nancy has devoted more          knows that many people
one year was wiped out        Metal Services of Bloom-      marshals,” Nancy hum-          vey estimates that the drive    time to visiting her moth-      want to move here. “More
because of COVID-19.          ing Prairie, where he         bly says. “Families and        in Blooming Prairie led by      er in Austin at the Our         younger people are com-
   For all of those years,    worked for 37 years. The      friends from Blooming          the Farrs has raised over       Home facility.                  ing back to live in Bloom-
the Farrs have sponsored      Farrs now can split their     Prairie and from adjoin-       $150,000. Blooming Prairie         The Farrs have had a         ing Prairie,” Nancy says.
the Fourth street dance,      hours dedicated to the        ing communities come to        has always been a leader in     For Sale sign prominently          “It’s really gratifying to
usually held the Saturday     bar much easier. Prior to     watch and partake in the       raising funds for Toys for      displayed at the bar. Why?      walk in the door of a local
before the holiday. J &       his retirement at Metal       colorful Fourth of July        Tots in Steele County.             “We need to get up in the    establishment and hear
H Liquors has also had        Services, Harvey would        activities,” says Nancy.          The BP Toys for Tots         morning and slow down,”         people call you by name,”
entries periodically in the   take duty on weekends         Many longtime acquain-         project gets much of its        Harvey admitted. He said        Harvey says.
parade, known as one of       and some nights.              tances are renewed over        funds from the BOB              there was a lot of interest        Harvey enjoys ex-
the largest in Minnesota.         At times the Farrs’ two   the Fourth in Blooming         (Bikers of Blooming) ride.      from last fall until Febru-     tending his wings while
   This year, Harvey and      daughters, Whitney and        Prairie, she points out.       In more recent years, the       ary then it trailed off.        on his Harley Davidson
Nancy will literally each     Taylor, have helped at the        Blooming Prairie is a      BOB ride has welcomed              When they finally re-        bike. He took a solo trip to
wear a different hat, that    bar. Harvey also has a son,   friendly community, and        riders in vehicles. J& H        tire, the Farrs hope to ride    Bozeman, Montana just
of being the official Grand   Joe. Harvey and Nancy         the Fourth is a time to be     also was a sponsor of the       motorcycle more often           prior to the Fourth of July
Marshals of the 45th          have three grandchil-         neighborly and a time to see   cancer run.                     and do more traveling           celebration.
Blooming Prairie Fourth       dren and one great grand      friends, the Farrs agree.         Harvey is a past presi-      in the winter. Florida is          Harvey and Nancy
of July parade. This honor    daughter.                         Smiling widely, Har-       dent of the BP Lions Club       one of their favorite spots     have been practicing their
was bestowed upon them            The Farrs have spon-      vey said he enjoys being       and is currently vice presi-    and within that state lies      “waves” for the extrava-
by the BP Area Chamber        sored Miller Lite and MGB     a small-town business          dent of the First Lutheran      a popular vacation spot,        ganza. “Nancy, maybe we
of Commerce.                  limos in past parades.        owner. ”When you see           Church Council.                 Disney World. It is very        should get some candy so
   The Farrs have many            What does it mean to be   what’s happening in the           Nancy has shown her          likely that the Farrs will      we don’t have to wave as
things in common, the         chosen as a grand marshal?    big cities, you can be glad    excellent organizational        be wearing Walt Disney          much,” Harvey laughs.

                                                                      PUBLICATION OF STEELE COUNTY TIMES
Fourth of July 2022 Blooming Prairie Owatonna - Steele County Times
4        FOURTH OF JULY 2022             JULY 2022

    PUBLICATION OF STEELE COUNTY TIMES
Fourth of July 2022 Blooming Prairie Owatonna - Steele County Times
JULY 2022                                                                              FOURTH OF JULY 2022                                                                                      5

Costs rise, but Owatonna’s fireworks go on
                                                                                                              BY JONI HUBRED            Fareway grocery store          around 2000, he said.
                                                                                                                 NEWS EDITOR            also does a “round up”         Now, about half of the
                                                                                                                                        each year that nets            Early Edition Rotary

