Kenyon Minnesota · est. 1856
Kenyon/Veterans/Kenyon's organizations
Veterans

Kenyon's veterans organizations

VFW Post 141 and its Auxiliary, Legion Post 78, the Color Guard and Support Group, Veterans Memorial Park, and the Memorial Day, Field of Flags and Veterans Day observances, with the council record.

VFW Conrad Osthum Post 141

601 2nd Street, 507-789-5691. Chartered May 15, 1919, the 141st post in the nation and the fifth in Minnesota, named for the first Goodhue County soldier killed in action in World War I. Founding officers O.G. Sandstad, Irwin Haugen, Adolph Charlson, Goodwin Larson, George Rud and Nels Wangsness first met upstairs in the same Second Street building, formerly the Masons' hall; the lower level opened to the community after a financial crisis in the 1940s and 50s. About 120 members at the centennial in 2019; the American Legion shares the building.

Officers (June 2025 return)
Commander Victor E. Wolf; Senior Vice Brian Danielson; Junior Vice Whitney M. Kyllo; Quartermaster Ray M. Ades; Adjutant and gambling manager Craig Jacobson; Chaplain Eric P. Hoversten; Judge Advocate Richard Overby; Service Officer Ricky L. Koester; Surgeon David G. Inman; trustees Michael F. McDonald, Raymond Dawson, Donald A. Peterson; club manager Lori Shelstad
Fiscal 2025
$140,713 revenue, mostly bar and kitchen sales; 18 employees; $10,065 in cash grants to ten individuals
Gambling
Retired its own license in July 2024; the city permitted the Snowdrifters (Res. 2024-03) and the Firemen's Relief Association (Res. 2026-07) to run pull-tabs on the premises; the Gambling Control Board approved $39,800 of post funds for kitchen floors and restrooms, noting the kitchen is lent free to other nonprofits
Rose Fest
Hog roast, live music, Grab and Go breakfast, car show on Forest Street, Auxiliary lunch
County service officer
Outreach here the last Wednesday of each month, 4 to 6 p.m.
Pages
community page and contact form · 990 filing profile
Hours
Not published online; call

VFW Auxiliary 141 and American Legion Post 78

The Auxiliary formed within a decade of the post. In August 2022 it held four state offices at once, including the state presidency (Sonia Tatge) and the state secretary-treasurer and chief of staff (Laurie Dale, the Post 141 Auxiliary president), when it hosted the national Auxiliary president for a luncheon at the VFW and a program at the memorial park. Its members hand out poppies before the school's Veterans Day program. Auxiliary page.

American Legion Joseph A. Gates Post 78, PO Box 64, has met at the VFW for decades. It marked the Legion's 99th birthday there in March 2018 with continuous-membership awards reaching 65 years, sponsors K-W's Legion baseball team (Kenyon Post 78 Knights, Division II, District 3), and runs the Saturday Family Bingo Night at Rose Fest for the team. Legion page.

Kenyon Veterans Color Guard and the Support Group

Kenyon Veterans Color Guard Inc., a 501(c)(3) since 2014 (PO Box 42; president Mike "Mac" McDonald, 507-789-5461), is the working arm of the town's veterans: it posts colors and presents each branch flag at the K-W Veterans Day program, places flags on more than 600 veterans' graves in 17 cemeteries between Kenyon and Nerstrand before Memorial Day, runs the Memorial Day parade and cemetery program, and stages the Field of Flags. The Kenyon Veterans Support Group, about a dozen non-veterans, places flags, works the programs and raises money with breakfasts and fish fries. Paul Senjem is Memorial Day chairman and emcee and takes Field of Flags reservations at 507-254-8302. Color Guard page.

Veterans Memorial Park

At County Road 12 and Highway 56, where the Boulevard of Roses ends; dedicated July 15, 2017, with Commander Brian M. Danielson as keynote and Paul Senjem as moderator. Four memorial walls carry 244 plaques, from a Grand Army of the Republic veteran to a sailor lost on the USS Arizona. Also there: an original 75 mm howitzer repainted in 2015 and 2016 by Craig Jacobson and Peterson Ford; the POW/MIA, state and branch flags added in 2011; the Freedom Tree and plaque for Captain Benjamin Danielson, shot down over Laos in December 1969; a Jacob Wetterling memorial; and the arch reading "All Gave Some, Some Gave All." The council adopted Resolution 2021-07 backing the post's application to the Department of Defense for a retired piece of equipment as a static display, and four trees were planted in 2022. Park page.

The year

Memorial Day
Parade 10:30 a.m. from the Speedway on Second Street to Kenyon Cemetery; program with the K-W band and choir, a speaker and Taps; route approved by the council each May
Rose Fest, August
Field of Flags: up at 5 p.m. Thursday at the memorial park, standing Friday to Sunday, closing ceremony after the parade; $20 a flag; the 2017 listing ran to some 200 names
Veterans Day
Morning program in the K-W middle and high school gym, 400 6th Street: Kenyon and Wanamingo honor guards, each branch flag carried in to its song, POW/MIA table, choir, flag folding, Taps; classroom visits; afternoon program at the elementary school. 2025 speaker: retired Air Force Lt. Col. Eric Hoversten, a K-W graduate
Honor Flight
North Star Honor Flight, 507-440-0003 (Goodhue County; WWII, Korea, Vietnam); Honor Flight Twin Cities, 320-445-9541 (70 miles of MSP)

Businesses

No Kenyon business advertises veteran ownership or a veteran discount on its website or listing as of September 2026. The town's support runs through the VFW building, which lends its kitchen free to other nonprofits; Peterson Ford, whose Craig Jacobson repainted the park's howitzer; and the Speedway and the schools that host the parade and the programs. A business that wants to be listed can say so through the Color Guard's contact form.

