If you’re a community member that wants to help create a Vision for the Future of Downtown Baudette and learn about how to grow our community’s resiliency and prosperity, come take part in the kick-off event on Thursday, July 20th at 1pm!

Charles Marohn, the founder of Strong Towns, a nationwide non-profit which has been a leading advocate for building a brighter future for communities across America will be giving a presentation and Q&A to all interested members of the community. We would love to have your vision and insights for our community’s future!

By attending this presentation, you will learn strategies to help your community:

• Stop valuing efficiency and start valuing resilience
• Stop betting our futures on huge, irreversible projects, start taking small, incremental steps and iterate based on what we learn
• Stop fearing change and start embracing a process of continuous adaptation
• Stop building our world based on abstract theories, and start building it based on how our places actually work and what our neighbors actually need today
• Stop obsessing about future growth and start obsessing about our current finances

Join Chuck Marohn and the Strong Towns team at 1:00pm in the Commissioner’s Room of the Baudette Government Center on July 20th to learn how you can help steer downtown Baudette towards a successful, more prosperous future.

This event is hosted by the Lake of the Woods EDA and paid for by the Blandin Foundation.

Pet Pantry and Supply is a local and family-owned pet store serving Baudette & Roseau, MN. With over 20 years in the pet industry, they offer customers a “one on one” shopping experience with extensive knowledge of pet nutrition and pet supplies.

They carry super premium and holistic pet foods/treats/chews and a wide selection of pet supplies with the convenience of in-store shopping and curbside pick-up in Roseau and Baudette, Minnesota.

They are constantly researching new and improved brands that come to market and are always here to help you make the best choices for your pet. Some of the brands they are currently stocking include; Farmina, Natures Logic, and Lifetime cat and dog foods. Their treats and canned foods are chosen using strict standards and they offer a wide selection to choose from.

Local and visitors love the self-serve pet wash in their Baudette, MN location. Their knowledgeable staff is happy to give recommendations on shampoos and grooming supplies to help you get the most out of our bathing station. They have electric lift tubs and grooming tables which means no lifting or bending over.

Thank you for shopping local and shopping at Pet Pantry and Supply for your pet food/treats and supplies.

“The Hawk” in Roosevelt, was recently reopened under the leadership of Richard and Shauna Morris. Lake of the Woods’ newest restaurant features fresh, unique twists on classic American cuisine including, appetizers, homemade pizza, delicious burgers, and fresh salads. The Hawk also has a full bar with your favorite cocktail, beer, seltzers, and sodas.

Head Chef/Owner, Richard Morris, originally from Cape Town, South Africa, has spent nearly his entire life in the restaurant industry.

“My mom and dad were great cooks. When I finished school, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, and a friend of mine encouraged me to enroll at culinary school, and it felt like a good fit.”’

After graduating, from culinary school, Richard came to the United States through a work visa that allowed him to travel to the United States for work. He began his career working in the kitchen of a Florida resort, but took this opportunity to work in restaurants across the country.

“I was able to work in many different places across the country including Florida, Arizona, Colorado, and others. This provided me the opportunity to see the United States and learn a wide variety of techniques from different chefs”

In 2014 while they were both working in Medora ND, at the Medora Musical, Richard met Shauna and begin dating. After getting married, Richard and Shauna moved to Fargo ND, where he continued to work in the restaurant industry. Shauna’s father, a frequent visitor to Lake of the Woods encouraged the family to consider Lake of the Woods.

“I always enjoyed working in areas with a strong tourism industry, because the customers are on vacation and having a good time. It felt like a good fit for us.”

Richard took a job working in the deli at Doug’s Foods in Warroad and providing catering services, while they waited for the right opportunity to open their own restaurant. In the spring of 2022, the Morris family began looking at the Hawk Restaurant in Roosevelt, which closed during the pandemic, and decided it would be a great opportunity to pursue their dream of restaurant ownership. After 5 months of planning, the Hawk reopened on July 13. The restaurant has already been a hit.

“We’ve got off to a great start; the community and visitors have been very supportive. We had a family from Nebraska stop on their way to Canada, and they liked the food so much that they made it a point to stop again on their way home. “

When they are not busy with the restaurant the Morris family stays busy with their two children Cora (5), and Cade (Infant), and two dogs, Max and Milo. The family enjoys spending quality time with family and friends camping in northern Minnesota’s many camping sites, and exploring Beltrami Island State Forest 100’s miles of trails.

The Hawk is located on Hwy 11 in Roosevelt. For more information, check them out on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheHawkRoosevelt

Kenny Lanes, the newly reopened bowling alley in Baudette, MN.

 

Taking the initiative to become an entrepreneur can be a stressful endeavor. Matt and Anna Stein and Matt’s parents, Kenny and Joann Ignaszewski, have found the experience of running a small business fulfilling, thanks to family involvement and the support of the community.

“Our whole family is actively involved in running the business; We all chip in running the kitchen, serving customers, and running the business. Kenny is a mechanical whiz and keeps all of our equipment up and running.”

The inspiration for Kenny Lanes came from a family trip to Duluth nearly 20 years ago, when they stopped at a local bowling alley and discussed how owning a bowling alley would be a great family endeavor and positive addition to their community. Soon, they began making plans to open a bowling center in their hometown of Warroad and even spent time working at a bowling alley in the early 2000s to understand the operations better.

