The Pioneerland libraries in Meeker County have lots of events coming up during the month of June. All 4 libraries have seed libraries now. Anyone can go in to choose 4 small seed packets per week for free.
In Litchfield – Level Up at Your Library summer reading program for ages 3-to-18 is June 4th through August 30th. Baby/Toddler storytimes are on Wednesdays from 10:15-to-10:45 from June 11 to August 6. Friday storytimes are on Fridays at 10 a.m. from June 6 to August 8. Teen Dungeons & Dragons is on Tuesday June 3rd from 4-to-6 p.m., for ages 11-to-18. Science Heroes: Adventure of the Missing Color, is Friday, June 6th, at 10 a.m. Adult Book Club – “The Midnight Feast” – in on Tuesday June 10th at noon. LEGO Night for ages 4-to-14 is on Tuesday, June 10th, from 6:30-to-7:30 p.m. CLIMB Theatre: Babe the Blue Ox, is on Wednesday, June 11th, at 10:15 a.m. Crafter Dark, bring-your-own-craft program for ages 16-to-adult, is on the 2nd Wednesday of the month from 6:30-7:30 p.m.
USDA seed bombs storytime is on Friday, June 13, at 10 a.m. Dress for a mess. The Teen Program: Gaming character pinata making for ages 11-to-18 is on Saturday, June 14, from 1:30-to-3:30 p.m. Friends of the Litchfield Library meeting is on Monday, June 16, at 4 p.m. Board Games for all ages will be on Tuesday, June 17, from 6:30-to-7:30 p.m. Teen Trivia at Simply Good for ages 13-to-18 – sign-up required – is on Wednesday, June 18, at 1:30 p.m. Mystery Book Club is on Wednesday, June 18, at 7 p.m. Meeker County Public Health dental health storytime is on Friday, June 20, at 10 a.m. Science Museum of Minnesota: Engineering is on Monday, June 23, at 3 p.m. Knitting Club for all ages is on Thursday, June 26, from 12:30-to-1:30 p.m. Game-themed button making, drop-in program for kids and teens is on Thursday, June 26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Watercade royalty storytime is on Friday, June 27, at 10 a.m.
In Dassel – Level Up at Your Library summer reading program for ages 3-to-18 is from June 4 to August 30. Story Hour at the Bandstand: every Friday beginning June 6 is at 10 a.m. Meeker County Natural Resources Conservation storytime is on Friday, June 6, at 10 a.m. at the Bandstand. Kent Nerburn author event is on Thursday, June 12, at 7 p.m. at the Dassel History Center. CLIMB Theatre: Babe the Blue Ox is on Friday, June 13, at 10 a.m. at the Bandstand.
Science Heroes: Adventure of the Missing Color is on Tuesday, June 17, at 3 p.m. Book Club: The Girl Who Sang to the Buffalo is on Tuesday, June 24, at 1 p.m. Science Museum of Minnesota: Engineering is on Wednesday, June 25, at 10 a.m. Stuffed animal sleepover drop off is on Friday, June 27, with pick up on Saturday, June 28.
In Grove City – Level Up at Your Library summer reading program continues through August 29th. Crafternoon – bring-your-own craft program – for ages 16-to-adult is on Thursdays from 3-to-5 p.m. (no meeting June 19). Science Heroes: Adventure of the Missing Color is on Friday, June 6, at 2 p.m. CLIMB Theatre: Babe the Blue Ox is on Monday, June 9, at 11 a.m. Story time is Tuesday, June 10, at 2 p.m. Pokémon trading card game for ages 7-to-18 is Wednesdays June 11 and 25, from 4-to-5:30 p.m. ATGC Book Club: And Then There Were None is Tuesday June 17, at 7 p.m. at the Atwater Library. Science Museum of Minnesota: Engineering is on Wednesday, June 25, at 3 p.m. Knitting Club is on Thursday, June 26, from 4-to-5 p.m.
In Cosmos – Level Up at Your Library summer reading program continues through August 30th.
Pokémon trading card game for ages 7-to-18 is on Mondays, June 2, 9, and 16, from 10:30-to-12.
Science Heroes: Adventure of the Missing Color is Friday, June 6, at 4 p.m. Story time is on Saturday, June 7, at 10:30 a.m. CLIMB Theatre: Babe the Blue Ox is on Friday, June 13, at 2 p.m. LEGO program for ages 3-to-18 is on Monday, June 16, from 2-to-3 p.m. Science Museum of Minnesota: Engineering is on Monday, June 23, at 10 a.m. Princess Kay dairy storytime is on Friday, June 27, at 3 p.m.
The Pioneerland libraries will be closed on Thursday, June 19, for Juneteenth. For more information on any of the programs, call 320-693-2483.
Meeker Area Ministries has its transitional housing up and running at 409 North Sibley Avenue in Litchfield to help people in homeless situations. The UCAP office is also located at this address.
Rochelle Brummond says they have about a 70% success rate of helping people find employment and stable housing. She says it helps so much when they are able to come along side of people facing homelessness and mentor them.
Brummond says there is not a lot of rental housing available in the area which makes it challenging for people who are trying to get their lives together. She says Meeker Area Ministries is a model for other communities in the state and they are so grateful for the support they receive from the community.
MAM board member Julie Pennertz says she and Paul White recently attended a UCAP conference where MAM was given an award. She says UCAP is in 9 counties and 4 partial counties and they chose MAM out of all the different organizations they work with for their outstanding non-profit partnership.
Pennertz says the types of people who are homeless is changing with more veterans and elderly people facing homelessness as their income is not keeping up with the costs of housing. For more information, call Rochelle at 693-7911, extension 1401, and donations to MAM may be sent to Post Office Box 192 in Litchfield.
The Litchfield School Board has approved of having just one meeting date in the month of July. The Board will meet on July 28th.
During the next meeting – on June 9th – the Board will go into a closed session for its annual superintendent evaluation. Supt. Susan Burris will be completing her first year in the position next month. Among the Consent Agenda items approved by the Litchfield School Board last night was the resignation for retirement purposes of IT Director Jennifer Ridgeway.
The School Board approved of a resolution last night accepting donations including $525 from Meeker County Farm Bureau Federation and Farm Bureau Financial for the Middle School for bus services for the 5th grade farming/ag field trip; $1,000 from Litchfield Golf Club Inc. for Girls Golf uniforms; $1,000 from Litchfield Golf Club Inc. for Boys Golf uniforms; $5,759.38 from the Litchfield Goal Line Club for football jerseys; and $4,400 for hand tools from Malco Tools of Annandale.
The Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Dept. responded to a report of a semi truck in the ditch on Monday afternoon at 12:47 on County Road 5 near the Kandi-Renville line – about 3 miles south of Roseland. Upon arrival, deputies determined that the driver lost control in the curves as he was southbound on County Road 5, entered the ditch and rolled.
The 2019 International HX520 tractor truck, owned by Anderson Farms, was pulling a 2025 MHEB livestock trailer loaded with hogs. The driver, 59-year-old Steven Buchholz of Stacy, was transported to CentraCare Rice Hospital in Willmar with non-life-threatening injuries.
Traffic on County Road 5 was diverted for several hours Monday afternoon so the crash scene could be cleared. Assisting at the scene were the Minnesota State Patrol, Renville County Sheriff’s Office, Raymond Ambulance, Centra Care Ambulance, Blomkest Fire Dept., Blomkest First Responders, Kandiyohi County Rescue Squad, Prinsburg Fire Dept., Danube Fire Dept., Buffalo Lake Fire Dept., Kandiyohi County Public Works and Renville County Highway Dept.
