Clue No. 1 in the Waterville Bullhead Days medallion hunt is usually very vague.
Clues No. 2 and 3 are also.
But the first clue was enough for 18-year-old Sam Mumme of Waterville and his 22-year-old cousin Zach of Chicago.
The clue: Hooray! It’s Bullhead Days! It’s time to celebrate summer, parks, and our local waters. Happy trails to you, was all they needed to cash in on the $150 Bullhead Bucks Prize.
Sam, has been searching for the medallion for years. This was Zach’s first Bullhead Days.

Gertrude Margaret Mary (Furr) Grubish, age 85 of Waterville, was born to Charles Everett Furr and Loretta Marie Carrigan at St. Joseph Hospital in Mankato, MN on Easter Sunday, April 12, 1936, into a large family. She graduated from Sacred Heart Catholic School in Waseca, MN. Married Mahlon Charles Grubish on November 26, 1955 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Waseca. They were married for (66) years. They farmed south of Waterville on the Grubish Family farm and raised 3 children, Rose Marie (Thiedich), James Charles, and Catherine Ann (Wilson).

No team had been able to shut down the potent WEM softball offense, until Thursday, June 10.
The Lady Bucs averaged eight runs per game in 2021 heading into the Section 1A Championship game played in Austin.
Wabasha-Kellogg All-State pitcher Julia Schmoker put together two outstanding performances in helping W-K upset the Buccaneers, 9-1 and 4-2, to win the Section 1A Championship.
WEM advanced to the Section 1A Championship game by scoring two runs in the bottom of the seventh to defeat Wabasha-Kellogg in the winner’s bracket finals Tuesday, June 8.

Due to high temperatures, extremely dry conditions and increased winds, the DNR and Rice County Sheriff’s Office instituted no open burning in Rice County on Thursday, June 17, 2021, starting at 5 p.m. until further notice.
The ban comes from Troy Dunn, Rice County Sheriff, and Jim Edgar, MN DNR Fire Program Forester.
The MN DNR has also put a burning ban on for Le Sueur County effective immediately. According to Le Sueur County Sheriff Brett Mason, burning can resume tomorrow, Saturday, June 19.

Grace Petersen, daughter of Lori and David DeMars and Bryan Petersen, was crowned Miss Waterville 2021 during the June 11 Bullhead Days Pageant.
Kiri Kerekes, daughter of Jim and Kathy Kerekes, was crowned a Miss Waterville attendant.
Petersen, who was sponsored by Whitewater Quilting, received the Talent Award for her singing performance.
Kerekes, who was sponsored by Kamp Dels, performed a piano selection for her talent.

As I sit at my desk at 7 a.m. Monday morning I started to tear up a bit. One because I was up this early after Bullhead Days and two because of a special event which is about to happen in our family.
The following day, Tuesday, June 15, is/was our son Jayson’s 21st birthday.
There are so many milestones in a person’s life and it seems as if this is one of the last ones which gets a dad a little bit sentimental.

A slice of shade protected painters of Waterville’s community mural from the hot sun on Sunday afternoon, June 13.
Approximately 20 people participated in the community painting event, which was the first of many public painting sessions that will be held throughout the summer to complete the large mural on the backside of the Make It, Waterville building at the corner of Main and Third Streets in Waterville.
Patty Salmon, who owns and operates the local art store and do-it-yourself studio, wrote a grant on behalf of the city to secure funding for the community...

A new retreat facility is being built at Camp Omega in rural Waterville.
According to Camp Director Bob LaCroix, construction will be broken into two phases.
“First phase is a new entrance road, parking lot, lobby, conference space for 200 guests, and a nine-bedroom wing,” LaCroix explained. “The second phase includes a 16-bedroom wing.”
If all goes well, phase-one of the project will be ready by early spring 2022.
The second phase of construction will begin as funds allow.

Lois O. Meschke, age 90, of Rapidan, died on Friday, June 11, 2021 at the Northfield Retirement Community.
Funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, June 18, 2021 at the Northview – North Mankato Mortuary, 2060 Commerce Drive, North Mankato. Visitation will be 9 to 10:30 a.m. prior to the service. Interment will be at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis. The service will be livestreamed on Lois’ obituary page at www.mankatomortuary.com

Retired family physician Dr. Marilyn Waldschmidt, who tended to the medical needs of local residents for 22 years, and local healthcare workers have been named the grand marshals of Waterville’s 2021 Bullhead Days celebration.
Waldschmidt retired from medical practice in April 2020 and was slated to be the grand marshal for the town’s 2020 celebration, but COVID cancelled the event.
This year, the Waterville Area Chamber of Commerce decided to honor Waldschmidt and all area healthcare workers who helped fight the COVID pandemic.

When Shelley Strano moved to Waterville three years ago, she asked what she thought was a simple question: Where’s the coffee shop?
To her surprise, the town didn’t have one.
So, the coffee fanatic and mother of six, decided to open her own little shop—a welcoming place community members and friends could gather and enjoy delicious coffees and treats.

The WEM girls track and field team put together a very solid performance in the Sub-Section 6 Meet held Thursday, June 3 at Janesville.
The host school won the seven team event with 133 points. There was a log jam between the next four teams. River Valley placed second (123), Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial/Nicollet placed third (120), WEM fourth (116), and St. Clair/Immanuel Lutheran fifth (111). Rounding out the teams were St. James Area in sixth (44), and Mankato Loyola/Cleveland in seventh (37).

AUSTIN - It took nine innings, but the WEM softball team was able to earn a pair of championships in a 1-0, nine inning win over Hayfield Saturday, June 5 in Austin in the Section 1A Tournament.
The first title was the Gopher Conference out-right championship. The West Sub-Section Championship game also doubled as the final conference game of the season.
The Sub-Section Championship was the third straight for the Lady Bucs, going way back to 2018 when WEM played in Class AA.

Montgomery Music in the Park tonight has been MOVED to the Montgomery American Legion Post at 7 p.m. due to the heat advisory!
Tonight's music will be by the Mary Guentzel Quintet. This group performs the great standards from the 30s and 40s, along with select favorites from more recent decades.
Organizers hope everyone can join them inside for some great music!

Charli Kossow, age 9, of Waterville won the Le Sueur County Sheriff’s 2021 Distracted Driving Poster Contest. She is the daughter of Amber Atherton and Richard Kossow. Her winning poster reads “Don’t drive distracted. Save lives!” and features a person focusing on their cellphone while driving and an innocent little animal dangerously close to the front of the vehicle. The Faribault Lutheran School third grader received a pizza party for her family, including pizza, cheesy breadsticks, and orange pop, and a $75 Visa gift card for her work—all delivered by Sheriff Brett Mason.

Kelsey Kuball, 19, of Waterville is one of 10 young ladies from across the state to be named a finalist in the 68th Princess Kay of the Milky Way contest.
Each contestant submitted an application, participated in a personal interview, prepared and delivered a speech, and participated in a mock media interview. The top 10 contestants were named finalists and will go on to compete for the title of Minnesota’s 68th Princess Kay of the Milky Way, who will be crowned in August.
Each finalist will have their likeness carved in butter at the State Fair.