Some exciting things are going on behind the scenes in and around our little metropolis.
Apparently this has been on local radio and I’ve seen it on a few official memos, but it sounds like Venueworks (the operational company for the Bemidji Regional Event Center) has signed its first non-hockey event for Bemidji. Larry the Cable Guy, whose real name is Daniel Lawrence Whitney, is well known for his red neck down home humor. He is part of the Blue Collar Comedy Troupe along with Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, and Ron White. He has released 7 comedy CD’s, been in many movies including being a voice in the Pixar films “Cars” and has written a book titled (surprise) Git-R-Done. The History Channel signed him to host a series this year tentatively titled “Only in America With Larry the Cable Guy”. Details of his appearance in Bemidji I am sure are being finalized. I heard it would be in November.
Speaking of the Bemidji Regional Event Center, Lakeland Public Television has gained the television rights to the Bemidji State Beaver WCHA men’s hockey home games and is attempting to get enough advertisers to sign on to make this a reality. Its really a win-win proposition for both the station and the university. The opportunity for BSU and its program to have exposure through television coverage is huge, for recruiting and for the school itself. With well over 70% of the local tickets sold out for next year, it will give others the opportunity to enjoy the team and the facility. While several teams in the league have some local cable coverage, many using the students and school equipment, Lakeland has made the bold commitment to put on a professionally run operation with paid staff and their equipment. Not only does their broadcast area cover from the Canadian boarder to Little Falls, they are carried on both DISH NETWORK and DIRECT TV out of the TWIN CITIES, giving BSU most of Southern Minnesota from the South Dakota border to Menomanie, Wisconsin. Lakeland gets access to a different set of viewers, and I am sure will be promoting their programming and possible solicitation for contributions to their operation. As most people know Lakeland is one of the few PBS stations in America producing their own local daily newscast. They apparently have 6 of the needed 12 sponsorships spoken for. Congratulations for this fantastic partnership and here’s hoping its going to happen!
Lastly, I see this week the local smoke shop that was on the corner of Irving and Paul Bunyan Drive (directly across from Walgreens) moved across the street next to the municipal liquor store. On several occasions people have seen a surveying crew on the site of the smoke shop (which I am told use to be the old A and W Rootbeer Drive In). I wrote earlier about CVS coming to town on the site of the current bowling alley (which is building new and expanding out by the airport on Hwy 71 across from Putt and Go). Apparently that deal didn’t happen. In that blog I did mention how CVS likes going as close to Walgreens as possible (just look in the Twin Cities how they are on every corner next to each other). Could it be that CVS is taking over the old tobacco shop corner to be directly across from Walgreens here in Bemidji? This is strictly intuition…and I’ve been wrong before on this…but it sure makes sense. And that’s this Memorial Week Coverage from our Metropolis. Thank you all Veterans for everything you have done for us!
Great to hear for BSU and Lakeland! I love wathing the 10 o’ clock news. Nice to have a local point of view for news in the area.Graet for BSU to get some TV coverage that will outreach the college and ( with any luck) help spread the word of Beaver Hockey!
Go Beavers!
North Dakota’s hockey broadcast is professional and carried across a very big market now.
This is brilliant, Mike. I even chuckled a bit. The news about Larry the Cable Guy, I mean. Think about it for a minute. There could not be a better event to occur this early on in the BREC’S history. Bear with me, I’m going to make 2 points here. Today, May 29th, the 1 millionth fan will rotate the turnstile at the Twins new ballpark, Target Field. In the early days at the old Met Stadium, that event would not occur many years until August or September. At the Metrodome, not until June or July in the best of years. I bring this up beause as most of us remember, there was heavy vocal opposition to the Twins Stadium. It barely passed and became reality. The naysayers there said it wouldn’t be worth the cost and would likely have many empty seats. Sound familiar? The first point is that they only focused on the cost and ignored the return on the investment. Ask anyone who has been to a game, or been to that part of Minneapolis during a game day, or any local businessperson, or anyone who has a job there now, what a huge economic impact it is having. Now to the second and most interesting point. It has been speculated that up to 1/4 of the those who have been to a Twins game this year were opposed to the stadium(many have admitted it right on camera during games on TV). This brings us back to Larry the Cable Guy. I’m sure it’s just me, but I always pictured that many of those opposed to the BREC would be the same people that might be big fans of Larry the Cable Guy. Don’t ask me why. I happen to also be a fan of Larry the Cable Guy so maybe I’m way off, but it still made me chuckle. Anyway, I predict it will be a sell out and that a respectable amount of those attending were opposed to the BREC. By the way, I just bought my Beavers season ticket last week after they announced it was 75% sold and judging by how busy Jake is, it’s more like 80% today. It will be sold out before the season starts. Do you remember all that said it couldn’t be done? I do.
Like we really need another drug store/pharmacy on Paul Bunyan Drive! After awhile it’ll just be drug stores and banks on that stretch. Find another location and be unique!
Just a note. I was in the cities to the Wild Bash last summer. It was in the wonderful park right be hind the XCEL Center. They had lights on the trees all the time. They never take them off. They replaced as needed. Summer,spring, fall, and winter. We started this 14 years ago and they wanted it to go on forever they should have planned for a saving account for that. It brings in alot of family and business to the stores in town.. They ask for money from everyone. Why can’t they give back so the citzens so they can enjoy something for free from the this city of Bemidji.
Why can’t we leave the lights on?
And why don’t they plan better?
How about the Beavers from Bemidji State help out a little bit being they are getting a nice building for there hockey games.
Jane, I read your post about 5 times and it’s hard to understand. Who is “they”? You say “why can’t ‘they’ give back to the citizens so they can enjoy something for free from the city”. For one, the city was paying a good portion of this in the past and two, anyone who has read the news realizes that local government no longer has money for stuff like this. They are even having trouble finding money for essential services. Also, I don’t see what Bemidji St. and their place to play hockey has to do with it. Concerning the lights themselves, the trees here differ from the park in St. Paul you speak of. The types of light strings used here are not made for years of use. I’m pretty sure they are the disposable kind and I doubt anyone thinks it would look good for them to be dangling out of the trees during the summer.
It was summer when I was at the park. You could not even see the strings of light. And when us citizens help pay for the BREC then why not have the college help the citizens of Bemidji celebrate the NIGHT OF LIGHTS. When you read the donations of money it is small business and banks and people of Bemidji donating the money. Maybe they (city) should have planned a little better.
Jane,
It’s important to know that it was not the city who started/ plans this event. It is the Chamber and that is why you notice the donations come from “small business and banks and people of Bemidji”. The city has donated very much to this through the manhours of putting up and taking down the lights among numerous other donations/ in-kind.
Also, it is noteworthy that BSU students volunteer all over our community in quite a large capacity. Many non-profits would not be able to provide the level of services they do without those volunteer hours. They also do fundraising drives among many other things in our city.
Yes, the lights are pretty and festive but I feel it is a bit unfair to drop the financial burden on the city and BSU. The Chamber has done a great job in the past of organizing the event, but reality is the current economic times.
So lets not have any celebrations in town. (Because it only brings money to the town.