Members of the New Prague Area Concertina Club kick off MusicFest II at the Park Ballroom in New Prague on Saturday, Feb. 9. The day and evening of music goes until 10 p.m. and features eight bands, silent auctions, door prizes and food. Funds raised from MusicFest II will go the New Prague Veterans Memorial that will be built east of the community’s library in Memorial Park in 2020. For more see an upcoming print issue of The New Prague Times. (Patrick Fisher Photo)

Brilliant sun dogs put on a spectacular morning show Friday, Feb. 8, for those heading to work or school, or just out braving the frigid temperatures. This photo was taken along Redwing Avenue, just east of New Prague, by New Prague High School student Marah Slavik.

New Prague Area Schools announced Thursday evening that schools would start two hours late Friday, Feb. 8, due to the weather.

Sisters Lydia, left, and Paige Olson, daughters of Tim Olson of New Prague, enjoy the snow on Thursday, Feb. 7. About 4 to 6 inches of snow had fallen on the area by Thursday afternoon. New Prague Area Schools had cancelled classes for the day and several businesses closed early due to the weather. Area high school sports scheduled for Thursday evening were either cancelled or postponed. This evening's New Prague Area Chamber of Commerce's Bingo Night scheduled at Giesenbräu Bier Co. was also cancelled. (Patrick Fisher Photo)

Jeremy Weckman, a 2000 New Prague High School graduate, is one of the hosts of XOR (Xtreme Off Road), a television show that was recently picked up by the History Channel.
Jeremy attended Dakota County Technical College and was an automotive technician at Jeff Belzer’s in Lakeville. He later attended WyoTech in Laramie, WY, to study collision refinishing and street rod fabrication, graduating No. 1 in his class. He moved back to Minnesota and worked for a private car collector/builder and later ran his own shop in Jordan.

The New Prague Veterans Memorial MusicFest II fundraiser will take pace Saturday, Feb. 9, at the Park Ballroom, 300 Lexington Ave. S in New Prague.
The day-long event will feature eight bands, silent auctions, door prizes, food and more.

New Prague Area Schools will be closed Thursday, Feb. 7, due to predicted weather conditions.
Students will have a blended learning day.
There will be no WRAP or pre-school classes.
All evening activities are cancelled.

Shopko announced Wednesday, Feb. 6, that it was closing 174 additional stores following its recent bankruptcy filing, and that includes the Shopko Hometown store in New Prague.
When all is finished, the company will have just 109 stores, compared to the current total of 360.
A list published Wednesday includes stores closing in six phases, some as early as March 2. This includes stores that were announced to close last month. Fifteen stores in Minnesota are on the list. The New Prague store is in the sixth phase, and its estimated last day of operation is May 12.

Due to the impending bad weather forecasted for Thursday, Feb. 7, the New Prague Area Historical Society is cancelling its “Winter Meeting” on that date at the New Prague Library. Weather forecasted for that day is there is a 30 percent chance of snow showers in the evening, winds of 10 to 20 miles per hour, and temperatures of 16 degrees fahrenheit for a high and a low of 12 degrees below zero.

New Prague Area Schools will be delayed 2-hours on Monday, February 4, 2019 due to icy road conditions.

New Prague High School hold its coronation of Snoball Royalty during a pepfest Friday afternoon. Feb. 1. Brooklynn Isley and Noah Weichert were crowned Snoball queen and king. The royal court is pictured (front row, left to right) Danielle Burns, Baylee Rezac, Junior Princess Abigail Bisek, Junior Prince Bohumil Tisdel, Queen Brooklynn Isley, King Noah Weichert, Junior Princess Elle Virtnek, Luke Schoenbauer, Charlie Jirik; (back) Mary Daly, Caroline Geiger, Hailey Wight, Carlie Simon, Chloe Davis, Spencer Kajer, Murphy Warner, Joseph Beatrez, Joe Weiers and Cody Harder.

“Overwhelming” is how the Goulson family of New Prague felt on Friday, Jan. 25, as more than 450 people attended a fundraiser at Ridges at Sand Creek Golf Course near Jordan. The fundraiser was to show support and help the family with expenses not covered by insurance as mom Diane Goulson undergoes chemotherapy and surgery for pancreatic cancer. The evening featured a pasta bar, live music, a silent auction and a raffle.

In its continuing series New Prague Community Action Network (NPCAN) had a Community Conversation on Sunday, Jan. 27, about Stewarding the Earth: Realities, Responsibilities, and Opportunities. Held at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, they also partnered with FaithPoint Lutheran Church, NewDay Church, and the New Prague Area Catholic Community.

Staff writer and columnist Lisa Ingebrand, who works for the Lake Region Life, Elysian Enterprise, and the Montgomery Messenger, was honored for her writing during the 2019 Minnesota Newspaper Association’s (MNA) Annual Convention on January 24 in Bloomington. Ingebrand earned third place honors for her work as a writer in the Arts and Entertainment category among weeklies with up to 1,500 in circulation. This was her tenth MNA Award in 15 years with the local newspapers.

Due to the dangerously cold weather that is forecast for tomorrow morning, New Prague Area Schools will be closed Thursday, January 31st. This will be another blended learning day. The school closure includes Preschool Programs.
Childcare programs including WRAP and Kids Company will be open from 7:00 AM - 5:30 PM for students enrolled in these programs. Falcon Ridge and Raven Stream families will go to Kids Company at Raven Stream. Central Education Campus preschool families will have WRAP at the CEC. Eagle View will be open for WRAP and K-5 Kids Company families.