                                                                                                            O
                                                                                                                     watonna’s long     around $3,000, Havelka         Club’s 30 members help
                                                                                                                     history of July    said. And during the           pull the show together.
                                                                                                                     4th fireworks      event, Young Life will            Though it’s impossible
                                                                                                          displays continues this       sell flags, with funds split   to estimate attendance,
                                                                                                          year, but at a higher cost    between the two organi-        Havelka said droves of
                                                                                                          for the show and insur-       zations.                       people head to the Steele
                                                                                                          ance.                            In 2004, Federated          County Free Fair mid-
                                                                                                             John Havelka, who          Insurance paid for the         way, ball diamonds, and
                                                                                                          helps organize the event      city’s sesquicentennial        points south to watch on
                                                                                                          with the Early Edition        fireworks display, which       July 4. The first fire-
                                                                                                          Rotary Club, said pyro-       put fundraising a year         work goes off at 10 p.m.
                                                                                                          technicians set off $20,000   ahead–but that doesn’t         from the fairgrounds
                                                                                                          worth of fireworks last       mean it’s easy.                grandstand area, and
                                                                                                          year. The same Patriot           Along with the cost of      the display lasts about
                                                                                                          Skies show this year will     materials, he said, insur-     20 minutes. Rain date is
                                                                                                          cost $24,000.                 ance has skyrocketed.          July 5.
                                                                                                             Funds come from            The national Rotary Club          While the “red, white
                                                                                                          many business and indi-       requires the locals to         and boom” takes center
                                                                                                          vidual sponsors. Fund-        carry it, and they’ve been     stage, Havelka said the
                                                                                                          raisers have included         told a $10 million policy      whole atmosphere makes
                                                                                                          beer and wine tasting,        isn’t enough.                  Owatonna’s Fourth of
                                                                                                          meat raffles, and new this       “Somebody has to pay        July fireworks special.
                                                                                                          year, purse bingo with        for the fireworks, and         People often come early
                                                                                                          the Eagles Club.              we need help with that,”       to stake out a spot and
                                                                                                             Larger donors can          Havelka said. “That’s          bring along a picnic
                                                                                                          have a firework named         probably the biggest           dinner.
                                                                                                          after them and get access     challenge.”                       “That’s what I love
                                                                                                          to a VIP area on the fair-       Havelka said he             about this event,” he said.
                                                                                                          grounds during the event.     has been watching the          “It’s summertime. It’s
                                                                            STAFF PHOTO BY LOLA SHAFFER      Anyone can contribute      fireworks since he was         celebrating the country’s
John Havelka has headed the fundraising efforts for Owatonna’s annual fireworks display, Patriot          through the Owatonna          a kid. Rotary took over        independence. This is
Skies, for about 15 years.                                                                                Chamber Foundation.           the event from Jaycees         what we should be doing.”

                                                                                                                                                           Painting, staining,
                                                                                                                                                            power washing,
                                                                                                                                                            gutter cleaning,
                                                                                                                                                             tree trimming
                                                                                                                                                              and removal.
          Happy 4th of July!!
                                                                                                           507-451-7424                                   willie_goodsell@yahoo.com
                                                                                                                                                                       Fully Insured

                                                                              PUBLICATION OF STEELE COUNTY TIMES
Fourth of July 2022 Blooming Prairie Owatonna - Steele County Times
6        FOURTH OF JULY 2022                                                                  JULY 2022

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                                     CLOSED 1-4 PM FOR THE PARADE

    PUBLICATION OF STEELE COUNTY TIMES
Fourth of July 2022 Blooming Prairie Owatonna - Steele County Times
JULY 2022                                                                         FOURTH OF JULY 2022                                                                                            7

History Center Model T rolls through BP parade
     BY JONI HUBRED                                                                                                                                                   ing it back to its original
       NEWS EDITOR                                                                                                                                                    condition was a labor of
                                                                                                                                                                      love and rewarding expe-

