CEYLON — I hope you all had a good Christmas and will have a grand 2026.

The Helping Hands of Ceylon would like to thank all those who participated in the Santa Day last Saturday. They would like to announce the winners of the Decorate Your Home for Christmas Contest. The first prize of $50 went to Ron and Jean Morris, the second prize of $30 went to Tom and Rita Beckendorf and the third prize of $20 went to Scott and Vicki Smith. There are pictures on Facebook under Chris Griffin’s post. Chris also remarked that there were quite a few decorated homes especially for a small town. Congratulations to the winners and thank you to those who decorated their homes and the Helping Hands of Ceylon non-profit for hosting the decorating contest.

The Circle of Faith Parishes are gathering for a new year joint service at 9 a.m. on Dec. 28 the First Lutheran Church in Trimont. St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Wilbert will have a 10 a.m. service and their partner church St. John’s Lutheran in Sherburn will have an 8 a.m. service. St. Paul’s Community Church in Welcome will have a 9:30 a.m. service on Sundays. Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Ceylon will have a 5:30 p.m. service on Saturday, Jan. 3 and their next session of Tuesday morning Bible Study will be on Jan. 6. St. Luke’s Catholic Church in Sherburn will have a New Year’s Eve service at 5:30 p.m. St. Luke’s regular services from January to March are at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday evenings. Area residents are welcome to join these churches in the area for services.

Condolences to the family of Mike Kronback, who passed away recently. He will be missed by family and friends.

The CREST Lunch and Learn will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Jan. 7 at Sherburn’s Sinn Family Celebration of Life Center. These programs are free to senior citizens in Martin County. CREST appreciates a free will donation for the lunch.

The American Red Cross Blood drive will be on Dec. 30 at the American Legion Hall in Fairmont. Call 800-red-cross (800-733-2767), go online to www.redcrossblood.org or text BLOODAPP to 90999 to make an appointment or for further information.

The affidavits of Candidacy for Township offices are due from Dec. 30 to Jan. 13. Contact the township of your residency.

The Sherburn Theatre will show “David” at 7 p.m. tonight and 4 p.m. on Sunday.

There will be a real Christmas Tree Recycling opportunity for the real trees from the area from Dec. 26 to Jan. 10, sponsored by Prairieland Recycling. Drop-off points are the City Shop on Margaret Street in Fairmont and at the Sherburn Nursery in Sherburn. Please drop off only real trees. No artificial trees, wreaths or roping. Please watch for tree stands, ornaments and lights and remove them before recycling. For further information, contact Andy Geiger at (507) 776-3232.

Please be cautious on area lakes especially by the aeration system spots with open water. Spot caution signs and stay away.

The Sherburn Lions will have a steak, shrimp or pork chop fundraiser dinner from 5 to 8 p.m. on New Year’s Eve (Dec. 30) at the Sherburn Legion Hall, with snacks available at 4 p.m.