Profiles: Celebrating 150 Years Incorporated by Kate Noet

profiles May 26, 2022 | 31st Annual Edition

Celebrating

150 YEARS I N C O R P O RAT E D

Citizen of the Year:

Sara Lueken Lifetime Achievement Award:

Dave Campbell

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content

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Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Dave Campbell found new avocation in volunteering after retirement

Blooming success: Peony capital’s roots continue to grow deep

Heritage Days is volunteer-led

CITIZENS OF THE YEAR PAST HONOREES

Citizen of the Year

Sara Lueken’s love for her neighbors earn her Citizen of the Year

12 18 25

Faribault became a city 150 years ago; here’s how it got there

A look back at one of Faribault’s oldest and most famous businesses

Heritage Days, Charter Commission find way to promote civic engagement

2021 - Becky Ford 2020 - Carolyn Treadway 2019 - Sam Temple George Wickstrom, Lifetime Achievement Award 2018 - Cynthia Diessner Kymn Anderson, Lifetime Achievement Award 2017 - Peter & Virginia van Sluis Gordy Kosfeld, Lifetime Achievement Award 2016 - Dee Bjork 2015 - Tami Schluter 2014 - Henry Doyle 2013 - Chad Wolff 2012 - Chuck and Paul Mooty 2011 - Nick Stoneman 2010 - Ron Goettsch 2009 - Dr. George Wagner 2008 - Matt Drevlow 2007 - Milo Larson 2006 - Todd Markman 2005 - Dan Burns 2004 - James Wolf 2003 - Gary Kindseth Richard Carlander, Lifetime Achievement Award 2002 - Gerry Heyer 2001 - Barb Handahl and Donna Crowl 2000 - Donn Johnson 1999 - Lynn Erickson 1998 - Keith Shaffer 1997 - Bill Korff 1996 - Fran and JoAnn Miller 1995 - Charlie Champlin 1994 - Helen Hoffman 1993 - Irene Purdie

profiles

May 2022 A special section of the Faribault Daily News

514 Central Avenue | Faribault, MN 55021 Regional President/Publisher Randy Rickman Regional Circulation Director Hudson Mrotz Regional Editor Philip Weyhe Associate Editor Kristine Goodrich Reporter Michelle Vlasak Regional Advertising Director Tom Kelling Cover Design & Layout Kate McGillen Profile 2022 is distributed to subscribers and readers of the Faribault Daily News at no additional charge. It is available for individual sale at the front counter of the Faribault Daily News for $1. All rights reserved. ©2022.

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Citizen of the Year Sara Lueken keeps students warm and fed

Sara Lueken smiles after shopping for children’s winter gear with funds donated by Our Savior’s Lutheran Church.The winter wear is available to kids in need at Jessica’s Closet at Lincoln Elementary School. (Photos courtesy of Sara Lueken)

Page B5 | Profiles 2022 | faribault.com By JANE TURPIN MOORE Guest Contributor

S home.

erving in the Peace Corps was once Sara Lueken’s dream. Instead, she has found satisfaction in serving her local community, spreading kindness and peace closer to

“I thought the Peace Corps would be an awesome opportunity to see new places and help in a variety of situations,” said Lueken, 43, “but that’s not the way life turned out.” Despite her humility and the quiet nature in which she performs her acts of service, Lueken’s frequent volunteerism and relentless personal mission to help others have drawn enough notice that she was named the 2022 Faribault Citizen of the Year.

THE PROCESS The Faribault Citizen of the Year is awarded annually by the Faribault Daily News and is selected each year by a committee of past winners. The Citizen of the Year is someone who has pushed the community forward and given back, specifically in the last year and outside of normal work hours.

“Being honored in this way is unexpected and humbling,” said Lueken, a 21-year teaching veteran of the Faribault Public Schools system, currently a third- and commitment to kindness, it’s only because her grade instructor at Lincoln Elementary. efforts are inspirational and contagious to those who witness them. “I hope that, through my acts of kindness, the world has become a better place for those around me,” “Sara is always the first one to say yes, the first one to she said. “I know that I have been blessed tenfold in raise her hand,” said Kira Anderson, director of faith return.” formation and congregational life at Our Savior’s If Lueken has garnered attention for her volunteerism

Lutheran Church where the Luekens are members.

“As a Christian community, we try to lead by example and be doers of the word — and that’s Sara,”Anderson continued. “She doesn’t need prompting, she doesn’t wait until ‘Nobody else will do it, so I guess I will.’ Sara just does it, and she brings her friends and kids along. You can’t help but want to do it with her, because she has such a good energy and excitement for helping other people that you want to be a part of it. Seriously, she is a just a delight.” GETTING STARTED Lueken and her husband Ryan (a K-12 physical education teacher and the academic advisor for the Falcon Online Academy) have called Faribault their home for over 20 years. Their family includes ninthgrade daughter Lydia and sixth-grade son Elijah, along with Goose, a young Golden Retriever. A native of the small Wright County community of Montrose, Lueken graduated from Buffalo High School in 1996 before earning a bachelor’s degree in elementary education at Minnesota State University, Moorhead in 2000. In 2006, she boosted her academic credentials with a master’s in teaching from St. Mary’s University, Winona.

Lueken

Continued on page 6

With her husband Ryan (red shirt) and children, Sara Lueken dedicated the Little Free Library she created in memory of her late student, Jessica Jandro. Jessica’s parents, Sue and Denny, are at right.

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Sara Lueken cheerfully staffs Jessica’s Closet in a former Sara Lueken, in yellow t-shirt, assists with selecting backpacks at the Supply Our Children giveaway. bathroom at her classroom in Lincoln Elementary School.

Lueken

Continued from page 5 One of Lueken’s great loves is traveling. “My favorite quote is, ‘I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list,’” said Lueken. “I will say ‘Yes’ to any new adventure, as long as it does not include public speaking.” That zest for travel may have partially fueled her early desire to join the Peace Corps, but Lueken said a college-level nursing class she took in high school changed her mind, although overseas volunteering remains a future goal. “Education seemed like a better choice for me at the time, and here I am 21 years later,” said Lueken, who is also an avid reader of mystery and suspense novels. But perhaps the most pivotal point in Lueken’s life to date arrived when one of her precious third-grade students, Jessica, unexpectedly died in December 2014. “Jessica was intelligent, spunky and so kind,” said Lueken. “Her loss was devastating to her family and our classroom, and her life will never be forgotten.” Responding to her own grief and shock, Lueken began the new year with a goal: to perform 365 days of kindness in Jessica’s memory. “Each act of kindness was an effort to help replace some of the kindness that was lost with Jessica’s passing,” said Lueken. She did everything from anonymously sending flowers to friends to leaving coins in candy machines to organizing trash cleanups to creating a memorial garden in Jessica’s honor. “When the year was up, kindness and karma had me hooked,” said Lueken.

