COLD SPRING, Minn. — Over Memorial Day weekend, more than 1,500 people traveled to Cold Spring, Minnesota to walk through Mike Nistler's lovely lilac maze.
It was the second year Nistler opened his hobby farm and lilac labyrinth to the public over the holiday weekend. And while it was free for anyone to enjoy, visitors went above and beyond to support a local veteran who spent his life helping others.
This year's batch of lilacs was dedicated to Mike's second cousin Ron Nistler, a Vietnam medic who's had multiple surgeries for cancer after being exposed to Agent Orange.
Visitors to the Boomerville Lodge donated $5,000 to support Ron this weekend, which Mike said will go directly to Ron to help cover medical costs and recreational activities. Ron's wife is living with dementia and is currently hospitalized in Fargo for breast cancer treatment.
"Now he has a feeding tube and he's not able to speak but he's got a great attitude," Mike said. "The thing I really admire him for is he was a volunteer driver for fellow veterans and he logged over 5,800 hours that he donated his time and I just think people need to hear about that."
Mike, an Army Reserves veteran, first planted the lilacs into a maze pattern around 20 years ago. Today some of the bushes are 10 feet tall, and the 500-foot maze takes three or four minutes to walk through.
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