Veterans in the council record

34 meetings mention it, 134 times in all; the most recent 14 below; each date opens the packet or minutes scrolled to that exact mention.

  • August 6, 2026 packet– behind Muni and VFW
  • May 12, 2026 packetApprove Memorial Day Parade for May 25, 2026
  • April 12, 2026 packetKenyon Firemen’s Relief Association to Conduct Lawful Gambling at the Kenyon VFW
  • March 10, 2026 packetapplication to conduct lawful charitable gambling at the Kenyon VFW Conrad Osthum Post #141,
  • February 10, 2026 packetapplication to conduct lawful charitable gambling at the Kenyon VFW Conrad Osthum Post #141,
  • November 12, 2025 packetAdministrator Lehner stated that the November council meeting falls on Veterans Day, November 11
  • October 14, 2025 packetSUGGESTED ACTION: The November council meeting falls on Veterans Day, November 11
  • June 10, 2025 packetApprove Memorial Day Parade for May 26, 2025
  • May 13, 2025 packetApprove Memorial Day Parade for May 26, 2025
  • April 8, 2025 packetOn-Sale Liquor License Renewal- VFW
  • January 14, 2025 packetKenyon VFW Post 141(Sidewalk)
  • January 13, 2025 packetKenyon VFW Post 141(Sidewalk)
  • June 11, 2024 packetMotion by Ryan seconded by Bailey to renew the VFW’s liquor license
  • May 14, 2024 agendaSUBJECT: On-Sale Liquor License Renewal- VFW

Sources: va.gov, benefits.va.gov, cem.va.gov, department.va.gov, veteranscrisisline.net, Minnesota Statutes and Rules at revisor.mn.gov, revenue.state.mn.us, dps.mn.gov, mn.gov/mdva, Goodhue and Rice County veterans service pages, macvso.org, mac-v.org, davmn.org, threeriverscap.org, mnlegion.org, Minnesota Gambling Control Board, IRS and ProPublica filings, Kenyon Leader 2016–2025, KDHL, City of Kenyon council packets and minutes 2019–2026; road distances from the OSRM router. Compiled September 13, 2026. This site is independent of every agency and organization named; confirm amounts with the county service officer before relying on them.

Questions

Where is the Kenyon VFW?

VFW Conrad Osthum Post 141, 601 2nd Street, 507-789-5691. Club hours are not published online; call. The Auxiliary and the American Legion meet in the same building.

How old is Post 141?

Chartered May 15, 1919, the 141st post in the nation and the fifth in Minnesota, named for Conrad Osthum, the first Goodhue County soldier killed in action in World War I.

Who runs the Kenyon VFW today?

As of its June 2025 return: Commander Victor E. Wolf, Senior Vice Commander Brian Danielson, Junior Vice Commander Whitney M. Kyllo, Quartermaster Ray M. Ades, Adjutant Craig Jacobson, Chaplain Eric P. Hoversten and Service Officer Ricky L. Koester.

Does the VFW still run pull-tabs?

No. The post retired its own gambling license in July 2024; the city permitted the Kenyon Snowdrifters (February 2024) and the Firemen's Relief Association (February 2026) to conduct lawful gambling on the premises.

Is there an American Legion post in Kenyon?

Joseph A. Gates Post 78, PO Box 64, which meets at the VFW, sponsors K-W Legion baseball and runs Family Bingo Night at Rose Fest.

What does the Kenyon Veterans Color Guard do?

Posts colors at Veterans Day, places flags on more than 600 veterans' graves in 17 cemeteries before Memorial Day, runs the Memorial Day parade and cemetery program, and stages the Field of Flags. President Mike (Mac) McDonald, 507-789-5461.

When and where is the Memorial Day parade?

10:30 a.m. from the Speedway on Second Street to Kenyon Cemetery, followed by the program with the K-W band and choir, a speaker and Taps; the council approves the route each May.

How do I reserve a flag in the Field of Flags?

A $20 donation to Mac McDonald (507-789-5461) or Paul Senjem (507-254-8302), or at Veterans Memorial Park on the Thursday to Saturday mornings of Rose Fest week.

What is at Veterans Memorial Park?

Four walls with 244 plaques, a 75 mm howitzer, the POW/MIA, state and branch flags, the Freedom Tree for Captain Benjamin Danielson, a Jacob Wetterling memorial and the arch reading All Gave Some, Some Gave All; dedicated July 15, 2017, at County Road 12 and Highway 56.

Is there a Veterans Day program in Kenyon?

Yes, in the K-W middle and high school gym at 400 6th Street on the morning of Veterans Day, with the Kenyon and Wanamingo honor guards, the band, choir, a POW/MIA table, flag folding and Taps, and an afternoon program at the elementary school.

Is there an Honor Flight for Kenyon veterans?

North Star Honor Flight (507-440-0003, Adams) covers Goodhue County for World War II, Korea and Vietnam veterans; Honor Flight Twin Cities (320-445-9541) takes veterans within 70 miles of the airport, which includes Kenyon.

Which Kenyon businesses support veterans?

None advertises veteran ownership or a veteran discount online as of September 2026. The VFW lends its kitchen free to other nonprofits, Peterson Ford's Craig Jacobson repainted the park's howitzer, and the Speedway and the schools host the parade and programs.