them to realize that one way to feel really good about yourself is to help others—and that if you’re feeling down or something isn’t going your way, you can help JESSICA’S CLOSET AND MORE Perhaps the most visible and enduring act, though, out or stand up for others and that will help you feel was Lueken’s establishment of “Jessica’s Closet,” better yourself.” which she created at Lincoln Elementary in 2016. Bri Isaacson, a first-grade teacher and Lincoln “With the support of Jessica’s family, my friends, Elementary colleague of Lueken’s, has witnessed this colleagues and local churches, Jessica’s Closet is a firsthand. place where students can get free winter gear, gym shoes and, more recently, pantry items,” said Lueken. “Sara has an incredible amount of patience,” said Isaacson.“She goes out of her way to lift people up — Lueken’s third-grade classroom was previously a and when she does these things, everybody ends up kindergarten room, so the former bathroom is now benefiting from it, because there’s a ripple effect and where students can find what they might need, either other people want to do more, too. before or after school or during lunch hours. “She goes above and beyond because she cares,” “Watching these little buddies try on a new coat, feel continued Isaacson. “Sara has a quiet determination the comfort of a new pair of boots or fill a bag with and helps others out of the goodness of her heart.” food for the weekend fills my heart to the brim,” said Lueken, mentioning pantry items like Goldfish crackers, Another local arena in which Lueken has made a individual cups of applesauce or fruit, granola bars, difference is at the Community Cafe, which offers raisin boxes or microwavable macaroni and cheese. dinner each Tuesday from 4:15 to 5:30 p.m. at Faribault’s Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour. Prior to the pandemic (and likely again in the future), Jessica’s Closet was open to families at conference “Anyone can come and receive dinner there, and times, so parents were able to select items they know it’s absolutely free,” said Lueken, who continued their kids could use. volunteering at the Community Cafe each Tuesday throughout the heart of the pandemic. Lueken is keenly aware that the Faribault area has students and families in need, and Jessica’s Closet is “Our volunteers are back in force, so I’m now serving one way she strives to make lives a little easier. just one Tuesday a month again, but it’s one of my favorite days, because when people come, they are “As an educator in Faribault, I’ve seen a shift in our so thankful for the food and the fellowship,” she said. community and a rise in need over the last 21 years,” “It’s homemade deliciousness — things like lasagna, said Lueken. turkey and mashed potatoes, enchiladas, meatloaf, you name it, we’ve served it.” “I’m right there, seeing students come to school daily, listening to their stories, witnessing family dynamics, Prior to the pandemic, Lueken said Community Cafe and I want to be that helper, that safe space, that served an average of 150 meals each week; in recent person who can help figure out what I can do to help months, that figure has crept closer to 300. make their lives just a little bit better,” said Lueken. The Community Cafe is among the projects of Our INFECTIOUS Savior’s Lutheran’s outreach committee, of which She imparts that same caring impulse to her students. Lueken is a part. shelf and creating hygiene bags for the homeless.

Since then, she’s kept up the practices she made a habit that year. Some of the things she’s done— “I tell my students and their families at the start of “Sara has the biggest heart and would gladly give always with Jessica in mind—include building a Little each year that one of my biggest goals is to instill the clothes off her back to help one of her kiddos or Free Library in her neighborhood park, collecting kindness and empathy in them,” said Lueken. “I want anyone in the community,” said Anderson. “She’s so items for “birthday boxes” donated to the local food

Page B7 | Profiles 2022 | faribault.com deserving of this [Citizen of the Year designation], but she doesn’t do it for her own accolades; she does it to make sure people’s needs are met.” PRACTICING GRATITUDE Besides maintaining their two full-time teaching jobs, wrangling a household with two active teens and spending a good deal of time volunteering, the Luekens relish the chance to travel when they can; a New York City trip is on the books for the family to see the musical “Hamilton” as part of the senior Luekens’ 20th anniversary celebration, and each summer they visit North Carolina for beach time, since Ryan has extended family members in that scenic locale. Wherever Lueken finds herself, she makes a point of feeling thankful for the life she enjoys. “My mom always taught me to be grateful for the gifts and goodness around me, and I hear her voice in the back of my head: ‘Be grateful, send that note or random card with well-wishes,’” said Lueken, who says she’s an introvert who prefers to perform her acts of service and kindness without fanfare. Yet another way she gives back is as the uniform and equipment manager for the third- through eighth-grade traveling boys basketball team. She also organizes collections of needed items for local nonprofits. This behind the scenes work is truly a commitment, and while it may not always be seen, it is making a difference. But it’s Lueken who feels beholden.

After serving a meal, Sara Lueken (second from left) stands with friends and fellow volunteers at the Community Cafe. Lueken’s daughter Lydia is at far right.

“I am constantly looking for creative ways to help make Faribault an even better place to live, work and without your love and endless support, so many of my play,” said Lueken. “But here is my personal thank-you big ideas would not have come to fruition. For that, I note to all who have been part of my kindness journey: am forever grateful.”

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Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Dave Campbell found new avocation in volunteering after retirement

Dave Campbell at the Community Cafe kitchen in Faribault. (Photos by Tom Nelson)

Page B9 | Profiles 2022 | faribault.com By TOM NELSON Guest Contributor

ave Campbell retired from a long and distinguished career in the field of social work 11 years ago. With that portion of his life complete, he quickly set about writing the next chapter of his life that has now included over a decade of volunteerism and community service for Faribault and the surrounding area. For his work and dedication, Campbell is being recognized in 2022 as a Faribault Daily News Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. “I’ve been pretty blessed with the life I have had and the opportunities I’ve had,” Campbell said. “My wife (Jeanne Campbell) comes from a dairy farming background, and I’m from a metropolitan area, Chicago and Minneapolis, and then two years in a rural area before I graduated from high school. “We come from different backgrounds and we were very blessed with families doing different things, but the expectation for both us from our families is that you give back — not that it is something you have to do; it’s because you want to do it.” ALWAYS SERVING Campbell has spent a lifetime in service to the community. A native of Moline, Illinois, Campbell moved to the Chicago area and lived in Hammond, Indiana as a primary school student. A job transfer for his father landed the family in Minneapolis, while he was in sixth grade, and Campbell later graduated from high school in Waconia.

work. Campbell also met his wife Jeanne during their to create 56 groups homes, day programs and crisis time in college, and the couple have been married homes throughout the area in southeast Minnesota that was formerly served by the Faribault hospital. for 48 years with two children (Katie and Tim). Campbell’s interest in the field of social work came in This process not only helped the former patients part from the work his mother did with helping people housed at the Faribault facility, but it also helped find work for many of those who were formerly employed suffering from addictions. by the hospital. He continued working with the closure “My mother became very well known in the chemical plan until the final four years of his professional career dependency group for helping women with sobriety, at which time he returned to St. Peter to help open up and this was back in the 1960s,” Campbell said. the first two group homes in the state for patients of “I can’t tell you how many times I gave up my bed, that facility. In total, Campbell worked with the state of because my mom found someone who needed a Minnesota for 35 years from 1976 until his retirement bed that night to sleep, so it just became ingrained in in 2011. us that you help other people.” In addition to his social work career with the state, Out of college, Campbell embarked on a long career Campbell and his family ran a flower farm on their with the state of Minnesota. His first assignment was property in Faribault for 20 years. The farm specialized at the Minnesota Security Hospital in St. Peter. The in perennials, such as daylilies and peonies, and the hospital is the only secure facility in the state designed farm was used to supplement the family’s income. to provide treatment of people with mental health “It was a part-time catalog business and it basically disorders who are also considered dangerous. put my kids through college,” Campbell said. His wife Jeanne (a registered nurse) then got a new job at District One Hospital (now Allina Health REMAINING ACTIVE Faribault Medical Center), and the family opted to As Campbell approached the end of his career with the state of Minnesota, he started to formulate a plan make the move to Faribault in 1978. for his retirement years. Foremost on that list was a “My wife got a job here at the District One hospital, so keen interesting in staying engaged, active and we chose to move here, and then I transferred to the involved with the community. Faribault Regional Center,” Campbell said. “I moved through various roles there and ended up becoming One of those first volunteer activities on the list was the program director and managed the closure plan, working as an usher and audience monitor at the and with that, we opened up a significant number of Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, which was an ideal group homes, developmental achievement programs and crisis centers.”

