Spring Valley EDA

Tools for Economic Growth in Spring Valley, Minnesota.

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Students go underground to energize their creativity

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Original article published in the Mower County Independent, Thursday, June 25, 2026.   Reprinted with permission and gratitude.

By David Phillips

 

Some Kingsland students found their creative spark while exploring the depths below the surface.

In May, students in Valarie McConnell’s art class ventured underground during a tour of Mystery Cave at Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park, southeast of Spring Valley, to find inspiration for their artwork to wrap up the school year. The cave’s passages, pools and rock formations became the foundation for their creations, which are now on display at the cave visitors center.

Kingsland art instructor Valarie McConnell, left, and Mystery Cave Supervisor Dawn Ryan initiated the cave art project for Kingsland students.

The idea came from Dawn Ryan, who oversees Mystery Cave. She used to work at a national park with an artist-in-residence program that visitors loved. Mystery Cave doesn’t have the budget for that, but she thought it would be a fantastic idea to invite art students from Kingsland, the closest school to the cave, to create art inspired by it.

“I’m a big fan of art in parks,” she said. “I really believe art and nature go hand in hand.”

McConnell was so excited about the idea that she took the students on a field trip in May. Many of them snapped photos to help guide their projects. The gallery opening was on Saturday, June 13, with many of the students on hand to chat with cave visitors about their art.

The student artwork showcased a wide range of techniques, from pencil on paper to abstract acrylic on canvas.

Elissa Schneider started the process for her acrylic on canvas project when she discovered a section of the cave that really grabbed her attention. At first glance, this small part of the cave seemed unimportant, she said, but when she looked closely, she found an incredible amount of detail and texture, so she wanted to capture that amazing beauty and complexity.

“One of the most important artistic choices I made was deciding to paint the entire piece using only shades of purple. Part of the reason was that I had often heard that painting with only purple is extremely hard to do because it can be hard to create depth and variation without introducing other colors. I wanted to challenge myself creatively,” she said.

Reyna Campbell, left, and Elissa Schneider showcase their art projects after touring Mystery Cave.

“The other reason was inspired by the cave tour itself. The guide used both a regular white flashlight and a purple blacklight while showing us different features of the cave. The blacklight revealed glowing bacteria and highlighted details that were invisible under normal light. I wanted my painting to reflect that experience and show that there is often more than one way to see and understand a place.”

Carter Gilbert was drawn to a smooth area of the cave, a striking contrast to the jagged rocks and edges everywhere else. He used pencil on paper for his piece, called “Below,” because it shows what’s underneath when people are walking on top.

“The stalactites, flowing down, were all smooth because of the water dripping over time,” he explained. “I thought it looked really nice.”

Maddie Horton also used pencil on paper for her artwork, called “Darkness of the Cave.” She took lots of photos but picked one that showed a dark tunnel.

“I liked it because of how it was kind of like the structure of the cave. It’s not showing exactly what it looked like, of course, but there’s just definitely a lot of different rocks around and I don’t really know how to explain it. It was just going into somewhere kind of like an abyss or a void or something like that,” she said. “So I like the mystery of where it was going.”

Emily Sargent used acrylic on canvas for her project called “Into the Desolate Depths,” which is actually quite colorful. Her scene is near the beginning of the tour and includes a walking bridge over a water pool.

She said she was attracted to this scene because it has “a bit of everything seen in the cave, like some of the water pools, all the limestone,” and even the stalactites.

Emily Sargent, left, and Bryn Fussy created colorful acrylic on canvas art, which is on display in the visitors center at Mystery Cave for a limited time.

Reyna Campbell also explored acrylic on canvas with “Golden Cave to Crystal Waters.” Her inspiration came from two cave sections: one with a cave lake featuring light blue, teal, and brown hues, where a friend posed, and another with a lot of yellow lighting streaming through a large, round, black tunnel.

“It really gave me like a good idea on how really expansive this cave is, and the variety of all the different places inside the cave really inspired me,” she said. “I had a lot of fun with this piece.”

Brynn Fussy also used acrylic on canvas, but her piece, “Golden Waters,” is more abstract. She spread paint around, using a palette knife to smear it for an abstract effect.

“In the cave, we ended our little tour with this really cool pool of water. The gold comes from the really pretty reflection of gold that you get at the bottom of the pool,” she said. “And then the greens, the blues, and the dark blues come from the reflection from the top of the water, which I thought was really cool. The shimmering white also represents the dripstone in the cave that you get from the ceilings in the cave.

