WESTBROOK, Minnesota (STPNS) --     This past week 42 WWG seniors donned caps and gowns for the annual graduation ceremony Sunday afternoon at the high school gymnasium. The event went without a hitch. Despite some lingering showers earlier in the day, about an hour before graduation the skies cleared making it a perfect day for the new grads and their families. Good luck to all the grads, and may your hopes and dreams be fulfilled.

    This weekend the nation will honor its departed war hero’s with Memorial Day programs throughout the area and the nation. If you have not attended a memorial day program for a while, I urge you to attend one this year. We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to those who served their country, and those who paid the final price of freedom for our country. It is a time for us to remember that freedom is not free, our fighting men and women deserve the respect of all who enjoy the freedoms that they paid for.



    

Things people say  . . .

    Last week when I was delivering the new Highway 30 Guides I noticed how people under 30 commented. Most of them said “awesome,” which made me feel good, after all I did walk into their business establishment and offer them something for free. Well not entirely so, while the books are distributed free of charge to visitors and anyone who wants one, however like most things, we do ask for compensation through our very progressive  advertisers.

    Nothing is actually free — you have probably heard the expression “there’s no free lunch,” in reality someone had to pay for that “free lunch,” after all if there really was a free lunch — eating establishments would soon go out of business.

    Another expression used mostly by the 30 to 50  crowd is, “no problem.” Well I really didn’t expect to have a problem, after all I am offering them something for free, right? Well, actually quite a few of them did pay for ads in the book, so again, not quite free. Of course hopefully they will get something in return when people come to their place of  business when they see their ad in the guide. So what do they mean when they say “no problem?” Were they expecting a problem with a 69 year old man delivering books? I don’t think so!

    Well I must say the vast majority of places I delivered to were very happy to receive them, and gave me some nice comments. I feel the guides are a very nice addition to promote commerce along Highway 30. When you look through the book you will find there  really is a lot to do in southwest Minnesota. Of course the book focuses on attractions mostly on Highway 30, but there are also many very interesting places along Highway 14, and I-90.

    One of the stops I made was at the I-90 Visitor Center at Beaver Creek. The people there were very happy to get our guides, noting there is nothing as comprehensive as our book for the Highway 30 area.

Typically they go through over 300 books during the  tourist season. Beside places along the Highway 30 corridor we also have books available in Worthington,  and Windom.

    I can’t believe this is our fifth edition of the book.  It originally started out just featuring the cities of Jeffers, Storden, Westbrook, Dovray and Currie. The first book was about 36 pages. The latest edition also includes Slayton, Hadley, Lake Wilson,  Woodstock,  and Pipestone. The latest edition is 66 pages and is full color through out the entire book.

Have a great week and do good!