Campbell

He went on to attend college at Minnesota State As part of the program that helped close down the University, Mankato and received his degree in social Faribault facility in the late 1990s, Campbell worked

Continued on page 10

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Campbell Continued from page 9 start since both Campbell and his wife enjoy all of the arts, museums and sporting events that the Twin Cities have to offer. Campbell has been a Guthrie volunteer for 12 years now. Next on that long list of activities was a connection with St. Vincent DePaul, which is an all-volunteer food shelf, free clothing store and center for charitable services in Faribault. His church pastor helped guide Campbell to his work with St. Vincent DePaul. “I was at church one Sunday, and the pastor stopped me after church and said ‘I need you to go over to St. Vincent DePaul and offer your help.’ I told him I didn’t know what I could do there, but I did go there, and within a year, I was the St. Vincent DePaul director,” Campbell recalled. At the time that he started with St. Vincent DePaul, the previous director was aging and wanted to shift responsibilities. Campbell’s administrative After retirement, Dave Campbell and his wife, Jeanne, wanted to remain active.They’ve done so through numerous volunteer background and ability to work with budgets were a gigs in the community. good fit for the shelf, and he continued to work with that organization and help it grow for another four impact that he has played with their organization. years. “It has been a great thing for us to be able to do But it doesn’t stop there. His list of volunteer and for Faribault and the community. The meals are for “He’s pulled everything together in a leadership way community activities has been extensive since his anyone who wants to come. Our mission is to build and has stepped up to be president, when no one community one meal at a time,” Campbell said. “We else wanted to be the president,” McFarlane said. retirement. invite anybody to sit and visit, meet other people, invite “Dave goes above and beyond what past presidents It includes work at the YMCA, the Rice County Activity friends to join them…it is a community meal and not have done.” Center Board, Rice County Mental Health Advisory a soup kitchen.” MORE VOLUNTEERING Board, he helped start Rice County Project Able, Big As COVID restrictions have eased in recent months, Campbell was recently selected to serve a term with Brother/Big Sisters, Children’s World Daycare Board, the Community Cafe has returned to in-person the Rice County Area United Way Board. He views this 4H, Consolidated Catholic Schools Board, Bethlehem dining with hopes that it will continue to help build role as a way to increase the impact of his volunteer Academy Board, Knights of Columbus Board, House of Gratitude construction volunteer, the Guthrie Theater, community and create connections for the diners, activities in the region. Rice County United Way Board and the Faribault many of whom are in need that type of interaction and support. “I just started on the Rice County Area United Community Cafe Board. Way Board and this is my first year on the board,” “We want to encourage people to dine in person and Campbell said. “I thought to myself, ‘Is there a bigger COMMUNITY CAFE to interact,” Campbell said. “Before the pandemic, role I can play instead of just with this nonprofit and Campbell’s work with the Community Cafe extends we knew people who were coming and if you didn’t that nonprofit, but looking over the whole county or over 10 years., He has served on that organization’s come someone was checking on you, and other community with what’s going on?’” board and is currently the president. The Community Cafe provides a weekly meal that is free and open people would check on each other. The best part to the public and is located at the Cathedral of Our is when you have the extended families come for a “I’ve started on that with the United Way, and we are Merciful Savior. In addition to his administrative work, meal. You would have grandma and grandpa, mom doing our grants now. I know a lot of the organizations, Campbell still pitches in to help wash dishes once a and dad and two or three little kids running around. but there are also some that I don’t know and how It was a way people could go out for dinner without it do these organizations all work together and is there month, among other duties. costing an arm and a leg, because it it free.” something we can do to get them working together better.” “He truly cares about people,” said Cindy Lawson, who Much like the rest of his life, Campbell goes above is the kitchen manager at the Community Cafe. “ He wants everyone to eat of course, and he wants it to be and beyond with his work at the Community Cafe. He Rice County Area United Way Executive Director a quality experience for them. Even the weeks when produces the group’s newsletter, provides information Elizabeth Child started her tenure with the group he is not doing dishes, he will go out and talk with the to the Daily News and other outlets for the weekly about the same time Campbell joined the board, diners … I think he just truly cares about people. He’s menu, serves as a liaison with St. Vincent DePaul and and she has been impressed with the contributions the resources it provides, helps with fundraising and he has made to the organization. just that way.” grant writing initiatives along with helping to organize Campbell got connected with the Community Cafe the annual Candlelight Dinner fundraiser and serving “I am just learning all of the amazing things that ice cream floats during the summer concerts in the he has done,” Child said. “I would call him our most after his wife. park. stealth board member, because he is quiet at first, and he makes sure he understands an issue before “At the Faribault Community Cafe, Jeanne started “He’s been really valuable with that and has been a commenting on it, and then when he does comment, volunteering here just before retirement, knowing that good resource for us,” said Lawson, who was hired by it always gets to the heart of the matter, or has some we wanted to have some activities to do together Campbell six years ago to be the Community Cafe’s clarifying question that is very revealing. He is a very during retirement, so that’s been 11 years volunteering kitchen manager. “Dave is very easy to work with thoughtful person and always willing to pitch in, and here,” Campbell said. “We started out washing dishes, and he knows a lot of people in the community. He that is another thing I appreciate about him as a and then I was invited to join the board. I’ve thoroughly is a good contact person and works really well with board member.” enjoy it.” people. Dave works well with the volunteers, works at The Community Cafe has grown from serving about getting volunteers and makes sure that they have In recent weeks, the United Way has set up panels to 125 meals per week to over 350 meals a week during things to do and are not just standing around looking assess numerous grant proposals from local groups and associations, and Campbell has played a key the COVID pandemic, when the organization shifted for something to do…he’s just a nice guy.” role in the success of that effort. to curbside and delivery dining options. Since that Kathy McFarlane, who serves on the Community Cafe time, indoor dining at the Cathedral has resumed board with Campbell, also recognized the major “He served on three out of four of those panels, just and weekly meals now average around 280.

Page B11 | Profiles 2022 | faribault.com

ABOUT THE AWARD The Lifetime Achievement Award is given out, some years, in conjunction with the Citizen of the Year Award by the Faribault Daily News. The honorees are selected by a committee of past Citizen of the Year winners. The Lifetime Achievement Award is intended to recognize a person in the community who has long given back and contributed to its well-being. because he wanted to understand the United Way better,” Child said. Campbell hopes that the United Way can help new organizations and local organizations in need grow and continue to meet the needs of the county. “A little bit of grant aid here and there might help them get on their feet and become something more,” Campbell said. “I like the idea the idea of growing what I like to call the ‘mom and pop’ organizations, not just places that have million dollar budgets. The United Way is a way I can help guide that or advance it.” Child added,“I’m just blown away by how humble he is but also by how intentional he is and how much he has done for our community, which is super helpful for the United Way since we deal with a broad range of critical issues in Rice County and having someone come in with his experience, insight and broad knowledge of the community has been really helpful.”

Dave Campbell currently serves as president of the Community Cafe Board in Faribault. Spain, Portugal and Italy. Campbell also made frequent trips to Arizona while their son resided there before moving back to Prior Lake. He often used those trips to the desert in mid-winter to watch baseball spring training.

He is also quick to encourage people to get involved with volunteer groups and community organizations, which can benefit from the years of professional and life experiences that a retiree can bring to the table.

“Arizona doesn’t have the Twins (who practice in “When you volunteer, you start to realize not only are Florida), but it has nicer weather,” Campbell said with you probably helping someone or some mission, but you are involved with your community, meeting other a smile. people, and you are able to share some of those skills Back in Faribault, Campbell likes to garden and can and abilities that you took for granted. Even if it is just his harvest each season. In fact, he put up 98 quarts lifting a board or holding a board for someone to of pickles last summer from crops that he harvested cut, you are participating and doing something with someone else. “ from his garden.

Child highlighted the importance of people like “I give away a lot the stuff I grow,” Campbell said. “In fact, I used to feed my kids in college with the stuff I Campbell to the success of United Way. would send to them.” “For us it is extremely important to have people that are immersed in the community, involved and are Campbell’s various interests and community service willing to give their time,” Child said.“We can’t pay our resume has proven to be a recipe for success during board members and we have a very small staff, so we his retirement years. “ depend on community members to volunteer and bring their talents and insights, and Dave has been “If you are retired, and you are married, it is like ‘what will we do?’ We each had our careers, and now we fantastic.” don’t and while there are things we do together you also need things that you do separately, because ME TIME Like many retired individuals, Campbell and his wife otherwise you become boring,” Campbell said. “My enjoy traveling with frequent trips to visit their daughter, suggestion when you retire is to find something to do who lives in New York. The couple enjoyed extended together, but also find something to do separately… winter excursions to Mexico before the pandemic and and when you do, you bring back stories, information have made other trips to many countries, including and discussion material.”

