🔁 Hockey Day Minnesota, Ice Festivals & A 10,000-Year-Old Story

Good morning, South Metro.

This one's a little different, trying something new today.

We've got tallgrass prairie history, we've got roadside ditches hiding 10,000-year-old secrets, we've got Hockey Day Minnesota and ice festivals. So grab your coffee, settle in, and let me know what you think.

What's inside:

The tallgrass prairie story: 18 million acres that vanished in 50 years
Hockey Day Minnesota 2026 (80,000+ fans expected in Hastings)
Weekend events: MMA fights, ice festivals, dueling pianos & winery grand opening

Rosemount's UMore Park is operated by:

The City of Rosemount

Dakota County

University of Minnesota

State of Minnesota

The South Metro tells a story that almost got erased - but it's hiding in roadside ditches if you know where to look.

Step back to 1840. You're standing where Savage is now, but you wouldn't recognize it. Grass towers over your head - 6 to 8 feet tall - stretching to the horizon like an ocean. This is tallgrass prairie, and it covered one-third of Minnesota. Eighteen million acres.

The king was Andropogon gerardii - Big Bluestem. Stems turning blue-purple in late summer, seed heads splitting into three prongs like a turkey's foot. Mixed in were compass plants with 15-foot taproots (deeper than most basements), prairie dropseed that smells like buttered popcorn, and blazing star covered in butterflies.

But here's the wild part: two-thirds of these plants lived underground. What you saw above ground was just the tip. Below was a 15-foot network of roots so thick that regular plows bounced off it. Settlers called it "prairie sod."

Fire ruled this world. Lightning strikes and Native American burns kept trees out, recycled nutrients, stimulated growth. The only tree that survived? Bur oak - thick, cork-like bark that's basically fireproof. Those massive lone oaks you see in parks? Survivors from that world.

Then it vanished.

Between 1850 and 1900 - less than 50 years - we plowed 99.9% of it under. Steel plows could finally cut the sod. The government gave land away. The soil was absurdly fertile.

Someone born in 1850 who lived to 80 watched the entire ecosystem disappear in their lifetime.

Today, less than 2% remains. Out of 18 million acres, only 150,000 are left in Minnesota.

But it's not completely gone.

Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve in Savage has 400 acres of restored prairie - planted starting in the 1980s, managed with prescribed burns every few years just like the old days. Visit the southern sections in late August and you'll walk through 6-foot grasses and blooming wildflowers.

The real ghosts hide in:

Old cemetery corners never mowed in 170 years
Railroad ditches along abandoned lines
Roadside ditches where Big Bluestem shoots up after late summer

Next time you're driving a rural road in August, look for grass way taller than everything around it with those three-pronged turkey-foot seed heads. That's Andropogon gerardii. That's the real deal - a 10,000-year-old lineage that survived ice ages and prairie fires but barely survived the plow.

Reply to this email with what you think about this covering Dakota County history.

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Thursday 15th

Found A Friend Paint Party (Hastings)
Paint an adorable snowman-and-fox duo on an 11x14 canvas from 6:30-9 PM. $40 includes everything except Spiral Brewery's craft beer. Register.

Friday 16th

LFA 224 Mixed Martial Arts (Prior Lake)
Top MMA contenders and rising stars throw down in the Mystic Showroom—undercard starts at 4:45 PM, televised main event at 8 PM, tickets start at $50. Get tickets.

Glow Skate (Savage at 6pm)
Skate under the stars with glow necklaces and free hot chocolate, just bring your own skates and bundle up. See location.

Minnesota Sportsmen's Show (Shakopee)
Minnesota's biggest outdoor show is back with resorts, Canadian fly-ins, African safaris, fishing gear, and hunting seminars all weekend at Canterbury Park.

Viking Lakes Ice Festival Food Truck Market (Eagan)
Opening night kicks off with 7 food trucks, ice skating, 14 ice sculptures, and live music from Wren & Wild, $13 gets you everything except skate rentals. Get eating.

Saturday 17th

Hockey Day Minnesota 2026 (Hastings)
The 20th anniversary celebration takes over Hastings with elite outdoor high school hockey, winter festivities, and a Hockey Day Village from January 17-24—80,000+ fans expected. See more details.

MN Makers Minnefest (Shakopee at 12pm) Meet a Project Runway designer, an Alpha Flight comics author, and a local photographer showcasing Minnesota-made books, vintage teddy bears, plushies, and unique accessories. See location.

Rescue Network Adoption Event (Lakeville at 12pm)
Meet your new best friend—Rescue Network volunteers will help you find the perfect match from playful puppies to calm couch companions. Adopt a friend.

Dueling Pianos featuring Aces & 88's (Apple Valley at 12pm)
FREE all-request dueling pianos, bring the family, your song requests, and get ready to sing way too loud (doors at noon, food and drinks available). Optional RSVP.

OMNI Winery & Event Center Grand Opening (Rosemount at 12pm)
Tour the brand new winery with winemaker DJ, taste handcrafted wine in a 125-year-old barn, and enter to win a free year of wine club. See the event center.

PopROCKS! (Apple Valley at 6pm)
Three powerhouse vocalists transform into 30+ music legends from Katy Perry to Ozzy Osbourne with rapid-fire costume changes and a live band. Get tickets.

Sunday 18th

Winter Painting Night (Farmington)
Paint your choice of a fox, snowman, or bird on a 12x12 canvas with step-by-step help at 6 PM. $35 includes all supplies, just add Celtic Pub's food and drinks. Pick your painting project.

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Publisher & Editor

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🔁 Hockey Day Minnesota, Ice Festivals & A 10,000-Year-Old Story

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