Joseph Leonard Trnka, 84, of Faribault, MN died peacefully on July 21, 2020.

Orville “Orv” William Sawatzky, 88, of Montgomery, passed away at Mala Strana in New Prague on Friday, July 17, 2020.
Private family funeral services will be held.
In lieu of flowers memorials are preferred to the American Cancer Society or American Diabetes Association.
Orv was born on September 26, 1931, in Faribault to Ernest and Bertha (Behm) Sawatzky. He attended Montgomery Public School. Orv served in the United States Army from 1950-1952 in Korean War.

Verna Marie Ziegenhagen, 103, of Kilkenny, died Thursday, July 16, 2020, at Central Health Care in Le Center. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, July 21 from 11 a.m. to 12:45 a.m. at the Le Center Funeral Home. Funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Le Center with Pastor Ally Bowman officiating. Interment will be in Greenwood Cemetery.

Mala Strana Assisted Living and Rehabilitation Center in New Prague has reported there are 14 residents and four staff members who have tested positive for COVID-19 The residents are quarantined on campus and the employees are currently quarantined at home. For more see an upcoming print issue of The New Prague Times. (Patrick Fisher Photo)

There’s still time to enter the 86th Annual Kolacky Days’ coloring contest!
Visit www.MontgomeryMN.org/coloring-contest or stop at Franke’s Bakery to pick up a coloring form.
Completed entries forms need to be returned to Franke’s Bakery or an image of the entry emailed to KolackyDays@gmail.com by noon Tuesday, July 21. Make sure to include your name and age.
Members of this year’s Kolacky Days’ royalty will judge the entries.

There is a log jam at the top of the DRS Amateur Baseball Standings after the second full week of play.
Seven teams have one loss, led by Prior Lake with a 4-1 record and Lonsdale with a 3-1 record.
St. Patrick, Faribault, and Montgomery have 2-1 records. Union Hill and St. Benedict are 1-1 overall.
The week began with three games Wednesday, July 8.
Faribault shut out winless Shakopee, 6-0.
St. Benedict defeated Montgomery 8-1. Nick Holland and Matthias Duevel combined to allow only a first inning Mallard run.

Puzzle lovers, rejoice!
This year’s virtual Kolacky Days will include a Jigsaw Puzzle Competition featuring a limited-edition, 513-piece Kolacky Days Button Collection Puzzle.
Everyone is invited to participate in this social-distancing friendly competition.
The 16” x 20” puzzle is available for purchase at Herrmann Thrifty White Pharmacy and Franke’s Bakery in Montgomery. It can also be purchased online at www.montgomerymn.org/store.

On Wednesday, July 8, the management of Frandsen Bank & Trust closed the Lonsdale location after learning someone who recently tested positive for COVID-19 had been on the premises.
The bank was closed until Monday after which only the drive-thru reopened. According to Dan Hardel, the president for Montgomery and Lonsdale branches, the lobby will remain closed until further notice.
On its Facebook page, the bank said it closed the office so a thorough cleaning and disinfecting could be completed.

James Walter Krenik, 62, Lonsdale, died on Friday, July 10, 2020, at his home. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, July 15 from 10 to 11 a.m. at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Montgomery with Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. with Fr. Tom Niehaus and Fr. Tom Krenik officiating. Interment will be in the St. Wenceslaus Cemetery in New Prague.
  James was born on February 1, 1958, in New Prague to Donald and Pauline (Busch) Krenik. He was a graduate of Montgomery High School and worked as a heavy equipment operator and turned to farming.

The 86th annual Kolacky Days may be “virtual” this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the Montgomery Area Community Club (MACC) is making sure a well-deserving couple is named as its Grand Marshals.
Arnold “Buck” and Gladys Zahratka were chosen by the MACC as this year’s Grand Marshals because they have played a significant role in the development and success of the Montgomery area. 
Buck, who will be 95 years young in August, and Gladys, 88, have a long history of working and volunteering in Montgomery.
They owned local businesses.

In staying on track with their desired timeline, the Lonsdale City Council approved a firm to provide architectural and planning services for the new police facility to be operational in 2021.
After interviews with a handful of firms and further discussion, the council unanimously voted to move forward with Wold Architects and Engineers at their meeting on June 25.

Only three games were played in the DRS Amateur Baseball League last week.
COVID-19 has been detected in players on four teams which limited the amount of games played.
Here is a look at the games which were played.

Donna J. Coughlin, 78, of Montgomery, died on Thursday, July 2, 2020, at Mayo Clinic Health System Hospital in New Prague, MN.  Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 7, 2020, at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, in Montgomery. Visitation will be at the church from 9 to 11 a.m. that morning. 
Burial will take place following Mass at St. Michael’s Catholic Cemetery near Montgomery. Fr. Tom Niehaus will officiate the services.

Robert (Bob) Michael Turek, age 76, of Montgomery, passed away peacefully on his family farm surrounded by his wife and family following a courageous battle with cancer on Saturday, July 4, 2020. A Celebration of life is pending with the Schoenbauer Funeral Home in Montgomery. In lieu of flowers memorials are preferred.
Bob was born on March 21, 1944 in Montgomery to John and Evelyn (Pinc) Turek. Bob attended country school and Montgomery High School. Bob farmed and also worked at Seneca, Heat & Glow, United Steel and Master Motive in Savage.

Sheriff Brett Mason led members of Le Sueur County Historical Society (LCHS) Board on a tour of the county’s now-vacant, 108-yearold jail and sheriff’s residence and the recently vacated 1978 jail on Tuesday morning, June 23.
According to County Administrator Darrell Pettis, the county is looking for ways to preserve and use the iconic brick building, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.

Eric Steinhoff may have hit 31 homers to win the Home Run Derby, but little Analise Tveitbakk ruled the ballpark on Saturday.
The two-year-old happily ran the bases, took pictures with the batters, and picked out sweets at the concession stand during Home Town Bats' Home Run Derby at the Union Hill Ballpark on June 27. The fourth annual fundraising event benefited Analise and her family.