This article originally appeared in the Nov. 29 edition of the Kenyon Leader. In the winter sports season at Kenyon-Wanamingo, conference play composes about two-thirds of the season for boys and girls basketball. In wrestling, the conference slate is only about a fifth of the equation. Between individual and team tournaments, as well as a...

TICKETS AND SHOWTIMES The show begins at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2, followed by a performance at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 3. Tickets are available at the door, $7 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. dfc65d79-67a4-40bd-932d-a098d146b81e Kenyon-Wanamingo High School drama students are about to show off two very different takes on classic stories. The students are busily rehearsing “Flowers for Algernon” and “Lord of the Pies,”...

Kenyon-Wanamingo’s boys basketball season opener is around the corner. The Knights get their 2023-24 campaign underway 7:15 p.m. Dec. 1 at Winona Cotter. It’s the first of seven games played away from the Gopher Conference. Below is a breakdown of these non-conference tilts, which include some new and familiar opponents. ...

It was an interesting 2022-23 season for Gopher Conference boys basketball. The championship game was a thriller with West division champion Maple River capping an unbeaten conference season with a 73-70 double overtime victory on home court over East champ Hayfield. It was a resurgent season for Kenyon-Wanamingo, which was in the East division title race well into February. That division preview is coming next week. ...

The Gopher Conference was stratified in wrestling in 2022-23. Kenyon-Wanamingo ruled the roost going undefeated with all dual wins coming by double digits. Medford was the clear-cut No. 2 with just one loss coming at K-W. The middle of the Gopher was jumbled with three teams tied for third at 3-3. ...

With a major development potentially coming to the former Kenyon Senior Living site, the City of Kenyon, with support from Kenyon-Wanamingo Public Schools, is hoping to secure state dollars for a nearby road reconstruction project. Kenyon’s City Council voted last Tuesday to endorse an application through the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Local Road Improvement Program which, with Goodhue County Board support, could secure $1.5 million in funding for the 6th Street reconstruction project. ...

After a meeting including Mayor Ryan Holmes, City Administrator Michael Boulton, City Engineer Brad Kennedy, and developers and engineers, it appears a Dollar General could be coming to Wanamingo within a year. Offering food and other grocery store-type products in addition to traditional dollar store items, the new store could provide Wanamingo residents with an alternative to driving down the road to Zumbrota or over to Kenyon to meet their basic shopping needs. ...

Highly pleased with her performance in the first months on the job, Kenyon-Wanamingo’s School Board has moved to start negotiations around a longer term contract with Superintendent Beth Giese. Though facing extreme fiscal challenges, the board took a chance on Giese earlier this year, bringing her on to serve as superintendent and elementary school principal after previously expressing support for the cheaper option of hiring only a part-time superintendent. Cognizant...

As the countdown to the Kenyon-Wanamingo winter sports season continues, it’s time to take a look at what lies ahead for the Knights. The Gopher Conference has been a strong girls basketball conference in recent years. Hayfield has been one of the top teams in the state as it’s won back-to-back conference crowns. The Vikings put a stop to New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva’s reign at the top, but NRHEG could have the...

This fall season, Kenyon-Wanamingo’s fifth- and sixth-grade coders are competing in a pool of 567 students from 47 schools in 10 states. With coach Laura McAnally’s guidance, coders have moved from eight weeks of individual training to building group projects with a theme focused on storytelling. McAnally also coaches a seventh- and eighth-grade group of coders applying the theme of entrepreneurship. This group of coders are competing in a pool...

This has been a busy and exciting season for the Kenyon-Wanamingo band. Recent highlights include the Bjorling Music Festival at Gustavus Adolphus College, where three K-W students performed, the middle school band concert and the ongoing music tour in Duluth. Band students Chloe Schuster, Ross Aldorfer and Vincent Martinez were selected to perform in the Honor Band at the Bjorling Music Festival, which was held Nov. 5 and 6. ...

The third grade at Kenyon-Wanamingo Elementary read an article titled, “Kids Making a Difference” by Jeremy Stone, which shared ideas kids have utilized to make an impact. One idea was a food drive. My class was eager and excited to help lead the K-W Elementary food drive, which was held Oct. 30-Nov. 10. They made posters to display around the school, gave a presentation to each classroom, collected and counted...

At its latest board meeting, Goodhue County unveiled a sleek new logo that is expected to largely displace the staunchly traditional and complex seal that today adorns official county documents and communications. Though discussion about a new logo predates the county’s decision to hire Outreach and Communications Specialist Briggs Tople, the logo is part of Tople’s broader strategy of implementing a refresh of Goodhue County’s public image for the digital age. ...

While Election Day may still be a year away, the race for Congress is already heating up in Minnesota’s 1st and 2nd congressional districts. The southern Minnesota districts have traditionally been two of the more tightly contested in elections, and national political figures will have their eyes on the region again. This was shown clearly Wednesday, Nov. 1, as President Joe Biden visited a rural Northfield farm in the heart of the 2nd District. ...

The Kenyon Area Historical Society recently made history of its own, welcoming the youngest member to ever sit on its board. Thirteen-year-old Peyton Temple joined on Oct. 2. “I was pretty surprised. I wasn’t expecting it,” he said, regarding his invitation to join the Historical Society. In addition to his youth, Temple brings a passion...

The Kenyon City Council has shifted responsibility for charitable gambling from the Kenyon Snowdrifters Club to the Fireman’s Relief Association, overriding objections from the mayor and Snowdrifters Club members who have operated the program for more than two decades. Although charitable gambling operations are handled by fire relief associations in many neighboring communities, such as Wanamingo, Zumbrota and Northfield, the loss of a large revenue source has come as a rude shock to many members of the Snowdrifters Club. ...

Frigid temperatures didn’t scare off trunk-or-treaters this weekend. Kenyon Parks and Recreation hosted trunk-or-treating Sunday afternoon in Depot Park. According to City Council Member Kim Helgeson, who serves on the Park and Rec Committee, organizers’ aim for the event was “just making it a safe environment for the kids to come out and have fun.” ...

A team of five graduate students is seeking the community's input for its capstone project, which is meant to provide the city of Kenyon with a low-cost plan to rejuvenate Depot Park. From 3-5 p.m. Sunday, the students of the Urban and Regional Studies Institute at Minnesota State University, Mankato, will have a booth set up during Trunk or Treat in Depot Park for a public input session. This public input is essential to their project, said one of the students, Austin Cook. ...

With Goodhue County revisiting local policing contracts, as the city of Goodhue looks for additional service following the mass resignation of their entire Police Department, Wanamingo and other cities are alarmed that their policing costs could be about to sharply increase. At a Goodhue County Board of Commissioners meeting attended by Wanamingo Mayor Ryan Holmes and City Administrator Michael Boulton, the board discussed adjusting policing contracts, in order to charge cities an amount closer to the actual cost of services. ...

Looking for additional revenue to meet its fundraising goals, the Kenyon Fireman’s Relief Association has asked the Kenyon City Council to consider allowing it to operate traditional pull tabs and e-pull tabs at the Muni. The request has put the Fireman’s Relief Association into conflict with the Kenyon Snowdrifters Club. The Snowdrifters have operated the program for more than two decades and would like to continue doing so, triggering a debate that has split the community and the council. ...