Snow week kicked off Feb. 9 with announcing of the Snow Court candidates. Candidates were introduced with their partners and then tested with trivia about each other. Both candidates had to answer the same as their partners.
Monday was coronation in the performing arts center at TCU High School. Marco Reyes was crowned Snow King and Makayla Marek was crowned Snow Queen. The Snow Court also performed a dance for the public and students... Pick up the Feb. 16 edition of the Montgomery Messenger to read further. Subscribe at MontgomeryMNNews.com.

Montgomery Police Department took possession of a new squad car earlier this month. The department has three squads in their fleet. The police facility will have some room for expansion in regard to their fleet, as it is capable of holding four squad cars.
Construction on the building is fairly far along now, with the layout of the inside taking shape. Drywall is installed and mudded. The windows, ceiling, and the heating and cooling systems have not been installed yet. The exterior ground work and building work will happen in the spring.

The world may look at climate change in many different ways. I believe one thing that can’t be denied truthfully is that it is changing.
As president of the Twin Cities Meteorological Society, I have developed a growing annual Minnesota State of the Climate event. I am lucky to be friends with two of the state’s climatologists who are awesome at remaining neutral to the numbers, as well as being supportive of this endeavor.

Lonsdale City Council gave approval to seek bids to construct a flat cement pad to install the skate park equipment purchased from the City of Shakopee for $905.98 last summer. The skate park will reside just east of the pavilion in Sticha Park and is expected to open up by mid-summer.

Junior members of the Montgomery American Legion Auxiliary Unit #79 (ALA), Izzi Kotek and Nevaeh Persing, crafted Valentine’s Day cards for 11 local veterans in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Auxiliary member Colleen Pavek delivered some of the cards to veterans at The Harbor and Golden Years Home. Auxiliary members Mary Jane Grundhoffer and Connie Shriver delivered the rest of the Valentine’s Day cards to veterans at Traditions of Montgomery and Park Manor Apartments.

The Montgomery Historical Society (MHS) continued its mission of collecting, preserving, and disseminating area history at its annual meeting held on January 25 at Hilltop Hall. President Jim Mladek called the meeting to order and reviewed the society’s activity over the past year and what members can expect in 2023.

Montgomery’s 2022 Masopust King Austin Testerman will be passing on his title this Sunday when a new king will be crowned during the 2023 Masopust celebration.
The Tri-City United High School senior is proud to have represented the community for the last year—and he had a lot of fun doing it.
“My year has been fun with a lot of new experiences, coming out of my shell, and being able to represent my community,” stated Testerman. “My favorite memory was definitely Kolackys Days. Throwing freezes was a blast.”

The third time was the charm for the Waconia girls hockey team in the Section 2A Quarterfinals against Minnesota River.
The teams had met two prior times this season, with the Bulldogs winning 5-3 Dec. 1 and the two teams tying 3-all Jan. 13.
The third meeting went the way of Waconia, with the Wildcats shutting out the Bulldogs, 3-0, in the Section 2A Quarterfinals played Thursday in Le Sueur.
Wildcat goalie Abigail Elvebak stopped 25 Minnesota River shots on goal, including 10 in the second period.

The New Prague Fire Department was called to a fire in pole shed/garage in Heidelberg, southwest of New Prague, at 3:49 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16. The structure, belonging to the Crystal and Kevin Zvanovec family, was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived. About three vehicles and tools were lost in the fire. A nearby ice fishing house also caught on fire. None of the family was injured. A cause of the fire was unknown.

Marvin R. Wondra, age 91, of Montgomery, passed away on Monday, February 13, 2023 at Traditions of Montgomery. Visitation will be on Sunday, February 19 from 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. at Schoenbauer Funeral Home in Montgomery. Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, February 20 at 11 a.m. with visitation 9:30 a.m. - 11 a.m. all held at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Montgomery with Fr. Tom Niehaus officiating. Interment will be held at a later date in Calvary Cemetery in Montgomery.

Beth Ann Chapman, age 56, of St. Paul, passed away on February 4, 2023.
Beth “Banny” was born to parents, Harvey and Eileen (Foss) Chapman on September 10, 1966 in Edina, MN, before moving to Montgomery in 1970. She was baptized into the Lutheran faith and confirmed at St. John Lutheran Church in Montgomery, MN. She graduated from Montgomery-Lonsdale High School in 1985 and attended St. Cloud State University where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology.

Florence Patricia Koldin, age 82, of Montgomery, passed away on Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at the Carriage House in Le Center surrounded by family.
Visitation will be held on Friday, February 10 from 4 p.m.-8 p.m. at Schoenbauer Funeral Home in Montgomery. Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, February 11 at 2 p.m. at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Montgomery with Fr. Tom Niehaus officiating with visitation one hour prior at the church. Interment will be held in Calvary Cemetery in Lonsdale.

She earned the local honor, then the district honor.
Now, Christine Trcka holds the state honor.
Trcka is an educator at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic School (MHRS) in Montgomery, has been named the Minnesota VFW’s 2022 Middle School Teacher of the Year for her dedication to promoting civic responsibility, flag etiquette, and patriotism in the classroom.

The Minnesota River girls hockey team dropped a pair of close contests and picked up a win last week.
The Bulldogs were edged, 3-2, by Hutchinson Friday, Jan. 27. The following day, TCU was defeated by Marshall, 5-1, in a Big South Conference game. The week started with the Titans defeating Marshall, 3-1.
In the win over the Tigers, Makenna Andresen scored her 20th and 21st goals of the season. Adrianna Bixby added her seventh goal of the year.

Todd Novak, owner of Todd’s NAPA Auto Part’s in Montgomery, was surprised with the NAPA/ASE Part’s Specialist Award of the Year Award at the end of 2022. It is NAPA’s highest award nationally for parts specialists.
In the week leading up to New Year’s Day, employees around him started cleaning up the store nicely. Novak thought it was because they usually have a little something appreciative for them on New Year’s day. He said he thought, “It’s just a little party. That seems like an awful lot for that.”

The Tri City United wrestling team dropped three matches to much larger schools at the Faribault High Tournament Saturday, Jan. 28.
Hastings defeated the Titans, 63-13. Prior Lake edged the Titans, 42-33. The host school defeated the Titans, 46-22.
The Titans also dropped a pair of matches Thursday, Jan. 26 at Hutchinson. Hutch defeated TCU, 51-19. Annandale/Maple Lake downed TCU, 61-9.