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Capt. Bianchi finally laid to rest

Last Friday, New Ulm and several other Minnesota communities celebrated the return of Medal of Honor recipient Captain Willbald Bianchi’s remains to New Ulm Minnesota, over 80 years after his death. His remains arrived by plane at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport Friday afternoon and were transported by hearse to New Ulm. Along the procession route into New Ulm, hundreds of people lined up to pay respect to Capt. Bianchi. It was a once in a lifetime display of respect to a fallen WWII soldier who finally came home. The tributes to Capt. Bianchi are not over. Bianchi’s formal visitation and burial will be held Saturday. The visitation is from 10 a.m. to 11:45 a.m., today at the New Ulm National Guard Readiness Center. Services with full military honors begin at noon in the New Ulm City Cemetery Soldiers Rest Section. Services include a 21-gun salute, New Ulm Battery cannon firing and a flyover. The Brown County Historical Society has also opened a new exhibit, “Willibald Bianchi: “Beyond the Call of Duty.” The exhibit officially opened Friday, but will also be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today.

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Great night for Minnesota fans

Thursday night was a great night for Minnesota sports fans with The Wild and The Timberwolves both winning their first-round playoff series. This is The Wild’s first playoff series win since 2015. The Timberwolves’ victory was even more impressive since the team was shorthanded due to multiple injuries. The victories by the Wild and Timberwolves are the most important Minnesota sports news because the teams will continue through the playoffs. But the Minnesota Twins also defeated the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday. Three of Minnesota’s professional sports teams won on the same night and that’s pretty special.

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Kentucky Derby Saturday

Thursday was a great night for Minnesota sports fans, but today promises to be a great night in the sport of horse racing. The 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby will be held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The derby is the first leg of the Triple Crown and is often called the most exciting two-minutes in sports. The popularity of the Kentucky Derby has increased in New Ulm over the last few years after Black Frost Distillery began hosting a derby watch party. This will be the fourth consecutive year Black Frost has held the watch party. Starting at 1 p.m. the distillery will livestream race events all the way up to the derby itself. Guests typically make the most of the occasion, dressing in their best attire and hats. It is an impressive gathering even for those who don’t have a horse in the race.