“So I kind of wanted to just represent the beauty of that pool, which I thought was really cool.”

Kingsland students showing their artwork at Mystery Cave are, from left, Carter Gilbert, Abigail Carlson and Maddie Horton.

Abigail Carlson took a bold step by trying watercolor for the second time ever in her piece called “The Eyes of the Beholders.” She enjoyed how the red values showed up in a rock formation with stalagmites and stalactites, but when she took a photo for reference, two of her classmates were accidentally included. However, she liked the lighting on them, so she included them in her painting.

“The blue of the figures contrasts very nicely with the nice red and orange tones of the rock formation. I really liked all the depth and composition of just the two figures looking at it,” she said.

McConnell also contributed to the gallery with the largest piece on display. Her acrylic on cotton is based on a spot in the cave that looked like a desert scene. “I thought it was really cool that you could find a desert in a cave,” she said.

“Mine is called Stone Remembers because stone is kind of like water and it has memory. And it just kind of fit because maybe once upon a time there was a desert,” she said.

The Kingsland instructor mentioned that Ryan’s request came out of the blue, but she loved the idea, which was great for her class, so she hopes to make this an annual trip with a bigger group next year.

The students also found it beneficial. For example, Campbell explained, “I have not really had the time or the determination, I suppose, to find a place and be like, ‘I want to paint here and take inspiration from here.’ So this was kind of a first for me. But it was a really fun experience, and I hope I get to do it sometime again because it was a good learning experience.”

Schneider said she really enjoyed the project because it gave her the opportunity to “spend time with a group of amazing people, all of whom had great personalities and made the experience enjoyable.” She also appreciated the quiet time painting, as it was calming to focus on one aspect of the artwork.

“I really appreciate them coming,” said Ryan. “It brings some added value to the visitor center, to the visitors. They like to see changing exhibits as well.”

 

Courtesy of the Mower County Independent, 135 E Main St. LeRoy, MN 55951, (507)-324-5325

Living memorial to serve community in practical way

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Original article published in the Mower County Independent, Thursday, June 11, 2026.   Reprinted with permission and gratitude.

By David Phillips 

 

A crowd gathers at the bridge on Main Street to watch a rubber duck race to raise funds for the Bobby Jones Memorial Volleyball Courts. Brianna Losey is at the far left, while the other two adults to the side of Spring Valley Creek are Tallie Bernard and Steve Volkart, both of whom helped with the event.

A living memorial is often a tree or garden, but the family of the late Bobby Jones is, in some ways, creating a different type of living memorial, one that encourages people to run and jump all over a plot of land that has two poles planted in a bed of sand.

“Our goal is to fully refresh and improve the area so it becomes something the entire community can be proud of; a place for kids, teens, families and adults to gather, stay active and enjoy some time together,” Brianna Losey, daughter of Jones, told Kiwanis during a presentation to the Spring Valley club at the end of May.

The courts are functional but outdated and underused, she said. “The poles were literally being held up by a ratchet strap, and the existing white pole was found to be completely rotted at the bottom,” she explained.

The family, in conjunction with Spring Valley Parks and Recreation, plans to add new sand, properly space the courts, install new light poles with updated light fixtures for better visibility and safety, upgrade the pads on the poles to increase safety, add fencing along the backside of the courts, and install aluminum bleachers for spectators and families.

Although cleaning up and modernizing the facility is important to Losey, who also plays volleyball, one of the most meaningful aspects of the project is dedicating the courts to her father.  They will be named the Bobby Jones Memorial Volleyball Courts.

“He truly loved volleyball, especially sand volleyball, and we still have medals and trophies from tournaments he played in, including one from the ‘90s Ag Days sand volleyball tournament,” said Losey. “After my dad passed, our family wanted to donate the memorial money towards something meaningful that could also give back to the community. This project just felt right.”

The effort involves more than just physical improvements.  Youth sand volleyball has already been added to the Spring Valley Parks and Rec program for this summer, a way to encourage future growth in the sport.  Losey is a member of the nine-person Parks and Rec Committee, which was created last November to assist the city in expanding recreation opportunities.

Brianna Losey, left, and Tallie Bernard go over the list of winners from the recent rubber duck race to raise funds for the Bobby Jones Memorial Volleyball Courts project underway in Spring Valley.

