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.

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.

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.

The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport measured two temperature records this past weekend, both on Saturday, Oct. 4. An all-time monthly record for highest low temperature was measured of 72 degrees from an observation history of 152 years.

Later in the day, it reached 91 degrees, which is the fourth time that has ever happened in the month of October. It was also the second hottest temperature recorded, second to Oct. 1, 2023, with a temperature of 92 degrees.

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.

Early Sunday morning, a group of around 40 gathered at the Montgomery Sawmill to tour some classic structures.

The group consisted of members of Friends of Minnesota Barns (FMB). The nonprofit organization raises awareness about the loss of historic barns. According to the Minnesota Historical Society, an average of 1,300 historic barns are demolished each year in the state.

“We visit old, historic barns,” said Kathy McCann, FMB co-chair. “Most people in our group grew up on farms, or currently have barns, or just love barns.”

Homecoming is well underway at Tri-City United High School. Crowning of the new homecoming king and queen commenced after lunch period for high school students with 10 options in the court — five boys and five girls.

See the full story on page 1, and a special TCU Homecoming page on page 2 of the Oct. 9, 2025, Montgomery Messenger.

Most Holy Redeemer Catholic School exceeded their expectations again for their annual marathon fundraiser. The kids brought in $32,868.42 and will also receive a $25,000 matching grant from Bob Washa. See the full story in the Oct. 9, 2025, Montgomery Messenger! 

The start of combining of soybeans by farmers in the area can mean only one thing — homecoming!

Tri-City United Schools will celebrate homecoming from Oct. 5-11 and the Montgomery Messenger will feature a special page in next week’s issue on it.

A button design contest was held for the second year in a row now, but this year it was expanded district-wide to all four schools. Last year’s contest was limited to the high school only.

New Prague High School 1967 graduate and United States Air Force Staff Sergeant Dave Bruzek is being recognized in the Montgomery American Legion Post 79’s Thank A Living Vet display through Nov. 23.

Bruzek enlisted in the U.S. Air Force months before he graduated on his 18th birthday in March.

Meals on Wheels (MOW) in Montgomery is currently short on delivery drivers. MOW provides seniors and other groups of people with free or affordable and nutritious meals Monday through Friday each week.

Site Coordinator Mary Ross said, “The time commitment is one-and-a-half hours once or twice a month.” Beyond that, it is also a point of social contact for many people who have limited mobility.

If you have ever considered volunteering as a MOW delivery driver, now is the time. Contact Mary Ross at 507-479-1925 to inquire about volunteering.

Community Asset Development Group (CADG), out of the Twin Cities, has expressed a serious interest in creating a 43 unit apartment building to fall within affordable housing rules on the east side of Montgomery.

A parcel where it would reside currently owned by the city off the roundabout on 7th Street SE, just north of Elm Avenue SE, has been sitting vacant for some time and not earning any taxes.

“The site plan is pretty conceptual,” said Dave Pokorney, one of the two CADG partners. “We are just doing the financial modeling of approximately 43 units.”

Zuhrah Shriners, of Minnetonka, Minn., just wrapped up their fifth year of the 0.05K Camel Crawl, on Saturday, Sept. 13, in Montgomery.

Montgomery was the chosen town for the event where there are many that it could have been, giving the local economy and children a boost.

Tri-City United School District has created a website to better showcase the items they are asking for in their $39.9 million dollar bond to be voted on Nov. 4 this year. People can visit sites.google.com/tcu2905.us/ref25/home or go to the district’s regular website, tcu2905.us, and click on the link on the rolling front page banner.

It was a warm start to the Halfway to St. Paddy's Day celebration in Kilkenny on Saturday, Sept. 13 -- the first of the two-day event. 

Vendors were present all day with food, beverages, and merchandise, as well as there being live music and entertainment throughout the day. The parade was a favorite for kids, young and old. The day will finish off with the "World Famous Toilet Bowl Races," Power Wheels Kids Drag Races, and a fireworks at dusk.

Many moons ago the 74-year-old, soon to be 75, Ronald Prchal was given the nickname “Chubby” or “Chubs” by his father. “Between sixth and seventh grade I grew nine inches and 60 pounds,” said Chubby. “I got the nickname from my dad.”

Even his friends Wendy Vargo and Bob Krocak agree, no one knows him by his given name. “If you said Ron Prchal, people would ask you if he was related to Chubby,” laughed Krocak. Chubby’s younger brother, Ralph Prchal, said, “He used to be chubby, and now he’s not. He’s the skinniest of anyone (from his friends and family).”