  A
             s you’re watch-                                                                                                                                          rience for Dad.”
             ing Blooming                                                                                                                                                The Model T will be on
             Prairie’s Fourth                                                                                                                                         display (indoors) during
of July parade, keep an                                                                                                                                               Gus’ Station Car Show
eye out for a pristine,                                                                                                                                               on July 16 and during the
1926 Ford Model T sedan                                                                                                                                               Steele County Free Fair
recently donated to the                                                                                                                                               in August. Sometime in
Steele County History                                                                                                                                                 the fall, it will be moved
Center.                                                                                                                                                               to Owatonna Ford, where
    Now parked in the                                                                                                                                                 it will be housed over the
Center’s atrium, the                                                                                                                                                  winter.
vehicle was painstakingly                                                                                                                                                “We don’t have any-
restored by Owatonna me-                                                                                                                                              thing set in stone for how
chanic Dale Springer, who                                                                                                                                             long it will be at the deal-
was a mechanic and auto                                                                                                                                               ership,” Hinrichsen said.
electrician at Owatonna                                                                                                                                               “This will give us some
Ford for 35 years. Springer                                                                                                                                           time to figure out storage
passed away in February;                                                                                                                                              long term.”
his daughter Pam Raichle                                                                                                                                                 That’s a tall order
and her husband Brian                                                                                                                                                 with a donation like this.
donated the vehicle not                                                                                                                                               The primary concern is
long after his death.                                                                                                                                                 protecting the vehicle
    “Since he put so much                                                                                                                                             from sunlight, dust, and
time into the restoration,                                                                                                                                            other “agents of deteriora-
we wanted his work to be                                                                                                                                              tion,” and provide the best
seen, so my sisters and                                                                                                                                               environment. The work,
I decided to donate the                                                                                                                  STAFF PHOTO BY JONI HUBRED   as Hinrichsen describes it,
Model T to the Historical       Pictured with the 1926 Model T Ford sedan now on display at the Steele County History Center is director Kellen Hinrichsen.           seems as much a labor of
Society,” Pam Raichle           The vehicle was donated by the family of the late Dale Springer, who purchased and restored it.                                       love as Springer’s pains-
said. “It’s a piece of Owa-                                                                                                                                           taking restoration.
tonna history; we wanted           “The thing that really        the History Center had          institute a 40-hour work       cal Society board member                 “We are just beyond
it to stay in Owatonna.”        brought it home was the          space for storage to keep it    week, influenced far more      Jerry Ganfield, who has               grateful,” he said of the
    Steele County Histor-       story of the car’s life,” Hin-   in its original condition.      than transportation. Ford      driven similar vehicles,              donation. “It’s very mean-
ical Society executive di-      richsen said. “It might not          “We also needed to find     created an assembly line       has volunteered to take it            ingful when something
rector Kellen Hinrichsen        have been built here, but        a trailer and a crew to get     with interchangeable parts     out for a spin.                       has such sentimental
said large donations            a significant part of its life   it out here,” he said.          to manufacture the vehicle.       “We wanted to give the             value that they would be
require board approval,         story is set here in Steele          The vehicle display            Locally, Springer           chance for this to be seen,”          willing to entrust it to us.”
and they had to make a          County.”                         includes four interpretive      bought the vehicle in 1976,    Hinrichsen said. “We don’t               You can get a look at
decision quickly.                  Springer spent years          stations, each telling a dif-   after it was owned and         want something this big               the Model T in the atrium
    “We had time to do some     restoring the forest green       ferent piece of the vehicle’s   operated in Hayfield and       and beautiful to be hidden.”          during History Center
research, and we were           Model T, from wood-spoke         story, as well as the history   Detroit Lakes. He worked          Raichle said her father            hours, Tuesday-Friday, 10
able to determine that it       wheels to its black leather      of the vehicle that “fun-       on his Model T until well      restored the Model T just             a.m.-4 p.m. and Saturday,
belonged here,” he said.        interior and a hand-op-          damentally changed how          into the 1990s, restoring      in time for her parents to            10 a.m.-3 p.m. It took the
    While the vehicle           erated windshield wiper.         we as a society move and        every aspect of the vehicle    drive it to her wedding in            place of Nickel, a pre-
wasn’t manufactured in          Every piece of chrome            interact with one another.”     to operating condition.        September of 1988.                    served American bison
the county, he explained, it    sparkles. Henriksen said             The Model T, with Henry        The Blooming Prairie           “Dad would drive it in             donated in 2012 by the
had a strong local connec-      a big part of accepting the      Ford’s decision to pay work-    parade will be the vehi-       parades and take it to car            Nechville family and now
tion.                           donation was making sure         ers a minimum wage and          cle’s first outing. Histori-   shows,” she said. “Restor-            in storage.

