GOODHUE — Mike Kehren, Goodhue's fire chief and member of the Lions and Goodhue School Board, was killed early Monday when he fell off the tow bar between two hay wagons and was run over, according to Mike Lodermeier, a former fire chief and a member of the department.
"The whole town is in shock," said Dick Banidt, a fire captain and lifelong friend of Kehren, 58. The flag outside the fire hall was at lowered to half staff before sunrise on Monday. By 10 a.m., a large banner was hung outside reading "RIP Chief Kehren," he said.
The accident happened early Monday in Wanamingo, Lodermeier said. A group of Kehren's friends get together every year around the Fourth of July to go to a fireman's dance in Wanamingo. This year, they used a tractor to pull two connected hay wagons to travel to the dance.
The Goodhue County Sheriff's Office said the accident was reported at 1:49 a.m. at the intersection of Fifth Street and Nelson Drive. The driver, Christopher Kalaas, 45, of rural Zumbrota stopped there to drop off some people.
"He turned southbound onto Nelson Drive and was passing Sandy Court when several wagon passengers started yelling at him to stop," the sheriff's office said. "Kehren had gotten onto the tow bar between the two hay wagons and fell, striking his head on the pavement and then was run over by the second wagon. Kehren was given medical attention at the scene but was pronounced dead at the scene.
"Someone tried to grab him, missed him," Lodermeier said. The local ambulance and Mayo One air ambulance were called but couldn't save him.
"It's kind of tough for everyone," he said. "He probably knew everyone who responded from Wanamingo, too," he said.
Kehren had been chief about eight years and had been on the department since 1993. He worked at Mactech in Red Wing.
Both Lodermeier, Banidt and Chip Krueger, also a former chief, said the same thing about their friend — he was a good leader, a good friend, very intelligent and a real character.
"Everyone in our department got on with him good," said Lodermeier who is also Kehren's brother-in-law. "He was always pulling something … He would come up with the darned costumes at a party."
That showmanship helped him win a new truck. Years ago, there was a contest for the ugliest truck during an event at the old Metrodome. Not only did Kehren drive in an old truck, but he got out wearing a red union suit and boots and did a head stand on the cab, much to the delight of the crowd that voted his vehicle the ugliest there, Lodermeier said.
At the same time, he was also very intelligent. "You never knew," he said. "He was serious, he was very intelligent … his comments were always pretty funny."
"He was very, very intelligent on many things, but he was a character," Banidt said. "He liked to dress up, be the center, be funny. No matter who met him, you never forgot him."
In the department, "he always put everyone else first," Banidt said. "That was the kind of guy he was." Being chief is a lot of work, he said. "It was nothing to see him down at the fire station in his office at midnight, taking care of business," he said.
Krueger said he was a bit skeptical at first when Kehren wanted to run for chief because he was such a cut-up. But "he did a fine job," he said. He was able to get grants to help buy new equipment.
One story he told about Kehren was that he said his dad once told him "it's OK not be normal," he said. Kehren always had a funny story. His motto was: "You have got to have a little fun sometimes," Krueger said.
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