Tigers at State

THUMBS UP: Springfield High School’s excellent basketball season comes to an end today, a little earlier than the team had hoped, but still an excellent ending.

The Tigers will play today for third place in the Class A State High School League tournament. They ran into a powerhouse Friday, last year’s Class A champion, Minneapolis North, who showed why they are favored to win it all again with a 100-56 win over the Tigers. So Springfield will play at 10 a.m. against Goodhue, instead of playing in the title game at 11 a.m.

Congratulations to the Springfield Tigers on a fine season.

Putting Green

THUMBS DOWN: We are sorry to hear that Putting Green will not be renewing its lease with the city this year. It has had a long, unique history out on 20th South Street. New Ulm had the only miniature golf/environmental education facility in the state, perhaps in the nation. We’ve never heard of another one like it, where people learned about things like the protective benefits of wetlands, soil and water conservation as they putted around the course.

Throughout its history, Putting Green has involved the community, especially young people, in its planning and design, and in its operations. It gave a lot of kids something to do and even some business experience over the summers.

Among its side ventures, Putting Green established a community garden a few years ago, and we hope the New Ulm City Council will see fit to keep that venture going. A community garden is a great place for people who like to grow things, but lack the space or the experience, to get a spot to plant and to learn from other gardeners.