The courts are used by adults all summer long with a Thursday night league that had six teams last summer and a big tournament during Ag Days in August that draws teams from out of town along with the local teams.

Renovating the courts involves some costly items, but the family has been quite successful raising funds. The funding was initiated with the funeral money, which paid for things such as the standards and lines, said Losey. Bobby’s wife, Lori, has donated a substantial amount, she added. Spring Valley Public Utilities has also donated some labor and Todd Jones, brother to Bobby, has donated some materials.

There have also been some successful fundraisers, such as a rubber duck race held on

May 29 that brought in close to $1,500. The ducks were released into the Spring Valley Creek between Broadway Avenue and Main Street with the finish line at the bridge next to S & S Bait Shop, owned by Steve Volkart, who helped with the duck race. Tallie Bernard, another member of the Parks and Rec Committee, also helped with this project as well as the presentation to Kiwanis.

“We’ve already put a lot of time and effort into fundraising and planning, and the community support so far has been incredible,” said Losey. “We’re asking for support because we believe this project can become something really special, not just volleyball courts, but a space that brings people together.”

Work is still underway on the project, although Losey hoped that enough work has been done so they are playable for the leagues and the summer recreation program, which began this week. The family wanted to make sure it is a quality project with, for example, good filtration so the sand doesn’t turn to concrete when it rains as it did in the past, explained Losey. The look of the courts is also important, she added, since they are one of the first things people see when they are driving on Highway 63. “We want it to look welcoming and well-cared for,” she said.

The final touch will be placing a memorial sign by the courts, “a lasting way to honor my Dad’s memory while creating something positive for the future generations to enjoy,” said Losey.

In other words, a living memorial that will serve a useful purpose for the community for decades.

 

Courtesy of the Mower County Independent, 135 E Main St. LeRoy, MN 55951, (507)-324-5325

 

 

Spring Valley’s Broadway Project ~ Construction begins downtown this week

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Original article published in the Mower County Independent, Thursday, May 21, 2026.   Reprinted with permission and gratitude.

By Gretchen Mensink Lovejoy 

 

“The goal is to improve pedestrian safety, accessibility, and connectivity in downtown Spring Valley. Construction is currently planned to begin in the week of May 18, starting at the Broadway intersections with Jefferson Street and Courtland Street,” stated Bolton & Menk engineer Drew Weber, speaking of Spring Valley’s Broadway Project walkability initiative, for which construction is set to begin this week and continue through the next month or be yond to make the town’s historic Broadway Avenue friendlier to those who live here and who are visiting.

Pedestrian safety along the street where Spring Valley’s local businesses operate has been an issue that brought the project forward, as Weber pointed out that “wide crossings, limited sight lines, non-compliant curb ramps, and missing sidewalks were identified as safety concerns during project planning and community out reach,” so “the project includes shorter pedestrian crossings, Americans with Disabilities Act- (ADA) compliant curb ramps, improved sidewalks, drainage upgrades, and a new sidewalk connecting downtown to Willow Park.” Ultimately, he predicted, “Pedestrians will have shorter crossings, better visibility and continuous sidewalks, while motorists will benefit from clearer intersection layouts and safer, more predictable pedestrian movements.”

The Broadway Project is underwritten by three separate entities. Weber listed them, saying, “The project is funded in part by the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s (MnDOT) Active Transportation Program, Fillmore County and the city of Spring Valley. It is being completed in coordination with Fill more County.” The Fillmore County Highway Department is responsible for the improvements on Main Street reaching to Willow Park on the other side of Highway 63, a popular destination for bicyclists, pedestrians, and the dogs that accompany them, as the county had already chosen to upgrade that portion of the roadway because Main Street is concurrent with County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 1. There were no additions after funding sources were identified, but “minor refinements may occur during construction to ad dress field conditions or business access, but the overall scope and goals remain unchanged…no future phases have been planned at this time.”

Bolton & Menk has been engaged in the Broadway Project’s informational and design processes and will remain as a consulting entity as the work progresses. Weber stated, “Bolton & Menk has supported the city from early downtown visioning and public engagement in 2024 through grant coordination, design and construction preparation. We will continue providing construction observation, contract administration, agency coordination, and public communication support through out construction.” He commented, “The biggest challenge is coordinating construction in an active downtown while maintaining access for businesses and pedestrians. Multiple contractors will be involved, and weather can affect scheduling and sequencing, as can construction phasing, and coordinating the multiple contractors can affect timing. Traffic impacts will vary by phase, including temporary detours and a short-term closure at Main Street and Broadway, but the pedestrian access to businesses will be maintained. Construction will be inconvenient at times, but the project team will coordinate closely with each business to maintain pedestrian access and minimize disruption.”

