News

SEPS announces ‘Poppins’ musical

News of Sleepy Eye Public’s next theater production floated up and out on the school’s Facebook page last week:“Calling all aspiring chimney sweeps, kite flyers, and practically perfect nannies – we are so excited to announce that the 2024 fall musical will be Mary Poppins!!!”Director George Hirschboeck said the opportunity to do ”really big dance numbers” and to put on a show that appeals to multiple generations helped solidify the choice.

Read MoreSEPS announces ‘Poppins’ musical

Sleepy Eye Lake has the ‘perfect filter.’ But for how long?

A three-year study of what’s flowing in and out of the city’s slough found the wetlands operating as a “phenomenal” safeguard for Sleepy Eye Lake, discovered a hero in its cattails, and threw a curve ball at researchers, showing that urban runoff – not farmland – is the source of most of the pollutants it captures.One big question remains:How long will it last?“You have the perfect filter at the edge of your town,” Bryce Hoppie, a professor of Earth science and geology at Minnesota State University Mankato, told an audience last week at City Hall, before adding: “I can’t tell you how long it’s going to remain as the perfect filter.”Hoppie’s research was part of a $50,000, city-funded project to collect data on how the slough functions and learn the source of the contaminants that flow into it.

Read MoreSleepy Eye Lake has the ‘perfect filter.’ But for how long?

Back in place

It was near the end of a work week on Main Street, in the old building he renovated with an uncle, when Andy Hawkins began talking about the missing sense of community that helped convince him and his wife, Molly, to sell their practice near the Twin Cities after five years and re-open in Sleepy Eye.As if on cue, the door to Hawkins Chiropractic opened and in walked Molly’s mother, Judy Schwartz, dropping off their 2 1/2-year-old son, Monroe.Familiar faces are often just around the corner in small towns.

Read MoreBack in place

Out of the Past

60 years ago - March 31, 1964Sleepy Eye “ham” radio operators are at their sets more than usual, hoping to pick up messages for local people who have relatives in the Anchorage earthquake area.

Read MoreOut of the Past