                                                                            PUBLICATION OF STEELE COUNTY TIMES
Fourth of July 2022 Blooming Prairie Owatonna - Steele County Times
8                                                                   FOURTH OF JULY 2022                                                JULY 2022

                                                                                     Enjoy the Fourth of July!

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                                                               PUBLICATION OF STEELE COUNTY TIMES
Fourth of July 2022 Blooming Prairie Owatonna - Steele County Times
JULY 2022                                                                        FOURTH OF JULY 2022                                                                                            9

 Art is all in the family for button design winner
       BY KAY FATE
       STAFF WRITER

  A
            ddison Winzen-
            burg seems to
            be carrying
on a legacy – and possibly
creating a new tradition.
   The daughter of Sara
and Patrick Winzenburg,
Addison’s artwork will be
on display nearly every-
where during Blooming
Prairie’s Old-Fashioned
Fourth of July celebra-
tion.
   Her design was chosen
as the winner of the 2022
button contest, which was
open to all fourth-graders
in Blooming Prairie. She
was a student in Jenna                                                           SUBMITTED PHOTO
Volgarino’s classroom.        The Fourth of July buttons, designed by Addison
   Set on a light blue        Winzenburg, are $3 each. They give the wearer 50 cents off
background, Addison           at the beer garden as well as free trolley rides on July 4. The
drew an American flag         buttons are numbered; three numbers will be drawn, with
“in the usual colors,” she    $100 in BP Bucks going to each winner.
said, “then I drew little
fireworks around it in        his brother, Luke, is also       spent it – and doesn’t have
different colors.”            an excellent artist. I think     anything planned.
   She used colored pen-      their dad was talented,              “If I see something I
cils and markers to create    too.”                            want, I’ll probably just buy
the winning design.              Addison is the oldest of      it,” she said.
   Though Addison likes       four children, including             Her mother said Ad-
art “and I think I’m pretty   Greyson, Blakely and             dison is “a saver. She’ll
good at it,” she was still    Wesley.                          probably put a ton of
surprised by the an-             While they aren’t             thought into it before she
nouncement.                   competitive, “they want          spends it.”
   “Mr. Schwarz came in       to do things like each               The buttons cost $3
and told my whole class,”     other,” their mother said.       and are available at select
Addison said. Part of her     “Greyson’s up next, and          Blooming Prairie busi-
prize is $25 in BP Bucks      he’s also very artistic.”        nesses. They provide the
and her own pin to com-          They haven’t seen             wearer with 50 cents off
memorate the win.             many of the buttons              at the beer garden, as well
   Sara Winzenburg said       around town yet, Winzen-         as free trolley rides on
Addison gets her artistic     burg said, “but I suppose        July 4.
ability from Patrick’s side   on the Fourth of July                Each button sold will be                                                                                        SUBMITTED PHOTO
of the family.                she’ll see more of them.”        numbered; three numbers             Addison Winzenburg, center, is the winner of the 2022 Fourth of July button design.
   “Her dad is an excellent      As for the $25 in BP          will be drawn, with each            Blooming Prairie Elementary School Principal Jacob Schwarz, left, surprised Addison with
draw-er,” she said, “and      bucks, Addison hasn’t            winning $100 in BP Bucks.           the award. The contest was open to fourth-graders; Jenna Volgarino, right, was her teacher.

