Good Morning from The Depot!

Hello members, local residents and friends,

Hi. How are you? Well, I never thought I would ever be in the position to be writing to you. To be frank, I don't have the same way with words that Melissa does, but as in all things, I will endeavor to do my best.

There is only one way to start this letter and it is with a heartfelt Thank You to Melissa Vander Plas. It was a true pleasure to work with Melissa from August of 2022 through April of this year. It was an even greater pleasure to work for Melissa since April. She was an amazing coworker, mentor, and leader. And though her tenure was short, this letter alone highlights her lasting legacy on the Lanesboro Area Chamber of Commerce. I will miss Melissa, probably every day for at least a month, and somewhat regularly through April. However come April, when the Volunteer Program starts back up again, Melissa will be coming a few times over the summer to volunteer at the Visitors Center.

And although we enter yet another unplanned transition, I have great faith in our Board and the leadership of the Chamber moving forward. We are still accepting applications for the Executive Director position, but what is clear is that we are in good, smart, forward thinking hands as the search continues to fill the Executive Director position.  

In the meantime, we will keep on keeping on. The Depot Delivery will continue every other Thursday through March or April when it will move to weekly. We’ll continue to work with members on anything they need, we’ll be getting the guide out in the next few weeks, and we’ll probably host a happy-hour or two this winter.  

Thanks for all your support, and we look forward to crushing 2024 right along with all of you.

Sincerely,
Jonathan Levine

2024 Visitor's Guide-Behind the Scenes

We are in the very final stages of making the 2024 Lanesboro Area Visitors guide (Big shout out to Sarah Peterson/Peterson Creative for all her hard work!), and we can’t be more excited for this edition. For one thing, with final proofs being passed around, we will have the guides in hand in the next few weeks! We’re very excited about that part.

As we embark on the development of our new brand and a 2025 guide that will have a different feeling, we wanted to make sure this year's guide at least fit a new tone that we want to roll into our new brand identity. In particular we feel the future of tourism in Lanesboro is going to be built upon humans and we wanted to focus on the unique humans, be they resident or visitor, that truly love Lanesboro. 

We have some really great stories coming in this years guide, including a feature on our local music scene, from Commonweal Theatre’s David Hennesy, a feature from Lanesboro’s history author Steve Harris, on Whalans connection to the past, and a story from Fillmore County Journal contributor Andrew Darling, who has a great story on fun ways to explore the Root River. We also have an extensive interview between the Cottage House Inn Manager Alison Leathers and a regular guest of theirs who is an avid road and gravel road biker, on the benefits of getting out of the valley on your bike. And there is a focus on our vast, rich resources for History in Lanesboro and Fountain, and for our “livability” section we have a look at where summer jobs in Lanesboro can take your kids. 

One story in particular went the extra mile, so much so that we couldn’t include all the interesting data that was collected. So I thought we would share the findings here! On what was a beautiful fall day…

“a gathering of great minds occurred at a premier location — the Lanesboro Elementary School. This serious meeting had the sole purpose of discussion, writing and drawing all things liked and loved about Lanesboro. The great minds in question were students in Courtney Graves’ second grade class and, although these minds are only 7 and 8 years in the making, they will be sure to teach you about the joys, tastes and sights that can be found in this tiny, but mighty, town.“ –From Experience Lanesboro through the eyes of second graders. Article by Alison Leathers, in the 2024 Lanesboro and Whalan Area Visitors Guide.

Click here to Read More Information About Lanesboro Chamber of Commerce Depot Delivery - January 4, 2024