It is a milestone celebration for the City of Morristown this weekend, with the 40th annual Morristown Dam Days celebration starting Thursday, May 29 and running through June 1.
The first event of the weekend will be held Thursday at 6:30 p.m. with a Bean Bag Tournament at the Morristown American Legion Pavilion.
The activities continue Friday, May 30 with a Euchre Tournament at the Morristown Community Center at 1:30 p.m. Local food stands open at 5 p.m. as does the carnival - Midwest Rides.

The 40th Annual Morristown Dam Days Celebration will begin with the crowning of Miss Morristown 2025 on Friday, May 30 at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 404 W Franklin St., Morristown at 5 p.m.
Miss Morristown 2024, Loryn Caldwell, will crown Miss Morristown 2025 and share her memories of the past year. There will be special guests’ appearances by Miss Minnesota Emily Schumacher and Minneapolis Aquatennial Ambassadors.

A total of 59 seniors will don caps, gowns, and tassels in anticipation of graduating from Waterville-Elysian-Morristown High School at 7 p.m. Friday, May 23 in the Waterville gymnasium.
Of these 59 seniors, 41 have been named honor students.
The Class of 2025 has three students who have achieved a perfect 4.0 Grade Point Average (GPA). They are Madeline Heuss, Kaedyn Judd, and Grace LaFrance.

Area communities will honor their local veterans during Memorial Day programs Monday, May 26.
Waterville will hold their program at 8:15 a.m. Elysian will follow with their program at 9:30 a.m. Morristown will hold their program at 11 a.m. Kilkenny will have programs at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., and 11 a.m.
The Memorial Day Ceremony in Waterville will be held at the Memorial Park on the corner of E Hoosac St and S. 3rd Street.

The City of Elysian has installed a new fishing pier at Lake Francis Park. The purchase of this pier was made possible with a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Grant – Get Out MORE (Modernize Outdoor Recreation Experiences).
Get Out MORE is a historic, one-time investment of $150 million to help ensure Minnesotans of all abilities and interests enjoy a world-class recreation system, whichever outdoor experience they choose. The pier was designed by Hewitt Docks and installed by The Lake Boys of Cleveland, MN.

WEM School Board members and concerned citizens met in the WEM auditorium on May 8 to hear the results of a study that could decide the fate of WEM Middle School in Morristown.
Citing the need for a neutral party, the WEM School Board commissioned an independent study, which would give a third-party opinion on how best to proceed with keeping the school district financially sound.

Cody Vernon Kolstad, 35, was sentenced Friday, May 2 to 300 months in prison for the intentional murder of Brian Daniel Stoeckel, 41, in Morristown on May 31, 2022.
On March 28, 2025, Kolstad pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree intentional murder. In exchange for pleading guilty, prosecutors dismissed a first-degree intentional murder charge.

Dresses, tuxedos, and corsages will be on full display Saturday, May 3 at the Waterville-Elysian-Morristown Junior-Senior Prom in Waterville.
More than 125 students have signed up to participate in the Coastal Prom Night, starting with the Grand March in the WEM Gymnasium at 4 p.m. There will be a $1 charge for individuals to attend the event.
Following Grand March, the students will be transported to The Mill in Waseca between 5 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. They will eat dinner there at 6:30 p.m. and the dance will follow.

Part of being a veteran is fighting to protect the country and all who live in it. Meaning to this day our ability to spend a day without worry is in part thanks to the efforts of veterans. We, the American Legion Auxiliary, Unit 311 of Elysian hold solemn pride in the heroism of those who served in all wars with American involvement and of those who died. America’s veterans represent the epitome of patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.

WEM seniors Claire Elness and Maddie Heuss are no strangers to the Class A State Speech Tournament.
Both students have advanced three times and they have also returned home with finalist medals. and both have been named All-State twice.
This year Elness placed seventh in the Great Speeches competition and Heuss performed well but did not make the finals in the Extemporaneous Speaking competition.
“The girls presented an impressive showing on Friday at the State Speech Tournament,” co-head coach Eric Gerst said.

Le Sueur County is in the process of updating its land use and zoning code plan and will hold an open panel discussion on Le Sueur County’s VISION 2050 Comprehensive Land Use Plan will be held tonight, Thursday, May 1, 6:30 p.m., at the Le Center American Legion, 97 S. Park Ave.
 

A house fire near Hunt Lake in rural Rice County, south of Vintage Escapes Winery & Vineyard, is ongoing but under control. Multiple fire agencies are attending to the fire. Initial reports are that the house is a total loss, but not verified. More details will be in May 1 Montgomery Messenger.

WEM students have produced some outstanding artwork during the course of the 2024-2025 school year.
Two of those students have been judged to be among the best in the State of Minnesota.
Seniors Halle Fessel and Clara Nuetzman were selected to have their artwork displayed at the State Visual Arts Festival held at the Perpich Center for the Performing Arts in Golden Valley on May 10.

Eighty short years ago a new club was chartered in Waterville and since that date in January of 1945, the Waterville Lions Club has been one of the finest organizations not only in Waterville, but in the State of Minnesota.
The Lions Club observed their 80th year with an event recently at Classic’s Pub in Waterville. Dozens of people attended the event, which featured awarding some of their longest serving members with awards.
Curt Bohlen was honored for being a member for the past 50 years.

Kilkenny forming a historical society
A group of special visitors from Kilkenny, Ireland, visited Kilkenny, Minn., on Wednesday, April 16 — husband and wife James and Monica O’Reilly, and baby Julia O’Reilly. They spent the afternoon touring the town and exchanging historical information.
They were accompanied by Jana Freiband, Monica O’Reilly’s mother, who lives in Minneapolis.

Three candidates vied for the title of Miss Czech-Slovak Minnesota at the 36th annual pageant held Saturday evening at the Montgomery American Legion.
Winning the title of Miss Czech-Slovak Minnesota was Gianna Olsen. She was crowned by her parents, James and Martha Olsen. They are from Stillwater.
Alexia Timmerman was named first princess. She served as second princess this past year, and first princess the year before. She is the daughter of Ryan and Tasha Timmerman of St. Peter.