New events planned throughout the coming year

By Robert Williams

Editor

As 2024 comes to a close, the Frazee Community Club is taking a minute to celebrate the success of the past year and looking forward to what is happening the week of one of the town’s larger events: A Merry Frazee Christmas.

“We’ve got a lot of exciting things coming down the pike,” said President Tom Watson. 

February will see a new weekend event in town Cabin Fever Days from Feb. 8-9. According to Watson, years ago there was a Cabin Fever Days and he is excited to bring it back to town.

The club is partnering with Third Crossing and Event Center Manager Jolene Tappe is taking the lead on “Couples Night Out Bingo” where a $100 ticket for two gets a steak dinner cooked by Brian Biggar and all kinds of prizes attached to the bingo card.

“It’ll be a great night and support a good cause,” said Vice President Karen Pifher.

Some of the proceeds will go to Third Crossing and the Event Center to update the bathrooms and other community center projects in 2025.

Another upcoming winter event is sledding hill races with cash prizes, bonfires, a warming shed, and food provided by Ketter’s Meat Market.

“We’re bringing back some fun,” Pifher said.

Watson has been working on a new event for the open water with the Minnesota Canoe Association hoping to bring canoe races to town in May. Much depends on water levels of the river and meeting the association’s criteria, plus Watson wants it to be a spectacle.

“I want there to be a wow factor when we do it,” he said.

Another throwback is the return of “Alive after Five” on Friday nights once a month. The event would be scheduled for Main Avenue downtown with music and food. Tim Eggebraaten has already been scheduled for July 1.

The club wants to bring more art to town and hopes to utilize a grant from West Central Initiative and Springboard for the Arts to focus on Main Street revitalization. 

“It would bring in artists throughout the year to do art on main street,” said Pifher. “It can include mini murals downtown where we’re bringing some life to small spaces and buildings around town. It can also include any other form of art to bring the community together: music, dance, kindness rock painting and artistic food preparation.”

The club is seeking volunteers to be on a subcommittee to be trained on how to work with artists and launch the program to be successful.

Interested parties can contact the club through its Facebook page or frazeecommunityclub.com/ or directly through Jamie Crabtree via email: Jamie@creatingcommunityconsulting.com

“We’ve got some money coming and a list of artists from around the region that we’ve been building,” said Pifher.

The club also has funding raised for the kiosks downtown, Lion’s Park and at Wannigan Regional Park to be used for map design to showcase area businesses and amenities and will be seeking proposals from artists to complete the downtown mural in 2025. Another addition planned for Lion’s Park is an additional kiosk on the history of Tom the Turkey and the turkey industry.

Over the holidays, judges will be checking out light displays on houses in the Frazee city limits Dec. 22 with a $50 grand prize for the best display and two $25 runner-up prizes.

The Club is also marketing Frazee and its events in a new way by donating to the city’s Economic Development Authority each month to help purchase space on billboards around the region.

“It’s to highlight the restaurants and all the new things happening here,” said Pifher.

Many changes are planned for the club’s website, online calendar and social media sites.

With more events planned to complement all the existing events on their schedule, one of the biggest needs in town that was expressed via resident surveys was a splash pad for kids. The club is also the fiscal host for bringing Pickleball courts to Frazee. Those interested in assisting with either project are asked to contact the club for more information.

The Pickleball project was created by a unique group of one retiree and three students.

“We’re working with them and we’re teaching them how to fundraise and donating our time to help manage because when kids say they want to raise money and help develop the community we have to follow through with it,” Pifher said. “They have a really good plan put together.”

The biggest change for the Community Club has been a drastic increase in participation from the public and more volunteers are always needed, especially with a major increase planned for events throughout the year.  Both Watson and PIfher are hoping to share that excitement with new club members and volunteers.

“2025 looks amazing; our membership has increased significantly—more than five times over,” Pifher said. “Fundraising is going well and it’s going directly back to the community.”

The Frazee Area Community Club is dedicated to enhancing the Frazee, community through active participation in various projects and activities. Its primary objectives include fostering a spirit of cooperation among citizens and supporting local initiatives aimed at community betterment. The club organizes annual events such as Turkey Days, Corn Feed, Christmas Light Contest, Blood Drives, and the Miss Frazee Pageant to bring residents together and celebrate the town’s heritage. Additionally, the club honors individuals or families who have made significant contributions to the community through recognitions like the “Citizen of the Season.”