🔁 160-Year-Old Mansion, Chili Cook-Off & Pickleball Championships

Good morning, South Metro.

Hopefully you’re not freezing today, feels like -27 and a high of 2.

What's inside:

Hastings history: The 1862 mansion that shouldn't still be standing
Last weekend for Viking Lakes Ice Festival before it's gone
50th Vietnamese Lunar New Year: cultural performances, food & live music (totally free)
Chili cook-off, sourdough workshops & paint nights Jan 22-25

The PPA Tour championships are this Sunday in Lakeville

Championship day is January 25th at Life Time. Finals start at 11 AM.

Anna Leigh Waters (world #1 ranked player) competes for the title along with the other top pros. This is the highest level of pickleball you can watch, and it's happening right here.

You can catch semifinals on Saturday if you want the full experience, but Sunday's when they crown the champion. Plus you can meet the players after their matches.

Tickets are still available.

Get Tickets for the Championship Game

Prior Lake's Fire Department operates how many stations?

One

Two

Three

Four

The Building in Hastings That Shouldn't Still Be Here

There's a house on Vermillion Street in Hastings that's older than almost everything you think of as "old Minnesota."

Construction started in 1862 - right in the middle of the Civil War, just three years after Minnesota became a state - and finished in 1866. The LeDuc Mansion is 160 years old. That building has been standing longer than your great-great-grandparents were alive.

Think about what that means.

When William LeDuc started building this house in 1862, the Civil War had just begun. Abraham Lincoln had only been president for one year. The Battle of Gettysburg hadn't happened yet. Hastings was a frontier river town with dirt streets and steamboats.

That house watched all of it happen.

Construction took four years because the Civil War interrupted everything - LeDuc himself served as a Union Army Quartermaster. The family moved into the unfinished house in August 1865. It stood there while the war ended, while Hastings grew from a small river town to a major milling center, while the railroads came through, while cars replaced horses, while highways replaced dirt roads.

Here's what makes it wild: Most buildings from that era are gone. Fire, floods, demolition, rot - 1860s buildings don't usually make it. Especially not in Minnesota winters. The LeDuc Mansion survived because William LeDuc was obsessive about fireproofing (the guy was terrified of fire) - three-foot-thick limestone walls, fireproof materials, elaborate precautions his neighbors probably thought were overkill.

Turns out he was right to worry. Hastings had major fires in 1878, 1882, and 1889 that took entire blocks. Most of 1860s Hastings is gone.

His house isn't.

The house itself is Gothic Revival - basically the Victorian version of building a castle. Steeply pitched roof, decorative bargeboards, an actual turret. It looks like it belongs in a Tim Burton movie, not on a Hastings side street.

LeDuc himself was fascinating. Union Army officer promoted to Brigadier General during the Civil War. Commissioner of Agriculture under President Hayes. Brought the first Angora goats to Minnesota. Built an ice house that could store 1,000 tons of ice (Hastings was a major ice-cutting town - they shipped ice down the Mississippi to St. Louis before refrigeration existed).

Today the mansion is a museum run by the Dakota County Historical Society. You can tour the actual rooms where a Civil War general lived, see the original woodwork and fixtures, walk through gardens designed in the 1860s.

If you want to see it: The LeDuc Mansion is at 1629 Vermillion Street in Hastings. Tours run May through October, Thursdays through Sundays. It's $10 for adults.

Stand in front of it and think about this: that building has been on that exact spot since 1866. Every single thing you know about modern Minnesota happened after that house was already standing.

That's 160 winters. 160 springs. Six generations.

And it's still there.

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Featured Events

A Succulent Workshop is happening today. Create your own low-maintenance 8" succulent arrangement with guidance from the Head Grower, choosing from gorgeous plants, soil, and rocks for $30 (perfect gift or centerpiece). Grow something.

Pickleball Indoor National Championships is coming is here for the whole week. Monday - Sunday. You can watch matches all week and actually meet the pros afterward, but championship Sunday (Jan 25th) is when the magic happens. Get tickets.

Thursday 22nd

Viking Lakes Ice Festival (Eagan)
Last weekend to experience the 8,000 sq-ft ice walkthrough, custom sculptures, full ice bar, live entertainment, and skating before it's gone (just $8 weeknights, $13 weekends). Chill out.

Cheese & Raclette Evening (Apple Valley)
Cozy Mezz dinner with local Wisconsin cheese maker Orphee presenting his Alpinage creation, discounted drinks, dessert, and prizes for just $25 (limited seating, so grab tickets from cheese specialist Amy). Say cheese.

Open Sewing and Needlework Studio (Farmington) Bring your sewing, knitting, or needlework projects to the library for expert help, free tools, and good company from 2-5pm (registration required, ages 12+). Get stitching.

Friday 23rd

Next Stop Comedy Show (Prior Lake)
T.J. Hooligan's first-ever comedy night with only 75 seats available, so grab tickets now before they're gone. Laugh it up.

Saturday 24th

50th Vietnamese Lunar New Year (Burnsville)
Two days of cultural performances, traditional food, live music, and kids' activities celebrating a the 50th annual Lunar New Year (totally free and packed with entertainment from 11am-10pm Saturday, 11am-7pm Sunday). Celebrate big.

Sip & Sourdough (Savage)
Learn to make gut-friendly sourdough bread step-by-step while sipping local craft beer at The Savage Tap (way more fun than baking alone). Get baking.

Bald Man Chili Cook-Off (Eagan)
$5 gets you unlimited chili tastings, voting power, and on-screen pull tab horse/duck/rat racing from 1-3pm (arrive right at 1pm since tasters are limited, with half the proceeds going to Open Door Food Pantry). Bring the heat.

Cold Start Swap Meet (Lakeville)
Twin Cities Harley-Davidson's 2nd annual good ol' fashion swap meet where you can bring and find anything (within reason) for 4 hours of treasure hunting. Find treasure.

Craft Fair & Waffle Breakfast (Rosemount)
Shop local artists and makers for unique gifts, home decor, and jewelry, then fuel up with warm waffles at Parkview Elementary's fundraiser. Shop & stack.

Winter Golf at Birnamwood Golf Course (Burnsville)
Swap regular golf balls for giant gator-skin dodgeballs and play on snowy fairways for just $10 (includes a new Closest to the Pin contest, plus food and cold beverages for purchase). Tee it up.

Sunday 25th

Nordic Choir (Lakeville)
Luther College's breathtaking premier touring ensemble performs one night only in the Twin Cities with music inspired by light and home (from Bach to Barnwell with stunning precision and heart). Hear angels.

Paint Night: Fox in a Ray of Sunshine (Rosemount)
Guided step-by-step painting on 11x14 canvas at Tops Pizza & Grill for $35 (all ages welcome, zero experience needed, everyone leaves with a finished masterpiece). Get artsy.

Sunday Swap (Farmington)
Bring 10 of the same item (homemade goodies, crafts, anything!) and trade with your community for free (totally inspired by viral TikTok trends, just pre-register since spots are limited). Swap it out.

How did you like this week's edition of the South Metro Scoop?

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Thanks for reading!

Stay tuned for our next newsletter going out every Monday & Thursday morning.

Scramble Answer: Cedar Avenue

— Brady Greenbush
Publisher & Editor

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🔁 160-Year-Old Mansion, Chili Cook-Off & Pickleball Championships

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