Main Street News: September 26th

As the seasons begin to change, some of us feel the itch to make a change as well.  To move on to the next activity, event and project.  Children are back in the fall school routines, student/athletes are into a regular practice schedule and parents are into a new routine.  For many households, homeowners are thinking about the fall “To Do” list.  Finish harvesting the gardens, winterize the house or cabin, clean up the yard or do some fall landscaping and get the carpets cleaned are just a few of the projects that may be on that list. 

As you draft your list of projects and work on crossing the items off, don’t forget to consider the businesses here in Barnesville that can help you – and in some cases do it for you!  Lawn care, carpentry, furnace servicing, indoor or outdoor painting needs, and the do-it-yourself supplies like paint, varnish, tools and equipment are all right here locally.  While we don’t want to rush the fall season, it is a good idea to plan ahead and prepare.  Don’t wait to get these items scheduled with your local service provider or wait until the last minute to buy your repair items and get the job done.

Although I know that many of us don’t want it to arrive anytime soon, we all know that it is imminent.  It will snow.  Now is also the time of year to get prepared for that first snowfall.  We have businesses right here that will sell or service a snow blower.  Call them with your snow blower needs.  Or if you need to make arrangements for that snow removal service, we have those businesses too.  Don’t hesitate to contact them for an estimate or get on their service list for the upcoming winter.

Our local businesses need your business all year long - every year.  They are here to provide you with a number of products and services that you need.  Commuting to work out of town?  Many businesses are happy to meet with you after their ‘normal’ hours too.  Don’t just assume it’s easier to get something from out of town, that’s not necessarily true. Put this on your to do list…Think locally first. Your business is important to each Barnesville business. Your local managers, staff and owners care more about your personal needs and keeping your business than a store out of town does.    

We choose to live here enjoying a healthy community life and a healthy school. It is important to each of us to ensure that this continues to be a great place to raise children, build lives and enjoy our time.  A healthy community will be a growing community.  We need to support our businesses in order to keep our community financially healthy too.  

Main Street News: September 19th

This month will be the last for the Main Street Program’s Yard of the Week.  It started in June and has shined a spotlight on some of Barnesville’s talented green thumb residents. 

The Main Street Design Committee endorsed the prestigious award which was given weekly all summer long. Nominations were taken at Barnesville Drug & Hardware and Thompson Greenery or at the Main Street office. Special thanks to them for their willingness to display the drop boxes and for their support of this program. The Barnesville Record Review was kind enough to feature this in color each week.

There was never a shortage of nominations. Some homes were nominated numerous times! There were many more nominations than weeks in the season. And each yard was deserving in its own way. There was a great deal of variety including simply decorated yards or ones with many flowers, ornately landscaped, big and small yards, yards in newer and older parts of town and much more. Some nominations were duplicates from last year’s awards. For the most part, we tried to pick ‘new’ yards this year.

Although this ‘award’ didn’t come with the big money, we do hope that we were able to recognize those hard-working, dedicated homeowners that enjoy their yard and put so much time into creating a beautiful yard. We hope to have helped them share with the entire community. Have a last minute nomination? Call my office at 354-2479!

Make sure you keep an eye out for all of these wonderful looking yards as you look for deals during the Area-Wide Rummage Sales this weekend! 

Main Street News: September 12th

The final Show ‘n Shine car night of the year was held on Thursday, September 8^th. The weather finally cooperated and the cars flooded Front Street. Many thanks to Jon Braton, Jerry & Gina Stanford, Carolyn Peloubet, Shannon Jablonsky, Mayor Gene Prim, Vice Mayor Jason Rick, Barnesville Public Works, Guy Swenson and our event sponsors – Barnesville Record-Review, Dean’s Bulk Service, Berg Auto Body, Cenex, State Farm Insurance, Ratzo’s Pool Hall, Stoneridge Software, Jeanette Tools and Houston Engineering. Without these great sponsors, this event wouldn’t be possible every month! We also want to thank the Barnesville Booster Club, VFW Ladies Auxiliary, Debbie’s Doughnuts and the Country Chuckwagon for providing food on the streets! It was great not only to see these organizations make some profits, but also packed houses at many of the local restaurants as well! We will see you on Front Street again next year!

 

This is also your last week to sign up for the Fall Rummage Sales on Saturday, September 24^th! Make sure you register with the Record Review before Wednesday, September 14^th. This event will again prove to be an opportunity for some to clear out their ’stuff’ and for others a chance to find that bargain on an item they’ve been looking for. Plan to spend a few hours out and about hunting for treasure. Who knows what kind of deals you could find! A number of businesses are offering special deals too. Extend your day and hit the stores and restaurants too!