                                                                           PUBLICATION OF STEELE COUNTY TIMES
Fourth of July 2022 Blooming Prairie Owatonna - Steele County Times
10                                                    FOURTH OF JULY 2022                    JULY 2022

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                                                 PUBLICATION OF STEELE COUNTY TIMES
JULY 2022                                                                 FOURTH OF JULY 2022                                                                   11

      Keep your family                                                                                                 HOLIDAY CLOSING

   connected with senior-                                                                                               STEELE COUNTY LANDFILL AND

     friendly technology
                                                                                                                           HAZARDOUS WASTE WILL
                                                                                                                       BE CLOSED ON MONDAY, JULY 4 IN
                                                                                                                                OBSERVANCE OF
                                                                                                                        THE FOURTH OF JULY HOLIDAY.
   The number of older       paign, where each            securely share treasured       the whole family. Group
adults who say they feel     member of your trust-        family memories. The           worship activities were           HAVE A HAPPY AND
isolated has more than       ed circle of contacts        family photo stream is         hit hard by the pandemic,
doubled since 2018. The      calls your loved one on      seen only by those in your     but video technology has           SAFE FOURTH OF
prolonged pandemic and
social distancing has
                             a designated day. Fam-
                             ily members of all ages
                                                          trusted circle of contacts,
                                                          which means your family
                                                                                         bridged that gap. Share
                                                                                         a link to your favorite
                                                                                                                             JULY WEEKEND!
contributed significant-     can take part in this ac-    memories are secure and        worship service and
ly to this trend, leaving    tivity that ensures your     private.                       invite your whole family      STEELE COUNT Y LANDFILL
families and caregivers      aging loved one will be         Create a digital mu-        to attend together.              BLOOMING PRAIRIE
increasingly concerned       surrounded with social       sic playlist. Music has           The GrandPad tablet
for the health, safety,      interaction throughout       numerous therapeutic           was designed specifical-
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and well-being of elderly    the year. GrandPad fea-      benefits for elderly adults,   ly to accommodate the
loved ones.                  tures both simple video      including supporting           needs of elderly adults
   Fortunately, technol-     calling and voice calls      cognitive health for           and individuals with
ogy can help. For exam-      that are easy for seniors    people with Alzheimer’s        cognitive or physical
ple, studies have shown      to use.                      disease. A walk down           limitations. It is current-
that video calling alone        Include your loved        musical memory lane            ly being used to connect
can decrease loneliness      one in a virtual family      can also be a good way to      more than 1.3 million
among seniors. If you’re     meal. Use the GrandPad       turn feelings of loneli-       people – including se-
looking for a way to spice   Companion App and the        ness into joy and feelings     niors, family members,
up your regularly sched-     multi-party Zoom feature     of gratitude. GrandPad         friends, and caregivers –
                                                                                                                       YOUR HOMETOWN NEWS!
uled visit with mom or       to share a virtual fami-     features streaming radio       in more than 120 coun-         ANYWHERE- ANYTIME
dad, GrandPad, the tablet    ly meal with all family      stations, a proprietary        tries worldwide.
designed specifically for    members, regardless of       GrandPad Radio station,                                       News • Sports • Obituaries
people over the age of 75,   their location.              and access to more than           To learn more about             Features • More!
offers these creative ways      Create a digital          30 million ad-free songs       purchasing a Grand-
to keep your loved ones      family photo album.          from a wide variety of         Pad subscription, visit
                                                                                                                       Hometown news that makes a difference!
connected.                   The GrandPad private         musical genres.                GrandPad.net or call
   Set up a family and       family photo stream is the      Attend a virtual            1-800-704-9412, 24 hours      WWW.STEELECOUNTYTIMES.COM
friends calling cam-         perfect way to safely and    worship service with           a day, 365 days a year.

