Outdoors - Hastings Journal

The planned roundabout at the intersection of County Road 46 and Goodwin Avenue has a preliminary drawing completed. There was some great feedback at the Aug. 28 meeting around the plan and there could be some adjustments made to the plan before it is finalized.

Major remodel planned at Goodwin Ave. and County Road 46

Approximately three miles west of the intersection of County Road 46 (CR-46) and General Sieben Drive in Hastings is the intersection of Goodwin Avenue and CR-46. Goodwin Ave and CR-46 have been … more

By Bruce Karnick | 9/8/23

Kris Milliren (L) and Lori Hanson-Braun were on hand to witness the installation of the Class of 1988’s memorial plaque on a bench overlooking the Mississippi River along Lock and Dam Road.

Class of '88: In memory of our classmates that left us too soon

Loss comes in many forms and affects people differently. Every graduating class experiences the loss of classmates, many classes while still in school, and every class after graduation has people … more

By Bruce Karnick | 9/8/23

The cook camp at a previous Civil War Weekend. The LeDuc Historic Estate will be alive with history and fun for the whole family at this weekend’s Civil War Weekend.

Civil War Weekend a testament to Hastings’ rich Civil War history

For about 20 years, a group of volunteers have worked to bring history alive at the Dakota County Historical Society’s Civil War Weekend at the LeDuc Historic Estate in Hastings. … more

By John McLoone | 9/7/23

Night of Jazz planned at Sibley Historic Site

The Dakota County Historical Society will host Fur Trade Weekend at the Sibley Historic Site in Mendota, Minn., on Saturday, September 23, 2023, from 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. both days. The event will … more

8/31/23

Local Civil War historian Spencer Johnson's kitchen at a previous Civil War Weekend.

Dakota County Historical Society to host Civil War Weekend

The Dakota County Historical Society will host “Civil War Weekend” at the LeDuc Historic Estate on Saturday, Sept. 9 and Sunday, Sept. 10, 2021. The event will start at 10 a.m. and close … more

8/25/23

Volunteers from Hastings Environmental Protectors plant various plants in specially designed rubber floating islands that now call the pond in Cari Park home.

Floating Islands installed in Cari Park Pond

Wednesday morning, residents of Cari Park may have noticed a bit of commotion around their ponding basin. Hastings Environmental Protectors (HEP) installed two floating islands into the pond at Cari … more

By Bruce Karnick | 8/25/23

The younger kids sat on the floor to be close to the action of the books being read while adults and older kids sat in the chairs at the Dakota County Library for the BRAVE books ‘See You at the Library’ event organized by the Dakota County branch of Moms for Liberty.

Moms for Liberty Dakota County hosts BRAVE event at library

Moms for Liberty of Dakota County held the first annual “See You at the Library’ day, a book reading event at the Hastings library on Saturday, August 5. The event was created by actor … more

By Bruce Karnick | 8/25/23

Room reservations will be taken on The Confluence website- confluencehotel.com- starting next month.

The Confluence opening getting closer

The Confluence Hotel, a captivating new boutique hotel, opens later this summer within the beautifully renovated H.D. Hudson Manufacturing Factory. Flanked by the banks of the Mississippi River in … more

8/11/23

FLOTSAM! River Circus to appear in Hastings

FLOTSAM is a troupe of musicians, puppeteers, and circus artists who travel on a ramshackle raft giving free performances in riverfront towns along the way. During the tour, our boat is our mode of … more

8/6/23

Roadside Tennis Court reconstruction underway

Frequent drivers along Highway 55 in Hastings should have noticed by now that the rebuilding of the roadside tennis courts is well underway. The destruction phase of the work began the morning of … more

By Bruce Karnick | 8/4/23

These giant machines were often considered too much for the average user and limited versions of them were built in the early nineteen hundreds.

Little Log House Antique Power Show has a little something for everyone

July is a busy time for Hastings area residents, the Fourth of July parade and fireworks at the Hastings Golf Club kicks things off, the Rivertown Days put on by the Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce … more

By Bruce Karnick | 8/4/23

Tanner Anselment turned a bunt into a hit with a two-base error in the third inning against Duluth. Anselment scored on a Johnny Teigland sacrifice fly as part of the win over Duluth.

Legion baseball season ends at state tournament

The American Legion Post 47 baseball team was very busy last week, starting with a huge sendoff for the state tournament on Wednesday followed by the state banquet for all the teams and culminating … more

By Bruce Karnick | 8/4/23

The crowd quickly filled Sibley Street Saturday night for the Wicked Garden performance. Wicked Garden covers 90’s grunge and metal and they do it superbly. The crowd loved it, and as you can see, it was packed. The Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce-sponsored Rivertown Days featured a weekend of big events and was a huge success.

Fest draws huge crowd

By Bruce Karnick and DavidYoungren | 7/27/23

Construction is completed of the Pool 2 wing dam modification project, a first-of-its-kind endeavor in the nation that will improve navigation on the Mississippi River while enhancing the environment. At left, construction is surveyed. At right is a picture of Pool 2.

Innovative dam project will help river navigation and make for better fish habitat

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, celebrated the completion of the Pool 2 Wing Dam Modification Project with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, July 25, at Lock and Dam 2 in … more

Staff Report | 7/27/23

The food truck area located in the Levee Park parking lot is always hopping during Rivertown Days. It is close to the carnival and the street stages making it accessible for everyone.

Ready for Rivertown Days 2023!

The Medallion clues are out, food trucks are being prepped, the carnival is being setup and stages will be put in place on Friday, that must mean it is Rivertown Days (RTD) 2023! Rivertown Days … more

By Bruce Karnik | 7/21/23

Hastings national trap team competitors left to right: Reed Anderson, spectator and competitors Brody Anderson, Issac Nauer, Tristan Asher, Tanner Lamb, Blaise Lamb and Collin Meyers with head coach Earl Robinson.

Six members of Raiders Trap Team shoot at National Championship

More than 1,718 of the highest qualified student athletes throughout all affiliated state high school clay target leagues competed for the right to be called a National Champion at the US High School … more

7/21/23

Roadside Tennis / Pickle Ball Courts update

The graphic above shows the planned layout of the tennis and pickle ball courts at Roadside Park. A typo in last week’s parks update incorrectly listed the layout as having six pickle ball … more

7/21/23

Hawks go 2-2, prepare for final week before regional playoffs start

The Hastings Hawks are back to .500 on the season at 12-12 after a busy week of baseball at Veterans Park. Hastings has played all of their July games so far at home and currently has one game on the … more

By Bruce Karnick | 7/21/23

Both the upstream side of the Mississippi River boat launch (left) and the entire Lake Isabel boat launch (right) are closed due to damaged driving surfaces in need of repair. The city is working with the MN DNR to establish a plan to get them reopened.

Parks and Rec update

Hastings Parks & Recreation Director Chris Jenkins gave the Journal a quick update for the happenings around Hastings related to projects in the parks around town. The update started with the … more

By Bruce Karnick | 7/13/23

The Hastings Trap and Skeet team had a total of 103 trap shooters, 76 male and 27 female and 20 skeet shooters, 17 male and three female. The team is coached by all volunteer coaches. The Trap head coach is Early Robinson and the Skeet head coach is Darin Berg. Trap and Skeet teams across the state of Minnesota are the safest sports teams in the state with zero documented injuries reported.

2023 Trap and Skeet team does well at State, sends six to Nationals

The 2023 Spring Trap and Skeet League season was a little different this year and as always it went by fast. We saw a lot of rough weather but that never stops our kids or coaches from showing … more

By Bruce Karnick | 7/13/23