TO THE EDITOR:

The ending of The Kettle was printed in the newspaper but the beginning is just as newsworthy. The initial name was "Prairie House" based out of Hutchinson, and it opened in March 1980. The first managers was Barb Koshiol followed by Sherri Lumley. Initially my daughters earned $3.01 per hour there waitressing.

In March 1991 Dennis Johnson bought the Prairie House and renamed it "The Ole Kettle." Another name change occurred in October 2001 when it became "Keith's Kettle" after Keith and Jan Olson purchased it.  As stated Rory and Lori Amundson purchased it in 2015. The family restaurant's seating capacity was about 130 people with a lot of those being regulars.

Thank you to the past owners for their hard work, for keeping it a family restaurant, and being a first-job employer for many area youth. Thank you to the food servers and behind-the-scene workers.

Hopefully another Pa and Ma owner will continue the challenge of operating a small business.

Elaine Paumen, Historian

Clearwater, MN