Beethoven and Bard: Welcome back to Winona
By Daily News editorial board

Just as exciting as the warm weather and just as certain as Steamboat Days, Winona will welcome back the Great River Shakespeare Festival and the Minnesota Beethoven Festival again this summer, along with the Gilmore Valley Players and a host of other seasonal events like the farmers market.

With gas prices going up and a new word coined — “staycation” — we’d like to suggest the crunch at the pump might not hurt us as badly as we’d think come vacation time. There’s plenty to do right here; an amazing amount, really.
To the actors and musicians and those who call Winona home for part of the year: Welcome back, friends, it’s good to see you again.

For those coming to Winona for the first time, welcome to a truly wonderful place,

nestled right in the heart of America.

We wonder how many other communities the size of Winona could boast the quality or the quantity of attractions and activities? It seems like the community calendars are always chock full of things to do.

And now an appeal: As much as we need folks from out of town to come and “discover” what we’ve known for years, we also need local support. These community events need outside support, that’s true. But they also need local support, not only for money, but for volunteers and advocates. Tell your friends about Winona. Invite them over for dinner and a play.

What is really old news to us, may be surprising to them. They’d be surprised by the scenery, by the arts, by the variety and by the friendly folks here. And, it’s probably old news, but it’s worth pausing on it again. These events not only draw folks to our area, they also draw

dollars for other local businesses. Tourism is good for the hospitality sector, it’s good for retail and it’s good for those who might just be looking for the next best place to locate.

We should also remember that we have an obligation to greet our new out-of-town friends. Company’s coming, so to speak, and we need to show them the best Winona has to offer. We want them to discover what we’ve known for years. And, we hope they come back.

We’re proud of Winona.

And, we’re proud that we’re home to so many great arts and cultural opportunities. We hope that tourists come to love our city and area as much as we do, and we know that Winonans might even be surprised at the number of great offerings available.

By Darrell Ehrlick, editor, on behalf of the Winona Daily News editorial board, which also includes publisher Rusty Cunningham and online editor Jerome Christenson. To comment, call (507) 453-3507 or send e-mail to letters@winonadailynews.com.

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