Every year in Montgomery, a quiet exchange takes place.
You’ve seen it in Aging Services for Communities (ASC), the Happy Hour Bar and a photo in the Montgomery Messenger: two small Christmas trees decorated with cards that contain items wished for by local residents who need a little cheer or help around the holidays.
This year, more than one hundred tags with Christmas wishes decorated the trees.

WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM WEDNESDAY TO 3 AM CST THURSDAY... ...WINTER STORM WATCH NOW IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE FRIDAY NIGHT... ...WIND CHILL WATCH NOW IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING...
* WHAT...For the Winter Storm Warning, heavy snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 5 to 8 inches. For the Winter Storm Watch, blizzard conditions possible. Winds could gust as high as 45 mph. For the Wind Chill Watch, dangerously cold wind chills possible. Wind chills as low as 40 below zero.

Members of the Montgomery Torchlight Parade and Fireworks Committee will be judging holiday light displays at area residences and businesses tonight, Thursday, Dec. 15. Please keep your holiday lights on from “dark-thirty” until at least 10 p.m. to allow judges time to canvas the area. There is no need to register for this contest. Everyone who has decorated their Montgomery home and/or business with lights will be entered into the contest. Prizes include: $250 for first place, $100 for second place, and $50 for third place. Winners of the business division will receive cash.

Le Center Librarian Lynn Selly has received the 2022 Above and Beyond Award from the Minnesota Library Association in recognition of her contributions to the Minnesota library community. More on this in Thursday's Messenger.

Makayla Erickson and Aven Prigge have been named Tri-City United High School’s 2023 Academics, Arts, and Athletics Award winners. The honor, which is commonly known as the Triple “A” Award, honors high school seniors who have 3.0 or higher-grade point averages and participate in Minnesota State High School League-sponsored athletic and fine arts activities. More on this in Thursday's Messenger edition.

Love is all that matters in life, according to 82-year-old John Grimm of Montgomery, and it’s this message the local author, musician, veteran, and father of 14 hopes to pass to the readers of his new book, “My Turn in The Urn,” which is now available for purchase. “I hope my readers come to the same conclusion that I did at this point in my life, and that is loving the people around you and getting that love in return in a variety of ways is all that matters in life,” he stated. More on this in the Dec. 8 edition of the Messenger.

Tri-City United School’s Titan Pride winners for November were recently announced. Students receiving the honor were chosen by school staff members for having shown pride in self, others, and their community. See more about this in the Dec. 15 edition of the Messenger.

Andrew Regenscheid was laid to rest Dec. 10 at Calvary Cemetery in Montgomery. Regenscheid had a long-standing influence on the Montgomery area community. More on this in Dec. 15 issue of the Messenger.

Ty Schatz got a phone call or two that his sheep might be out grazing in town the afternoon of Friday, December 9. He said, "The Christmas sheep went to town." Schatz is a fifth of seven generations in Montgomery. More on this story in the next issue of the Messenger.

Nearly 40 people participated in the Fifth annual Santa Speedo Dash Saturday, Dec. 3, starting at Giesenbrau Bier Co. in New Prague. It was 7 degrees Fahrenheit making for a very brisk 1K run that was open to all ages with several people dressed in Christmas themed clothing. The run was to raise funds for the Alzheimer’s Association. For more see an upcoming print issue of The New Prague Times. (Patrick Fisher photo)

Community members, from left to right, Dale Ruhland, Larry Trnka, and Rick Krenik, install the new sign at the Settler's Cabin in Memorial Park. Read more about this story in this week's Messenger.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Volunteers coordinated by the Salvation Army social services coordinator and Montgomery Food Shelf manager Sarah Neisen prepare 100 Thanksgiving meals for Le Sueur County families at the Le Center Ambulance facility. See more on this in the next issue of the Messenger.

Montgomery’s annual Torchlight Parade and Fireworks celebrates its 30th anniversary this holiday season on Thursday, Dec. 1, and according to event organizers, plans are underway to make it bigger and better than ever.
Santa and his live reindeer will be near the intersection of Vine Avenue and First Street (between American Family Insurance and Frandsen Bank and Trust), starting at 5:30 p.m. Characters from “Frozen” will also be available for photos for no charge.

Christmas wishes really do come true.
The Heidi Erntse family of Kilkenny makes sure of it.
For more than a decade, the Ernstes have spearheaded a nomination-based, wishgranting program called Earnest Effort Christmas Wish to provide extra cheer to local individuals and families in need with the help of many generous and anonymous donors.
Last year, Earnest Effort Christmas Wish granted more than 30 wishes. This year, it will likely be more.

Montgomery Police Chief Nathan Hintz swears in officer Kyle Sladek at Monday evenings city council meeting. Hintz said the department is looking to add 1-2 additional part time officers still to the force.
The city council also addressed citizen complaints about dirty and discolored water since the new water tower was put into service. More on this and other city council activity in next weeks Messenger.