Twenty years of change
My family moved back to Edgerton twenty years ago this week. It was July 4, 2005, when we loaded up the goods from our three-bedroom apartment in Luverne and settled into our little blue house on south Main Street here in Edgerton.
A lot has changed in the last 20 years around this town. Let me take a few minutes to reflect on all the changes I can recall.
Let’s start in the southeast and work our way to the northwest.
DeKam Seed and Fertilizer is no longer open. Instead, we have Edgerton Ag and Greg and crew seem to be doing well. Meanwhile, Darrin DeKam is helping to bring us a new carwash on Klindt Street. A Beck Seed building was added near the lumber yard.
We have a wonderful EMS building where there was once an empty lot with recycling sheds and trailers.
Chandler Feed Co has continued to build bigger bins. Chandler Co-op is also larger than it was 20 years ago. And their convenience store here in town has been “upgraded” for ten-plus years now.
Over at the city pool, a new baby pool was installed in 2014. We also have these awesome sport courts and a lot of sidewalk there at the park.
Moving north, Main Street has also seen a lot of changes in 20 years. The Pizza Ranch burned down, Tally Ho Koffie and the Gray Wolf Saloon opened. The old ambulance building became a restaurant, then a fitness center, and now a second bakery!
De Boer Chevrolet has expanded and remodeled, Roger’s Auto built a new building. Meanwhile, RusTrap Manufacturing closed. De Boers remodeled the old Hendrik’s Bus Garage and a new bus garage was built off of 4th Ave.
Fey Financial’s building is not even recognizable as the understated office I first came to know when I took the position as editor at the Edgerton Enterprise. Randy Fey has a beautiful space with his sons.
Meanwhile, Gord’s Hardware was sold to Tinklenberg Lumber – a business that has continued to expand and grow over the last 20 years. Last week’s paper showed their most recent additions.
My trilogy of businesses – Edgerton Enterprise, On the Farm, and Main Street Printers – moved from Randy Fey’s building to the Gord’s building 10 years ago.
Katie’s Closet moved to what was the Roxie’s Gifts building shortly after we moved here. Huisken Market closed and we have two new businesses on that part of Main – Merch and Co and Cone Flower Boutique. We gained a Latin Market but lost Brummel’s Sewing and Shoes and Hartog Organ Co.
Heard Tax Service building, which was in a house north of First State Bank Southwest, closed and the building was town down. First State Bank Southwest also expanded.
The Kooiman Agency was torn down and the business moved to a new building. – that’s now Insurance Services, LLC. Later, the Kooiman Building was built and that brought us GuidePointe Pharmacy, Real Estate Retrievers, Sanford clinic, and an office for Monogram. (Although I’m told that office is closed or closing soon.)
As we continue to move north through town, we pass right by the Edgerton Veteran’s Memorial. That was actually dedicated in 2004, so was in place before I moved here. J &K Auto Service has a big beautiful building and auto-pay pumps.
The public school is building a new gym (among other things) and Southwest Christian has expanded twice and is planning another building project.
Both First Reformed Church and First Christian Reformed Church built new fellowship halls in the last 20 years. We also have a new city hall and a new library in the center of town.
Vanderstoep’s Furniture has a beautiful new building after their fire in 2021. Fey Industries has also expanded and purchased other companies over the last 20 years.
Edgebrook Care Center built duplexes in recent years. The Avera clinic was dedicated shortly after we moved here. I think that new apartments were added over the years, too.
We filled up the housing development on the west side of town and started a new one on the northwest corner. If you take a drive around town, there are about 24 houses that have been torn down and another nine that were moved (five moved in town, four moved out of town), but 50 new houses have been built in town during those same years – that information is courtesy of the county assesor’s office.
The Industrial Park is full. K&M Concrete opened in 2000, but was not nearly as large as they are now. The city has purchased property to eventually expand the Industrial Park.
On the fringes of town – Brink Implement became Edgerton Equipment and that became C&B Operations, which is now not locally owned. Hulstein Excavating has been enjoying their current location for 25 years – but they have continued to expand and grow over the years.
Wow, right? Who would have thought this little town could change and expand so much. I’m sure I have forgotten some things. But one thing I do know! We are sure glad we moved back here and are part of such a great community. Let’s all hope (and work towards) another great 20 years of progress and growth!
