In these days of a coronavirus-filled world, one never knows what you’re going to find along the roadside.
In late April as I was traveling between my offices in Kasson and Blooming Prairie, I stumbled across some commotion at the end of a driveway just outside Hayfield. As I went by, I honked my horn because that’s what I was instructed to do thanks to a poster declaring, “Honk 4 my birthday.”

Mark Brian Grunklee, age 62, of Kasson, died Monday, April 27, 2020 at Hiawatha Group Home in Rochester.
Mark was born in Rochester on Dec. 31, 1957 to parents, Alfred and Jacqueline (Schauer) Grunklee. He was the oldest of five children. 

Just last week I was discussing some of the absurdities showing up as a result of COVID-19 with Karen Jorgensen, DCI editor. One such example came to my attention from Wayne Hendrickson. In the email Wayne had sent to the staff, was a video of a woman demonstrating the flammability of hand sanitizer.

There are five seniors on the K-M softball team that lost their last high school season. To do our part to help make up for that loss we are going to give each of them the spotlight one more time.
Kayla Schubert
Third baseman Kayla Schubert has played on varsity for four years and has earned HVL All-Conference and All-Section1AAA honors.

The freshly mowed greens, the swinging clubs, the golf carts; they’re all signs that spring is finally here and this year more than any other golf is a welcome distraction from the world around us.
While Governor Walz’s recent executive order allows for the opening of public and private golf courses, the guidelines require golfers and golf courses to uphold social distancing practices.

This is a strange time for everyone who normally attends school and the teachers are no exception.
While all teachers have had to adjust to this new reality, some subjects are harder to teach virtually than others.
Andrew Faller, Kasson-Mantorville’s vocal music teacher, who normally teaches large choir classes said distance teaching is a challenge and has caused him to change his curriculum.

It may be a graduation unlike any other but the Kasson-Mantorville Class of 2020 will still have the opportunity for parents and grandparents to watch them receive their diplomas.
Details are still being worked out, said Supt. Mark Matuska, but the plan is for the ceremony to be held outside in the parking lot in front of the main entrance to K-M High School.

It’s not exactly the way Anthony Schnable envisioned spending his 10th birthday, but things are anything but normal these days in a coronavirus-filled world.
 

Eugene "Bud" Victor Frey, 81, of Byron passed away to his eternal home on Sunday, April 19, 2020 at The Waters on Mayowood of Rochester after a long battle with Alzheimer's Disease.