Thanks to New Prague American Legion Post 45 Ballroom, fireworks will be part of the Independence Day holiday again this year.

Wednesday, July 3, just after sunset on the middle school grounds, a pyrotechnics display will be presented.

There will be the chance for people to socialize, enjoy food from vendors, check out vehicles on display, and enjoy a massage from a local chiropractor while listening to patriotic music. The national anthem will be presented at 10 p.m., just before the start of the fireworks display.

St. Wenceslaus School principal Kim Doyle is retiring July 1 after 16 years as principal at the New Prague school and 36 years as an educator and administrator.

Two New Prague businesses are under new ownership with one receiving a new name in the process.

Under new ownership are the Corner Bar and Pioneer Saloon, which has been renamed Outlaw Saloon.

Outlaw Saloon On Friday, Sept. 1, Rob Krautkramer and his partner, Dione Bast, became the new owners and operators of the Outlaw Saloon, 103 Main St. W. As the Pioneer Saloon, it was owned and managed by Mark Michel for 24 years.

Homecoming is in full swing at New Prague High School. Events for homecoming celebration began Friday, Sept. 15, continued Sunday, Sept. 17, with the powderpuff football game and has included dress-up days from Monday, Sept. 18, through Friday, Sept. 22.

Friday there will also be the homecoming football game as New Prague takes on Rochester Century, 7 p.m., at Trojan Stadium. Following the game will be the homecoming dance in the high school’s gym.

In the six-plus years they have called New Prague their home, Chris and Nichole Davis have developed a deep connection to the community and appreciation for all it offers residents. Now, they want to bring one of its most historic and under-utilized amenities back to life for the benefit of the entire community.

Between Monday, Aug. 14, through Wednesday, Aug. 16, a crew was busy removing two fuel tanks, pipes and other items from the former Crawford’s Standard Service, at the southwest corner of the intersection of New Prague’s E Main Street and SE First Avenue.

“The tanks have to be out of the ground before I sell it,” said Kevin Crawford, who ran the business for 40 years before closing it March 25, 2022.

Crawford plans to sell the property to his son Nick Crawford and Ronnie Bastyr who own New Prague Auto Repair at 205 Fourth Ave. SW in New Prague.

Allie Meyer and Matthew Stensrud were recently chosen to be co-directors for New Prague High School’s fall musical. The two wanted to co-direct the upcoming production as they both have the experience and can coordinate together.

“I heard there was an opening for director, so I went to Matt and I asked him if he wanted to do this together,” said Meyer, who will begin her ninth year as a social studies teacher at the high school this fall.

Hope. That one word in the form of a tattoo led The O’Neill Foundation of Hope to help Kyle Schultz, who has ALS, receive a new motorized wheelchair.

“I was watching the news and I saw he had his van and wheelchair stolen,” said Ryan O’Neill who grew up in New Prague and founded the foundation, a private 501c3, with his brother, Tim, in 2022.

Schultz, 26, lives in St. Paul and has been dealing with ALS for two years. ALS is an incurable disease that weakens muscles over time and attacks the nervous system, eventually making walking and talking difficult.

He remembers the fear sweeping through his being in 2003 when he heard his wife had cancer. Two years later, Chris Smith heard a doctor direct those same words at him.

Demolition of the house at 208 Central Ave. N by Deutsch Construction began around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 28. By that evening, the roughly 100 year-old-house was gone and crews were spreading dirt around the site. Plans by the City of New Prague call for the spot to be seeded with grass.

The house had been rented by Irene Ellman and her late husband, Kenneth. The couple raised their three daughters in the house.

She never imagined an unexpected knock on the door in 1974 would start a friendship that would one day save her life.

Forty-eight years later, the two women remain close friends. They know the importance of sharing a gift and hope others will consider doing the same, be it for someone they care about or someone they’ve never met.

“Never did I think this girl would save my life,” Pat (Pumper) Christensen said. “She means everything to me. I was running out of options. I was running out of people.”

Anya Menk, a 2018 graduate of Tri-City United High School and 2022 graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, recently completed her first jazz studio album.

Welcome to the jungle. We have art and cartoons. What is your fancy? 

My name is ed. 

How can we go to a new place if we are rehashing the old? 

He began his working years on the family farm with Fahey Sales and Auctions and also milked cows for nearby farms.  He later drove truck for Jim Glisczinski before he started his own trucking business and continued to farm the family farm and helped with other family farms.  Tom enjoyed traveling to various farm, cattle and tractor shows and tractor pulling competitions. He enjoyed his time on the farm with family and friends and time with his grandson and kids sharing his farming experiences. 

An independent investigation into allegations of racial taunts at a February 15 New Prague High School girls basketball game has been completed. The firm Rupp, Anderson, Squires, Waldspurger, Mace P.A. did the investigation of whether adult and student fans made loud monkey noises at a home game against Robbinsdale Cooper.
New Prague Superintendent Tim Dittberner released an email stating the investigation concluded the following:
• The allegation that New Prague adult and student fans were making loud monkey noises directed at the opposing team could not be substantiated.