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Campbell added, “It’s that whole participation thing, community and helping out…and we can demonstrate these values to our children, so they also realize the importance of giving back and paying forward, and it is marvelous to see them carry that on too.” As they have followed the example set by their parents, Campbell’s children are making their own impact now, as his son is a third-grade teacher in Prior Lake’s Spanish immersion program, and their daughter is a journalist who has done work with environmental and special interest stories. “They’ve carried it on and we are very proud of them,” Campbell said.

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Faribault became a city 150 years ago; here’s how it got there

By SAM TEMPLE Guest Contributor

aribault’s founding is generally celebrated as 1855, the year the settlement was platted.

But this year, you’ll see signage at Faribault Heritage Days commemorating 150 years. This is not faulty math; this year marks 150 years of Faribault city government, a distinction from settlement and platting. The city received its charter in 1872, a document which continues to frame our development and structure as a civic community. But that still begs the question: Why celebrate 1872? People settled in Faribault long before 1872. The town was flourishing and had some municipal organization prior to that. This place was called “Faribault” for as long as Alexander Faribault resided here. So why does the anniversary of a municipal document merit such commemoration? 1872 was a monumental year of accomplishment for the people of Faribault. The story of how Faribault got to 1872 can explain why we celebrate that year today. HOW IT HAPPENED In 1896, Mary Mott was 70 years old. She had lived in Faribault since 1856, when she had traveled with a small party of her siblings, in-laws, and husband: Rodney Mott. Reflecting on their first impression of Faribault, Mary wrote: “Forty years ago (how long and yet how short it seems) we first looked upon Faribault. I have heard others complain of its being mild and rough: to me it has never been anything but beautiful, from that bright May morning in fifty-six, with its forty new, unpainted buildings and its three sawmills turning out lumber, which tomorrow would form shelters for those daily arriving, who by the end of the week had fairly earned the name and privileges of neighbors and friends. We soon found we had come where others had labored, and we might enter into the fruit of their labors …” Quickly upon entering the fruits of their predecessors’ labors, the Motts became active in public life. For a white settler to find success and survival in early Faribault, they had to truly be a jack of all trades. Most maintained subsistence farms, regardless of whether they were in town or on a proper farm. They had to have rudimentary carpentry and “fix it” abilities. They had to possess certain interpersonal skills, and a sense of contributing to the common good. Rodney Mott, Mary’s husband, is an excellent example of these qualities. Rodney is credited as the first public school teacher in Rice County, a position

Faribault has had a long tradition of theater and culture. Before the Paradise Center for the Arts, but in the same location, was the Faribault Opera House.This magnificent building was a significant draw and feature of downtown Faribault.The building was destroyed by a fire on Feb. 1, 1929. (Photo courtesy of the Rice County Historical Society) race young man, with French-Canadian and Dakota heritage. With a kinship in both white and indigenous Venturing into newspaper journalism, he was culture, he was well suited to be the patriarch of a employed as Editor of the Rice County Herald, briefly multicultural city. became the part-owner when it rebranded as the Faribault Herald, and then shifted to studying law. He The people Alexander settled here to trade with were was at various times a lawyer, district attorney, state the Wahpekute, a band of the Dakota nation. The legislator, probate judge, Rice County superintendent Dakota Oyate, the Dakota Nation, has been living on of schools, and was an essential early organizer of the and stewarding Minnesota for untold generations. Minnesota State Academies for the Deaf and Blind. They were, and continue to be, an essential part of our town’s story. Without the contributions of the When the Motts first laid eyes on Faribault in 1856, the Wahpekute, the City of Faribault would not have town had only been officially in existence for one year. come to be. In 1855, the town was platted. Land was mapped out, divided, and prepared for official sale. Of course, In the 1850s, Faribault was a “boom town.” Rapid there were settlers in Faribault before it was legally settlement and investment weathered the storms recognized as “Faribault.” of economic panics, the U.S. Civil War, and the U.S.Dakota War. Some early leaders, like John W. North and Alexander Faribault first came to the confluence James Shields, quickly left to pursue different ventures. of the Straight and Cannon Rivers in 1828. He Others, like Thomas Scott Buckham and George established a trading post on a nearby lake before W. Batchelder, planted deep roots in Faribault and making a permanent settlement in what we now served the community for decades as it developed. know as downtown Faribault. Alexander was a mixed he quickly took up upon coming to Faribault.

Page B13 | Profiles 2022 | faribault.com The obituary of George W. Batchelder explained his early leadership: “Mr. Batchelder in 1855 came to Faribault … At the time of Mr. Batchelder’s arrival, Faribault was only a trading post of Alexander Faribault with the [Dakota] Indians, and contained but few white people. Mr. Batchelder took an active part in the work of organizing the county, dividing it into townships and school districts, laying out highways and making Faribault the county seat. He was a member of the state senate in 187273 and procured the passage of the act giving to Faribault a city charter.” Vitally, as Faribault grew, it became clear that a more robust government structure was required to serve its inhabitants. A grassroots effort developed to organize a new governing structure, one that would rely on the people of Faribault to be elected by and serve the interests of their neighbors. There were some rumblings of a citizens group organizing a charter as early as 1868, but a 1910 history of Rice County recounts the momentous 1870 scene: “The government went on in an uneventful manner until the growing town began to realize that a city government was required. [On] January 22, 1870, a meeting of citizens was held… for the purpose of considering the making of an application for a city charter… at the adjourned meeting some seventyfive persons were present… On motion of R. A. Mott, a division was taken, which resulted thirty-nine in favor of incorporation and thirty-six against.”

SEE MORE The documentaries currently in production will be released in the lead up to Faribault Heritage Days, available to view online on Faribault Community Television’s YouTube page as well as on Charter Spectrum channel 181 and Consolidated Communications channel 10. Learn more about the history of Faribault’s city government and explore how you can get involved yourself by visiting the 150th Anniversary Exhibit at Faribault Heritage Days only on Saturday, June 18.

In 1872, George W. Batchelder began his term in the state legislature. On Feb. 17, 1872, the Minneapolis Daily Tribune reported that he introduced a bill to Alexander Faribault, widely credited as the founder of Faribault, was an enigmatic fur trader of part-Dakota incorporate the city of Faribault. ancestry. Faribault was a successful businessman during It was reported in The Lake City Leader on February his lifetime, but he died penniless. (Photo courtesy of Susan 23rd that “an act incorporating the city of Faribault Garwood) has passed.” The bill, signed by the Governor on the 29th, “provided for a special election to be held upon With a slim majority, a mandate was given to local the question of its acceptance or rejection on the first leadership: Faribault would have a city charter. Tuesday of April of that year.” Continued on page 14

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150 Years Ago Continued from page 14 The voters of Faribault had the final say on whether or not the charter would be ratified. On April 9th 1872, the charter was adopted by a two-to-one majority. On the same ballot, George W. Tower was elected the first Mayor of Faribault. In his inaugural speech, he called the young city “the most promising place in southern Minnesota.” Following George W. Tower, Thomas Scott Buckham was elected the next Mayor of Faribault. In the ensuing decades, both George W. Batchelder and Rodney A. Mott would serve as Mayor of the city they helped to charter. A LOOK BACK Over the past year, I have had the pleasure of interviewing many of my Faribault neighbors. These people have served their community in various capacities; as city staff, elected officials, appointed volunteer commissioners, and as community organizers. They all have worked to fulfill the mandate set forth in 1872: a local government, run and elected Faribault’s Main Street, circa 1898. by the people. We opened up interviews for anyone to sign up-- we encouraged anyone who had served the Faribault community to get involved and tell their story. In all, we interviewed the following people: Pat Rice, Jonathan Wood, Dean Purdie, Chuck Ackman, Roger Steinkamp, Pat Gustafson, Jeanette Hammond, Dave Albers, Pete Johnson, Ann Vohs, Karl Vohs, Dave Wanberg, Kari Casper, Delon Musselman, Tim Madigan, Brendan Kennedy, and Tim Murray. Their interviews will be used to form a series of short documentaries and vignettes on the history of Faribault’s city government. They exemplify why we choose to celebrate the anniversary of the city charter, for all it represents and everything it has enabled. Like the Motts before us, contemporary civil servants have “come where others had labored” and by continuing Faribault’s heritage of public service, they “enter into the fruit of their labors.” What our forefathers understood was that there truly could not be distinction between the residents of a community and its government. When rights are protected and community members are civically engaged, the government and the people should be one and the same, especially at the local level.

