Jerry Hackett has been an avid gardener all his life, famous for growing tomatoes taller than he. But when he and his wife, Pat, moved from their retirement home in Bemidji in 2016 to a one level townhome in Shakopee to be nearer their children, there was simply no space for Jerry to ply his green thumb. Keenly active, Jerry needed something to do. Then he remembered the toothpick projects one of their...
To see more on this story, pick up the April 22, 2021 print edition of The New Prague Times.

Jean E. (Matko) Gelhar, 77 of  Mcgregor died Sunday, April 18, 2021 at her home surrounded by her family.  She was born January 6, 1944 in Saint Paul to Joe and Marcella (Koppen) Matko.  She grew up in Minneapolis and graduated from Minneapolis High School in 1962.  Jean was united in marriage to Dennis D.

Elgar N. Busch, age 91, of  New Prague, died peacefully with his family at his side, on Saturday, April 17, 2021, at Praha Village.  Elgar was born a twin at the New Prague Hospital on February 6, 1930 to Florian H. and Elizabeth (Hoffman) Busch.  He grew up on the family farm in St. Benedict and attended St.

Carol Jean (Erkel) Svoboda, 85, of Le Center, passed away on April 16, 2021, at Mala Strana Health Care in New Prague with family by her side. 
Visitation will be on Thursday, April 29, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Schoenbauer Funeral Home in Montgomery. Funeral services will be held on Friday, April 30, at 11 a.m. at St. John Lutheran Church in Montgomery with Pastor Jason Pollington, officiating.
Visitation will be held one hour prior at the church.
Interment will be held in the St. John Lutheran Cemetery.

A group of roughly 20 students from New Prague High School gather around the flagpole around 1 p.m. on Monday, April 19. The group joined other students across Minnesota who walked out in solidarity against racial injustice. The students at New Prague and other schools talked about the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center and discrimination in their own schools. The walkouts ended with a moment of silence at 1:47 p.m., the time that Wright was shot. For more see an upcoming print issue of The New Prague Times. (Patrick Fisher Photo)

Lawrence “Larry” F. Ruehling passed away peacefully on April 18, 2021 at Benedictine Living Community in Owatonna.
He was born on January 30, 1923, at home in Helena Township, Scott County, the son of August Karl and Elisa (Bohnsack) Ruehling. Larry lived on the home farm and attended rural school district #50 and graduated in 1940 from New Prague High School.
Larry moved to Owatonna in January of 1942 and worked for the Borden company. It is also where he met his future wife, Ruth Pichner. They were married in January of 1944.

Ruth Marie (Halloran) Flicek Johnson, age 90, of Madelia, passed away peacefully on April 15, 2021 at United Hospital in St. Paul following a stroke.
Ruth was born in Belle Plaine, MN, in 1930 to John and Grace (Schoell) Halloran and grew up on a farm near St. Thomas. She graduated from New Prague High School in 1948 and the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul in 1951 with a diploma in nursing. Ruth worked as a registered nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital in St. Paul, and the Madelia Hospital until she started her family.

Jean A. Hartman, age 72, of Jordan, MN, passed peacefully surrounded by family at her home, after a courageous battle with cancer, on Wednesday, April 14, 2021. 

More than once I’ve heard the saying, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.” For those who want to get technical it is based on a Robert Burns poem “To a Mouse” that is originally, “The best-laid schemes of mice and men, Go oft awry.”
Awry is a good word for the last few days. Work on Main Street is still progressing, but for The Consignment Lodge and Downtown Sound, things are still up in the air as of press time as to when or how they will be able to reopen.

As of Thursday, April 15, the City of New Prague announced it is allowing the one story “rear” portion of Downtown Sound at 104 Main St. E to reopen. This is the portion that is marked internally in the building – essentially all the rear portion except the north 12-feet closest to the two story portion of the building. This will allow Downtown Sound to continue to hold music lessons in that portion of the building. This determination was made in consultation with the building owner’s structural engineer and the City’s structural engineer and Building Official.

The Rice County Master Gardener volunteers are hosting their annual Arbor Day tree and shrub giveaway on Friday, April 30, at the Rice County Fairgrounds in Faribault. The giveaway will take place from 3:30-5:30 p.m., while supplies last.
The giveaway will take place as a drive-through, minimal contact event. Everyone is welcome to drive through the fairgrounds and select a free tree or shrub seedling. Participants should enter the fairgrounds from Second Avenue NW and there will be signs indicating the flow of traffic.

(This is the first in a series about changes that New Prague’s Main Street businesses are dealing with due to the reconstruction of Main Street.)
Businesses on New Prague’s Main Street will be dealing with changes due to the reconstruction of the street and the placing of new infrastructure underneath the street.
New Prague Postmaster Pauline Lambrecht said the post office’s hours are still the same. The mail box in front of the building was moved on Friday, April 8, onto...
To read more on this article, pick up the April 15, 2021 print edition of The New Prague Times.

Kathryn M. “Katie” Berg, age 40, died peacefully with her family by her side, just one day shy of her 41st birthday on April 9, 2021 at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester.  Katie was born on April 10, 1980 in New Prague to Paul and Mary Lee (Shonka) Berg.  She attended St. Wenceslaus School, graduated from New Prague High School, graduated from Argosy University in dental hygiene, and attained her B.S. from Minnesota State University Mankato.  Katie had an indomitable spirit, enjoying dance in her younger years and music all her life.

Students from St. Wenceslaus School in New Prague worked on a challenge from the Minnesota Zoo to get their red panda, Min, out and about more.
Red pandas are omnivores, but can also exist on a bamboo diet, and are native to Asia’s high forests and are unfortunately an endangered species. Red pandas are slightly larger than a domestic cat with a bear-like body and thick russet fur.

Gerald M. “Jerry” Anderson, age 59, of New Prague, died suddenly on Thursday, April 8, 2021 at Mayo Clinic Health System Hospital New Prague.  Jerry was born on March 17, 1962 in St. Peter, MN to Michael and Dorothy (David) Anderson.  He graduated from Le Center High School and Mankato State University.  Jerry married the love of his life, Lori L.