Root River Current

LANESBORO—Heavy rainfall began falling late July 1st on the western edge of the Root River Valley and bullied its way east. By 7:00 a.m. on July 2, 7.3 inches were recorded at Grand Meadow, 5.71 inches at Wykoff, 4.87 inches in Harmony and 4.07 inches in La Crescent; the nearby Whitewater River swelled from 4 inches recorded at Whitewater State Park. Then, the radar of the National Weather Service in La Crosse, Wis., showed a second wallop of rain sweeping down the valley.

DRIFTLESS REGION—If you haven’t been to one of the many prairies in the Driftless, mid-summer is a great time to visit. Flowers are blooming in succession at a rapid pace and starting to fill the prairie landscape from end to end. And, of course, that means pollinator action is high with bumblebees, honeybees, wasps, butterflies, beetles and many other insects foraging and gathering pollen. Dragonflies and damselflies are also out in force.

HARMONY—Southeastern Minnesota is well known for its unique “Driftless” landscapes — but tucked away in the south-central part of Fillmore County is another truly unique, if not slightly obscure, landmark: a luthier’s workshop. Just as unique as the word luthier, is the work that Mason Weedman is doing from his workshop in Harmony, Minn. A luthier is someone who repairs or makes stringed instruments; Weedman got his start while growing up in Sheboygan, Wisc.

The leaders of Rural Assembly believe their upcoming virtual gathering, Rural Assembly Everywhere: Connecting Communities, will be “a source of enthusiasm and inspiration for people on the ground in their communities doing hard work throughout the year,” said Taneum Fotheringill, Rural Assembly Director of Programs and Partnerships. “They are doing that work day-in-and-day-out. They are tired,” Fotheringill said.

AMHERST TOWNSHIP, FILLMORE COUNTY—Lately, researching and pondering the breed of dog most suitable for life on our small homestead has taken up more time than I could have imagined. Options abound and opinions vary widely. To-date our personal experiences vary widely, too, and spoiler alert—the experiment continues. We started our life in the country with an accidental farm dog.

SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA—From solemn flag retirement ceremonies and historical presentations to lively parades, street dances, family activities, concerts and fireworks, southeastern Minnesotans and visitors gathered to honor the 250th birthday of America. Undaunted by historic rainfall and widespread flooding, small towns across the Driftless showed up to celebrate and enjoy what ended up being a beautiful weekend in the region.

PRESTON — In Greek mythology, Sisyphus, condemned by the gods to the underworld, has the eternal task of pushing a boulder up the hill only to have it roll back down before it can reach the top.

BROWNSVILLE – Take one look around Lawrence Lake Marina on any given weekend night this summer, and you’d never guess it started with a couple chairs and a case of beer. No one could have predicted the streams of people decked out in summer attire filling in tables, bars and virtually every inch of dock space at the joint – not even Kim Benson, the one who, along with his wife Jeannie, envisioned it all. “We served beer out of two Coleman coolers on ice.

FOUNTAIN — Long before satellite imagery planned our route, gave us an estimated time of arrival and told us when and where to turn to get to our destination, mankind did it the hard way – they used land surveys and historical records to define our boundaries. The 1878 Plat Map of Fillmore County Minnesota, published by Warner & Foote of Red Wing, Minnesota, and curated at the Fillmore County Historical Society (FCHS) in Fountain, gives us a time capsule of the county in the late 19th century.

GREATER ROOT RIVER VALLEY—Root River Current is thrilled to announce the launch of a new series of regional arts stories presenting profiles of area artists, arts organizations and cultural events, as well as original works commissioned by our team for publication.