Kilkenny Fire Department’s annual fundraising ATV/UTV ride held on Saturday, Aug. 8, drew in larger numbers than last year. The run brought in 329 riders and 158 ATV/UTV’s. In comparison to last year, that is up from 200 riders and 94 vehicles.
    The 2026 route started as usual at Little Irish Park in Kilkenny for registration, which began at 10 a.m. Riders left Kilkenny at noon and went to Elysian, then to The Bait Bucket in Cleveland, and to Lakefront Bar & Grill on Clear Lake in Lexington, before returning back to Kilkenny at the Toy Box Saloon.

For the past five months the Nick and Sarah Bemis family have been going through something which no young family should have to.

It was early in the morning on March 18 they were told their three-month-old daughter, Brynlee, had cancer.

The family has been through hundreds of ups and downs over the past half a year after hearing this news from an emergency room doctor in mid-March. But the fight continues and as of late, the positives have finally started to outweigh the negatives.

CANNON FALLS - With one weekend completed and a big one on the horizon, the Waterville Indians and Morristown Morries are still alive in the Region 5C Amateur Baseball Tournament.

After playing games last weekend in Cannon Falls, the teams will now set their sights on Waterville for the final weekend of the eightteam tournament.

The number which is on the mind of both teams is three.

One of the longest running Minnesota County Fairs is celebrating its 169th year next week.

The Le Sueur County Fair begins Thursday, August 20 at the fairgrounds in Le Center, and runs through Sunday, August 23. It is the last county fair before the Minnesota State Fair.

Every year the fair board approves improvements to the grounds and this year will be no different, with many new spruced up areas.

Twelve unanswered runs in the final four innings lifted the Waterville Indians to a 12-3 win over Pine Island Saturday, August 8 in Cannon Falls in the first round of the Region 5C Amateur Baseball Tournament.

The Indians allowed three unearned runs in the top of the second inning off starting pitcher Dalton Grose.

From that point on, Grose was masterful, allowing only five hits and allowed only one runner to reach third base, which happened on an Indian error.

Kilkenny Fire Department’s annual fundraising ATV/UTV ride held on Saturday, Aug. 8, drew in larger numbers than last year. The run brought in 329 riders and 158 ATV/UTV’s. In comparison to last year, that is up from 200 riders and 94 vehicles.

The 2026 route started as usual at Little Irish Park in Kilkenny for registration, which began at 10 a.m. Riders left Kilkenny at noon and went to Elysian, then to The Bait Bucket in Cleveland, and to Lakefront Bar & Grill on Clear Lake in Lexington, before returning back to Kilkenny at the Toy Box Saloon.

I will have a “hitch in my giddy up” for the next few weeks thanks to a surgery I received 2 1/2 weeks ago.

As many of you know, I went under the knife July 24 and had a full right hip replacement.

Having really no exposure to surgeries, other than my thyroid cancer surgery many years ago, I wasn’t quite sure what this was going to entail.

I read as much as I could and I talked to as many people as I could, but nothing really means a lot until you final get your prognosis and the surgery has been scheduled.

Darlene Mae (Simons) Adams, age 91, of Waterville, MN, passed away on August 11, 2026.

Born on March 21, 1936, at her family home in rural Elysian, she was the daughter of Perry and Clarice (Klang) Simons. She attended grade school in Elysian and later graduated from Waterville High School in 1954. 

Two local 4-H youth are stepping into one of Minnesota 4-H’s most prestigious leadership roles. Le Sueur County is one of only five counties in the state to have more than one State Ambassador selected.

Elizabeth Holicky of Le Center and Audrey Keltgen of Le Sueur have been selected as members of the 2026– 2027 Minnesota 4-H State Ambassador Team, joining 30 other outstanding young leaders from across the state.

    One of the longest running Minnesota County Fairs is celebrating its 169th year next week.
    The Le Sueur County Fair begins Thursday, August 20 at the fairgrounds in Le Center, and runs through Sunday, August 23. It is the last county fair before the Minnesota State Fair.
    Every year the fair board approves improvements to the grounds and this year will be no different, with many new spruced up areas.

Two straight wins in the 13-60 League Tournament has given the Morristown amateur baseball team a chance to play in the Region 5C Tournament.

The Morries picked up a 9-2 win over Albert Lea Wednesday, July 29 and an 11-8 win over Blue Earth in the 13-60 League winner's bracket final Saturday, August 1.

Those two wins have moved Morristown into the eight-team, double elimination Region 5C Tournament, which starts Saturday, August 8 in Cannon Falls.

Construction on a new fish hatchery facility outside of Waterville has been pushed back until 2027, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

The delay comes from the amount of time it takes to get all the required permits approved.

Construction was first expected to begin this spring, and then in September.

William Ernest Friedner, age 89, passed away peacefully on Friday, July 10, 2026, surrounded by his loving family.

    The Miss Czech Slovak Minnesota Pageant is looking for queen and junior ambassador candidates for its 37th annual event.
    If you are of Czech or Slovak decent and live within Minnesota, and are between the ages of 12-15 for junior ambassadors or between ages 16-23 for queen by Aug.1, you can apply through their website at missczechslovakminnesotapageant.com.
    The applications are due by Aug. 1 and a contestant meeting will be held on Aug. 9. The pageant will be held at the Park Ballroom in New Prague after the Dožínky Days on Sept. 19.

Ralph Edward Gregor, age 76, of rural Waterville, died on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, at his home.

Eagle Lake, a Class B amateur baseball team, came to Waterville Wednesday, June 24 and defeated the Waterville Indians, 12-2 in eight innings in a non-league game.

The Expos, who were previously in the 13-60 League with the Indians, scored five runs in the fourth inning and added four more in the eighth inning to pick up their ninth win in 12 games.

Dalton Grose started for Waterville and pitched 3 1/3 innings, allowing five runs on six hits. He walked four and struck out two.