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Ellendale fish fry serves 475
By TAYA ROSACKER
Contributing writer
The annual Ellendale Fire Department Fish Fry was quite the catch with the community and surrounding neighbors. Festivities began at 5 p.m. with an amazing meal made by the fire department. Everyone was served crispy fish, baked firehouse beans, coleslaw, refreshments including water, milk, and lemonade, along with their homemade tartar sauce, which garnered compliments from many. In the first hour alone, there were a total of 266 people served. Many were there before the 5 p.m. start time.
“Thank you to everyone for making this year’s first fish fry our biggest and best yet,” Rick Johnson of the Ellendale Fire Department said. “We hope you all really enjoyed it and look forward to seeing you again in March.”
This year’s total number of meals served was the largest ever at 475 meals.
The annual fish fry happens twice a year, once in February and again in March.
The town of Ellendale has been throwing this fundraiser for more than a decade and making it a favorite time of year for everyone.
“We do this to help our community and to get to know our neighbors” says David Modder, a member of the Ellendale Fire Department. The money raised helps purchase tools and equipment, supports those within the community as well as the Ellendale food shelf.
The next fish fry will be March 22 at the Ellendale community center from 5 p.m. until gone. This is a free will donation and the fish is all you can eat. Come enjoy a wonderful meal and leave with a smile.
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By ELI LUTGENS
Publisher/Editor
The NRHEG Competition Cheer team took eighth place during the National High School Cheerleading Competition at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando, Florida earlier this month.
After missing the national finals by a mere fraction of a point a year ago, and falling short of a fourth straight championship at the state level, this group of girls was determined to make the most of their trip.
“These athletes could have gotten down on themselves and called it quits, but they didn’t,” coach Joni Churchill said during a Friday-afternoon welcome home celebration in front of hundreds of students, fans and NRHEG faculty at the secondary site. “These guys could have easily gone down to Florida, put out a mediocre performance the first day, and then spent the rest of the time at the beach and Disney, but they didn’t. They made a promise to themselves and to each other that they were going to reach their goals, and they did.”
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By ELI LUTGENS
Publisher/Editor
Last week The Willows in New Richland was sold to John and Julie Arnold of New Richland.
The previous owners, Travis and Heather Blake, made the announcement via Facebook.
“Today we close a very big chapter,” the Blakes said in the announcement. “This is a bittersweet day as our life has fully revolved around the restaurant for the last 18 years. We can’t thank you enough for your continued support over the years. This town, this community is like no other.”
Eighteen years ago the Willows, located at 100 Minnesota Highway 13 in New Richland, came into existence under the Blake family, with Travis and his wife Heather running it together for the past 15 years. The couple officially purchased the business from Travis’s dad Jim in 2016.
The Blakes shared emotional memories from their nearly two decades at the Willows, highlighting their being “the hub” for after parties during the NRHEG Girls State Championships runs in 2013 and ‘14; along with great “Friday Nights” and an overall sense of family with the community and their incredible employees.
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By DEB BENTLY
Staff Writer
If Mike Coy’s life were a river, he might describe it as “narrow, but deep.” Mike, 71, has lived in Waseca County his entire life and has already arranged to be buried in a county-managed cemetery located on land once owned by his extended family.
A farm and tractor man to the core, he tells of his grandfather having placed him in the driver seat of a bulldozer at the age of 6 to push silage.
“It’s something you’ve got to have an eye for,” says Mike playfully of driving big equipment.
Mike and his wife Cindy have been together since 1983. They raised three children, now adults: Sierra, Clifford and Erin. Of their nine grandchildren, the majority live within a two-hour drive.
The couple’s rural home is two miles west of New Richland along state highway 30. They acquired the homesite, the former Harvey Peterson property, in 1991 and spent years upgrading and improving it while also raising their family.
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The NRHEG Star Eagle took home two awards during the Minnesota Newspaper Associations annual awards banquet February 1, 2024.
Of more than 4,400 entries in roughly 40 categories, writers Deb Bently and Eli Lutgens each earned awards.
Bently earned second place in the Business Profile category for her piece titled, “Hartland Gold Rush” about the Prairie Gold Rush Magazine produced in Hartland.
Bently also received second and third place honors for articles written in the Waseca County Pioneer.
Lutgens earned third place among entries for weekly columnist. Categories were entered in the non-multi day, 1,000 - 1,500 circulation size.
For Lutgens it was his second award with the Star Eagle from MNA. Writing for the Waseca County Pioneer, he also earned two first place finishes and a third this year.