Bold & Cold weekend brings deep freeze and busy sports slate

Owatonna heads into the first February weekend with a mix of frigid weather, shifting winter festival plans, and strong showings from local high school teams.

Bold & Cold adjusts to dangerous wind chills

The community’s Bold & Cold Winter Festival continues through February, but organizers are reshuffling parts of the schedule as wind chills are expected to drop near 30 degrees below zero. Several outdoor activities are being moved, postponed, or canceled to keep families safe.

Residents planning to skate, ski, or join downtown promotions are encouraged to double-check event details before heading out. Many indoor options, from shopping specials to arts events, are still going forward so people can enjoy the festival without spending too long in the cold.

Huskies girls light up the scoreboard

On the court, the Owatonna High School girls basketball team kept its offense rolling with a dominant 78–13 win over Albert Lea on Thursday night. The lopsided victory followed a season-high scoring performance earlier in the week against Winona, continuing an impressive midwinter surge.

Coaches have emphasized depth and defensive intensity, and recent results suggest the group is finding its rhythm as section play inches closer. Fans will be watching to see if the Huskies can carry this momentum into a busy stretch of conference games.

Huskies hockey battles unbeaten Northfield

On the ice, the Owatonna boys hockey team skated to a 5–5 tie with Northfield in a Thursday matchup that snapped the Raiders’ long winning streak but kept their unbeaten run alive. Owatonna traded goals all night in what amounted to a playoff-style test in early February.

The Huskies are back in action this afternoon with a road trip to face Red Wing. With section seeding on the horizon, picking up points away from home will be important over the next few weeks.

Court update in crash that killed Owatonna teen

Regionally, a high-profile case tied to Owatonna is seeing delays. The trial of a former state trooper charged with criminal vehicular homicide and other counts in the May 2024 crash that killed 18-year-old Olivia Flores of Owatonna has been postponed in Rochester.

A judge is weighing a request to move the proceedings to another county, citing concerns about pretrial publicity. Families connected to the case now face additional waiting as attorneys argue over where the eventual trial should be held.

Sources

• https://owatonna.org/visit/events/annual-events/boldandcold/
• https://owatonna.org/visit/events/
• https://www.therinklive.com/sports/prep/hard-to-beat-northfield-raiders-extended-their-unbeaten-run-with-5-5-win-over-owatonna-huskies-20260206081340
• https://www.maxpreps.com/mn/owatonna/owatonna-huskies/basketball/girls/
• https://minnesotanewsnetwork.com/midday-headlines-february-6th-2026/
• https://wjon.com/explore-minnesotas-outdoor-winter-festivals/