Welcome to Stillwater

This afternoon I startled a young couple. They were on the sidewalk, car doors open, trying to calm a crying baby. I walked toward my mailbox, not giving them a second thought, when the father started apologizing for parking in front of my house, assuring me they'd only be a minute. "No problem, I'm just getting my mail," I replied, and they both looked relieved, then asked for directions to . 

What was that all about? Oh, right! It's Lumberjack Days. The time of year when we locals avoid downtown and cast wary, "you're not from here, are you?" glances at passersby. The time of year when "Welcome to Stillwater, now leave" bumper stickers abound, and the no food-no drinks-no ice cream-no bathroom-no photos-no browsing signs in shop windows are a glaring reminder of our mixed feelings about out of town visitors.  

I, for one, vow to give visitors the benefit of the doubt this week, because guess what? Visitors come to Stillwater for the same reasons we live here - history and beautiful architecture, music and art and parks, the river, and a downtown with walkability and restaurants that rival the Twin Cities.

And guess what else? Those visitors just might want to live here one day, pay taxes, volunteer in our community, and work at our local businesses. Or better yet, they might want to spend a day or two (or more!) contributing a few hundred dollars (or more!) to our local economy, and enjoy it so much that they come back every few months to do it again.

So let's turn on the Minnesota nice for a few days, smile and wave when our guests stop at intersections with no stop signs and ignore intersections that have stop signs, and happily describe the fastest way to Nelson's for young parents with fussy kids.

Welcome to Stillwater! Y'all come back now, ya hear?