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Iris Tzafrir (center) with Grace Lutheran Church outreach committee members (back, from left) Mary Jenatscheck, Jonna Moen, Pastor Jillene Gallatin, (front, flanking Tzafrir) Carlene Rosenthal and Chuck Brenner. Pioneer photo by Deb Bently

Daughter of holocaust Survivors tells of trauma

“During my childhood, I was angry with God,” remembers Iris Tzafrir. Tzafrir’s parents, both Holocaust survivors, married in Israel in 1949 and went on to raise two daughters and two sons. Tzafrir’s childhood anger stemmed from what seemed like odd behavior on her parents’ part. “Why did I...

From left: Rick and Sheila Morris of Waseca Floral; Diane Beckmann of Thrivent Financial; Larry Johnson of MinnWest Bank; Abbe Hoehn of The Mill; and Dr. Jay Bulfer with his wife Lyndsea of Growing Roots Chiropractic were acknowledged during the Waseca Area Chamber of Commerce Business & Industry Celebration, at The Mill the evening of Oct. 29, 2024.

2024 Waseca Business of the year goes to...

The Mill Event Center was abuzz with activity the evening of Tuesday, Oct. 29 for the Waseca Area Chamber of Commerce 2024 Business & Industry Celebration. Organization executive director Ann Fitch acted as emcee for this event which celebrates the accomplishments and dedication of Waseca...

Jennifer Burt, office manager with Patton, Hoversten and Berg law office in Waseca, wanted students to know they don't have to be lawyers to do important work in the field of law.

Pioneer photo by Deb Bently

Career fair expands future possibilities

About 350 students from the Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton (JWP) and Waseca high schools, the Alternative Learning Center, and the Southwest Metro Partnership “Transitions” program attended a career fair at The Mill in Waseca co-sponsored by the Waseca counseling department and the Waseca Area...

Local veteran Norman Eckart and his wife Sharon will celebrate 60 years of marriage next year on Aug. 21, 2025. Pioneer photo by Eli Lutgens

Marriage, military, and Turkey - Eckart talks time as cryptographer

From Minnesota to Georgia, Colorado, and even Turkey until his eventual return, Norman Eckart served our country as a cryptographer for the United States military. Eckart, 80, was drafted into the service in 1965 during the heart of the Vietnam War. “Uncle Sam interrupted our wedding,” Sharon...

Floyd Herme

Floyd Herme Janesville resident and Vietnam Veteran

Floyd Herme turned 73 this past July. A veteran, he’s also Commander of Janesville American Legion post 281. Having grown up in Winnebago, he graduated from high school there in 1970. He and a group of four others had agreed among them they were going to join the Army right after graduating....

Viola Johnson, 94, says sewing quilt tops is as pleasurable to her as eating a candy bar. The Colony Court resident has sewn together hundreds of quilt tops. The Quilting Club of St. John Lutheran Church in Waseca then finishes the quilts and donates them to charity. Pioneer photo by Deb Bently

Local senior has Heartwarming hobby

Viola Johnson, 93, says making quilt tops is as enjoyable for her as eating chocolate. “I just love it,” she comments. “They’re so pretty when they’re done.” Johnson, a lifelong area resident, is no stranger to quilting. Born in 1930 near Mapleton, she was one of eight children in a time...

From left: Waseca Art Center vice president Mikhail Rostislavovich, secretary Molly Erdman, fundraising committee members Tara Bjerke, Ann Johannsen, Monica Priebe, and Liz O'Brien, and treasurer Mark Christianson dressed in their best Halloween finery for the Waseca Art Center's annual Great Fall Get-Together. Pioneer photo by Melanie Piltingsrud

Waseca Art Center hosts annual event

The Phantom of the Opera, who usually hides in a cavern underneath the Paris Opera, emerged to attend the Waseca Art Center's Great Fall Get-Together, which took place from 6 – 9 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26 at the Starfire Event Center in Waseca. The popularity of last year's event, which drew...

Barney's Drive-In on Clear Lake will be open year-round. Pictured is Joe Veroeven and his wife Audra on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. Pioneer photo by Ben Revermann

Barney’s Drive-In to stay open through winter months

The south side of Clear Lake in Waseca has a statue of a giant chicken by the side of the road, this is next to Barney’s. There’s also the giant chair to pose in, or the giant wooden cheeseburger. Usually, Barney’s Drive-In 1950s style dining is closed for the winter months, well that’s recently...

Kenneth Bae speaks about his time spent in a North Korean prison camp during a talk at Waseca’s Christ Community Church on Oct. 13, 2024. Photo by Jessica Lutgens

‘Be careful when you pray’

Nearly ten years after being released from a North Korean prison camp, Evangelical Christian missionary Kenneth Bae traveled to Waseca, home of Kelly Sadler, who was among those who helped encourage him during his imprisonment by being part of a letter writing campaign. A good-sized crowd was in...

Dustyn and Krista Fogal with their sons Maddyx, 7, and Bryson, 4. With them is family pet Cocoa.

Wasecan’s face-off with cancer began at age 18

Krista Fogal, 38, has been cancer free for 14 years. Despite the time lapse, though, she relives the powerful moments that were part of her journey as she tells her story. “When you hear the word ‘cancer,’” she remembers, “the next word you think of is ‘death.’” She also remembers the day her...