Before you entered the doors to the Revival on Main, you were greeted with the clanking sounds of the horse-drawn carriage rides for Svatý Mikuláš on Sunday.

Stepping inside, you were greeted with a formal Slavic tradition of bread dipping in salt. Sounds of merriment filled the air with people conversing and various entertainment between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. that included music by Colton Tupy, and traditional dances by both the St. Paul Czech and Slovak Adult Folk Dancers and the Sokol MN Children Dancers.

The Tri-City United (TCU) boys basketball team opened its 2025-26 season with three losses.

St. Peter handed the Titans a 113-36 loss Monday, Dec. 1. Three days later St. Claire defeated TCU, 86-61. Friday Worthington traveled to Montgomery and handed the Titans a 78-40 loss.

In the loss to St. Peter, the Saints have a majority of their players returning from last year and they looked to be in mid-season form from the tip.

The 33rd Annual Torchlight Parade and Fireworks in downtown Montgomery on Thursday, Dec. 4, was definitely another bundle-up affair this year.

Temperatures hovered just barely above zero and all the hot foods and drinks along 1st Street were welcomed. As time progressed, the wind also picked up.

Santa Claus was there with his live reindeer again, letting all ages hop on the sleigh for a photo. The Amazing Hoopsters were back dazzling with fire and light-up hola-hoops before the parade in front of Frandsen Bank & Trust and in the parade.

This month’s Montgomery American Legion Post #79 Thank A Living Veteran focus is on Larry Parsons.

Parsons attended Kindergarten at Montgomery Public Schools before joining Holy Redeemer Catholic School through eighth grade. He completed high school in Amery, Wis., where he attended University of Wisconsin — River Falls after graduation for three years. It was during this time where he decided to enlist, and the U.S. Army was the first to have an opening.

The community’s biggest outdoor holiday event is tonight, Torchlight Parade & Fireworks.

Fun for the evening begins at 5 p.m. along 1st Street in Montgomery.

Entertainment by Schell’s Hobo Band, which will play downtown and at Park Manor (as well as the parade). Lakelanders Barbershop Chorus will stop by Traditions to sing some tunes as well as during the parade.

Most pre-events to the parade can be seen near the intersection of Vine Avenue and 1st Street.

Just like the founders of this community started as first generation and second generation immigrants, a new round of immigrants is planting their foot in Montgomery.

Martin S. Gomez was born in La Estancia, Guatemala, which is also the name of the first bakery he opened in Bloomington, Minn., after the pandemic hit. This month, he opened up his second bakery here inside of Mike’s Discount Foods called Pan Sabroso.

    There are a few ways you can give back this holiday season in our community beyond just shopping local. 

Foster Care Giving
    New this year, the Montgomery Fire Department will be collecting toys, new children’s clothes, and/or monetary donations ahead of the Torchlight Parade & Fireworks on Thursday, Dec. 4 for Lutheran Social Services Foster Care. 
    Firefighters will be stationed on the east side of 1st Street and Vine Avenue, just north of Frandsen Bank & Trust, to collect from 6-6:30 p.m.

Montgomery VFW Post #5340 in partnership with Le Center VFW #1803 and each post’s auxiliaries, announced their winners for this year’s Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen contests, and their Teacher-of-the-Year awards.

Voice of Democracy

High school students, three from each community of Montgomery and Le Center, had the opportunity to express themselves about freedom and democracy in this audio-essay contest.

Montgomery Chamber of Commerce held their annual meeting at Montgomery National Golf Course’s newly built club building on Thursday, Nov. 13. Roughly 45 business owners and their employees attended the event.

The evening was started with a social period with heavy appetizers and live music downstairs. Attendees moved upstairs for a formal presentation from the chamber.

The chamber increased its membership by 14, with 80 members in 2025.

We are happy to announce this year’s Torchlight Parade & Fireworks grand marshals, Axel Goettl, 8, and Alice Cemensky, 7.

These two second grader friends are both from Le Center. This will also be their first time partaking in the parade and fireworks for Torchlight. When we told them that there would be fireworks, Goettl’s eyes got real big in excitement. Both of them said they were nervous as the days have gotten closer to this year’s event.

earance at the Minnesota State High School League’s State Girls Swimming and Diving Class A Tournament on Saturday in Minneapolis. She came home from the University of Minnesota’s Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center with a 4th place finish in the 50 yard freestyle and 7th place in the 100 yard freestyle.

The outstanding swimming career of Tri-City United (TCU) senior Ella Schmiesing has come to an end with more positive performances for the school’s top swimmer of all-time.

For the eighth time Schmiesing advanced to the finals at the Class A State Swimming and Diving Meet Friday, Nov. 14 and Saturday, Nov. 16.

She competed at State for the fifth time in the 100-yard freestyle and for the fourth time in the 50-yard freestyle, advancing to the finals in both events.

Two downtown Montgomery businesses had cause for celebration recently — Quilter’s Dream changed ownership and held a grand re-opening, and a new business went in called Grandma’s Garage.

Quilter’s Dream

About 40 people gathered for the grand re-opening of Quilter’s Dream, 116 1st St S, on Friday, Nov. 7.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is seeking public input on the potential installation of an aeration system on Cody Lake between Lonsdale and Montgomery within Wheatland Township in Rice County. This would essentially be a reinstating of aeration that had been turned off a number of years ago operated by Wheatland Twin Lakes Sportsmen Club (WTLSC).

WTLSC, working under new leadership this year, has been doing a number of improvements to the Cody Lake public access site area that resides between Cody Lake and Phelps Lake.

The start of November brought about the shutdown of funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP because of the government shutdown and the contingency funds not being used as they were meant to be for such an event. This left many people in the nation with a gap in essential food sources, even in our own backyard.

Caitlin Huiras teamed up with the Montgomery Public Library to try and provide those needs for anyone who might need them.

As a young teenager in 2020, Ella Schmiesing got her first taste of varsity swimming.

Now a Tri-City United (TCU) senior, she will be making her last appearance in a pool as a Titan at the Class A State Swimming and Diving Meet Friday, Nov. 14 at 10:30 a.m. and Saturday, Nov. 15 at Noon at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center at the University of Minnesota.

Preliminaries will be held Friday and finals on Saturday.

This will be Schmiesings’ fifth State Tournament appearance after winning two Section 1A Championships last weekend.