Celebration of the Lakes is changing, we hope you will enjoy the changes

Can you believe we had two days of school cancelled this week? I know Governor Carlson cancelled it once in the 90's, but other than that I can not ever remember it cancelled due to cold temperatures. I remember having snow days, but not cold related cancellations. This has been one bear of a winter so far. I am one of those who loves winter. Bring on as much snow as possible, that would be great with me. But 27 below zero AND a ton of snow? Now you are pushing the envelope. The good news (if you choose to look at it this way) is a warm spell is on its way. We are expected to hit the mid to upper 30's this weekend. Grab the burgers, I will start the grill.

You know that tired, old saying "where did the time go?" Well I found myself saying that this week. As I looked at the calendar, I noticed that we have just two weeks until the Celebration of the Lakes. Two weeks. In this Press, you will begin to see a list of events for your family to take part in. I forgot to mention the Celebration of the Lakes will be held on south Lindstrom Lake this year. The Celebration is revamped this year. Revamped? What does that mean? It means that we (the Chamber of Commerce) are trying something new.

There will be no balloons this year. Instead, the celebration will be focused around our largest winter activity in the area - ice fishing. We are super excited to have the NAIFC (North America Ice Fishing Circuit) here this year. They have made the Celebration of the Lakes one of heir new stops on their circuit. These folks who fish in the NAIFC are professionals. Just like the pro fishermen you see on TV, these folks are sponsored and some make a living fishing on ice. So how does a fishing contest affect you? Well along with the tournament itself, the NAIFC is holding a bunch of super cool events for you and I involving ice fishing. Beginning January 24, they will be hosting an ice fishing fundamentals seminar at Lindstrom Community Center.

Following the seminar, be sure to bring your best chili, because one of our favorite events is back, the chili cook-off. See the registration advertisement in this edition of the Press or the next Search. Following the cook-off there is a "Night with the Pros" ice fishing clinic where you can actually go out to an ice hole with a pro and they will show you tricks and tips for ice fishing success. On Saturday, there is an ice fishing camp just for kids. This is your chance to get your children excited about ice fishing by learning from the best. Many of your favorite events will be happening again this year such as the 5K run/walk, family ice skating, the medallion hunt, kids games, dog sled rides and of course the smoosh race. Gather your team together now and begin practicing how to smoosh. The Lions Club will once again be holding their fishing contest on Saturday. This is your chance to implement what you have learned from the pros and their seminars. It is always a great time.

I have only mentioned a few of the events, we will be putting out a Celebration of the lakes piece next week that will detail all the happenings. Until then, I invite you to look on our website. You will see a tile ad on the right side with this year's Celebration of the Lakes button. Simply click on the ad and a schedule of events will pop up. You can then begin to plan out your Celebration of the Lakes weekend.