Governor to deliver State of State at OHS

Gov. Tim Walz will be delivering his annual State of the State address from Steele County.

The governor’s office announced last week that the governor will hit the road and bring his State of the State from Owatonna High School on Tuesday, March 26 at 7 p.m.

While Claire Lancaster, spokesperson for the governor, did not reveal exactly why he chose to come to Owatonna, she said, “It’s an incredible high school and a great example of the community and the businesses rallying around the school and the students.” Lancaster added that Walz will “discuss more in his speech” about choosing Owatonna for his platform.

This is not Walz’s first time of doing the address from a high school. In 2021, he performed the address from Mankato West High School, where he was once a teacher.

The governor’s State of the State is typically held in the House Chamber at the State Capitol in St. Paul. This will be Walz’s second address of his second term as governor.

Owatonna Superintendent Jeff Elstad was quick to respond with enthusiasm about the governor’s upcoming visit to the new high school.

“We are incredibly honored to be selected as the location for this year's State of the State address by Governor Tim Walz,” Elstad said. “The new Owatonna High School represents an amazing collaboration between the taxpayers of our district, the many businesses that contributed to the building of the school, and our community as a whole that recognized the need to prioritize the education of our students. We are proud to showcase the high school to the entire state as a great example of 21st century learning.”

Walz was also in Owatonna last October for the Governor’s Pheasant Opener. During that visit, he flipped the ceremonial coin during the opening coin toss at Owatonna’s Senior Night game against Rochester John Marshall. He also toured the school at the time.

The State of the State is not open to the public.