Batchelder’s Block at 120 Central Ave. N. in Faribault, viewed from the east. Batchelder’s Block is the second-oldest surviving commercial building in Faribault, constructed in 1868.

Page B15 | Profiles 2022 | faribault.com

Blooming success: Peony capital’s roots continue to grow deep

Brand Peony Farms was located in the southeast part of Faribault near River Bend Nature Center.The popularity of the Brand Peony Farm once earned Faribault the title of “Peony Capital of the World.”(Photo courtesy of Rice County Historical Society)

By MICHELLE VLASAK michelle.vlasak@apgsomn.com

eony roots are commonly classified by two different types, according to green thumbs: fine, fibrous ones that absorb water and nutrients; and tuberous ones that are thick as fingers but brittle. In Faribault the peony’s fibrous and tuberous roots were planted deep over 150 years ago, and continue to bloom vibrantly in gardens today.

The city was once known as the “Peony Capital of the originally known as the Faribault Nursery in 1870. World.” Rice County Historical Society records state Brand The Minnesota Peony Society emphasizes the state’s moved to Minnesota from Wisconsin in 1867 with rich history with the peony. Pioneers brought the plans of opening a nursery. He focused on growing plants with them when they made their homestead and selling trees to early settlers from the start. He later here. established one of the first nurseries in Minnesota on 50 acres of land. Peony hybridizers known worldwide made their home in Minnesota included Alonzo Franklin, Eugine Lins and Archie Brand, according to the Peony Society.

Peony

Oliver F. Brand established the Brand Peony Farm,

Continued on page 16

faribault.com | Profiles 2022 | Page B16

Harriet Stoos was the 1927 Peony Queen.Young women were crowned as peony queens in honor of the short-lived Peony Festival. (Photo courtesy of Rice County Historical Society)

Peony Continued from page 15 Among the variety of plants and flowers cultivated at the nursery, peonies were at the top of Brand’s list. Records indicate he dedicated one whole acre to peonies when he first began, with three colors of the flowers — red, pink and white. By 1895, Brand’s collection of peony varieties had grown to more than 1,000, making it one of the world’s largest collections of flowers. Oliver’s son, Archie, joined the business in 1899. The father-son duo worked together to breed even more peonies. Oliver retired in 1911, and Archie hired Myrtle Gentry to take charge of the office in 1918. The business continued to grow and relied heavily on mail orders. By the 1920s the company was shipping its peonies and other plants across the world. By then, Faribault was known as the “Peony Capital of the World.” A LOVE FOR PEONIES The 1950s brought a decade of changes to Brand Peony Farm. Archie died in 1953 and the farm was bought by brothers Bob and Archie Tischler in 1956, according to Minnesota Historical Society records. Bob Tischler purchased full ownership in 1968, according to an article published in the Faribault

Daily News in 2008. After being out of the business for several years following 1978, he opened a new business in the 1980s called Tischler Peony Garden. He would later sell it to Farmer Seed and Nursery so he could retire.

nurseries and greenhouses today. Mandy Bruder said the town is known for hosting Donahue’s Greenhouse, “one of the largest clematis producers in the nation.”

The city of Faribault acquired ownership of the Brand Bruder is one of third-generation family operators of Peony Farm property in the early 1990s. The former Donahue’s Greenhouse. She does a handful of roles peony fields were divided into roughly 56 lots for depending on the time of the season. developments. Donahue’s Greenhouse grows 120 varieties of Almost all of the Brand buildings were torn down by clematis. Bruder said they ship the perennial vines the early 2010s, except for the vintage outhouse. It all over the country and offer “one of the widest was donated in 2010 to the Rice County Historical selections in the retail store each spring.” Society to add to the buildings in The Village, located behind the museum. Customers, Bruder said, have enjoyed the quality and selection within their hometown for 50 years and Records indicate Bob and his wife Adelaide Tischler counting. Her family and employees are honored to helped operate the peony farm for more than 40 continue the flower tradition. years. “We appreciate the old touch of peonies and look Bob’s love for peonies began when he was young forward to continuing to build on that tradition with and helped decorate floats with peonies for the Peony our beautiful clematis for many years to come,” Bruder Festival parade, according to an article published in said. the Faribault Daily News in 1998. Bruce and Dawn Rohl have been growing and The Peony Festival parades were held for three sharing their peonies with the public since 2007 years from 1927 to 1929. All units in the parade were on their farm, Aspelund Peony Gardens, 25 miles decorated with peony petals or blooms grown at northeast of Faribault the Brand Peony Farm. A group of young women were also crowned as peony queens in honor of the An article published in the Kenyon Leader on June annual event. 25, 2014 stated there was a time Bruce wouldn’t have even considered growing peony plants. He was never THE LEGACY LIVES ON interested in the variety of peonies that flop over onto While there are no official peony farms in Faribault the grass after growing its blooms. anymore, the Brand family legacy lives on in Faribault and beyond through others involved in operating His father showed him a sturdy Japanese variety that

Page B17 | Profiles 2022 | faribault.com

SPOTLIGHT ON CREATIVITY Over the last several years, peonies have been incorporated into two murals painted on downtown Faribault’s buildings. A mural that commemorates Faribault’s former Brand Peony Farm was painted by Faribault-based artist Joey Feester in 2019. Located behind the Village Theater on Second St. NW, the mural depicts an old truck carrying peonies against a pink background.

Jordyn Brennan’s “Love For All” mural completed last June on First Avenue NW includes light pink and orange peonies to represent Brand Peony Farm. (Michelle Vlasak/southernminn.com) stood up to gravity, and brought him to Bob Tischler’s farm in 1996. The Rohls purchased 13 plants that day. They now have over 3,500 peony plants. They carry a variety of peonies from single, Japanese, semi-double and double peonies suited for growing in zones three through six. Dawn estimated they have about 150 varieties in their yard, with 40 of them for sale. A NOSTALGIC FLOWER Many Faribault natives have fond memories of the Brand’s Peony Farm. And some still proudly grow the original peonies in their yards today. Patricia Niles and her family lived on Brand Avenue, (12th Avenue at that time) for 58 years. She was neighbors with the Brand family and the fields of peonies they grew. One of many interactions with the Brand family included Niles picking up the mail from the office for Mrs. Brand when she was unable to get it herself. Niles was thrilled to be able to walk through the flowers and enjoy the fragrance of the peonies on her way.

Joyce Studnicka, who still lives in Faribault today, said her father worked at the Brand Peony Farm from the 1930s to early 1960s. “I still have the original peonies that my dad planted in the house I grew up in and now I have them at A mural on Second Street NW commemorates Faribault’s my current house,” Studnicka said.“Still as beautiful as former Brand Peony Farm. (Michelle Vlasak/southernminn. they were when I was a little girl!” com) Cynthia Lopez also has some of the original peonies Kathy Parker White’s memories made at the Brand in her yard. Lopez recalled her mother taking her and Peony Farm included running through all the rows as her siblings to the farm to a young child and picking out what she thought were pick out plants. the prettiest peonies. “We moved and some The farm’s closure was a sad loss for the community, moved with us, too,” Lopez said. “Wonderful memories.” Parker White said.

Niles remembered the men working in the fields “I find the older I get the more I miss those nostalgic always being friendly and waving when they saw her. places I once enjoyed while growing up,” she said.

