A word search book, soft granola bars, deodorant, body spray and a tin of cookies.
These are some of the gift requests on the Montgomery Sharing Trees this year.
The Christmas tradition where area residents make Christmas special for more than 100 members of the community who are at least 50 years old is up and running in Montgomery. The program seeks to fill gift requests during the next week and a half for adult residents, many of whom are senior citizens from Montgomery.
The program uses cards on the Christmas trees with requested gifts that total up to $20.

Montgomery’s Torchlight Parade and Fireworks celebrates 26 years this holiday season. The Thursday, Nov. 29 event kicks off with a parade of approximately 50 lighted floats, beginning at 6:30 p.m. on the north end of First (Main) Street.
Parade participants this year include musical groups like the Schell’s Hobo Quartet, the Govenaires of St. Peter, Lakelander Chorus, Tri-City United High School Drum Line, the Klondike Kates of the St. Paul Winter Carnival, River City Rhythm percussionists and The Amazing Hoopsters.

Le Sueur County will be honored Monday, Dec. 3 during the Minnesota Counties Intergovernmental Trust (MCIT) Annual Meeting in Bloomington.
MCIT announced last week that Le Sueur County has been selected as the 2018 County of the Year.
"The county has distinguished itself in the areas of loss control, risk management, claims administration, and responsiveness to MCIT," MCIT Executive Director Robyn M. Sykes said. "MCIT commends the county's commitment to managing exposures that jeopardize employees and citizens of the county to loss."

Leadership changes are about to take place on the Lonsdale Fire Department.
Effective January 1, 2019, the city will have a new fire chief and assistant fire chief.
Lonsdale’s current fire chief, Mike Yetzer, has served three terms as fire chief, which is the maximum allowed per the department’s policy. Though he will no longer be fire chief, Yetzer will continue to serve on the department.
“We have a top shelf chief,” said Mayor Tim Rud of Yetzer.

As in past years, the junior royalty and button designer of the annual Torchlight Parade and Fireworks have had prominent positions in Montgomery’s winter parade. On Thursday, Nov. 29, grand marshals Ty Wohlers and Eydie Fleek, and button designer, Max Budin climbed aboard a specially designed float and, after the Montgomery Color Guard, started the lineup of around 50 entries that filled the event. After about 45 minutes, when a Montgomery fire truck carrying a Santa Claus, signaled of the parade’s end, people gathered at First Street South for the fireworks finale.

Montgomery received its holiday dressing on Wednesday, Nov. 28, when workers from the City of Montgomery installed the holiday Czech banners and lighted decorations on First Street. The decorations made it up just in time for the Torchlight Parade and Fireworks on Thursday, Nov. 29. The parade starts at 6:30 p.m. (Wade Young Photo)

A group of kids are taking kindness to the next level when they organized a clothing drive for the residents of the poorest county in the United States.
Twenty students in Shaun Robbins’ seventh and eighth grade advisory class at TCU Montgomery Middle School organized and promoted a clothing drive over the past several weeks. Their efforts acquired 11 full boxes of warm clothes and blankets for the residents of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.

Le Sueur County has a furry, four-legged crime fighter.
The county’s newest K-9, “Jett”, started work on November 20.
The county secured Jett, a purebred German Shepherd, last autumn when he was around nine-weeks-old. Jett was bred locally from Kozie Shepherds in southern Minnesota and attended his K9 academy with Le Sueur County Deputy Joe Kern at Performance Kennels in Buffalo. Nationally Certified K9 Trainer, Steve Pearson, was responsible for training Jett.

Second graders, Ty Wohlers and Eydie Fleek don’t recall if they have ever seen the special float that starts the Torchlight Parade and Fireworks event, but they will see it firsthand on Thursday, Nov. 29.
Ty, son of George and Shanda Wohlers of rural Montgomery, and Eydie, daughter of Ann and Matthew Fleek of Montgomery, have been selected to be the Junior Grand Marshals of the 2018 holiday event.

Father Kevin Clinton, center, offers a blessing on several tractors the morning of Sunday, Nov. 18, at St. John the Evangelist Church of Union Hill. The brief ceremony was also to celebrate this time of blessings and thankfulness at the end of the harvest. For more see an upcoming print issue of The New Prague Times. (Patrick Fisher Photo)

A Czech cultural organization whose ambassadors have appeared in events throughout Minnesota and other states for close to two decades will come to an end next month.
Domaci Inc., and its groups, the Domaci Czech Folk Dancers and the Czech Heritage Junior Royalty, will hold its final performance and royalty ceremony on Sunday, Dec. 2. Directors Arnie and Deb Ziskovsky, the founders of Domaci Inc., have been leading and coordinating the ambassadors for 19 years, and they are ending it with their annual event, Hometown Holidays at the Park Ballroom in New Prague.

A Le Sueur County judge has ordered the Le Sueur County Historical Society (LCHS) to turn over all of its financial records and books, hold a fair and democratic election for members, and allow the additional members to join the lawsuit against it, among other things.
This order was filed on November 8.
A lawsuit was filed against LCHS on February 21 by 16 members who allege the existing board of LCHS has mismanaged the society, has murky financial dealings, and followed anti-democratic processes, which, they state are contrary to Minnesota law and LCHS bylaws.

Every year on November 11, Americans honor the 19.6 million active and former US service members who have gone to war.
Locally, Veterans Day is often marked by school programs with speeches and solemn ceremonies, and special meals as a way to offer our appreciation.
As a way to say "thanks for your service”, the students and staff at Tri-City United Schools and Most Holy Redeemer School held their Veterans Day programs on Monday.

Due to a decrease in funding from the state, Le Sueur County veterans will see a change in their transportation provided by the county.
Veterans utilizing the Le Sueur County Veterans Van will now be charged $10 per trip to the Minneapolis VA Hospital.
This change was approved during the Tuesday, Nov. 6 Le Sueur County Board of Commissioners meeting in Le Center.
According to Veteran's Service Officer Jim Golgart, the funding his department receives from the state has dwindled to between $1,500 and $2,000.