Lanesboro, MN — Words like “restful,” “quiet” or “cozy” may come to mind to those who are familiar with winter in the small tourist town of Lanesboro, MN. Recently, a group of Lanesboro business leaders called “Chill-Inn Lanesboro” started work to help set winter visitor expectations (both for locals and tourists) and explore additional opportunities for winter tourism. On Tuesday, April 4, the group invited the community to explore the concept at two public meetings held at the Sons of Norway Lodge in downtown Lanesboro. 

Over 25 individuals attended each meeting. The morning event hosted local business owners and community leaders and the evening session welcomed participation from community members, the majority of whom are Lanesboro residents. 

The meetings were held as part of a tourism assessment being conducted by the University of Minnesota Extension’s Tourism Center. The assessment is gathering data and public opinion around winter tourism opportunities in Lanesboro.

“It was very exciting and interesting to have this in-person time together to look at the initial community survey and business survey results, and then further gather feedback through the SOAR activity,” said Chill-Inn committee member Alison Leathers of the Cottage House Inn. “We had productive and honest discussions, which is all very helpful as we continue to investigate winter tourism in Lanesboro and Whalan.”

Dee Dee LeMeir from the University of Minnesota Tourism Center led the sessions. After an overview of the project, LeMeir shared results from a community-wide survey administered by the University of Minnesota Extension earlier this year. With 134 community survey responses and 47 business responses, results showed that the majority of participants noted a “vital local economy” was the number-one benefit for supporting more winter tourism in Lanesboro. 

Ninety-three percent of respondents believed that Lanesboro should encourage more tourists in the winter and 87 percent believed benefits of more winter tourism outweigh negatives. Those responding from the business sector believed winter tourism would benefit business. Concerns from the survey included the decrease of reliable snow in winter, additional use of city infrastructure and burnout of business owners. 

LeMeir also led a SOAR activity where attendees considered the strengths, opportunities, aspirations and results (these words create the acronym SOAR) of the proposed project. Attendees noted the city’s infrastructure, chamber of commerce and retail events as strengths of the community. They considered consistent dining options, indoor activities, local music and communications as opportunities. 

They then articulated valued community assets such as natural beauty, collaboration, storytelling, safety, the arts, good food, a sense of belonging, the school district, responsibility, and more. 

If winter tourism was to successfully and sustainably grow, attendees imagined it might look like having restaurant options available all week, year-round cash flow for small businesses, no empty storefronts and increased population. 

“Local residents and businesses responding to the Winter Tourism Survey prioritized economic development as a top goal for the project. Additionally, respondents shared a desire to see their community as vibrant, even in the winter months,” said LeMeir. “Sustainable rural tourism development requires identifying opportunities to serve community needs for fun and connection, while also inviting visitors to join in on the fun.” 

The event was documented by Michael Seiler of Eye Prize Marketing (photo and video) and Kristin Eggen (graphic recording). The committee plans to display the graphic recordings in downtown Lanesboro this summer.

Bruce Schwartau, Community Economics Program Leader from the University of Minnesota Extension, was also present as he has worked with the Lanesboro EDA for over 30 years. 

A final report will be completed by the Tourism Center in June with another community event to be scheduled to share the results and identify champions for any winter tourism initiatives moving forward.

Chill-Inn Lanesboro Committee members include Alison Leathers, Cathy Enerson, Darla Taylor, Hal Cropp, Joe Goetzke, Jonathan Levine, Kara Maloney, Jason Resseman, Lori Bakke, Michael Boho, Melissa Vander Plas, Michael Seiler, Michele Peterson, Phil Dybing and Thomas Purcell. 

The work of Chill-inn Lanesboro was made possible by a $50,000 grant from the Blandin Foundation. Learn more about winter in Lanesboro at www.lanesboro.com/chill-inn-lanesboro/.