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Jordyn Brennan’s “Love For All” mural was completed last June. Among the colorful shades of yellows, blues, greens, pinks and purples is the word “love” spelled out in American Sign Language, braille (without the raised dots) and text. Four flowers were included in the mural, one being light pink and orange peonies to represent Brand Peony Farm. The mural is located on a city-owned wall downtown on First Avenue NW (between Third Street and Second Street).

faribault.com | Profiles 2022 | Page B18

Brian Schmidt holds up a vintage advertising poster from promoting Fleckenstein’s Ernst beer. (Tom Nelson/southernminn.com)

Faribault’s Fleck’s:A look back at one of the city’s most beloved institutions

By TOM NELSON Guest Contributor

n recent years, the craft brewing industry has seen an explosion of interest on a national and regional level, and according to data released by the Brewers Association in 2021, the state of Minnesota had 226 craft breweries producing over 600,000 barrels of beer annually — to place it among the top 15 states in the nation for craft breweries. The growth of the beer industry might seem a novel experience for the state, but Minnesota has a long brewing heritage. More than 300 breweries existed at times throughout the state before Prohibition started in 1919. Like much of Minnesota, Faribault had several breweries that called the city home during this time. Most of them existed in the late 1800s and included names like the S.A. Sheffield Brewing Company, Brandt Brewing Company, Norbert Paquin Brewery and the John Ahles Brewing Company.

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A “cave aged” Fleck’s Beer bottle label and more from the State Bank of Faribault display. (Tom Nelson/southernminn. com) in 1872, and also rebuilt his operation again after a fire in 1892. He was later joined in the business by his son Louis Gottfried and renamed the business G. Fleckenstein and Son. Gottfried Fleckenstein passed away in 1900 and his son Louis continued with the brewing business until it ceased operation in 1902. After his departure from the beer business, Louis Gottfried developed into a noted photographer. According to the Getty Museum website on Louis Gottfried, his first camera was a birthday gift from his wife around 1895. He went on to compete in numerous local and regional exhibitions as an The Fleckenstein Brewery began in the sand-rock bluffs of the Straight River in Faribault in 1856. Inset:A few women climb amateur photographer before winning first place in a national competition. on a Fleck’s Beer statue in Faribault. (Photo courtesy of the Rice County Historical Society) Most notable among the early Faribault beer businesses, though, was the name Fleckenstein, which began its century-long run in the community with the arrival of brothers Ernst, Gottfried, Joseph and Paul Fleckenstein to the United States from Germany in the 1850s. THE BEGINNING According to an article that ran in the Faribault Daily News on May 23, 1956, the brothers aided their father in the operation of the Fleckenstein Brewery in Hoerstein (Bavaria), Germany, a business founded in 1577 by members of the Fleckenstein family. Gottfried and Ernst eventually landed in St. Paul, Minn. around 1855 and briefly ran a small brewery there before being attracted to Faribault by the sandstone bluffs that line the east side of the Straight River near downtown. “Germans have long been associated with crafting beer and beer brewing practices. The word “lager” means storage in German, and that style of beer was brewed to be stored at a cold temperature. In the 15th century, brewers in the Bavarian region used yeast from Patagonia that could ferment in a cool setting and began doing so in dank caves and monastery cellars, according to a 2011 report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,” wrote author Eric Berger in his report for Terrain Magazine. According to Berger’s story, the first German lager brewing in the United States started in St. Louis in the 1830s thanks to a large system of caves beneath that city. Those caves could provide the refrigeration needed to brew lager beer before the advent of mechanical refrigeration systems. One of those early companies to utilize the caves in St. Louis was Anheuser-Busch, which now ranks as the world’s largest producer of beer. The sandstone bluffs in Faribault also provided the same resources for beer production as they a site to create caves and a cool location for making lager beer.

MORE TO COME Over the summer, the history of the Fleckenstein Brewery will once again take the spotlight, as a series of community events will take place on the weekend of Aug. 19-21. Some of the highlights scheduled for that weekend will include a classic car show, tour of the old brewery site and the dedication of the new Fleckenstein Bluff Park at 699 First Ave. NE in Faribault.

He later helped organized the Salon Club of America, which was devoted to the nationwide promotion of the regional photographers clubs and opened a portrait studio in California in 1907. He exhibited at the Royal Photographic Society in London and went on to become an internationally know photographer. Louis went on to continue to exhibit and publish his works before becoming the city of Long Beach, California’s first art commissioner. On the other side of the river, Ernst was growing his Straight River Brewing Company and later relocated the brewery to the east side of the river at a location near the old Eighth Street Bridge just down the bluff from the Shattuck-St. Mary’s campus.

Once again, the access to the sandstone bluffs was key as it provided a cool location to assist with the making of the famous “cave aged” beers produced by the Fleckenstein’s. He was also attracted by other assets provided by the region, as mentioned in a story Brother Ernst and Gottfried Fleckenstein ventured to from the Faribault Daily News on May 23, 1956, which Faribault and constructed the Fleckenstein Brewery celebrated the 100th anniversary of Fleckenstein in 1856 on the east side of the Straight River, which brewing in Faribault. allowed them to utilize the natural caves and hand dig new caves in the St. Peter sandstone formations “Ernst Fleckenstein decided that the community that line the river. of Faribault had an abundance of choice grain at hand as well as a plentiful supply of the finest, pure The two brothers oversaw the growth of their brewery artesian well water. He also noted the citizens of the operation, which stood on the same location of community had a thirst for good beer such as he was today’s Caves of Faribault cheese factory. The caves taught to brew in his home in Bavaria,” the Daily News created for the Fleckenstein Brewery later proved to article noted. be an attractive location for the introduction of blue cheese making to the United States in 1936 and they As part of the new brewery that Ernst Fleckenstein are still in use today. created, a system of “lagering” caves were hand dug and over 64,000 cubic feet of sand rock was removed CHANGE AND GROWTH to create the cave system for the brewery. The brothers eventually parted ways in 1872, as Gottfried, the older brother, took sole ownership of Known in its early years as the Straight River Brewery, the original Fleckenstein Brewery and Ernst opened a the operation later became the Ernst Fleckenstein competing brewery (at the site previously used by the Brewery and was led by Ernst Fleckenstein, along Paquin’s Brewery) on the west bank of the river called the Straight River Brewery.

Stay tuned to the Faribault Daily News for further updates.

Fleck’s

Gottfried rebuilt and expanded the original brewery

Continued on page 20

faribault.com | Profiles 2022 | Page B20

The Fleckenstein Brewery Tour in the woods off the Shattuck-St. Mary’s campus in Faribault Fleckenstein Brewery artifacts on display at the State Bank of Faribault. (Tom Nelson/ has been put on by Rice County Historical Society.The tour featured photos and descriptions southernminn.com) of the brewery once located there. (File photo/southernminn.com)

Fleck’s

Root Beer and Fleck’s Grapefruit Drink.

The brewery continued to prosper and grow until wartime restrictions during World War I put restrictions with his four sons Alfred, Edward, William and Henry. on the sale of alcohol and that just served as a Those four sons went on to run the business after Ernst precursor to the deeper impact of Prohibition, which Fleckenstein passed away in 1901. ended beer sales for the Fleckenstein Brewery in 1919 until 1933. PROHIBITION In 1902, carbonated beverages were added to the The brewery’s prior experience in the field of company’s product line and a new bottling house was carbonated beverages proved to be a godsend, also built in that year to meet the growing demand as it allowed the business to stay relevant during for the beer. The beer produced at this location was Prohibition. The factory was able to stay active and called Ernst Beer and later became known as Fleck’s employees were able to keep their jobs producing Beer and Fleck’s Cave Aged Beer. The company also a variety of soft drinks. At this time, the Fleckenstein produced a bock beer along with a wide range of Beverage Company, as it was now called, worked out carbonated beverages including Killarney Ginger contracts to produce Orange Crush and Hires Root Ale, All Star Kola, Fleck’s Dark Cereal Beverage, Fleck’s Beer along with their own line of beverages. Continued from page 19

