With warmer weather arriving, at least temporarily, most of the ice and snow has melted, and the condition of the 
roads in the aftermath of the third snowiest winter on record is not very good. Rice County Commissioner Galen Malecha said the county will be out doing the necessary maintenance on county owned streets and roads. There is also prep work to be done for some bigger projects as well.
Malecha said plans for the year include finishing County Road 76 between County Road 8 and County Road 9, which will then extend the frontage road on the east side of I-35 all the way to Faribault. County Road 9 is getting quite a bit of attention this year for some future projects. There has long been talk of adding on and off ramps to I-35 from County Road 9. The City of Faribault and Rice County recently hosted an open house showing design options for the project and what it might look like. For quite some time, Rice County has looked for ways to develop a large stretch of land off of Interstate 35, and on and off ramps from the interstate would make the area more attractive for development. In fact, constructing an interchange at this location was identified as a top priority in both the Rice County 2005 Transportation Plan and the Rice County I-35 Corridor Access Planning Study in 2006. Malecha said the state is also looking at rerouting Highway 3 through County Road 9 if the ramps are constructed.
Another big project on the horizon is the construction of the six-legged roundabout at Highway 19 and I-35. The six legs would be the East and West lanes of Highway 19, the on and off ramps from I-35, and the North and South entries from the east side frontage road. Malecha said anyone who has traveled through that area recently has undoubtedly seen the preparation work already underway.
“So that’s on the east side of the Interstate 35. And if you’ve been out in that direction lately, you’ll see that they’ve been doing clear cutting of the trees along the Interstate because they have to buy right of way to build that roundabout.”
Malecha said the county has secured some funding from the federal government for the roundabout as well as from the State of Minnesota’s Corridors of Commerce program. The roundabout is scheduled to be constructed in 2024.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Rice County Commissioner Galen Malecha can be heard here
More than 100 vendors at the Community Market Fair
The Northfield Chamber of Commerce will present the Community Market Fair tomorrow at the Dundas Dome. 
The event, which was once known as the Northfield Home and Garden Show at the Northfield Ice Arena, has grown and evolved over the years. Last year the name was changed to the Home, Garden & Lifestyle Show, but Chamber of Commerce President Jane Bartho said that didn’t reflect everything the show offered either. After regular vendors at the Riverwalk Market Fair expressed interest in participating, the name settled on Community Market Fair.
Bartho said the event will feature more than 100 exhibitors this year. Along with the standard lawn & garden exhibitors like Bricks & Stone Landscape and Paisley Gardens, and the home remodeling and furnishing folks like Captial Construction and Slumberland, there will be other exhibitors outside of the home & garden realm, including Laura Baker Services Association, Just Food Coop, who will be promoting health & wellness, and Three Links Care Center.
Parking has always been a bit of a problem for the show, so this year the Chamber has arranged for attendees to park outside of Slumberland, which is two blocks away from the Dundas Dome, and they will offer a golf cart shuttle service provided by Mor Golf and Utility.
Bartho said they will be using the Dome parking lot for other features, including the Northfield Public Library’s Booker Bus, the Minnesota Mini-Roadtrip roadster and three food trucks. Bartho said there will be family friendly activities as well.
“The Northfield Honor Society kids are coming in. They’re doing some face painting for us during the show, so there’s some fun things for the kids, too. And fairy hair. I have to mention fairy hair. I asked this young lady if she does face painting and fairy hair and she said she does. So, she’s going to be there all day.”
KYMN radio will team with Northfield Live in a booth this year, and as always, we will be broadcasting live at the show from 9:00 until 11:30 am when the Minnesota Twins pregame show will begin. The Community Market Fair will run tomorrow at the Dundas Dome from 9am until 3pm.
Library’s Dia de Niños a ‘long held dream’
The Northfield Public Library staff has announced they will host their first Día de Niños, or Children’s Day, Celebration on Saturday, 
April 29.
Also known as “Día de Libros,” or Book Day, or simply “Día”, this nationally recognized day originated in Mexico to acknowledge the importance of children in society and promote their well-being. It grew to include a celebration of literacy and getting children’s books into all children’s hands.
The event is being organized by Northfield Public Library Outreach Coordinator Angelica Lindor and Youth Services Librarian Emily Lloyd. Both Lloyd and Director of Library Services Natalie Draper said it has been a long-held dream to bring a Dia celebration to the library.
Pamela Mercado Michelli, author of Daniela y Mateo Viajan a Puerto Rico, will do a bilingual reading of her picture book at 11 a.m., followed by a short question and answer session for kids. Music by Puerto Rican cultural group Boriken will follow at 11:45 am. Kids Pre-K through 5th grade will have an opportunity to select a free book donated by the Friends and Foundation of the Northfield Public Library beginning at noon.
The library staff intend to make the celebration an annual event to be held at the new Library Oasis in the NCRC building beginning next year.