Many visitors will be in town for the annual Fall Rummage Sales. Be sure to welcome them to our community. This is a chance to put on our smiles and let them see just how friendly Barnesville can be. They are spending dollars in several locations in town, helping our economy and families when doing so.

 

All the information you need about the sales is located in today’s Record-Review and will be in brochure style and located at a number of local businesses or online at www.barnesvillemainstreet.com and www.barnesvillemn/com beginning Sept. 22 for all those from out of town.

Special thanks to the staff at the Record Review for their extra work and cooperation with the Main Street Program on this joint venture.  I couldn’t do it without you!  

Main Street News: September 5th

This last week, my family and I made our annual trip down to the Minnesota State Fair. Although it is usually called the “Great Minnesota Get-Together”, it seemed more like the “Great American Sweat-Together.” The weather was 80 degrees, humid, and there was hardly a breeze. There was almost 120,000 people all looking for their favorite exhibits, booths, and animals. I don’t want to wish the summer away, but the weather could have been a little cooler! Other than that, the crowds didn’t seem to bother us who were just at Potato Days and Bison home opener! The Minnesota State Fair has always been one of my favorite places to visit, but it always meant school was about to start and fall was around the corner. Ever since I can remember, falls has been a bitter sweet time for me. I love summer, the lakes and everything about the season. Then we move into cooler nights, shorter days, fall sports and beautiful autumn colors. Oh… and you can’t forget about football season!

Now that summer is coming to a close, it’s time to start looking forward to the upcoming events for the fall months. This Thursday, September 8^th we have our last Show ‘n Shine Car Cruise for the year. We look forward to everyone coming out for one more night! Many organizations will be selling food and local businesses running specials! Between the great food, DJ playing classic tunes, and the fascinating cars, it is guaranteed to be a good time! Then next on the calendar is our Fall Area-Wide Rummage Sales on Saturday, September 24^th. This is a great time to either sell those kids clothes that don’t fit anymore, or find some deals on some new ones! We also are looking for vendors for the farmer’s market! If you know anyone, have them give me a call at 354-2479.

Main Street News: August 29

Another Potato Days weekend has come and gone. Over Potato Days, I hope you had a chance to take in some events, enjoy some great food, activities and fellowship. Of course, many of us in town took the opportunity to help out an organization or group as well. It is astonishing how many volunteer hours go into an event of this size. Many thanks go out to everyone that did their part to make Potato Days a success. That includes everyone who extended a heartfelt welcome to all of our guests in town.

Now that Potato Days is over, the summer activities have come to a close. Glue and markers are being put into the back packs and the new sneakers are just waiting for the first day of school. Educators and school staff have been busy readying their classrooms and school facilities for the first week. Parents are busy with last minute preparations of schedules and planning, transportation and changes in child care services. We want to wish all of the students and faculty heading back to school a great year ahead! As many return to the fall school schedule, evenings are filled with sports activities. Best of luck to both the football and volleyball teams in a great season!

When school is back in session it marks a new season for everyone!  The Main Street Program is busy working on an Area-Wide Rummage Sale scheduled for September 24^th.  That means it’s time to go through your cupboards, closets, & garages to clean out! Look for more information in the Record Review on how to sign up for the rummage sale.  We are also looking for any farmers or gardeners who would like to sell their fall goods on this day.  If you are interested, please contact the Main Street Program for more information at 354-2479.

Main Street News: August 22nd

It’s here! The week everyone has been waiting for. Growing up just 30 minutes away from Barnesville, I have always been familiar with Potato Days. I’m proud to say I’ve been one of the 20,000+ people that have come to Barnesville to take part in all of the fun. It will be an exciting time as I’m sure many residents have family and friends coming to visit while the festivities are happening in town.

Just like many of our Main Street events, the many helping hands willing to pitch in are an essential part to what makes Potato Days a success year after year. The residents of Barnesville contribute countless number of volunteer hours, whether it’s on the Potato Days Board, volunteering at an event or working for a local organization’s food stand. Many of these groups depend on the funds raised in these two days to carry out their services and programs in the community.  And that service continues to grow and multiply throughout the year. 

We need to do what we can to support Potato Days and these organizations.  It’s not too late to get involved with the two day festival.  Check with someone you know who is a member of an organization or church.  Offer to help out.  Pick an event or club that you would like to help with then give them a call and ask.  I’m sure you won’t be turned away. You will benefit and so will the club and the community as a whole. The Potato Days tabloid in last week’s Record Review has a number of names which you could contact.  If you still don’t know who to ask, give me a call and I will track down some information for you.  You’ll be glad you did.

I also want to congratulate Potato Days on their 25^th anniversary! Numerous people have worked hard to keep this event running for this many years.  Like many of you, I’m excited for another great festival this year. See you there!

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.