The Bench

Sit a while – rest and reminisce.

Donated by the van der Hagen family in memory of Geraldine van der Hagen.

June 20, 1920 – May 12, 2021

I had the honor of being a neighbor to Geraldine for the last 10 years. Many of those summers were spent trying to sneak veggies over to her house only for our kids to come back  with cookies, a few dollars or some other treat. She was never to be out done in acts of kindness. A trait she passed on to her children. Stopping by quick meant time filled with old stories, gratitude, and encouragement to “keep raising those kids well”.  I was blessed to have known her and it has been a great joy to capture the community enjoying this tremendous gift. “The Bench” sits in front of the Cultural Centre and we welcome you to come and sit a while – rest and reminisce.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board and The Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.