Kolt Band to perform Aug. 21 in Wood Lake

The Kolt Band, an area country band that performed throughout southwestern Minnesota in the late 1980s into the mid-1990s, will perform Wednesday, Aug. 21, for a street dance at the Wood Lake Fair. The band is comprised of Clint Lecy from Montevideo on steel guitar/acoustic and electric guitar, along with his brother Ben Lecy from Belview on bass/acoustic guitar. The brothers joined Chuck Antinson (drums) from Granite Falls and Tom Listul (electric guitar/acoustic guitar) from Clarkfield and played many concerts, dances and festivals. The band disbanded in the early 2000s, but the members remained close friends. Over the last couple of years the band members have been playing selected acoustic concerts of original songs and crowd favorites.

Red Cross needs blood donations before summer ends

With many regular donors delaying giving to take final summer vacations and prepare for school to start, the American Red Cross has an emergency need for blood and platelet donations to help end a summer blood shortage.

Make an appointment to donate blood now by downloading the free Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enabling the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device. Those who donated blood earlier this summer may be eligible to give again. Blood can be safely given every 56 days, and Power Red donations can be given every 112 days.

With the help of a $1 million donation from Amazon, the Red Cross is thanking those who help overcome the shortage by coming to give through Aug. 29 with a $5 Amazon.com gift card via email. (Restrictions apply; see amazon.com/gc-legal. More information and details are available at RedCrossBlood.org/Together.)

Upcoming blood donation opportunities Aug. 13-31:

Lac qui Parle County: Dawson, from 1-7 p.m. Aug. 21, Grace Lutheran, 716 8th St. Lincoln County: Ivanhoe from 1-7 p.m. Aug. 29, Bethany Elim Lutheran, 102 S. Highway 5. Lake Benton, from 1:30-6:30 p.m., Aug. 28, Community and Event Center, 114 S. Center St. Lyon County: Marshall, from 9:30 a.m.- 3:30 p.m., today, Western Mental Health Center, 1212 E. College Drive; from 2-6 p.m., Friday, St. Stephen Lutheran, 1301 S. Fourth St.; from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, YMCA, 200 S. A St. from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Aug. 27, St. Stephen Lutheran, 1301 S. Fourth St. Murray County: Slayton, from 1-7 p.m., Thursday, Christ Lutheran Church, 2959 Queen Ave. Pipestone County: Ruthton, 12:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m., Aug. 26, Community Center, 501 Smith Ave. Yellow Medicine County: Clarkfield, 1-7 p.m., today, Clarkfield Lutheran Church, 1000 15th Ave.

Fire claims historic barn at one of state’s first sesquicentennial farms

NICOLLET — Fire claimed a historic barn at one of Minnesota’s first sesquicentennial farms.

The fire started around 4:30 p.m. Sunday at the Tostenson Brothers Farm located north of Nicollet on 441st Ave.

The fire was extinguished in under three hours through the efforts of multiple fire departments, including Nicollet and Courtland but the damage had already been done. The Tostenson family barn is a total loss.

The exact time the fire started and the cause is still unknown.

Owner Dwight Tostenson said the fire marshal was expected to visit the site on Tuesday.

All the Tostenson family knows at this time is that a major part of their family’s legacy is gone.

The barn was built by Elling Overjorde Tostenson in 1876. Each generation of the family added onto the barn over the years. The structure was two stories and 160 feet long.

Richard Tostenson said the barn was home to many types of animals over the years, including Clydesdale, Percherons, cattle, Berkshire hogs, turkeys and sheep. Fortunately, no animals were in the barn at the time of the fire.

The barn was important for the family. The farm was established in 1854. For most of the farm’s history, the barn was there for the family.

“We just lost three generations worth of barn,” Richard Tostenson said.

— Clay Schuldt, New Ulm Journal