Roots, Rides, and Demolition: A Journey Through Heritage and Small-Town Fun

This week, we took a dive into the history of the Hagen family—Will’s maternal heritage. Our journey led us through the farmland of Minnesota and the towns of Slayton and Montevideo.

In the small town of Slayton, Will and the girls discovered the gravestones of their ancestors. The girls posing for photos next to their great-great-grandmother, another Margaret(!), creating a connection to the past in a small but meaningful way.

The Hagen family’s roots trace back to Germany, and like many others in the late 1800s, they immigrated to the U.S. in search of a better life. They were drawn by President Abraham Lincoln’s Homestead Act, which promised 160 acres of public land to those willing to settle and improve it. Montevideo became the site of the Hagen homestead, and as their family grew, they spread to nearby Slayton before future generations branched out across the country.

As the week moved on so did we and we headed to the larger town of New Ulm. New Ulm, like the name suggests is also rich with German heritage and we got to explore the German-themed stores, and Alice got her dose of delicious apple strudel. The town itself was a pleasant surprise, with its rich history, friendly locals, and wide-open spaces, a place that one may consider a home if we were looking for it!

But the week’s highlight? The Brown County Free Fair! This small-town fair was packed with fun, from animals to deep-fried Oreos, donuts, and ice cream galore. Tilly experienced her first fairground rides and couldn’t get enough—sliding down the longest slides, spinning on a pirate ship, and all fueled by sweet treats. One evening, we stayed up late to experience a true American classic: a DEMOLITION DERBY. It was wild! The mud-covered arena was smaller than expected, especially for the number of vehicles that were coming in and out, the reoccurrence of the Water Tanker to keep it muddy was a moment that could not be missed. The cars, including some surprisingly durable minivans, kept crashing into each other until they were sleds with half an engine, but still managed to keep going. The Trucks were loud and took a while to get fully beaten down, however Tilly kept asking for more and little Maggie, once she got her earplugs in place enjoyed a relaxing evening on her parents laps watching cars.

The next day, we returned to the fair for the Dock Dogs competition, where dogs leap into the water, vying for the longest jump and the quickest toy retrieval. Despite the rain, we kept our spirits high with a bucket, yes bucket, of donuts and meeting baby cows, pigs , horse, chickens, ducks, rabbits and more.

We capped off the week with a visit to the Mall of America. The largest mall in the U.S., it’s a shopper’s paradise with four levels of shops, food courts, restaurants, an aquarium, and even a central area full of roller coasters and rides! It’s safe to say we got our steps in—after five and a half hours of walking, we were ready to call it a day.

All in all, a somewhat slower week for us, it was a week of discovery, fun, and donuts. As we sit outside in the sunshine, watching the girls make new friends at the park, we’re savoring this moment of calm before the next leg of our adventure.

See you soon, Alice, Will, Tilly, Maggie and Gracie xxx