Well, the changing of the guard has officially begun. We celebrated Pat’s incredible 50+ years of service to Sleepy Eye Public Schools with a retirement party on June 30. Former staff, community members, family and friends gathered to honor Pat’s amazing legacy as Community Education Director and teacher for District 84. Thank you to all who attended or reached out to thank Pat for her dedication and service to our community.
Tomorrow is August…wait, that can’t be right. I just looked at the calendar and yes, tomorrow is August. We are hours away from the full “back to school” season. This means that confirmation, TREK (formally known as Wednesday School), and more will be beginning at Trinity in a matter of weeks.
Heat and humidity were no match for the crowds at this year’s Party in the Park, held July 24 at Allison Park. Hundreds turned out to enjoy the games, concessions, and entertainment, which included costumed performances by the Sleepy Eye Community Theater.
Eighth-grader Kylie Fischer hosted the town’s first Grain Bin and Farm Safety event at the Sleepy Eye Arena on Wednesday evening, July 23. The event, which was open to all first responders and farmers, offered a free meal provided by the Dawg House and featured demonstrations by Safety and Security Consultation Specialists, LLC (a Minnesota Lake company) and the Sleepy Eye and Gibbon fire departments.
Mary Hoffmann attended the annual Minnesota Association of Agricultural Educators (MAAE) Conference in Hinckley July 8-11. Also attending were Sleepy Eye Ag. teachers Katie Emmett, Paul Hendrickx and Alyssa Mitchell, and summer intern, Meta Tewes.
The Sleepy Eye Area Historical Society asked the Seifert Quad sisters if they would agree to have a childhood photo of themselves featured on the 2025 Christmas ornament — and they were thrilled to say yes. The year 2025 marks their 75th birthday. Sadly their brother Mike passed away several months prior to their birthday.
The City of Sleepy Eye announced late in the afternoon Wednesday, July 9 that the beach on Sleepy Eye Lake was closed until further notice due to the presence of blue-green algae.
Agricultural Instructor Katie Emmett of Sleepy Eye Public Schools is hosting Meta Tewes as a Minnesota Agricultural Education Intern this summer. The internship is part of a State Teach Ag Results (STAR) program initiative, which is coordinated by the Minnesota Agricultural Education Leadership Council (MAELC). Tewes is originally from Jackson and is studying Agricultural Education at South Dakota State University.
I would like to explore the topic of pilgrimages with you. We might have heard people say they are going on pilgrimage - in my case I am going on pilgrimage to Medjugorje with 24 others from our area faith community August 11 -19.
Winning the American Legion’s Firefighter of the Year Award for the state of Minnesota is an undeniable accomplishment, but 2025 recipient Shaun Heiderscheidt said that being able to serve his community is incredibly meaningful on its own.