The city council and administration have attempted to inform residents and business owners regarding the project’s impact. “The city has hosted workshops, open houses and neighborhood meetings and will continue sharing updates through the project website – residents and business owners can contact the project team through the project website at https://clients.bolton menk.com/springvalley2026active/.”

Weber concluded that while construction may be frustrating, it is temporary for a long-term solution. “This project is one step in a community-driven downtown vision, focused on long-term safety and accessibility, even if construction is temporarily inconvenient.”

 

Courtesy of the Mower County Independent, 135 E Main St. LeRoy, MN 55951, (507)-324-5325

Bicyclists will find challenges on area gravel roads Saturday

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Original article published in the Mower County Independent, Thursday, March 14, 2026.   Reprinted with permission and gratitude.

By David Phillips

 

The back roads around Spring Valley take people away from the bustle of modern life to a tranquil respite amidst the beauty of the rolling hills of southeastern Minnesota.

For gravel bicyclist enthusiasts, those crushed rock roads provide all that, but also an opportunity to challenge the body, mind and spirit. Facing those challenges with others builds
camaraderie, even romance in some cases, with like-minded individuals who enjoy spending a day powering their bikes for hours on gravel roads through the winding ups and downs of the
region.

Many of them will get together at 8 a.m. on Saturday, May 16, for the start of the 2026 Spring Valley Wilder 100, a race that has its origins 20 years ago in Rochester and has been
held in Spring Valley since 2010. The race has changed names and organizers over the years, but the 100-mile course has maintained pretty much the same route while a 60-mile race, now
65 miles, was added in 2024.

Paul Vogel, a former Spring Valley resident living in the Cleveland area, has participated in the race for the past 11 years and helped keep it going through a difficult period starting in 2019.
The race is “considered the granddaddy of all grassroots gravel races in the world, and considered in most gravel bike race circles as the race that put gravel on the map,” he said.

“The roads less traveled in southeastern Minnesota offer picturesque farmland that windsbetween towering bluffs and lush green valleys that many people have never experienced from
the quiet perspective of doing it on a bicycle,” he said. However, he warned, “don’t let the serenity fool you, the route can humble even the strongest of riders. Epic climbs, a river
crossing, a brief pedal through the forested canopy of Forestville State Park, and challenging downhills all contribute to the taxing, but rewarding experience. I personally find it exhilarating
bombing downhills at 45 miles an hour on a bed of misshapen marbles on a bicycle.”

Mike Blakeslee, who grew up as a neighbor to Vogel and now lives in Canon Falls, said Vogel got him into the sport, and now the ride has become a yearly tradition for him, as well as
his children and friends.

“We are not hard-core riders, so it;s a huge physical and mental challenge,” he said. “We look forward to getting together for the ride with a sense of anticipation and anxiety in not
knowing what the weather will be like and/or if we are in good enough shape to finish it. We keep each other motivated and always finish with good stories and a huge sense of
accomplishment.”

Another former Spring Valley resident, Todd Keune, who now lives in the Cresco area, said his motivation initially started 15 years ago with a decision to drop weight and get healthier at a
time when he was 70 pounds heavier than he is now.

He tried other sports, such as running and volleyball, before some fellow bicyclists at work nudged him into bicycling. He bought a nice road bike, but it disappeared a few months later.

However, when gravel bicycling exploded and he heard about the race in Spring Valley, “I was like, wow, this huge, world-popular race is in my hometown. So I decided to get a gravel
bike,” he said.

He has kept at this sport as this is his fifth gravel race in Spring Valley. Part of his motivation is to keep fit so he is around a long time for his 9-year-old special needs child, of whom he has
custody.

Another motivation is his girlfriend, Mackenzie Adams. When they met five years ago, she wasn’t fond of running or volleyball, but she thought bicycling sounded fun.

“So, only six weeks after meeting, she bought herself a really nice, brand-new bike,” he said. “Now I mostly just bike, as it’s what we do together. We do over half a dozen gravel races per
year together and ride a lot on our own together. It’s our thing.”

