The Litchfield Visitors Bureau held its Light Up Litchfield contest earlier this month. Eleven businesses participated and 436 votes were cast in the contest.
Janaye Prieve says first place went to the Fieldgate Cheese Store with 180 votes; second place went to It’s Knot Hair, Radiant Glow Spa, Kristie Isakson Accounting with 86 votes; and third place went to Center Bank with 85 votes. She says there’s a committee that organizes the Light Up Litchfield contest and the lighting of Central Park.
Prieve says if anyone is willing to serve on the committee, they may call the Chamber office at 693-8184. She says the two big events for the Litchfield Visitors Bureau each year are the Parade of Bands in June and the Light Up Litchfield contest which are meant to attract visitors to Litchfield and they advertise in other parts of the state to try to get people to visit Litchfield and spend money here.
Litchfield Visitors Bureau chair Shane Zeppelin has led the organization since it began in 2018, and after two terms, he has to step down, but he will continue to serve on the Parade of Bands committee. He says several people from Litchfield attended a Blandin Foundation conference in 2016 and one of the wishes from that event that became reality was the creation of the Litchfield Visitors Bureau, and one of their sources of income is a half-cent sales tax gathered by the City.
Zeppelin says the Litchfield Visitors Bureau also gets revenue from grants, including one from Explore MN. He says the sales tax in Litchfield comes from the two motels and the campground. For more information about the Litchfield Visitors Bureau, go to litchfieldmn.com.
On Friday, Meeker County Sheriff’s Office Detectives arrested 20-year-old Jonah Nauman of Marshall. The arrest is the result of an active criminal sexual conduct investigation.
Detectives learned Nauman had contacted a twelve-year-old girl on social media. After making contact, Nauman traveled to meet with the victim on two separate occasions, once in Paynesville, and once in Grove City and engaged in sexual activity with the victim.
Nauman was booked into the Meeker County Jail on 1st Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct charges and is awaiting a first appearance in Meeker County District Court. Paynesville PD, Marshall PD, CEE-VI Task Force and BLRR Task Force assisted with the investigation. The investigation is active and ongoing and no further information is available at this time.
The Salvation Army Red Kettle campaign is continuing as kettles are set up at Family Fare, Running’s and Walmart in Litchfield. The funds collected in those kettles – through Dec. 24th – will help people in Meeker County in the coming year facing various emergency situations.
Rochelle Brummond from United Community Action Partnership (UCAP) says they are about half way to their goal of collecting $20,000 and they’ve received a gold coin for the 8th year in a row. She says the funds are used locally to help people who are struggling for various reasons.
Brummond says if anyone is willing to ring the bell at one of the Litchfield kettles over the next few days, they can sign up by calling Heather at 320-699-0461. She says they are grateful for all of the donations they’ve received so far, and for those who have been ringing the bell because people are more likely to make a donation when someone is at the kettle ringing the bell.
Brummond says checks for the Salvation Army may also be dropped off or mailed to her office at 120 North Sibley Avenue in Litchfield. She says the Threads of Hope store will continue to be at 120 North Sibley Avenue, but her UCAP office and Meeker Area Ministries will soon be relocated to 409 North Sibley Avenue.
Brummond says the Meeker County Holiday Project went well and they were able to help several local families – representing about 530 children – get gifts for Christmas and a holiday meal, and they delivered 50 food baskets to elderly residents around Meeker County. She says if anyone has questions, they’re welcome to call her at 693-7911.