Storming Forward
“Living in Emmetsburg feels like I’m in the middle of a Normal Rockwell painting, just add in a couple leprechauns,” says one area resident. From a bustling downtown touting turn-of-the century architecture and well-preserved historic homes to welcoming smiles and scents from the local bakery, Emmetsburg, Iowa, provides a nostalgic backdrop of quintessential small-town life, nestled on the shores of postcard-perfect Five Island Lake, stretching five miles long and half a mile wide. Population 3,958, Emmetsburg blends this quaint charm with both an appreciation for its historic Irish heritage and a modern entrepreneurial spirit, resulting in a community equally balancing quality of life with economic progress.
Emmetsburg’s Irish roots exemplify how, from the start, this community emerged and continues based on a philosophy of entrepreneurial independence, of seeing the positive and hopeful side to all situations. Historically, most Irish immigrants to the U.S. settled in urban areas, as this ethnic group associated rural life with the starvation and hard times of their homelands. Emmetsburg, named after the Irish patriot, Robert Emmet, proved the exception; the seven Irish families who founded the town did not want to forego their agricultural past, but rather saw in this place an opportunity to start anew. With a commitment to family, faith and farming, these Irish immigrants planted prosperous seeds of determination that continue in Emmetsburg today.
The people of Emmetsburg value these Irish roots, even if current population figures skew more towards German than Irish ancestry. Where else can you find an authentic Blarney stone on the courthouse lawn and a week of annual St. Patrick’s Day festivities that brings upwards of 5,000 spirited visitors to town, including Irish governmental dignitaries? “If you can find an empty spot to stand in downtown that weekend, you don’t move,” comments a local resident.
While valuing roots, Emmetsburg realizes and fosters the need for innovation and newness. Taking advantage of an opportunity to participate in the Horizons, a community leadership development program sponsored by the Northwest Area Foundation, over 500 area residents attended a community meeting, during which volunteers inventoried, collected and authored the information needed to create as complete and inclusive a profile of the community as possible. That day the initiative was dubbed “Storm” because of the “blizzard” of new and energizing ideas that flurried about that evening.
To recruit new leaders and others not regularly involved in community decision making, “stormwatchers” reach into the community and invite residents to participate — helping broaden the list of those involved and allowing for new ideas to surface. “I felt very motivated when I saw how people wanted to be more open minded and accepting of diversity,” shares one long-time Latina resident after participating in the leadership program. “We learned what it takes: a lot of hard work and an openness to new ideas. After all, everyone here is an immigrant.” As a result of the process, this woman joined Emmetsburg’s entrepreneurial line up and bought the local historic McNally bakery. She tutored under the former owner before successfully carrying on the baking tradition on her own, blending both Irish specialties with her own native Ecuadorian flavors.
Rather than adopt development strategies that focus on attracting big manufacturing plants, Emmetsburg focuses on inspiring and supporting the entrepreneurs that already reside in the community, or wish to relocate to the picturesque small town. The virtual incubator program funded through a $20,000 USDA grant makes available computers and software that can be checked out by existing or startup businesses to help in their operations and business management. The computers even include a simple program that helps entrepreneurs to write a business plan.
This fostering of entrepreneurship, blended with the high quality of life in Emmetsburg, continues to be a strong asset within the community to recruit new residents with fresh energy and ideas. “We fell in love with the charm of Emmetsburg when we were looking for a lifestyle change from the bustle of Los Angeles,” explains a local businesswoman who now runs a bed and breakfast in a historic Victorian Emmetsburg home. Since she and her husband moved here over a decade ago, seven of their family members have relocated to Emmetsburg, all contributing to the local economy and community vitality.
Such initiatives are matched by Emmetsburg’s own local low-power radio station, KEMB-LP (94.1 FM), featuring news and information for area residents. Community members recognize that they can make a difference in creating opportunities or solving problems. For example, residents who for health reasons are unable to make community meetings or local sports events can stay involved by listening to coverage of these events on the radio station.
Tapping Horizons program funds for further community leadership development led to a strategy session related to the Industrial Development Board, responsible for economic development and business retention and attraction to the community. Recognizing that the board was largely represented by elected or appointed city officials, the existing group is reinventing the organization, seeking to recruit a board more representative of all the diversity of businesses and organizations in the community. “We want to change the past reality of people sitting on board after board, getting bored,” admits one board member excited by the promise of engaging broader representation on boards in the community.
Recently, Emmetsburg received an additional “pot of gold at the end of the rainbow” with the addition of the new 28,000-square-foot Wild Rose Casino and Resort, scheduled to open just east of town in the summer of 2006. Related startups abound, including new lodging, restaurants and retail shops. Within the atrium of the casino, retail kiosks offer local entrepreneurs an opportunity to expand their operations — and profits — by opening up inside the casino. “In keeping our arrows pointed in the same direction, we’re working on initiatives that redirect traffic coming to the casino to our vibrant downtown business district,” explains a business leader.
Just another casino, it’s not. Thanks to the community’s pride in their town’s historic roots, the developers of Wild Rose Casino uniquely designed the building’s exterior to replicate the unique style of the turn-of-the-century downtown Emmetsburg area, including “recreating” historic Emmetsburg buildings that burned down years ago, like the signature Waverly Hotel. Besides boosting the local economy by adding 300 jobs, the casino is seen as a new entertainment attraction that complements other tourism attractions in the area. “We see the casino as an opportunity for Emmetsburg to further expand its shops, and we are thinking creatively on ways to lure casino goers downtown, perhaps providing free trolley service,” adds a local Chamber member.
So stay tuned to KEMB (94.1 FM) or keep an eye on the local newspaper for the latest Storm Report. The biggest storm to hit Emmetsburg has this small town chasing the rainbow of possibilities, with leaders emerging from throughout the community with ideas and enthusiasm to move forward. “Some folks have found us, in spite of ourselves,” admits a recent arrival to the community. A leprechaun, it seems, has let out the secret. By working together, the people of Emmetsburg have discovered their pot of gold.