alison's blog | Cottage House Inn

Knee High by the Fourth of July

Happy 4th of July! It is a rainy start to this holiday, but let's reflect on the blessing of rain and what it does to help agriculture, a major economy in our humble Fillmore County. There is a saying that if the corn is knee high for the Fourth of July, everything will be OK and the corn will mature in time for harvest.

Events are Back in Full Force!

Our tiny but mighty little town and surrounding area puts on many festivals and events each year (over 26), and it is exciting to see them all returning after two-year hiatuses. These events are organized and executed by non-profits, area artists, business owners, organizations, and more and have a collaboration with many partners, like the City of Lanesboro, the Lanesboro Area Chamber of Commerce, and our Lanesboro Businesses Promotion Group. It is exciting and inspiring to see what these volunteers can do! Some guests plan their visits around these events, and we encoura

Owl Art for Ukraine....and more!

Our neighbor to the east, the International Owl Center in Houston, MN, has amazingly hosted two online auctions of Ukrainian youths' owl art, with proceeds benefitting UNICEF, to help Ukrainian children. A third auction is currently live, until April 3. This initiative has turned into a huge success, thanks to the hard work of the Owl Center, and many patrons. If you are interested, please head to their online auction website, https://one.bidpal.net/ukrart4ukrkids/welcome. Even just browsing the artwork is quite the experience, witnessing the creative artist

Deep Cleaning in the Deep Winter

After the falling of roughly seven inches of snow, everyone is shoveling and plowing in the beautiful winter sun. Today is a picturesque winter scene in Lanesboro with snow-dusted cedars on the bluff, frozen ice on the river, geese at Sylvan Park, a sundog in the sky, and a few bundled-up people heading into lunch at a favorite cafe. Winter at the Cottage House provides a time to slow down a little from the fast-paced previous season and get ready to.......deep clean! Maybe you have a deep-clean list of your own for your house, apartment, or even garage. Our list

With Thanksgiving

Happy (almost) Winter! We end our 2021 busy season with many thanks to all of the travelers, from near and far, that crossed Lanesboro off their lists of places to visit this year. We are so grateful for coming to our little town. Over the years, the Cottage House's meeting room has been home to many of our family's Thanksgivings, and it was again this year with extended family, young and not-so-young. It was a fun celebration of multiple generations, and for that, we are grateful again. How do you practice gratitude? There are many ways to acknow

Fall Into Lanesboro

Fall is in full swing in Lanesboro with some gorgeous shades of red, maroon, yellow, and orange still on the trees. The temperatures have turned a little cooler, but we still await our first frost. The fall season brings many events to Lanesboro, including the Taste of the Trail in September, Fall Craft Beer & Wine Fest, family-friendly Fall into Lanesboro on the first Saturday of October, the Filthy 50 bike ride with 1000 riders on the second Saturday of October, a Halloween-themed high ropes course at Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center on Oct.

In the Swing of Things

It is safe to say this season has been busy! We are in the full swing of things in beautiful downtown Lanesboro, and we are so grateful to all who have traveled to our welcoming little town for their vacation, meeting, family reunion, or weekend getaway. As we near August, we prepare to celebrate our town's annual event, Buffalo Bill Days, for the 37th year! Buffalo Bill Days of course is in homage to Buffalo Bill Cody, who performed his first world-famous wild west show in Lanesboro in 1900. Prior to 1900, Buffalo Bill would come to Lanesboro to visit his o

It's that Time of the Year Again - Rhubarb!

It isn't Spring in Lanesboro, Minnesota, without fresh picked rhubarb in the kitchen. If you are a native of the upper Midwest, you may have those vivid memories of pulling a rhubarb stalk out of the ground and biting into that sour suprise. Perhaps you even snuck some sugar out of the house to dip that rhubarb stalk into before taking a bite. Lanesboro wants to help you relive those childhood memories and develop even more appreciation for this famous vegetable at the town's annual Rhubarb Festival. Every year, Lanesboro hosts the Rhubarb