John Gaddo

John Gaddo

John Gaddo is co-publisher of Root River Current. His professional career has included stints as a public media manager, journalist and audio producer.

Author's Archive

Art in the Park draws thousands of visitors from around the area to Lanesboro each June to celebrate art. (Submitted photo)

Art in the Park Festival Celebrates the Arts

Lanesboro’s Art in the Park festival is an annual celebration of art.

Nancie McCormish is pictured with her horse Zekemoouse at her farm near Steamboat Springs, Colorado. (Photo submitted)

Cornucopia | The Birth of the Lanesboro Arts Gallery

Steve Harris visits with Nancie McCormish, one of the founders of Cornucopia Art Center, a forerunner to the Lanesboro Arts Gallery.

Some of the trout and other fish electroshocked this spring as part of the DNR’s annual trout stream analysis (Photo by John Weiss)

DNR Shocks Trout to Check Health of Area Streams

Nature writer John Weiss observes annual health check of area trout streams

Three 120-foot-wide contour strips planted with cover crops follow the contours of hills and ridges, reducing runoff, nutrient loss, and erosion on the Phil Schwantz farm near Altura. (Photo submitted by Phil Schwantz)

Finding a Better Way, One Generation to the Next

Jim Ruen reports on an area farmer who continues a decades-long search for new ways to improve soil health and, through that, soil, water and farm profits.

The Rutabaga Brothers, with vocalist Mariah Ciangiola (second from left), performed at a spring 2023 concert at the Sons of Norway hall in Lanesboro. (Submitted photo)

Mariah’s Magical Musical Tour

Steve Harris catches up with The Rutabaga Brothers band and their new lead singer

This image is an artist rendering of what a manure digester plant planned for Benson, Minnesota may look like. (Graphic: Nature Energy)

Manure Digester Proposed in Lewiston

Julie Little and Loni Kemp explore the impact manure digesters may have on local communities.

Prairie enthusiasts throughout the Root River valley burn off remains of previous years' prairie grasses to trigger another year’s new growth. (Photo by John Gaddo)

Seasonal Photo

Repeating a custom of old, southeast Minnesota prairie enthusiasts prep their land for a new season.

Walker’s route through Fillmore County took him from Pleasant Grove in Olmsted County to Jordan, Fillmore Village, Carimona, Waukokee, Big Springs, Greenfield, and Eliotta, before crossing into Iowa at Burr Oak. Waukokee was a swing station and post office south of Preston and Eliotta was located on the Minnesota – Iowa border in present-day Canton Township. (Map courtesy of Fillmore County Historical Society)

Dubuque-St. Paul Territorial Road Opened Up Area to White Settlement

The Dubuque – St. Paul trail opened up the Minnesota Territory to white settlement. John Torgrimson writes about the role the stagecoach played in that development.

Three horses running in the snow surprised me. They looked like a scene in a Chinese painting. (Photo by John Weiss)

In Search of Golden Eagles

Nature writer John Weiss travels to Houston County in search of Golden Eagles.

Jack and Nancy Bratrud at their home in Preston. They are shown with their scrapbook documenting the media attention Mrs.B’s generated, which helped put Bluff Country on the map as a tourist destination. (Photo by John Torgrimson)

It All Started with Mrs. B’s

Loni Kemp interviews the founders of Mrs. B’s in Lanesboro, which kicked off tourism development in Bluff Country.

Karla Bloem, Executive Director of the International Owl Center in Houston, Minnesota, with Uhu the Eurasian Eagle Owl. (Photo by Alan Stankevitz)

Owl Center Puts Houston on the Map

Steve Harris takes us inside the amazing International Owl Center in Houston

The Fillmore County Board recently expanded the animal unit cap for livestock from 2,000 to 4,000, sparking debate over the balance between farming and the environment. (Submitted photo)

What Happens When Feedlots Get Bigger in Karst Country?

Fillmore County changed its Feedlot Ordinance in 2023 to allow for up to 4,000 animal units despite concerns about sinkholes, porous bedrock, and water quality. John Torgrimson follows the story.

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