Minnesota West Community and Technical College is in the news with two new programs beginning this fall at the Granite Falls campus.

Area residents should encourage the young people who are planning their future to consider the great opportunities right here in their own back yard!  A four year degree isn't the best fit for all students, a start at a community college can introduce young people to post-secondary education.  Some may want to continue on to a four year degree, others will find a great career path through a one or two year program.  
The Granite Falls campus of Minnesota West has been working hard to start programs which have been very successful in the past.  Many well paid job opportunities are left unfilled in these technical fields of Precision Machining and Mechatronics which used to be called Fluid Power.  It's a great field that enables students to enter the work force quickly or with Mechatronics, earn an Associate Degree.  Precision Machining is a 35 credit, one-year diploma program which will train students and provide them with the skill set they need to confidently pursue a career as a machinist in the manufacturing field. These programs and their learning outcomes have been developed in partnership with leading area employers and industries, along with support and funding from the Minnesota Learn, Work, Earn grant made available through A Minnesota Advanced Manufacturing Partnership Project.
Rebecca Weber, Canby and Granite Falls Campus Dean stated, “Both the Mechatronics and Precision Machining programs bring forward the input and expertise of the industry to the classroom and labs. Industry collaboration has been key in retooling the curriculum to better prepare students for the workforce.”  For more information about the Mechatronics or Precision Machining program please visit www.mnwest.edu, call 800-658-2330 or email info@mnwest.edu.
 

As chamber director and music lover, I'm excited about our series of markets and free concerts this summer.  On May 14, the initial event promises to be full of creativity and fun for all ages.  For young people as well as adults, join poet and songwriter Brian Laidlaw in the morning from 9:30-11:30 for a songwriting and poetry workshop.

After creating your masterpiece, take some sidewalk chalk and display it for the town to see on our downtown sidewalks!  Join Tamara Isfeld from the Granite Area Arts Council creating parade puppets.
From noon to three PM, Crooked Dice will be performing.  During their break, they will hand out free harmonicas to the first 20 kids as part of the "Harmonicas for Kids" program sponsored by the Minnesota Blues Society.   Follow the links to the websites of both performers to get a preview of the free concerts. 
From 3 to 4 PM, local musician Ron Hanson will perform.  Brian Laidlaw will be entertaining from four to six PM.  Bootlegger's will have a stand near the footbridge with food and drinks for sale from 11:30-6.
Riverside Market starts at 9 AM until at least 3 PM with vendors such as Nada Cutlery, Tupperware,  Mary Kay, Scentsy,  photographer  John White,  glass artists Deb Morse, photographer Melanie Gatchell, crafts, upcycled furniture, flea market vendors, farmer's market vendors and more, it's free to set up with no need to preregister. 

Our downtown has so much room along the plaza spaces, along the river and even across the footbridge.  The chamber's goal is to fill up these spaces with fun activities once a month this summer and bring new people to our beautiful downtown.  Retail shops are encouraged to have sidewalk sales during these Saturdays.   These weekends are also the same as the flea markets at Prairie Mercantile on Highway 212. Vendors can just show up or if they want to be mentioned on Facebook  they can register by calling 320-564-4039 or e-mail gfchamber@mvtvwireless.com.   Home business vendors may register to make sure they're the only vendor selling that particular product.  Let's create a fun, vibrant downtown Granite Falls this summer!

                                               Historic Preservation and Economic Development
 
I'm a preservationist and it's rubbed off on my daughter, Sarina Otaibi, who has a master's degree in historic preservation.  We are both on the board of the Granite Falls Historical Society and on the board of the Bluenose Gopher Brewery.  Member/owners of the cooperative began demolition of the interior this weekend, uncovering original tin walls.  Very exciting news for preservationists and our members who want an original, old fashioned interior!

When I see articles about "charming downtowns" it always involves historic buildings, at least on the exterior.   The brewery building at 681 Prentice is one of the oldest in Granite Falls and if you look up you can see the original stone exterior and Victorian trim on the top.  The abstract shows that it was owned from 1906 to 1919 by Jacob Schmidt Brewery.  It was sold when prohibition started.

Here's an old picture of Prentice Street including this building, fourth one down on the left.  One of the brewery's long term goals is to completely restore the front with the long windows.

This is the building currently showing the original stone above the awning.  Plans are to paint the top trim in more than one color to bring out the details.  

photo by Alika Faythe Hartmann
If more of our downtown buildings were restored to the original or close to original exterior, it would create a more welcoming look for visitors and prospective business owners.  We have the Granite Falls Bank, F and M Insurance, the K.K. Berge Building, old Granite Theater building which are either restored or still have the original look.  Many of our buildings have the original exterior on the upper floors.  I'd love to see the entire downtown have the look of the old photo of Prentice Street.  I believe that historic preservation is an engine of retail economic development and Granite Falls has a great opportunity to use it!

Granite Falls is participating in the "Visitor for a Day Campaign".  Next week, representatives from the Upper Minnesota River Valley Development Commission will be in Granite Falls. While here they will be filming places that a visitor or new resident would be interested in seeing. The footage will then be compiled into a regional marketing video. Once the video is completed it will be available for the chamber and local businesses to use for their own marketing. This is a small part of a regional branding and recruitment project in which the agency funded by a Blandin Foundation grant. This is part of a series of meetings with area chambers and EDAs in the RDC's area. This area includes the following Minnesota counties of Big Stone, Chippewa, Lac qui Parle, Swift and Yellow Medicine. You can view the presentation that was presented during the meeting in Madison. This presentation demonstrates what a section of Alberta, Canada did to entice new residents to their region – Christie’s Presentation.
We plan to hit all the wonderful features and hidden treasures within the Granite Falls Area. The video will be short but we will try hard to make it enjoyable for all. The locations below are sure to be on the list as well as the footbridge, the K.K. Berge Art Gallery, the Andrew Volstead House Museum and  our unique shops downtown and on Highway 212.

New residents have shared with me many times their online searches that produced a lack of information about our small towns in western Minnesota.  Our Chamber updates the website frequently, which provides a great resource for information about Granite Falls. Check out the Convention and Visitor's Bureau website as they have a website specifically aimed for visitors. The city and EDA are also working on getting a new website released. Local businesses can work together to get an online presence in the community by creating a website or Facebook page. We would encourage all to search for their business on Google and claim the page, so you can be found by those that visit the area. If you need help, get in touch with the chamber office and I'll be happy to stop in and show you how to do it. We know what we have in this area, but newcomers and visitors often look first online. When they don't find the much needed information they assume we don’t offer it within our area. Most visitors and new residents search for information on housing, great schools and recreation.  We can help our online recruitment efforts for employers and visitors by posting your own businesses throughout the internet, especially on Facebook and Google. Become a chamber member so your business is included on the chamber's website and help increase our online presence.