The Northfield Public Schools served 65,267 breakfasts and 228,250 lunches in the first half of this school year. Those numbers were shared as part of the annual update on Child Nutrition to the Northfield School Board. The number of meals served by the school district rose significantly between 2023 and 2024 when the Minnesota State Legislature passed a new law providing free lunch for every student in the state. Between the last two years, the number has largely stayed the same.
Stephany Stromme is the Director of Child Nutrition for the School District:
“We know that research is showing that starting the day with breakfast can really help to enhance the day for our students. It helps with better academic performance, their concentration and even their test scores. We have seen a slight increase for this school year, about a 1%. Increase, which we’re happy to see even though enrollment has declined.” – Stephany Stromme, Northfield Schools Director of Child Nutrition at the 5/12/2025 School Board Meeting
This past year, expenses outpaced revenue, with higher-than-expected supply costs being the primary reason. Stromme says that their main supplier is anticipating food costs to increase in the coming year due to a variety of factors, including inflation and tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration:
“Our expenditures are so much higher for next year because we actually went with a 7% increase on our expenditures, whereas in the past we were probably closer to that 5 to 6%. So we wanted to give ourselves a little bit more of a buffer with that” – Stephany Stromme, Northfield Schools Director of Child Nutrition at the 5/12/2025 School Board Meeting
Read the full report here
Stromme noted that a new program, called Buy American, mandates that the district buy 90% of food items from the United States. But that new mandate nationwide was raising concerns that suppliers would be able to keep up with the demand. The School District’s Director of Finance, Val Mertesdorf, stated that they were cautiously watching the situation for the future
“I also think as as we know more with the tariffs, we can respond more to the products that we’re choosing. We have some amazing options for students and that might have to be scaled back in the future unfortunately, but we don’t want to. React prematurely and be doing that.” – Val Mertesdorf, Northfield Schools Director of Finance at the 5/12/2025 School Board Meeting
The School Board is set to approve the Child Nutrition budget in June. Will have the full budget report listed on our website in today’s news.
Newscasts on KYMN air on weekdays at 6am, 7am, 8:30am, Noon, 3pm, and 5pm. If you miss it live, you can subscribe on your preferred podcast app:> Click here to listen on Spotify> Click here to listen on Apple PodcastDo you have a news tip or press release? Send it to us email: [email protected]
Video from last year’s event by Aramis Wells
The Minnesota Fire Engine Club’s annual takeover of Bridge Square with the Pumpers in the Park event is this Saturday. The free event features several fire trucks on display from different eras, many of which actively spray water into the Cannon River throughout the night.
Len Schrader is with the Minnesota Fire Engine Club:
“Will have Pumper fire trucks that will actually be flowing water, and Sunbelt Rentals gives us a big 2500 gallon per minute pump. They just donate it for the weekend, and we’re going to throw a suction line in the Cannon River, and we’re going to pull water from the Cannon River, and we’re going to throw it right back up.” – Len Schrader of the Minnesota Fire Engine Club on the KYMN Morning Show
Also featured at the event are food and fire safety activities. The event starts at 5 pm and goes until 10 pm. As night sets in, lights are attached to each truck, lighting up the water setting up a unique and beautiful scene.
According to Scharder, the Fire Engine Club is a non-profit group of hobbyists who collect real working fire apparatus that have been retired from service:
“ But the Minnesota enthusiasts and collectors who get together and we just have a blast. We just go out and throw water. We do different parades and static displays, and we get together once a month for a meeting and then again for our events. And we’ve got approximately 55 pieces of apparatus and probably as many members.” – Len Schrader of the Minnesota Fire Engine Club on the KYMN Morning Show
Pictures from last year’s Pumpers in the Park in Northfield. Pictures by Logan Wells/KYMN News
The fire engine club hosts events across the area and state, with Northfield’s event being one of the longest running of its current events, starting in 2019, with a brief break for the pandemic in 2020.
Pumpers in the Park takes place tomorrow from 5pm to 10pm at Bridge Square.
Newscasts on KYMN air on weekdays at 6am, 7am, 8:30am, Noon, 3pm, and 5pm. If you miss it live, you can subscribe on your preferred podcast app:> Click here to listen on Spotify> Click here to listen on Apple PodcastDo you have a news tip or press release? Send it to us email: [email protected]
Next Monday is Memorial Day, and the Northfield community will be hosting its annual Memorial Day Service at 9 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Park. In the lead-up to the service next week, KYMN News will be talking some time to share about the work and stories of veterans in our community. See all the stories in this series here.
Today, we are focusing on the Memorial Day Service itself. The event starts promptly at 9 am with the Posting of the Colors. Several songs will be sung through the event, including the Star Spangled Banner, America the Beautiful, America, and each song of the military branches. Music will be led by the North Star Brass Quintet the 34th ID Band.
The Commander of the Northfield American Legion Post 84, Chris Rietveld, will give this year’s Commander’s Address, and Jack Hoschouer, a retired US Army Lt. Col, will give the Memorial Address.
The service will include several moments for reflection and remembrance, including placing wreaths for the Navy Dead, POW/MIA, and a wreath for each major conflict in US history. The ceremony ends with the last call, where the bell is rung for every Northfield veteran who has passed away this last year, and a carnation is laid on their monument, and 21 gun salute to end the service.
The service starts at 9 am at Veterans Memorial Park in Northfield. Bleachers will be provided, but bringing your own lawn chair is recommended. The service will be at St. Olaf College in case of bad weather. Beyond the Yellow Ribbon will host their regular picnic afterwards at the Riverside Lions Park Shelter. All are welcome to both events.
Cover Page of the Service Program
Inside the Service Program
Newscasts on KYMN air on weekdays at 6am, 7am, 8:30am, Noon, 3pm, and 5pm. If you miss it live, you can subscribe on your preferred podcast app:> Click here to listen on Spotify> Click here to listen on Apple PodcastDo you have a news tip or press release? Send it to us email: [email protected]