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Gathered at the grain bins
Larsons breathe new life into old farm equipment
ALEXANDRIA — Grain bins have many purposes. Once they are retired from the farm, they can be used as scrap metal or restored. Near Alexandria, 10 grain bins have been creatively recycled as guest accommodations.
Anne Larson, her husband, Dave, and their son, Andrew, and daughter-in-law, Tessa, own and operate Gathered Oaks, a wedding and event venue. The space is situated on an old farm site north of Alexandria.
“My husband and I were really focused on the idea of people gathering and creating spaces for that,” Larson said.
The family updated the barn on the property and officially opened Gathered Oaks in 2017, and from there, further restoration of the property continued.
Wounded in the Vietnam War
A Purple Heart changed Predmore’s life
PREDMORE/EYOTA — On an early March day in 1971, two Sikorsky H-34 Kingbee helicopters loaded with Military Assistance Command Vietnam-Studies and Observations Group teams departed from Kon Tum, Vietnam, and began flying toward Duc Co Camp. Partway through their flight, they received a call that redirected them.
The helicopters became part of what was known as a Bright Light mission, the name for dangerous rescue and recovery missions.
On that Bright Light team was Minnesota-native U.S. Army Special Forces Sgt. Lawrence Predmore, flying toward a new mission that would change the trajectory of his life.
“Being crazy helps a lot (with being part of Studies and Observations Group),” said Predmore, who now practices veterinary medicine in Olmsted County. “Once you were in it, if you had a brain, you’d get out, but you didn’t want to get out because you didn’t want to leave the other guys.”
