Outside Looking In

Carve Away

The inaugural Mascot Pumpkin Carving Contest has begun.
This contest is free and open to anyone in Minneota, Ghent, Taunton, St. Leo or Porter.
Pumpkins can be any size or shape. Only those 15-and-older are eligible. Only one carving per person please.
After you have completed your pumpkin, have someone take a closeup photo of you with the pumpkin and email it to scott@thomabooks.com or bring it into the Mascot office from 9-4 on Monday or Tuesday, or 9-noon on Wednesday.
The deadline for submitting your entries in Friday, Oct. 21.
We will include all the photos of the carved pumpkins in the front window of the Mascot, as well as publish them in the Oct. 27, along with the announcement of the winners.
There will be a yet-to-be determined prize for the top pumpkins.

Fire Prevention Week
Next week is Fire Prevention Week and the Mascot will be honoring the fire department in our coverage area; Minneota, Ghent, Taunton, Porter and St. Leo in next week's paper.
Fire Prevention Week is being observed Oct. 10-14 this year.
The Minneota Fire Department is hosting an Open House from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 9 with a free-will meal provided during those times.
At 1 p.m., the Minneota Fire Relief Association raffle drawing will be held for the 10 prizes valued at over $10,000.
First prize will receive a 2022 Polaris 450 ATV, second is a Traeger Pro 575 Pellet Grill, third is a Weber Spirit E-210 Propane Grill, fourth and fifth are each a Solo Stove Bonfire Fire Pit, sixth through 10th range in cash prizes from $250 to $1,500.
The Minneota Fire Department will also conduct "Operation Edith" again this year. The fire trucks will be driven through town beginning at 8 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 9 and community members are asked to turn on their porch lights to signify that they have an exit drill plan in place in case of a fire.

Halloween prank
In the 1970 Centennial History of Lyon County book, a humorous Halloween prank that occurred in the early 1900s in rural Cottonwood is worth noting here.
The story told is of a widow named Mrs. Knutson (no first name given). Her sharp tongue and ever-ready broom kept most young people at a distance, but proved to challenge the ingenuity of some boys. Among the boys were Endre Anderson, the future head football coach at St. Olaf College; Willie Hatlestad, who became a school superintendent and mayor of Cottonwood; and Sylfest Anderson, who became a lawyer and also mayor of Cottonwood.
Mrs. Knutson had one love, her red and white milk cow that she treated with loving care.
One Halloween, for safety's sake she tethered the cow near her house. The next morning, Mrs. Knutson was outraged to see an all-red cow was tied up and her cow was missing.
She hurried into town to look for her cow, shrieking threats to whoever the perpetrators were. Unable to find her cow, she returned home.
A while later, she walked over the to the cow now tied up in her yard and decided to stroke her back. In doing so, she noticed that her hand was now covered with red paint.
It was her own beloved cow that had been painted courtesy of the three aforementioned boys' artwork.

Christmas lighting
With several people inquiring, I thought it should be noted that the Mascot will host its popular third annual Holiday Lighting Contest this year. So, start planning your displays.
One thing we will change to get more people involved is to include random drawing prizes. After the top three prizes are given out, we will include three more prizes in a drawing to those who sign up to enter the contest.
We did this with one prize last year in a random drawing and that person received a turkey. The reason we want to do that is some homeowners dropped out of the contest, feeling they couldn't compete with some of the others. We want the town lit up as much as possible for people to enjoy, so we want more people to enter, knowing they have a chance to win regardless of how many lights they have up.
More details will be forthcoming.

Contact Us

The Minneota Mascot
Address: 201 N. Jefferson
Minneota, MN 56264

Phone:(507) 872-6492