Main Street News: August 15th

This Thursday, August 16^th we are teaming up with the Barnesville EDA to host Business After Hours. This is going to be a fun night held at the Jacobson’s beautiful property outside of town, called the Vintage Garden. This free event is open to all Barnesville business owners and employees from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. There will be complimentary hors d'oeuvre and lemonade, as well as a cash bar onsite. We are putting this event on to bring the Barnesville business community closer together. We hope everyone takes advantage of this opportunity to make business connections outside the normal nine to five office setting.  It is also guaranteed to be a fun night as we have yard games for everyone to enjoy, as well as tours available to see the gorgeous property. We want to thank Ben Jacobson for allowing us to visit their venue, as people are waiting for an opportunity to see what it’s all about! We hope to see everyone there!

This event has been headed up by our summer intern Christena Goedtke. Being that it is her last week with us, I want to thank her for all of her hard work these last few months! It has been a pleasure to work with her and we wish her all the best as she heads back to Grand Forks to complete her final semester of college. 

Main Street News: August 8th

I can’t believe that the calendar is now saying August. It seems like the time is flying by! Now as I finish putting everything away from the Community Picnic for another year, I can’t help but look back on that night and smile. I smile not because Mother Nature cooperated (hmm, well that might have a little something to do with it!) I smile not because my feet are finally forgetting how much they hurt after reaching 20,000 steps that day.  But I smile because each year Barnesville residents come together on this night and celebrate how amazing their community is and how wonderful the people they call their neighbors are. Since I didn’t grow up in town and have lived here just over a year, I have a little bit of an “outsider’s” perspective of the community. It was fun to look around at the Community Picnic and see how everyone interacted and came together just to relax and have a good evening in great company. One word came to my mind, and it is the one single word I can use to describe the citizens of Barnesville. That word is proud. You could tell the parents were proud of their kids on stage competing for Miss Barnesville and Princess Blue Eagle. You could tell the organizations present were proud to serve Barnesville, including the Main Street Program. And you could definitely tell that everyone was proud to call Barnesville home.

Originally, Miss Barnesville would have been the next event on the Main Street calendar. Because we already crowned our new royalty at the community picnic, we don’t have any scheduled events in August besides Show ‘n Shine this Thursday the 11th^th. We know everybody in town will be busy getting ready for the much anticipated Potato Days, so this might not be so bad. This will also give everyone time to go through your closets to get ready for the Fall Area-Wide Rummage Sales on September 24^th!

Main Street News: August 1st

Barnesville has been a busy place the last couple of weeks.  It’s been exciting to see visitors in our community. The recent Clay County Fair and last week’s Community Picnic have all been well attended. It’s been more than great to have all of these opportunities to celebrate together, work together and play together as a community!

I hope that you were able to attend the Evening at Blue Eagle Park Community Picnic on Thursday, July 28th. A beautiful July evening was the setting for our gathering. There was good food, great music, activities galore and wonderful conversation with friends and neighbors.  The Main Street Program and the Promotions Committee would like to thank the Barnesville Lions, the Barnesville Booster Club and the City of Barnesville for their sponsorship of the picnic and its activities. Without their donations, the event would not have been possible.

Special thanks goes to Trever Moen and the entire Public Works Department, Guy Swenson, Barnesville Police Department and Barnesville Ambulance for their help and work at the park getting everything prepared and equipped. A huge thank you goes to Valley Care and Rehab for their donation of the macaroni salad.  It was delicious! Also thank you to the Barnesville Area Community Fund for donating the water. The evening was made complete with the Eagle Cafe Club cooking the meal.

The park was busy with all kinds of activities. Inflatable games are always a hit for children of and age. The return of the barrel train and fireworks created excitement for all! The DJ’s music and activities rounded out the fun. Several community organizations and groups were there with treats after dinner.  Special Thanks to all these folks for their efforts at making the picnic so much fun.

I would also like to congratulate Alexis Pederson as being crowned as Miss Barnesville 2016 and Ava Foster for being crowned Princess Blue Eagle! I know Alexis and Ava will represent us well! You will be able to see them riding in the Potato Days parade, various area parades, Showcase, and the picnic next year. Special thanks to all of the local support for this year’s Miss Barnesville crowning, as well as the many hours put in by the Miss Barnesville Committee. These ladies are wonderful to work with. We would love to hear any suggestions about how to promote Miss Barnesville going forward!

We would also like to thank all of the volunteers who came and helped with the games, served food, or just had other jobs throughout the evening.  They are too numerous to mention.  The Main Street Promotions Committee of Lindsay Bontjes, Michelle Field, Janet Rasmussen, Brooke Fradet, Jill Moen, Katie Van Den Einde, and Cindy Zander have put in many hours of planning and preparing for this event. Without their willingness and efforts, it would not be held. Thank you to the Main Street Board of Directors for their support.  Everyone’s help and commitment is what makes living in a small town like Barnesville so great!

Main Street News: July 25th

This week’s Evening at Blue Eagle Park Community Picnic will be held on Thursday, July 28th.  This is an annual event that many residents look forward to each year. This year’s Community Picnic will continue with the tradition of fun activities, food and fireworks.

Come over for a delicious meal. From 6:00-7:30, pulled pork, brat or hot dog plate meals are all available for a minimal charge. We have to thank the Eagle Café for catering the event, as well as Valley Care and Rehab for donating the delicious macaroni salad! The park will be alive with activities, treats, music and entertainment. Many community organizations will be serving treats for free or small charge. Help support worthwhile organizations that in turn support many programs and activities in our town. The Barnesville Area Community Fund is also providing water for everyone with dinner!  