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“Pop and Near Beer (non-alcoholic beer) helped save it during Prohibition,” local historian Brian Schmidt said. “They were big into that and that is when the pop took off, because they had to keep their workers working, so they ramped up the pop and never closed.” The repeal of Prohibition allowed the Fleckenstein’s to resume production of beer at its facility in Faribault and at the stroke of midnight on April 7, 1933 the area celebrated “new beer’s eve.” An article in the Faribault Daily News provided a look at that day’s events. “At midnight, rows of cars were parked at the Fleckenstein Beverage Company as thirsty crowds awaited the zero hour. Traffic became exceedingly congested at the brewery and at the proper minute three large trucks heavily loaded with cases of beer

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The trademark Fleck’s Beer “bottle” that was on display outside of the brewery office was a popular tourist attraction Fleckenstein Brewery artifacts are on display at the State Bank of Faribault. (Tom Nelson/southernminn.com) back in the day. (Photo courtesy of the Rice County Historical Society) left the brewery and quickly delivered the beer to various parts of town. Scarcely had the throng departed then telephone calls began coming in from restaurants and cafes.” The return of beer sales once again helped grow business and the brewery soon became a popular destination for area residents who were able to get a sample of Fleck’s beer in the brewery’s signature sample room, which was inside one of the sandstone caves. Youngsters were also able to get a soft drink in the sample room. Another tourist favorite was the large “bottle” of Fleck’s Beer, which adorned the corner of the company’s office building (which had previously been used as Ernst Fleckenstein’s home until a new residence was built nearby overlooking the brewery complex). The bottle served as a great photo opportunity for visitors to the brewery, long before selfies became popular. “I just lived down here on 10th Street and my friend and I used to walk across the 8th Street bridge and up through the brewery or we would go up through the bluffs and we would get up on the campus of Shattuck there,” said Paul Hopke, who grew up in Faribault and currently resides in Michigan. “They would have Orange Crush, and I can’t remember what else, but it was good pop, and my Grandpa would buy a case of beer.” Schmidt added, “The bottle and tap room were an attraction. People would come down to the factory for a visit while they were in town. Before they left to go home, they would come down and get a few cases of beer or a case of pop to bring back home for the people to enjoy.” At its peak, the Fleckenstein Brewery was strictly a regional beer that provided beer to bars, liquor stores, resorts and restaurants in communities like Faribault, Northfield, Owatonna and Montgomery. The brewery delivered its beer in kegs and bottles, but never utilized cans during its bottling process.

Memorabilia is all that remains of the old Fleckenstein Fleck’s continues to be a popular Faribault institution, even as Brewery in Faribault in 2022. (Tom Nelson/southernminn. it hasn’t been open for decades. (Tom Nelson/southernminn. com) com) generation of Fleckenstein’s were running the business. This group included grandsons Ernst “Boots” Fleckenstein, John Fleckenstein, Charles Fleckenstein and Alfred Fleckenstein.

it down and they said it was one of the toughest buildings to tear down because it was just full of rebar. They said it was an unbelievable building to tear down,” Schmidt said about the site’s demolition.

Despite being gone from the area for over 50 years, the Fleckenstein Brewery still draws interest from area residents. The Rice County Historical Society has several Fleck’s Beer and Fleckenstein Brewery items on display and a larger comprehensive collection of Fleckenstein Brewery memorabilia is owned by State Bank of Faribault President John Carlander and is on display in the bank’s lobby during regular business According to an article in the Minneapolis Tribune hours. from 1964, the Ernst Fleckenstein Brewing Co. had 15 employees when it shut down production. “The Fleckenstein Brewery was a community business of Faribault and Rice County. If anyone went “Our income has been gradually decreasing over down there they would generously help out. They the last 10 years, like so many other smaller brewing sponsored softball teams, bowling teams … It was companies,” a Fleckenstein spokesman was quoted just a community brewery and they were community in the story. people,” Schmidt said about the reason for the continued interest in the historic brewery. After the plant’s closure in 1964, an auction was held to sell off the remaining brewery equipment and “If you talk about Fleck’s in the community, it is still a supplies. The buildings and caves on the site stood vibrant name, and it is amazing it hasn’t died,” Schmidt empty and they became a popular, albeit unsafe, said. “I just think giving back to the destination, local youths to hang out and explore. community over all those years … In the early 1970s, the decision was made by site’s The Fleckenstein’s were a super owners (Shattuck-St. Mary’s) to demolish the buildings nice family, and I think that is why and seal up the former beer caves. the interest has lasted so long.” The story of the Fleck’s Beer and the Fleckenstein Brewery came to an end with the closing of the factory in 1964. At the time, the brewery was the smallest operating brewery in the United States. A combination of factors, including strong competition from the large corporate breweries such as Anheuser-Busch and Miller helped lead to the demise of the business.

END OF AN ERA A large celebration highlighted the 100th anniversary of the brewery in 1956, at which time the third “Heselton Construction had the contract to tear

faribault.com | Profiles 2022 | Page B22

Heritage Days endures thanks to volunteers HERITAGE DAYS BOARD MEMBERS Brian Anderson Role: Food vendors, Saturday music in the park Years served: 24 Reward: “I enjoy helping to organize an event so people can have fun.” Paul Peanasky Role: Assist with facilities, contracts, miscellaneous other duties Years served: 21 Reward: “To have a city representative on the committee, watching people have fun and socialize.” Kari Casper Role: Craft and vendor fair coordinator Years served: Around 12 Reward: “I work for the city and take great pride in my community. I especially love working for Heritage Days because it is a community event where people can come together outside and see people you haven’t seen for a while and relax.”

Members of the Heritage Days Board pose after a recent planning meeting at Faribault City Hall. (Kristine Goodrich/ southernminn.com) By KRISTINE GOODRICH kristine.goodrich@apgsomn.com

Casper oversees the craft and vendor fair.The jewelry maker books the vendors, readies booth space for them, does the event advertising and more.

aribault’s Heritage Days celebration is put on each year entirely by volunteers. Even the “The Heritage Days Board was having a hard time city staff who help plan the annual festival getting someone to volunteer to set up the craft show and that’s where I stepped in,” she recalled. do so outside of work hours.

“There’s a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes The craft and vendor fair grows a little each year, that people do not see,” said Travis McColley, current Casper said. chairman of the Heritage Days board. “I really like to make people happy, and I get A nine-member board of volunteers oversees rewarded often when I see someone in public the planning and execution of the annual June wearing a piece they purchased from me,” she said. community festival. McColley is in charge of the beer garden, as well “It’s a lot of work and the only reward is a free T-shirt,” as being the board leader. He’s been on the board for six years, which makes him one of the newest joked committee member Kari Casper. members. Some of the Heritage Days organizers The volunteer board manages all aspects of the have been volunteering for a decade or more, he noted. festival, from budgeting to booking musicians. The board hires vendors for duties, such as lighting the fireworks and manning the inflatables. The board employs just one person directly — a young man with developmental disabilities who clears the trash from Central Park.

“A bunch of people give up huge amounts of time for Heritage Days,” McColley said. “The reward is bringing people together. We just like seeing people happy.”

HERITAGE DAYS HISTORY Some community organizations and businesses also Heritage Days got its start as a celebration of the plan and host events that are part of the festival, many nationalities of the people who have made including Bingo, soap box races and a scavenger Faribault their home. hunt. The first celebration was held in 1983 at the Alexander The board members bring all those events together. Faribault House. They also lead an event themselves or are charged From 1984 to the mid-1990s, the festival highlighted a with managing another component of the festival. different ethnic group each year. Germans were the

Laura McColley Role: Parade coordinator Years served: Eight Reward: “I enjoy watching the fun that community members have, both at the parade and in Central Park. It’s rewarding to hear the stories from those who come to Heritage Days, especially those who come every year.” Kevin Hildebrandt Role: Treasurer, assist Paul Peanasky Years served: Seven Reward: “Civic duty. Seeing people enjoy the celebration.” Travis McColley Role: Committee chair Years served: Six Reward: “Watching people enjoy themselves.” Kelly Huff Role: Secretary. Opening ceremony. Years served: Six Reward: “To keep the tradition of Heritage Days alive. Enriching the community and helping families make memories like the ones I made with mine.” Troy Temple Role: Website management, park layout Years served: Four Reward: I enjoy being a part of organizing events. And seeing the final results. Amy Stadler Role: Help wherever needed Years served: One Reward: “To give back to the community and show the citizens of Faribault what a good place Faribault is. I enjoy being a part of this community and helping where I can.”

