History

• The City of Gaylord was founded in 1876.
• Elections were held and the village of Gaylord was incorporated in 1883.
• Gaylord is the county seat of Sibley County. It is located on Highways 19 and 22.
• Lake Titloe is in Gaylord. A smaller lake, Mud Lake, is just out of town.
• Gaylord was originally an early Indian settlement. It became a railroad town after the 1st white settlers came to the area in 1860. The town was founded in 1876.
• A commonly-used trail to the Dakota Territory passed through the future site of Gaylord in the 1850s.
• The surveyors named the site after E.W. Gaylord after determining that the name Maasville, after Alfred Maas was too long.
• At one time, Gaylord and Henderson were at odds over which city would become the county seat. Gaylord won.

Businesses

• Gaylord shares a school district with the communities of Arlington and Green Isle to form Sibley East. Their mascot is the Wolverine. The elementary school is in Gaylord.
• The City of Gaylord has a very food-based manufacturing sector. Some of the major companies in Gaylord that deal with food products include: Michaels Foods, which deals mostly with eggs. The company is one of the leading US producers of shell eggs and value-added egg products (frozen, liquid, pre-cooked, dried). It has other operations, but eggs account for 70% of its sales.
• The City of Gaylord is also home to Wakefield Pork, a successful pork production business. Wakefield Pork was named a Pork Powerhouse, they were number 15 out of the 20 largest pork producers in the U.S. (total sows).
• The largest employer in Gaylord is M-G Walbaum, a division of Crystal Foods. They deal in eggs like many other Gaylord businesses.
• Gaylord is also home to Uni-Door Manufacturing.

Festivals & Events

• Every summer, the residents of Gaylord celebrate the egg. “EGGSTRAVAGANZA” is the annual 3-day celebration of the food product that means so much to Gaylord’s economy. The festival features numerous events, including games, music, food and drink, and the crowing of Miss Gaylord. There are eggs as well. Eggstravaganza takes place the 2nd weekend of August every year.