Double A DJ will return with great music and games for everyone. Have some fun with the Hula Hoop contest, water balloon toss or limbo contest. It is such a treat to see those ‘young & old’ residents participate and enjoy themselves. Our hometown hero’s will also be at the picnic for kids to get an up close look at the police vehicle and ambulance. We are hoping AirMed will also be able to join us that night!

This year at the picnic, we will also be crowning our 78th Miss Barnesville and Princess Blue Eagle. At 7:30 pm we will be find out who the winner is that will be representing our town for the next year.

The DJ music and games, excellent food and inflatable games will more than complete the evening. We will top the evening off with a return of the favorite - fireworks!  Shot over the lake it promises to be another excellent show. We have to thank the Barnesville Lions for their generous donation to make this possible year after year! Bring your lawn chairs and blankets to use on our natural “stadium-style” hill to enjoy the beautiful display.

Many businesses and organizations in town have graciously donated again this year to defray the cost of the inflatable games and activities for the kids. Their contribution helps to keep this a free activity for everyone. Special thanks to everyone for their support!

As you can see, the Community Picnic has become more than a meal. It is a great opportunity to enjoy summer and make new friends or see some old ones as we celebrate Barnesville’s home town spirit. It is a night of fun for all ages and a gathering to enjoy the community in which we choose to live and work and raise our families.  We look forward to seeing you there! 

Main Street News: July 18th

Are you new to town?  Do you enjoy gathering with friends and neighbors for some relaxation and visiting? Would you like to meet new people? The Evening at Blue Eagle Park Community Picnic is just the answer for all of you saying YES! This year’s Picnic will be held on Thursday, July 28th. This annual event is a great time for all Barnesville residents to gather and enjoy good food, and participate in family activities. This year’s Community Picnic will continue the tradition of fun with many things to do or just provide an opportunity to sit and visit with your friends and neighbors. What a great opportunity to enjoy summer and make new friends or see some old ones as we celebrate Barnesville’s home town spirit.

Our picnic dinner will be served from 6:00 – 7:30 pm with hot dogs, brats, pulled pork sandwiches. Each meal will also include chips, beans, and lemonade. We also can’t forget the infamous macaroni salad donated by Valley Care and Rehab. From 7-9 pm, the park will be alive with games, games and more games as well as numerous local organizations will be us with treats. Inflatable games are available for no charge for the children from 6-9:30 pm. There are opportunities to visit with those organizations and representatives from the Police and Ambulance Departments. We are also hoping AirMed will be able to join us this year. Stop by to learn more about all of these entities and say thank you to them for their services!

Entertainment for every age will be provided.  Double A DJ will be playing your favorite music with dancing games and activities, so bring your dancing shoes too!! We will also crown our new Princess Blue Eagle and Miss Barnesville starting at 7:30. Around 10 pm, the evening will close with fireworks over Blue Eagle Lake. It is perfect way to end a wonderful night. Bring your lawn chair or blanket and join us on the hill for a celebration for the eyes.

A special thank you for the donations and support of the event goes out to Valley Care and Rehab, the Barnesville Booster Club, Barnesville Lion’s, Barnesville Area Community Fund and the City of Barnesville. Without them this event would not be possible.  THANK YOU!

Mark your calendars for Thursday, July 28th. The Community Picnic and Blue Eagle Park won’t be the same without you!

Main Street News: July 11th

I don’t know about you, but I think this summer is flying by. I can’t believe it is already the middle of July! The summer seems to always be so busy for everyone, and it is no different in the Main Street Office. Show ‘n Shine classic car shows are still running the 2nd Thursday of the month until September. We had a great turnout at our June show with over 75 cars! The Booster club and the VFW Ladies Auxiliary were put to the test of feeding all of the hungry car enthusiasts! We are hoping to see many of the cars back on Front Street this Thursday from 5-8 pm. Be sure to come check it out!

The next big Main Street event is the Community Picnic. The Community Picnic is back for the 23^rd year on Thursday, July 28^th. Looking at the number of years some of the events in Barnesville have been running, I’m so impressed by the community to keep them going. The number that sticks out to me the most is Miss Barnesville’s 78 years of the pageant! That is remarkable! It takes a lot of people to grow those numbers!

Another area event that has been running a number of years is the Clay County Fair. I hope you all make it down to the fairgrounds this week. The fair draws many people into town that not only patronize the fair, but benefit many local businesses as well.  Being a 4-H member when I was younger the county fair was always a highlight of my summer, as I’m sure it is for many of you as well. I not only got to eat fair food for almost every meal, but I also got to take in the excitement of seeing all of the exhibits, animals, and shows. There were many memories made on the fairgrounds, and I hope you made some for yourself this year too.

                

Main Street News: July 4th

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4^th of the July holiday! Maybe you spent it with family and friends, either in town or by the lake. More than likely you probably even saw some fireworks shoot up into the sky and illuminate the night with all of the bright colors. Speaking of fireworks, the 23^rd annual Community Picnic is just around the corner. Mark your calendars for the night of Thursday, July 28th. There will be a picnic supper served including pulled pork sandwiches, hot dogs, brats and all the fixings! There will also be plenty of entertainment including a live DJ, barrel train, crowning of Miss Barnesville & Princess Blue Eagle and free inflatable games for the kids. And you can’t forget about the fireworks! The night will be capped off with a fantastic firework show starting at 10 o’clock pm. The Community Picnic is a great time for everyone to have some fun at Blue Eagle Park.

The Community Picnic is a great reminder of what the idea of community is. A strong town is a lot more than the streets and the buildings—it's about the wonderful people that live here. Everyone has their own definition of a community. Some say it’s getting along and trusting your neighbors, others might say it is a feeling of fellowship with others that share common attitudes and interests. I think it is how people come together. Each person brings their skills and talents to this town and takes on a responsibility to support its efforts.

I hope to see you all at the Community Picnic to join in on the fun and excitement in this town we call home.