Good Morning from The Depot!
Hello members, local residents and friends,

Good morning from the Depot - A day late!

Have you ever had one of those weeks where the time went by so quickly and you lost track of what day it was? I apologize for the late delivery of the newsletter this week and I apologize to Jonathan who had all the news and calendar events ready for me to format and create the email on time. I just dropped the ball.

Have you enjoyed the nice December weather we’ve been having? This 50-degree weather seems contrary to the holiday season, but I’m grateful for the lack of snow and am glad to delay the cold for a bit longer. I do love seeing the lights adorning our streets and the beautiful Christmas displays in our downtown windows. I know the addition of snow only elevates the view, but I love being able to walk on dry sidewalks and drive without the fear of snow delays.

A few new memories were made during Experience the Magic recently, which was a wonderful celebration of family Christmas activities. I also heard the addition of the craft and vendor show was well received and many were able to check off some Christmas gifts from their list!

There are still many upcoming events in Lanesboro that are sure to get even the grinchiest of Grinches into the holiday spirit. I hope you surround yourself with music and attend many joyful gatherings to make this holiday the best you’ve ever had.

As always, I hope you have a wonderful day,
Melissa

Spotlight Member
Root River Inn & Suites owners create spot for Christmas cheer!

If you haven’t been to Lanesboro since early this year, you may not have had a chance to hit up Paddle on Coffee and Makers Emporium. That’s a shame because it’s an awesome space. On paper, its beautifully designed interior creates a warm and inviting atmosphere. Owners, Ryan and Allie Palmer are a couple of “bean-heads” and they source really high quality coffee, from growth to roast to extraction; the food is provided by the Driftless Trading Post so it’s all farm-to-table within 50 miles of Lanesboro. It’s got great coffee, great food and the space is great. Tick, tick, tick.

But Ryan and Allie want to do more than just make great coffee and great food. Their goal is to create a space for the community to gather. That is at the heart of their mission to be a place for the community and that shows in how they conduct their business. They host regular gatherings of community groups based on interests. Poets meet the second Thursday of the month, fiber artists meet every Wednesday. Parents of young kids can’t get enough of Toddler Tuesdays,and transplants like your humble, neighborhood author, can meet Saturday mornings. This commitment to the community goes even further - If you would like to reserve and rent their amazingly redesigned backroom for a private party, that’s available!

And if that wasn’t enough, Paddle On is unofficially the spot for Christmas Cheer! The Palmers are pulling out all the stops to make sure you and your whole family have a place to feel the Christmas spirit. Live music is being planned on both the 9th and 16th of December (details below). In a colab to end all collabs, they teamed up with Leafy Legacy farms for a Tea Party on the 30th, (Reservations required). If you have kiddos, be sure to swing by Paddle On on New Years Eve as they celebrate not once, but thrice in conjunction with New Year celebrations across the globe. Ring in the New Year with Cape Verde (at 7 PM), Iceland (at 8 PM) or Brazil (at 9 PM) and then the kiddos can still get to bed at a reasonable hour.

Juniper's celebrates two years in business
Juniper's Restaurant recently celebrated being open for its second year. Juniper's, an elevated fast casual restaurant, specializes in comfort food stepped up a notch. For two years the establishment has been serving everything from foie gras to beef stroganoff. With two weeks left in their season, they served well over 10,000 visitors this year! Nearly 4,000 burgers (this year) later, the Juniper's crew is looking forward to many more years serving locals and visitors here in Lanesboro!

Important Announcements

Calling all Local Musicians: We want to celebrate you! We are going to do a photo shoot with any and all local musicians who can join us on Saturday, December 16, at 10 AM by the art mural on Parkway, located on the side of O'Koren Law Office.  Join us for an epic photo that will be the feature and cover photo for the 2024 Visitors Guide. 

Board of Directors Elections: Have you ever wanted to give back to the business community? Now is your chance. Elections for the Lanesboro Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors will take place at the annual meeting on January 23. Please email [email protected] or call our office if you are interested in becoming a candidate.

Library Board Vacancy: The Lanesboro Public Library Board has two openings for terms beginning January 2024. Applications to serve on the Lanesboro Public Library Board can be picked up at the Lanesboro City Office at 202 Parkway Ave S or found online at https://lanesboro-mn.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/committee-application.pdf. Applications are due Friday, December 22, by noon and should be returned to the City of Lanesboro Office, or emailed to Mitchell Walbridge at [email protected]

Use Our Calendar: Be sure to use the calendar of events on lanesboro.com. From January 1 through December 5 there were 127,624 searches on our website. Those numbers represent people actively entering in criteria to find specific things. People come to our website and they go to the calendar to plan their trips. You should put your stuff on our calendar! Got an event? Something you want to promote? Live music? Special occasion? Deals or samples? Put it on the calendar. People will see it. Do you have questions? Call Jonathan - He’s happy to help.

Click here for More Information About Lanesboro Chamber of Commerce Depot Delivery - December 7, 2023