People

• The City of Gaylord has a population of approximately 2,300 people. The Mayor is Brenda Pautsch.
• The City of Gaylord hired it’s first female Mayor in 2011 when Brenda Pautsch was sworn in. Jessica Uecker is now City Council President as well.
• In 2011 the City of Gaylord hired Arlington native Ken Mueller as the new Chief of Police. Mueller had worked part-time for the Gaylord and Henderson Police Departments, as well as the Sibley County Sheriff’s Office.
• Michael’s Foods announced plans in 2011 to add a production line and an unspecified number of jobs to its existing Gaylord workforce of several hundred employees. They purchased over 13 acres in the city’s industrial park that consisted of a building and two lots.
• The Gaylord City Council nixed the idea of painting a logo on the city’s water tower on the east end of town in late 2011. They council instead opted to go with just standard text and no logo.
• A total of 34 Gaylord-area youth took part in an intergenerational project in 2011, which was funded by a $20,000 grant from the state’s Legacy Fund. The students filmed interviews with Gaylord residents on topics such as the Gaylord Pool, Main Street, the Gaylord School, the town roller rink, Lake Titloe, the Gaylord Public Library, and the courthouse.
• The City of Gaylord opened the Gaylord Aquatic Center in 2011. It was made possible through a combination of city funds and a voter-approved referendum. More than 8,000 people visited the park during it’s first 30 days of operation, not counting swimming lessons.
• Sherri Kaufmann of Gaylord was the KNUJ Hometown Hero for the month of July 2011. She was also honored as a Community Superstar for spending her life showing compassion for others. After raising 9 children of her own, she went on to care for and house hundreds of foster children and adults – many of them with physical and mental disabilities. She also finds time to volunteer at her church and with the Girl Scouts and Eagle Scout program, works full-time at a group home for adults with disabilities.
• In 2011 Sid and Elaine Holberg of Gaylord were recognized as Sibley County’s Outstanding Senior Citizens during the Sibley County Fair. They volunteer numerous hours of their time every week to several organizations.
• Gaylord’s big Eggstavaganza was held in 2011 with new royalty being crowned. Miss Gaylord 2011 was Milan Jordan. First Princess was Semina Amid. Second Princess was Loren Otto. Miss Congeniality was Nicole Doehring.
• Gordon Bjorklund of Gaylord won $10,000 playing the Minnesota Lottery Mega Millions game in 2011. He purchased the winning ticket at Kwik Trip in New Ulm.
• Sibley East Senior High School’s 2011 Junior Sweetheart was Cassie Prafke, the daughter of Robin Prafke of New Auburn. Named Hunk was Caleb Ling, the son of Curtis and Lori Ling of Arlington.
• In 2011 Andrew Thies, a student at Sibley East High School won a $7,500 college scholarship, and a trip to Disney World. He was selected among 25 seniors out of over 40,000 applicants.
• The Sibley East School District’s School Garden received national recognition in 2011. The garden is worked on by students up to 15 hours a week.
• Gaylord Mayor Brenda Pautsch was reappointed in 2010 to the state’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee by Governor Pawlenty. She is also the drug court manager with the 5th Judicial Court in Mankato, and previously served as a special programs supervisor with Blue Earth County Community Corrections and as a juvenile probation agent. She has worked in corrections and the courts for 23 years.
• The City of Gaylord held the 2010 EGGSTRAVAGANZA August 12th-through-14th and the theme was “Agriculture.” New events highlighted the area’s agricultural heritage including “machinery hill” with antique and modern machinery and a petting zoo for the kids. Other events included the EGGSTRAVAGANZA Parade, the crowning of the new Gaylord Royalty, and more.
• Voters in the City of Gaylord voted Yes to maintain a chief of police and two officers in a special election held in 2010. A total of 259 residents voted Yes, and 105 residents voted No. The special election came about due to a petition from over 100 Gaylord residents.
• Residents in the City of Gaylord voted to approve a referendum to build a new aquatic center by a 2-to-1 margin in 2010. A total of 322 residents voted Yes and 165 residents voted No for the up-to $995,000 referendum. Other funding sources for the new aquatic center included $1.5 million from the sale of the city’s nursing home and $300,000 from other City funds. The new aquatic center includes a wading pool and lap pool with 1 slide and 2 diving boards as well as a bathhouse with locker rooms and a few other amenities.
• In 2010 the Gaylord City Council unanimously approved hiring Short Elliot Hendrickson, Inc. to prepare a feasibility study for improving the infrastructure in downtown Gaylord. Plans are to make improvements when the Minnesota Department of Transportation does it’s trunk Highway 5, 19, and 22 reconstructing project which is currently scheduled for 2016.
• The Sibley County Board approved the purchase of a 32-hundred square foot building on Industrial Avenue in Gaylord in order to address the space shortages at the food shelf’s current location. Sibley County’s Food Shelf has reportedly seen a 10-percent growth rate in usage over the last 10 years.
• Firefighters in the City of Gaylord are now getting paid for their services. As of 2010, each member of the Gaylord fire department that responds to a call will receive $15. They will also be compensated an additional $25 for lost wages, if applicable. The city has budgeted just over $20,000 for the expense, and the policy calls for firefighters to be paid at the end of the calendar year.
• The Minnesota Business Partnership presented Sibley east Elementary School with the “Minnesota’s Future Award” in 2010. The annual award goes to one Metro-area school and one from Greater Minnesota for closing the gap between white, minority, and low-income students. Gaylord Elementary Principal Mari Lu Martens said they’ve closed the gap by tailor making lessons for each student, who then track their own progress.

Click on the title below to listen to the Town Days Podcasts

• City Administrator-McCann

  14 Feb 12

• Jeri Odenthal

  14 Feb 12

• Gaylord Chamber of Commerce

  14 Feb 12