Feeling like the upfront costs of building a bowling alley were out of their means, Matt, Joann, and Kenny put their dream on hold and continued to work at their jobs until last July when Anna saw the Baudette bowling alley listed for sale and said: “I think we can make this work!” The family jumped into the planning, and with help from a loan from the IDC, a local economic development nonprofit, they were able to purchase the business and reopen the bowling alley in December 2021.

“While we all had good jobs, we were motivated to do something for ourselves and bring something back to the community.” It’s been a learning experience. We’ve never owned our own business before. We’ve had hiccups, but we’ve worked together, doing our best, and it’s working!”

Kenny Lanes offers three bowling leagues, open bowling, blacklight bowling on the weekends, and a place to hold parties. With all of the family being music lovers, the family has incorporated musical themes into the entire business including the décor and a musically themed menu that includes burgers, pizza, and sandwiches. Kenny Lanes also serves a variety of cold drinks, including Beer, seltzers, and sodas.

The Lake of the Woods community has actively supported the family as they’ve stepped into small business ownership. Shortly after the bowling alley reopened, a significant power surge knocked out the bowling equipment. A couple of the league bowlers that night were electricians and helped get all the equipment up and running again. Unfortunately, the surge destroyed their pizza oven and upon hearing this news,  a neighboring business, donated an older unused pizza oven so they could continue operating. 

 “The best part has been the support from the community. We’ve been welcomed with open arms, and everyone has been great.”

Kenny Lanes is located just off of Hwy. 11 at 109 4th Ave. NW. For more information check out their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Kenny-Lanes-102600225574684 or call (218) 242-6838.

 

Originally from Northern Minnesota, after service in the Navy, Chad Fulton found his way to Long Beach California, where he met and married Vikki Fulton. Wanting to be closer to Chad’s family, the Fulton’s moved back to Baudette in 2002. It was quite the change of pace for the Fulton’s leaving Long Beach, but one that was welcome. Vikki said,

“I really appreciated how comfortable and safe I feel in Baudette, you get to know people much easier here than in other communities.”

Even in a pandemic, people find ways to follow their dreams and start a business and that’s just what Chad and Vikki Fulton did when they recently opened Fitness of on Main Virtual Studio and Gym opened in Baudette. After buying and renovating a building on Main Street in 2018, the Fulton’s saw a need for a fitness center. “We went to the community to help come up with a plan for the commercial space. We put out a survey asking the question “what could our community use” The answer came back, a gym and fitness studio!

The gym opened on September 28th, 2020 and includes treadmills, ellipticals, and recumbent bikes, a power rack, pulley unit, benches, dumbbells, and kettlebells. The 23’X29’ virtual studio, provides over 350 virtual fitness classes to users anytime, anywhere. The gym also has 3 ADA accessible bathrooms with showers. Memberships are available at a monthly rate or discounted rates are available for semi-annual or annual memberships. Members have 24-hour access to the building with a key fob. Special discounts are available for families, with 10 per month for each additional person. Discounts are also available to members of law enforcement and veterans.

As with everyone else, the Fulton’s plans for 2020 have been altered with rapid spread of Coronavirus, but they and their Manager Ari Lopez, are doing their utmost to ensure people can exercise as safely as possible. This includes measures such as encouraging masks to be worn, when not using actively exercising, limiting capacity to keep the gym from getting crowded, routine disinfection of all equipment including machines and weights before and using bottle fillers instead of a drinking fountain.

Outside of owning a gym, Chad works for the United States Border patrol and Vikki works as a nurse at Lakewood Health Center. When they’re not busy with work and operating their business, the Fulton’s like to spend time with friends, play cards, and enjoy the outdoors. For more information about Fitness on Main, you can check out https://www.facebook.com/fitnessonmainbaudette or call (218) 760-1147.

What does 16-year-old Riley Stromlund have in common with billionaires Jeff Bezos, Mark Cuban, and Richard Branson? They all started their first business before graduating from high school.

 

Riley Stromlund is not only a goalie for Lake of the Woods High School’s hockey team in Baudette, MN, he’s also a golfer, an avid outdoorsman, and an ENTREPRENEUR!

When Riley isn’t studying for school or playing sports you’ll likely find Riley designing custom painted fishing lures for anglers who fish the famous waters of Lake of the Woods, the Rainy River, really, anywhere across the country. “The first lure I made I carved out of wood and painted it. It peaked my interest! It was after that when I got an airbrush and started painting blanks that we ordered online.”

Riley is self taught, “I’ve watched a lot of YouTube videos. I’ve learned to make my own stencils and different techniques to paint them.” His sunfish and blue gill pattern are his favorite because “They are the most detailed”.

His favorite part about painting lures, “It’s relaxing and I get to be creative. I listen to music and just paint! I also like hearing people who have caught fish on one of my lures.”

The summer of 2020, a customer caught a 30” walleye on Lake of the Woods using one of Riley’s lures, “That was exciting!” Not only do his lures catch legendary walleye’s he also caught pretty big Northern’s when he’s taken them to the dock to test run them.

You’ll find Riley’s fishing lures on local Facebook swap and sell sites or you may purchase his lures locally at his mom’s Salon, K-Salon, in Baudette. Each lures sells for $10. Not able to make it to Baudette, but still want to purchase a lure, click here to message K-Salon.