Adams said the challenge, as well as adventure, motivate her. “I am always looking to see just what my body can do for me,” she said. “I am always motivated to encourage other people
to just get out for the adventure.”

This will be her third year riding the Spring Valley race. The first year she wasn’t an official finisher as the only option was the 100-mile route, which she cut short before coming to the end.
Two years ago, the 60-mile route was added and she was an official finisher, quite an accomplishment as many dropped out due to the grueling wind that year.

The Spring Valley race started in 2007 as the Almanzo 100 by Chris Skogen of Rochester. In 2010, he moved the race to Spring Valley, where it quickly grew in reputation and in numbers
to a peak of more than 1,500 riders. However, in 2015 Skogen made a decision to give up the race, handing it over to Kathy Simpson and Spring Valley officials, but in 2018 he returned and
in 2019 moved it to Northfield with little advance notice.

It appeared the Spring Valley race was dead, but Vogel, a 1982 Spring Valley High School graduate, and Blakeslee and Alan Matson, both 1981 graduates, decided to do a farewell tour,
which attracted the attention of Drew Wilson, a well-known race promoter from Stewartville who helped organize an event in 2019 with 125 riders in what was called Keep Gravel Weird,
Volume 1. In 2020, with the pandemic raging and Wilson taking on another business venture, the three SVHS graduates decided to do a social distancing race called the Quarantini 100 with
14 participants showing up after a last-minute Facebook post.

The three kept the race going until this year when it was turned over to the Spring Valley Tourism Committee with Tamra Voigt taking the lead. She has been “drinking through a firehose
as I pass down all the lessons learned and best practices the tri-chairs accumulated over the past seven years,” said Vogel.

The race, now called the Spring Valley Wilder 100, is special to Vogel because of his connections to the community. His family moved to Spring Valley in 1977 and in 1985 he
married the love of his life, the former Kris Bonnerud, who died in 2020 from Lou Gehrig’s disease. Although they moved away shortly after marriage when Vogel started his 35-year
career in the U.S. Coast Guard, his parents and in-laws still reside in Spring Valley.

“It will always be considered my hometown, hometown proud,” he said.

It’s not just the allegiance to Spring Valley that makes this his favorite gravel race, noted

Vogel, who has ridden several others in the area and in Ohio.

“This is the one that keeps me coming back year after year. I find this offers the most challenging mix of all the gravel courses I’ve ridden,” he said. “While the route remains generally of the same character, the teeth, or the bite, is ever- changing, the location and amount of hero gravel (where all gravel has been swept aside over time and a smooth bed of limestone dust remains), fluffed-up gravel, freshly laid, spring boils, and mud, change from year to year. You can be assured there will be some of all. That’s part of what’s so inviting about the gravel roads in this part of the country; once you’ve ridden them once, you’ve ridden them once, you know what to expect, you just don’t know where you’ll encounter the changes from year to year.”

Keune, who lives close enough to train on the roads of the route, considers this his favorite as well, not only because Spring Valley is his hometown, but also “the history of the race and its
iconic route.”

Although Adams doesn’t have any ties to Spring Valley, she has a special spot in her heart for this race since Keune introduced her to this event.

She also understands the importance of community and small-town events. “I knew it was one that aligned with my own ‘small-town’ history, having grown up in northern Iowa,” she said.

For Blakeslee, who has also done several other races, the Wilder 100 is “probably the most scenic and challenging ride I have done,” he said. “Whether you are riding the 60- or 100-mile
route – with about 10 miles to get to the finish line, you have to climb Oriole Hill! When you get to the top, you think you’re finished climbing, but you are not; you still have to climb out of Masonic Park. It’s epic, and the reason a group of hard-core gravel riders come back every year.”

He is also amazed that much of the ride is on the same roads he and Vogel traveled on daily while growing up. “I never thought I would be riding a bike on these roads,” he said. “It’s great
that Spring Valley is keeping the ride going. It’s a great opportunity for Spring Valley and the community.”

Vogel echoes the appreciation for Spring Valley residents who are keeping the ride going. “Thank you, mayor, city officials, EDA (Economic Development Authority), and the tourism
committee for continuing this historic event — 17 consecutive years in Spring Valley, 20 years since the founders’ inception in 2007 in Rochester. Congratulations!”

 

Courtesy of the Mower County Independent, 135 E Main St. LeRoy, MN 55951, (507)-324-5325