What's Going on in Owatonna, Minnesota?

What’s Going On In Owatonna in April?

April is Fair Housing month. Realtors abide by all the fair housing and non-discrimination regulations, and it’s a good time to make consumers aware of the laws we that affect our industry and the public.

Don’t miss the Southern Minnesota Family Expo on Saturday, April 2nd at the Four Seasons Centre.

The Galaxy of Quilts will be featured at the Owatonna Arts Center. The show opens on April 3rd.

The Eagles Club will host a special luncheon featuring speaker, Patty Wetterling – Healing the Hearts of our Children on Tuesday, April 5th from 12:00 – 1:00 pm.

Running from the 9th of April through April 10th, is the Minnesota Alpaca Expo at the Four Seasons Centre.

There will be series of lectures this month at the Village of Yesteryear kicking off on April 5th starting at 6:30 pm.

Jose Cole’s Circus is back in town on 4/13 at the Four Seasons Centre – fun for the whole family.

The fun-filled Young Life Cake Auction will be held at a new location this year. Owatonna High School Gym will hold the festivities this year on April 16th from 10:00 – 4:00 pm. If you’ve never participated in the cake auction before, take some time to stop in and enjoy the fun.

The Antique Show is being held this year during the weekend of 4/16 and 4/17 at the Four Seasons Centre.

April 16th marks the date for Big Brother’s Big Sister’s Bowl for Kids’ Sake. It’s a great day to bowl, have some fun, and raise some money for a great organization. Come on out to Southpark Lanes and have some fun.

The Little Theatre of Owatonna is presenting “The Unsinkable Molly Brown”, which runs starting 4/28 and ends on 5/7. You can check the Little Theatre’s website for production times.

The Owatonna Area Chamber of Commerce’s Business After Hours will be held on April 26th from 5:30 until 7:00 pm. Hosted by the Hometown Credit Union. This is a great opportunity for Chamber members to network and socialize.

Lynn Johnson

Broker Owner - Licensed in MN

Coldwell Banker Home Connection

ljohnson@owatonnahome.com

www.myowatonnarealestate.com

Time to Put Away the Skis - on to the next Adventure

Well, the days and nights of cross country skiing seem to be melting away. Not that I’m complaining about the sunny, above 30 degree days that we’ve been experiencing all week. It’s just that I was hoping for a few more opportunities to strap the skis on. We’ve seen some beautiful spots around Minnesota this winter. We toured Forestville State Park near Preston, Nerstrand Big Woods State Park between Northfield, Kenyon and Faribault, Banning State Park near Sandstone, Owatonna’s own Rice Lake State Park, and of course, Kaplan’s Woods. We skied at 5 below zero and when it was in the 30’s in just long sleeved shirts (no mittens, jackets or hats). We took advantage of many full moon evenings, which helped guide our way if the headlamps were running low. In all, it was a wonderfully enjoyable winter – with great snow for skiing. Next year I’m getting some snow shoes just in case the conditions for skiing aren’t quite the same. It’s always a new adventure – something for everyone to enjoy with each season.

Kaplan's Woods Winter Wonderland

Boy, did I ever pick THE best year ever to buy cross country skis. It has been an amazing winter for skiing. We've spent hours on the wonderfully groomed trails throughout Kaplan's Woods and certainly know most nooks and crannies by heart - even in the dark. Speaking of night skiing, we are outfitted with our headlamps and can manuever our way through every twist and turn along the trail while under the stars.
A week ago we skiied through Rice Lake State Park (about 7 miles from Owatonna) during the Candlelight ski event. What a great evening! The friends of Rice Lake Park were offering treats and had a roaring bonfire going.
We are so incredibly lucky to have such wonderful trails and parks so close to home. Even though we've been experiencing a pretty solid Minnesota winter, I've come to enjoy this season just as much as the other seasons that we get to experience. To top it off, I'm getting a heck of a physical work out - along with a wonderful release from and stress or tension - there's nothing like exploring Mother Nature's great outdoors.

What's Going On In Owatonna Minnesota

What’s Going on in Owatonna Minnesota in February?

2/6 Cabela’s Saltwater Experience Cabela’s
2/6 Express Hockey Game Four Seasons Centre
2/6 Valentine’s Dinner & Dance Elk’s Club
2/9 – 3/4 Ham Radio license class Owatonna Fire Department
2/11 SHRM – Recruitment & Applicant Tracking
2/12 Romance with the Past Dinner Village of Yesteryear
2/13 Neil Diamond Impersonator Owatonna Arts Center
2/13 Express Hockey Game Four Seasons Centre
2/13 Habitat for Humanity Art Auction Elk’s Club
2/13 Dad’s Belgian Waffle Brunch Elk’s Club
2/13 Romance with the Past Dinner Village of Yesteryear
2/13 St. Olaf Choir Concert Trinity Lutheran Church
2/18 3rd Thursday Networking Roosevelt Community School
2/19 Little Theater Production Little Theater of Owatonna
2/19 Section 1AA and 1A High School Four Seasons Centre
Girls Hockey Championships
2/23 Business After Hours Torey’s Restaurant

Owatonna - 6th Annual Chili Cook Off

About two years ago I attended my first Chili Cook Off and was immediately inspired and intrigued – mostly due to the fact that I was totally thrilled to learn about white chili. I’m not a big red meat eater so to find out that chicken chili exists opened all sorts of cuisine possibilities for me. I decided that when the hockey schedule (my son’s) would permit I find a way to enter my own white chili concoction in the cook off. It took two years to allow for the aligning of the hockey schedule and the Chili Cook Off, but the wait was worth it. I joined forces with a couple of friends and we created a one-of-a-kind recipe for our white chili.

