After conducting interviews last Wednesday, Aug. 12, Montgomery City Council chose Jesse Johnson of Cannon Falls, Minn., as their new city administrator at Monday’s council meeting.
Retired Lieutenant Colonel Johnson is a 20-year veteran of the United States Army and Bronze Star Medal recipient. The 49-year-old lives in Cannon Falls with his wife of 24 years, Teresa, and has four kids — two boys and two girls, with three of them being in college.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is planning a larger-scale improvement project along Highway 13 north of Waterville and Montgomery in 2029. The project includes a 3- to 4-inch pavement reclamation, plus culvert repair and water drainage pipework along the highway between the two cities. It is currently estimated to cost about $15 million, said Forrest Hasty, MnDOT’s District 7 assistant engineer for highway delivery projects.
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Kicking off the main portion of Kolacky Days every year is the Queen's Pageant. This year six young ladies competed on Friday, July 25 and for many weeks prior to win one of the crowns and sashes but most notably to be the 2026 Kolacky Days Queen.
These are some of the scenes of this year's pageant.
The Montgomery Parks and Recreation Advisory Board toured Memorial Park on Aug. 5 to see progress on the new playground and consider future improvements.
Public Works Superintendent Nick Filipek gave the board the tour, highlighting projects completed, projects still in progress, and a wishlist of things to consider for future projects.
The playground project is going smoothly. Filipek says that the city will be working on the site preparation through September, and the new set will likely be installed before the end of October.
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While we try to get everywhere and capture all the fun that is happening at Kolacky Days, it's just not possible! These are some final scenes of some of the events and offerings of the 2026 Kolacky Days festival in its 92nd year.
This is the report for the Montgomery Fire Department (MFD) from the month of July 2026. A total of five calls were responded to in the month and a total of 56 calls through the end of July. Training in July was Kolacky Days clean-up, and pump operations and hose testing.
Below are the list of the calls MFD responded to in July 2026.
Monday, Aug. 3
- Assisted with a disturbance on Welco Drive.
- Agency assist with a welfare check.
Tuesday, Aug. 4
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The 92nd Annual Homemade Kolacky Days Baking Contest winners for each category receive $50 for first, $25 for second, and $15 for third, each in Monty Bucks. This year’s youth winner was the only entrant.
Best Tasting Traditional Kolacky
Must be prune or poppyseed. Judged on looks, smell, taste, and texture.
1st Mary Holtz (Prune)
2nd Janell Franta (Prune)
3rd Ceske Damy (Prune)
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Adults competing in the Kolacky Eating Contest must try to scarf down six of the fruit-filled buns, while youth ages 12 and under must eat three, and then yell “Kolacky Days” to officially complete their challenge.
Winner of the competition gets a medal, kolacky to take home, a giant commemorative Kolacky Days button, and is declared the Kolacky King, male or female. All participants get to keep any kolacky they don’t finish, and that makes it a win either way.