Happy Easter to your family; the time has come, a time for change

On Wednesday of last week, Bill Buell of New Richmond came to give a presentation on "Future Walk." I have been writing and inviting people for weeks to come see Bill. We had almost 90 business and community members show up at the Chisago Lakes Area Library. It was awesome.

Buell gave a wonderful presentation on how New Richmond went from being a town whose first response to any question or problem was "No we can't" to a town that emphatically responds to any and all challenges with a "Yes we can!" What Bill spoke of resonates here in Chisago Lakes. Please see page 14 for the story of Buell's visit.

As I have stated in the past, we have an amazing community here. We really do. What we are lacking is how to take advantage of our great assets. By that I mean, how can we get the rest of the world to see how great our area is? How can we revitalize our mainstreets so that we become a destination? How can we get all, not some, all of our businesses on the same page? How can we get local government to actually listen to the people and businesses and not just talk at us? How can we get input from as many people in our community as humanly possible so we can truly find our strengths and weaknesses?

Is there an exact answer to any of these questions? No. But there is a way that we can get very very close. We need to start a movement. Not just business people, I'm talking citizens, kids, absolutely everyone. The instructions have already been made. There are multiple cities and towns out there that have been in our situation and overcome it. We too can overcome. We just have to want to. Judging by the turnout at the library, I would say that time has come. Our next step forward is to form a steering committee. If you would like to be part of this hopefully community changing experience, I would encourage you to contact the Chamber of Commerce at 651-257- 1177. Keep in mind that this is not a Chamber movement, they are just an initial starting place. This is a community movement that will include the help of many great organizations including the Chisago Lakes Foundation, the Chamber, and many more. We just need to start somewhere. I am not sugarcoating this folks, this has the potential to change the lives of people in Chisago Lakes. Get on board!

This weekend is the largest celebration in the church community. If you happen to be a non-believer, please skip to the next paragraph. This Easter Sunday is something incredible. Something more than Easter baskets filled with candy (although nothing beats a Reese’s Peanut Butter Egg). It is the day that Jesus rose from the dead. It is the foundation that millions of churches were built on. For believers, it is our hope. Faith is an incredible thing. If you do not believe, I would highly urge giving it a try. Watch how different your life will become. Happy Easter to you and your family.

As I sit wishing you Happy Easter outside the snow is falling like mad. Do you realize we only have 90 days until August?