Stan Rauch
Manager, Prairie Village

The 6th annual Motongator Joe’s Country Music Festival is this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the village. This is always a great time for the attendees to enjoy quality country music. For the schedule of performances, ticket purchase (also available at the gate), camping reservations and other details you can go to bigtimecountry.com or call 866-245-2702.

We rent the village grounds to the organizers of the country music festival but our normal operations are maintained, although access to the village is the gate admission to the event. Free access is provided on Sunday morning for our 8:00 a.m. church services.

This is the time of the season that we increase our activity with regard to building restoration and preservation. One important project that is slated to be completed by August 1st is the installation of new siding on the library, and restoring the front deck. This historic building was the first chartered library in Dakota Territory back in 1886. A $5,000 grant from the Mary Chilton DAR Foundation will assist significantly in completing this important work. The library’s windows will also be restored.

The Ash Grove Church is in progress now of being primed in preparation for painting. Painting the exterior of these higher, steep roofed buildings is a challenge but it always seems to get done.

The Prairie Village Ladies Auxiliary is funding the painting of the lobby in the Opera House. This will be a welcome restoration of part of this grand old building.

Another in-progress, long term project is the Winfred Jail that has been adopted by the Scotting family of Lake Wilson, MN. The building is currently sitting back from its usual site a few feet to make room for a new concrete foundation that will be put in.

The exterior of the old shower house/restroom will be painted also. This facility has served the village well for many years and will no doubt continue to do so for many more to come.

We get phone calls, some of them almost frantic, asking if by remote chance we have any camping sites with electricity available for a particular time. They are always surprised and relieved to learn that we always have sites available throughout the season except for the Jamboree. Those electrical sites have been reserved since a couple of days following last year’s event.