We conducted a bit of a marketing campaign prior to the big day, and not knowing quite what to expect in our first attempt, we approached the event with a lot of enthusiasm. In addition to a large appetite for chili, we have a big appetite for fun, which we had a lot of as we prepared our chili the day before, and it carried over to the actual event.

The Chili Cook Off is in its 6th year and is organized by the Bill and Marie Lawrence family as a fundraiser for a scholarship that they started to honor the memory of their son, Andrew. The evening was a huge success as they served over 900 people who each paid $7 to attend the Cook Off to sample over 47 kinds of chili. T-shirts were available for purchase, as were beverages and dessert treats. Every taster can vote for their favorite chili – and (drum roll please) guess who won the people’s choice for white chili? We were thrilled as first year entrants to win first place in our category – quite an honor because we had some great competition. Even better, we knew that we were a part of such a wonderful community event. That’s just some of what makes Owatonna a special place to live, work and play – people genuinely care about one another – and really go out of their way to make a positive difference.

What's Going On in Owatonna Minnesota?

Owatonna is buzzing with activity in the month of July. It’s certainly one of my favorite months. Here are some of the activities on schedule for the next few weeks.

7/16/09 11@7 Concert in Central Park – Mark Arthur is performing
7/16/09 3rd Thursday Networking Event – Valleyview Assisted Living from 11:57 am to 1:00 pm
7/16/09 Eagles “Cruise In” Car Show 5:00 – 8:00 pm at the Eagles Club
7/17 – 7/18 American Cancer Society Relay for Life – Steele County Fairgrounds
7/18/09 Farmer’s Market – Central Park
7/18/09 Steele County Humane Society Adoption Day – Mark’s Repair from 1:00 – 3:00 pm
7/19/09 American Lung Association Bike Across America Camp – Steele County Fairgrounds
7/20/09 Wee Pals Golf Event, Dinner and Silent Auction
7/21 – 7/25 Nunsense Jamboree – Riverland Community College – Austin Campus – 7:30 pm
7/22/09 Crazy Days Ice Cream Social – Central Park 6:00 pm
7/23 – 7/24 Crazy Days Sidewalk Sale – Citywide sales
7/23/09 11@7 Concert in Central Park – Owatonna Community Band
7/23/09 Eagles “Cruise In” Car Show 5:00 – 8:00 pm at the Eagles Club
7/24 – 7/26 MSF State Baseball Tourney
7/24/09 Crazy Days Hog Roast and Dance – Downtown
7/25 – 7/26 Crazy Days – 17th Annual Festival of the Arts – Central Park
7/28/09 Business After Hours – Fame Awards – 5:30 to 7:00 pm

As you can see there's something for everyone - from arts and music, to sports and cars - and plenty more! Owatonna's a short drive from the Twin Cities - so hop in the car and discover why Owatonna has been selected as one of Money Magazine's Top 100 Small Cities.

And if you want to make Owatonna your home, give me a call or send an e-mail. I'm glad to help with all or your Owatonna real estate needs.

I can be reached at 507-390-6109 or ljohnson@owatonnahome.com

Lynn Johnson and Chad Hacker - the Owatonna Real Estate Pros
Coldwell Banker Home Connection

What's Going On In Owatonna Minnesota?

What a great time of year to enjoy outdoor activities and fun-filled events around Owatonna. Of course the parks are filling with people who enjoy riding their bikes, walking their pets, playing with kids and picnicking, but did you know that there’s plenty more to do around town? Here’s a list of things to do and events to enjoy that’ll get summer off to a great start:

5/26/09 The Owatonna Chamber’s Business After Hours will be held at the Steele County Historical Society, starts at 5:30
5/29 – 5/30 Smokin’ in Steele for rib and BBQ lovers. This event has been proclaimed by the Governor as the State Championship Barbeque Competition. The event will take place at the Steele County Fairgrounds and several blues bands will be performing during the weekend.
5/30 Young Life holds its annual fundraising car wash at in the parking lot of the former Wal Mart.
5/30 The annual meeting of the Minnesota Rabbit Breeders will be held at the Steele County Fairgrounds
6/1 The Owatonna Country Club will host the annual fundraiser “Golf to Prevent Child Abuse” which benefits the Exchange Club Center.
6/4 Is the kickoff date for the 11 @ 7 Concert in the Park Series featuring the Tuition Daddies. The evening can be enjoyed at Central Park.
6/6 The much anticipated grand opening of the River Springs Water Park.
6/7 The class of 2009 graduates from Owatonna High School. The ceremony takes place at the 4 Seasons Centre.
6/11 – 6/13 The Minnesota Fire Department Convention will be hosted at the 4 Seasons Centre. There are numerous activities and events planned throughout the weekend.
6/12 Street Dance hosted by Just One More to honor the attendees for the State Fire Department convention.
6/13 Parade for Minnesota’s Fire Department convention-goers followed by fireworks in the evening at the Steele County Fairgrounds