What a blessing it is to report our big day went off without a hitch! Weather wise, it was just lovely with cloudy skies (which are actually quite beautiful at the lodge) and a very light breeze. Perfect for outdoor fun and for viewing the green prairie below the lodge. It was a little wet from overnight showers and the freshly graveled parking lot got a bit mucky, which meant we got a layer of gravel over every room in the lodge, but that’s nothing a little elbow grease can’t take care of!

We estimate there was somewhere between 500 to 600 people at the event. We fed well over 300. Paul Kiefer won the weekend getaway and Deb Banish won the corn cob wood carving. We also gave away our Coteau des Prairies Lodge gear, including t-shirts, hats and mugs to 9 other lucky winners.

As for the highlights, people seemed to really enjoy the entertainment and the beef brisket meal served. Joe Semler of I Saw It In MN was a hit with his chainsaw wood carvings. People enjoyed watching him made beautiful art from plain logs. Both the Ole Olson Trio and Dan Brekke did a fabulous job of musical (and comedy) entertainment inside the lodge. Of course, the inflatable games were a huge hit with the younger crowd and they all burned a lot of energy running up and down the big hill to the play area. Fortunately Roy Hildebrandt was able to take the day off from spraying so he could help his new business partner Doug Spieker give horse-drawn hay rides for our guests. They are calling their new horse ride business Rock Ridge Specialties.

Funny story: One of our young guests was pouring himself a cup of lemonade and he didn’t bother to turn off the spigot. We had the good fortune of having an adult guest who witnessed this happen. He was able to rush over and turn off the flow of lemonade which had already covered the counter and formed a pool on the floor. Kids will do the darnedest things!

As pleased as we were to have such a tremendous turnout for our big day, we were equally blessed and thankful for our large group of event workers who made the whole thing possible. It took about 30 people to make it all happen!

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