It is a milestone celebration for the City of Morristown this weekend, with the 40th annual Morristown Dam Days celebration starting Thursday, May 29 and running through June 1.
The first event of the weekend will be held Thursday at 6:30 p.m. with a Bean Bag Tournament at the Morristown American Legion Pavilion.
The activities continue Friday, May 30 with a Euchre Tournament at the Morristown Community Center at 1:30 p.m. Local food stands open at 5 p.m. as does the carnival - Midwest Rides.

Susie Ann (Krocak) Smisek, age 75, of Le Center, passed away at her home on Sunday, May 25, 2025.
 Born on October 29, 1949, in New Prague, Susie was the beloved daughter of Louis and Adaline (Vlasak) Krocak. She attended Holy Redeemer Catholic Grade School and graduated from Montgomery High School. On October 12, 1968, she was united in marriage to John Smisek at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Montgomery. After living in Mankato for a few years, the couple settled in Le Center, where they raised their family and built a loving home.

Eileen Leona Wabner, age 88, most recently of Mankato, MN, was called to her heavenly home on May 11, 2025, on Mother’s Day. Eileen was born on March 1, 1937, to parents Edwin and Hattie (Kelling) Schultz, of Waldorf, MN. She was baptized on March 28, 1937, and confirmed on May 13, 1951; her confirmation verse was Acts 4:12 which states “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Eileen grew up on the family farm helping her parents with various tasks and chores - such as helping feed the livestock.

The 40th Annual Morristown Dam Days Celebration will begin with the crowning of Miss Morristown 2025 on Friday, May 30 at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 404 W Franklin St., Morristown at 5 p.m.
Miss Morristown 2024, Loryn Caldwell, will crown Miss Morristown 2025 and share her memories of the past year. There will be special guests’ appearances by Miss Minnesota Emily Schumacher and Minneapolis Aquatennial Ambassadors.

The WEM baseball team is heading into the Section Playoffs with some positive performances the last two weeks.
The Bucs have won three of their last four games, including a 7-0 forfeit victory against NRHEG and a 10-3 win over Waseca Saturday, May 17. They are now 2-8 in the Gopher Conference and 4-12 overall.
In the game against NRHEG, following the loss, officials realized the Panther pitched had already pitched during the week and exceeded the number of innings pitched allowed.

A total of 59 seniors will don caps, gowns, and tassels in anticipation of graduating from Waterville-Elysian-Morristown High School at 7 p.m. Friday, May 23 in the Waterville gymnasium.
Of these 59 seniors, 41 have been named honor students.
The Class of 2025 has three students who have achieved a perfect 4.0 Grade Point Average (GPA). They are Madeline Heuss, Kaedyn Judd, and Grace LaFrance.

Area communities will honor their local veterans during Memorial Day programs Monday, May 26.
Waterville will hold their program at 8:15 a.m. Elysian will follow with their program at 9:30 a.m. Morristown will hold their program at 11 a.m. Kilkenny will have programs at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., and 11 a.m.
The Memorial Day Ceremony in Waterville will be held at the Memorial Park on the corner of E Hoosac St and S. 3rd Street.

With a split of two games Sunday, May 18, the WEM girls flag football team tied for the Sub-District Championship.
The Lady Bucs lost to Fairmont, 26-13, but defeated Lakeville South, 24-21, avenging an earlier season 40-14 loss to South.
South, Fairmont, and WEM each ended their Sub-District schedule with a 4-2 record. Fairmont was 6-2 overall while South and WEM were 4-4 overall.
In the loss to Fairmont, Alenka Jans completed 24-of-38 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns.

Ralph Kern, age 77, of rural Waseca County, passed away on May 18, 2025, at MCHS-St. Mary’s in Rochester, surrounded by his family. He was a beloved son, brother, husband, father, and grandfather.

Four games in five days for the WEM softball team ended in two wins and two losses for the Lady Bucs.
All four games could have been won by either team, with all the games finishing with a one run winner.
WEM defeated Medford Thursday, May 8 by a 5-4 score. The next day WEM defeated Maple River, 8-7, in a non-conference game. Nicollet edged the Bucs, 4-3, Saturday, May 10. Monday, May 12 Blooming Prairie pulled out a 9-8 win.

Two WEM pitchers limited Medford to two hits in a 5-2 win over the Tigers Thursday, May 8 in a Gopher Conference game.
Jacob Androli pitched four innings, allowing one hit and Noah Lanham pitched three innings, allowing one hit, helping the Bucs win their second game of the season.
Androli allowed two unearned runs, three walks, and struck out six. Lanham struck out four and hit a batter in earning his first win of the season.
Brady Murphy was 2-for-4 with two runs scored, a double, and an RBI.
Jackson Dahl was 1-for-2 with two RBI and two walks.

The City of Elysian has installed a new fishing pier at Lake Francis Park. The purchase of this pier was made possible with a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Grant – Get Out MORE (Modernize Outdoor Recreation Experiences).
Get Out MORE is a historic, one-time investment of $150 million to help ensure Minnesotans of all abilities and interests enjoy a world-class recreation system, whichever outdoor experience they choose. The pier was designed by Hewitt Docks and installed by The Lake Boys of Cleveland, MN.

WEM School Board members and concerned citizens met in the WEM auditorium on May 8 to hear the results of a study that could decide the fate of WEM Middle School in Morristown.
Citing the need for a neutral party, the WEM School Board commissioned an independent study, which would give a third-party opinion on how best to proceed with keeping the school district financially sound.

Video games can be many things: entertainment, escape, therapy and more. A history lesson may not be near the top of the list, but I’ve recently learned it in a game called Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (KCD2).
I invested in the game for an immersive, open-world experience. I had heard good things about the story, which received rave reviews overall. Plus, the setting, reminded me a lot of the Potomac Highlands of West Virginia.

Melvin “Butch” William Metzler, age 82, of Waseca, passed away Sunday, May 11, 2025, at the Owatonna Hospital.

Joey Lynn (Godbey) Dominick, age 45, of Waterville, passed away April 28, 2025, surrounded by family.
Joey Dominick was born on August 18, 1979, in Oak Harbor, Washington. She graduated from Rosemount High School in 1998. She also received a degree from Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute in Minneapolis. 
Joey was loved by many in Waterville’s surrounding areas. She spent years as a bartender, serving those she cared about. She loved the outdoors and spending time with friends and family.