Page B23 | Profiles 2022 | faribault.com

People visit Kari Casper’s handmade jewelry booth at Heritage Days in 2019. Casper coordinates the festival’s craft and vendor fair. (File photo/southernminn.com)

Central Park takes on a whole new feel during Heritage Days as its paths become walking malls of food and games vendors. (File photo/southernminn.com) Sesquicentennial observances will include a history A collection of the buttons from Heritage Days festivals of the past can be found at the Alexander Faribault House at 12 First exhibit and presentation and a cemetery tour. A Ave. NE. (Photo courtesy of the Rice County Historical Society) contingency from one of Faribault’s sister cities will be paying a visit. A series of video vignettes of interviews first to be celebrated in 1984 with a market of German fetes, the festival evolved into a celebration to bring with Faribault officials and volunteers also is being crafts and foods, and tours of German churches. together all of Faribault’s community members of all produced. backgrounds. Longstanding activities also include a Activities run through June 19 and Later there were celebrations of the French, parade, live music and food vendors. most will occur in Central Park. Norwegians, Irish, Czechoslovakian, Italians, Polish, Swedish, English and Native Americans, according to HERITAGE DAYS 2022 the Faribault Daily News archives. This year’s Heritage Days will feature some new and Go to faribaultheritagedays.com enhanced events. The festivities kick off June 15 with a for a schedule. After over a decade of annual culture-specific bigger fireworks display.

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fidence I could do a good job because I had experience. I live here, so I wanted to give back here.” Sutherland works as a reading tutor with students in kindergarten through third grade at Roosevelt. During the school year, Sutherland works with a group of 18 students and meets with them individually or in pairs once a day in 20 minute sessions. The Reading Corps program has been in place at Roosevelt since 2009.

Six weeks after blowing past a deadline to stop higher tax bills from going out to Minnesota businesses, the Legislature finally reached the bipartisan compromise needed to retroactively fix the problem. But further deals seem as out of reach as ever. Delayed as it was, the compromise on unemployment insurance represents the most high profile breakthrough to date of what has otherwise been a legislative session marked by minimal results and maximal bickering between the DFL-run House and Republican-led Senate. Included in the bill was $2.7 billion that Department of Employment and Economic Development Commissioner Steve Grove said was needed to meet the state’s financial obligations to the federal government without steep, automatic tax increases on Minnesota businesses. Prior to COVID-19’s onslaught, the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund was $1.5 billion in the black. However, the swift and drastic impacts of the pandemic in its early days left many temporarily out of a job, so much that the state soon found the fund $1.2 billion in the red. Gov. Tim Walz made full replenishment of the fund a centerpiece of his budget proposal, and the Senate passed a bill in February. Given that the bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, hopes were high that the issue would quickly be solved. House DFLers were more hesitant, floating plans for a partial repayment of the fund. They were most determined that any move to refund the trust fund should be paired with robust “hero pay” checks for workers on the frontlines of the pandemic.

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Julie Sutherland tutors students one-on-one and in pairs at Roosevelt Elementary School. (Tom Nelson/southernminn.com)

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AmeriCorps reading tutor sees Roosevelt students progress By TOM NELSON

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A transplant from Colorado, Julie Sutherland was looking for a way to get connected with Faribault and help out in the community. Thanks to her association with the AmeriCorps’ ServeMN program, Sutherland has been able to achieve some of those goals. She is serving as a reading tutor at Faribault Roosevelt Elementary School. Sutherland’s position at Roosevelt is part

INDEX LOCAL 1-4 OPINION 5 COMMUNITY 6-7 RECORDS 8 CLASSIFIEDS 12-16 PUBLIC NOTICES 16 PUZZLE 17-20 SPORTS 21-24

of the Reading Corps program, which is part of AmeriCorps — a government agency designed to improve lives and build communities through service and volunteering. “I think it is really important to get involved in the community and help out,” said Sutherland, who moved here from the Denver suburb of Centennial, Colo. three years ago with her husband and three children. “We live here in Faribault and I felt a strong connection to get involved. The position at Roosevelt was an opening for me to jump in and help out where I could. And I had con-

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Page B25 | Profiles 2022 | faribault.com

Heritage Days, Charter Commission find way to promote civic engagement

Faribault City Charter Commission members who were sworn in by City Administrator Tim Murray in 2019 were, from left, Kymn Anderson, Pat Rice, Kay Duchene and Dan Behrens. (File photo/southernminn.com) By BRAD PHENOW Guest Contributor

So now, as the city celebrates the 150th anniversary of its charter, we’re fortunate to have two volunteer-led groups making it their mission to continue promoting olunteering is the ultimate exercise and diversifying the city’s civic engagement makeup. in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, It was Feb. 29, 1872, when, according to the 1882 you vote every day about the kind of History of Rice County, ‘the requirements of the city community you want to live in.” were seen and appreciated by the State Legislature.”

“V

There are perhaps no truer words spoken than those above as it relates to civic engagement, despite the fact that finding the source of the quote is nearly impossible. And it has become somewhat of a quasitagline for the city, as it has looked to increase its board and commission involvement.

Much has changed since then, and perhaps nothing greater than the departmental breakdown of the city, which has become a focal point of the project that residents will see during the Heritage Days festival in June.

The Charter Commission first took it upon itself to find a way to, not only draw awareness to the anniversary and the “now-and-then” appearance of the city, Sue Garwood, executive director of the Rice County but also to further improve its effort of reaching new Historical Society, was kind enough to pin down the sectors of the community as it relates to community exact historical language, and further provided that, engagement. Just as important, the commission also “the question of its acceptance by the people was submitted to a vote on the 2nd of April and accepted, and the first city government instituted by the choice of officers.” Continued on page 26

Charter

faribault.com | Profiles 2022 | Page B26

Charter Continued from page 25 wanted to highlight and emphasize the various roles of the city and how community members can be involved. To do this, the commission members approached the Heritage Days Board with the idea of putting on some type of display during the multi-day festival in Central Park. Through various meetings, the two groups moved ahead with five 14-foot ‘feather flag’ banners, which will highlight five crucially important sectors of city government that have been in place in one form or another since as early as 1872: Fire, Police, Public Works, Parks and Recreation and Leadership. Each of these banners will display a photo from the past, paired with one more current, and we hope, will bring curious festival-goers into a tent we’re calling the “information booth.” On display will be the department functions, boards and commission details and applications in various languages, and lastly, multiple TVs playing a number of on-camera interviews conducted by Sam Temple, of the 1855 History Team, with various staff members, appointed officials, elected officials, or volunteers. This display will also be complemented with a webpage on the city site (faribault.org) that will shine Faribault City Hall has been the hub of city governance for over 125 years. a light on some of the historical aspects of different departments. idea that it’s too much of a time commitment, or their there’s a spot for you, and your input will truly have an impact on making our community knowledge base would not be helpful. The goal of this display — and the video interviews the best it can. and website — is to breakdown the “government” What it comes down to is this: anyone, with any type barrier, and put in plain terms how easy it is to make of background, can — and will — be a beneficial e look forward to seeing you at the a difference in our community. Too often people shy addition to city boards and commissions. No matter booth June 15-18 in Central Park. away from these opportunities, due to the ill-perceived your availability or your interests, we’re confident You won’t miss the 14-foot banners.

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Mark your calendars and plan to help us celebrate the annual Faribault Heritage Days Celebration from June 1518, and recognize the City’s accomplishments as it celebrates the 150th Anniversary of its City Charter. The City’s Charter Commission has partnered with a number of groups to put on display an informational booth focused on past City engagement, while promoting future involvement.

Page B27 | Profiles 2022 | faribault.com

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