                               CELEBRATE THE RED, WHITE &
                               BLUE IN 2022 • AUGUST 16-21
                                                                    PUBLICATION OF STEELE COUNTY TIMES
12                                                                                                      FOURTH OF JULY 2022                                                                    JULY 2022

     PLEASE ENJOY A SAFE AND HAPPY
        4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION!                                                                                                                            Enjoy the
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                                                                 Land of the Free,                                                                                                       Happy
                                                               Home of the Brave.
                                                             Happy Fourth of July!                                                                                    4 TH OF JULY
                                                                                                                                                              Blooming Prairie
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                                                                                    Owatonna VFW                                                                                         Preplanning
                                                                                    135 Oakdale St.,                  Worlein Blooming                                   Freedom to Make Decisions
                                                                                         Owatonna                    Prairie Funeral Home                                           507-583-7561
                                                                               507.451.1001                                418 Hwy Ave S • Blooming Prairie                          www.worlein.com

                                                                                                                              AUTO • HOME                                LIFE • BUSINESS

              Happy Independence Day!
                                                                                                                                                 Mike Bishman
                                                                                                                                                      121 W Broadway
                                   323 E. Main St., Blooming Prairie                                                                                 Owatonna, MN 55060
                                                       583-4469                                                                                        507•451•0193
                                                                                                                                                       800•856•9864

                                                                                                PUBLICATION OF STEELE COUNTY TIMES
JULY 2022                                                                        FOURTH OF JULY 2022                                                                                         13

Red, White and Bounce-house planned for 4th
       BY KAY FATE             Bounce, described as a          ware’s supply of inflat-            He stood inside the         up in Victory Park, “but          There will be no charge
       STAFF WRITER            “bounce house world,”           ables – but that’s the idea.     inflatable pumpkin – which     not this one.”                 for entry to Red, White
                               will sit at Victory Park for        Dan Peach, a BP Police       isn’t going to be one of the     Peach was using water        and Bounce. It is spon-
  It’s an addition to the      all three days of Blooming      officer who makes holidays       bounce-houses available        and a mild cleaner to          sored for the weekend by
schedule of events that is     Prairie’s Old-Fashioned         happier with theme decora-       next weekend – and sprayed     make sure the inflatables      Leo Augusta Children’s
bound to make parents          Fourth of July.                 tions in the empty lot next      down the muddy interior.       were ready for the public,     Academy.
and kids alike very happy.        The set-up nearly            door to the store, was getting      “They’re taking five,”      and letting them dry in           Rules for use will be
  Red, White and               cleared out B to Z Hard-        them ready last week.            he said of the planned set-    the sun.                       posted at the site.

                                                                                                                                                                          STAFF PHOTO BY KAY FATE
Dan Peach sprays down the interior of a pumpkin-shaped inflatable that was set up in the empty lot next to B to Z Hardware. Peach was cleaning the store’s entire supply in advance of
Red, White and Bounce, five bounce houses that will be set up in Victory Field July 2-4.

                                                                          PUBLICATION OF STEELE COUNTY TIMES
14                                                               FOURTH OF JULY 2022                                                      JULY 2022

             CELEBRATE

               132 2nd Ave. NE • Blooming Prairie
                                                                                1125 S Oak Ave
                             583-6613                                           Owatonna, MN 55060-3701     507-451-5990 • www.Honest1Owatonna.com

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                                                           PUBLICATION OF STEELE COUNTY TIMES
JULY 2022                                                    FOURTH OF JULY 2022                                                                             15

 «We understand small business because we are a small business.»
              314 E Main St., Blooming Prairie – 583-7528
            685 W. Bridge St. Suite 6, Owatonna – 451-9136
              133 N. Broadway, New Richland – 465-3810
                          Johndoercpa.com

        FOR ITS PARK SYSTEM
        We appreciate the many play and recreation areas
        found throughout our community.

        Visit federatedinsurance.com/WeLoveOwatonna to see
        all the reasons why Owatonna has our heart.                                         Federated Mutual Insurance Company and its subsidiaries*
                                                                                                   federatedinsurance.com | *Not licensed in all states.
                                                                                                  20.13 Ed. 6/21 © 2021 Federated Mutual Insurance Company

                                                       PUBLICATION OF STEELE COUNTY TIMES
16                         FOURTH OF JULY 2022                                   JULY 2022

        Free Seminars Daily
        July 26, 27, 28, 2022
     Ritchie Bros Auction Site                -

         6000 Frontage Road Medford, MN
       Learn more at tradexpos.com
        PRODUCED BY               PO BOX 1067, AUSTIN, MN 55912 1-800-347-5225

                      PUBLICATION OF STEELE COUNTY TIMES
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