Culture & Community

A large Channel One Regional Food Bank truck is parked beside a red brick building with boarded windows. A worker in a gray hoodie unloads boxes on a lift gate, while two people stand near the open door labeled “Food Shelf.”

Local Food Shelves Stepping Up to Meet Record Demand

David Phillips reports on food shelves across southeastern Minnesota facing record demand in 2025 as inflation, high costs and reduced SNAP benefits strain family budgets.

picture of book cover

Returning the Sword: New Book Chronicles Local Man’s Gift to Japanese Family

Minnesota author Caren Stelson’s latest picture book focuses on the story of a Lanesboro man’s efforts to reconnect a World War II souvenir with its rightful owner in Japan.

three actors on state with deep blue curtains in background

In Rural Minnesota, this Resident Ensemble Model Thrives

Robert Hubbard takes us behind the scenes at Lanesboro’s Commonweal Theatre to reveal the secrets of its success as a professional theatre for nearly 40 years!

A group of Minnesota Vikings fans ride a bright yellow open-air bus decorated with large purple signs reading “SKOL VIKINGS” and the team’s horned-Viking logo. The fans, wearing gold Viking helmets with white horns, smile and wave despite the rainy weather. Some wear ponchos or hold umbrellas, and autumn trees with orange and green leaves fill the background.

From Radio Waves to Fan Blogs: How Tony Schultz Built His Vikings Community

Rose Korabek talks Vikings football with lifelong fan Tony Schultz, a local contributor to the all-things-purple-and-gold “Vikings Territory” blog.

photo of sunset across body of water

Paddling the Mississippi River is a Grand Adventure!

Mississippi River expedition will be canoeing past southeastern Minnesota; details from the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk.

A young man wearing a bike helmet and a green and black one-piece biking uniform splattered in mud stands behind his bike with his hand on the seat and handlebars.

Gravel-Cycling Bikers Crisscross Root River Valley in Competition

Greg Lovell reports on the USA Cycling Gravel National Championships held in September 2025 in La Crescent, Minn.

Model A cars and people at shelter

Enjoying the Driftless in Century-Old ‘A’

Photographers/videographers capture members of an Iowa Model A Ford club touring through southeastern Minnesota.

From left to right: two women and a man hold shovels in a grassy area in front of a wooden deck attached to a metal building wall.

New Court will Brighten Up Downtown Spring Valley

David Phillips reports on the newest Spring Valley project to create a gathering space in the hole left in the business district by the 2017 fire.

A woman with blonde-brown hair in a loose bun wearing a black sweat set, blue skirt, and white cotton gloves gestures toward an ornately carved 8 foot tall wooden clock.

Bily Brothers Clocks: “They Truly Loved It.”

John Weiss discovers an incredible collection of large scale wooden carved clocks at the unique Bily Clocks Museum in Spillville, Iowa.

photo of woolly mammoth exhibit and people viewing

Woolly Mammoths Once Roamed our Driftless Area

Mower County exhibition features gigantic tooth, evidence of prehistoric creatures in southeastern Minnesota.

Pairs of dancers practicing square dancing on a wooden dance floor.

Swing Your Partner, Do-Si-Do

John Torgrimson takes to the Barn Dance floor and meets up with square dance caller Sue Hulsether.

A large group of women along the bottom in front of a graphics which include multiple red lines extending diagonally in many directions. With a headline of white letters on a dark blue background covering the top third of the page. Headline says: Public voices fellowship on advancing the rights of women and girls. Also shown is the OpEd logo in the lower-middle right space.

A Life Lived, A Challenge Faced, A Story Told

Steve Harris profiles regional artist and writer Renée Bergstrom, selected as one of 20 participants in a national op-ed fellowship program.

Follow us

Supported by...

Support Root River Current

CLICK HERE to help pay for the stories you value!