Old Frontenac News Today

Billy “Bill” Benson 75, of Old Frontenac, MN died peacefully on May 24, 2023, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester, MN with his wife of 55 years by his side.

NONFICTION: Scott Chaskey claims a place for humanity in the messy, intricate web of life. "Soil and Spirit: Cultivation and Kinship in the Web of Life" by Scott Chaskey; Milkweed

FICTION: Barbara Kingsolvers latest, and best, re-creates "David Copperfield" in Americas Appalachians. "Demon Copperhead" by Barbara Kingsolver; Harper (560 pages, $29.99) ——— The lure of Barbara Kingsolvers latest novel begins

Small towns meet inviting lakes in these vacation enclaves.

25 years-1997

On Wednesday, the Corps of Engineers from St. Paul measured the ice on Lake Pepin to help prognosticate the start of the tow boat season.

Corps of Engineers completes second ice survey of the season Written By: Steve Gardiner | × Bill Chelmowski and Dan DeVaney used this airboat to conduct the ice survey on Lake Pepin on February 9, 2021. Steve Gardiner / RiverTown Multimedia The air temperature was 5 degrees above zero. The wind chill didn’t matter, because once Bill Chelmowski and Dan DeVaney climbed onto the airboat, they created more wind chill than nature did. The two are members of the U.S. Army Corps of...

Making plans is a plan for a calamity to come Some weeks we make a plan on what to cover, and it all goes out the window when news breaks. 6:30 am, Feb. 11, 2021 × This is the story of fire and ice. Fire is hot, fast and liable to burn you if youre not careful. Ice, on the other hand, moves more slowly. You can plan for ice, watching your step so you dont slip. Ice – no matter how much the Wise Woman grabs the dashboard when I drive in the snow – isnt going to jump o...

F or several months, my neighbor Judy had been suggesting to her husband, Preston, and me that we should visit this Italian Renaissance-style winery on the Wisconsin shore of Lake Pepin. We’re neighbors whose sons were (and still are) best friends, regularly visiting each other’s houses and playing soccer (and video games) together growing up. As we became empty nesters, Preston and Judy and my wife, Gretta, and I learned we shared a passion for good food and wine, so we met regularly...