AREA BUSINESSES TURN OUT FOR EVENT AT PARK HIGH SCHOOL ACTIVITY CENTER

It was a packed house Saturday April 30 when the Community Showcase sponsored recently by the Cottage Grove Area Chamber of Commerce got underway at the Park High Activity Center off 80th Street South. With plenty of entries, here’s a rundown of those who made the effort to come out, business and organization wise, to let Cottage Grove know what they had to offer.

With the Carpenter Nature Center holding a Raptor Show at 10:15 and Sergeant Nils Morning showing up with K-9 Gunnar at 11 with Circus Manduhai at 11:30 and 3M Science Wizards at Noon among other event offerings, following is a non-exhaustive listing of those businesses and organizations who attended the Saturday event.

Starting out with an old friend, Strawberry Fest was on site Saturday. The annual festival returning this June 16 – 19 is reportedly looking for more ambassador candidates, with applications accepted through May 9th and older ages among those most needed, with age 23 the oldest. For more information or to apply, head on over to www.cottagegrovestrawberryfest. com, then click on the “Ambassadors” tab.

Coming in next on our quick if non-exhaustive run down of participants at the Community Showcase (but in no particular order) 3M, one of Minnesota’s largest employers and with many open positions. With 3-M Post-Its in good supply at Saturday’s Showcase, jobs can be found posted at 3m.com, opportunities both local and worldwide.

Next up for the Community Showcase, meanwhile, is the K & S Conservatory of Music. With many different teachers and the ability to book online, the music school details are at www. kandsmusic.org.

Coming in third in our review is Joeline Renee Photography, with location in Cottage Grove and online photo gallery with different photo package options and contact at www.joelinerenee. com.

Next in the quick review of participating businesses at the Saturday showcase is Oasis Chiropractic and Wellness Center. Located at 7424 East Point Douglas Road in Cottage Grove, Oasis Chiropractic offers the ChiroThin Weight Loss Program and Nutrition Response Testing among other services. Doctor Designed and Doctor Supervised, the ChiroThin Weight Loss Program can help you experience rapid, healthy weight loss without hunger or cravings, while Nutrition Response Testing seeks to get to the root cause of health issues like fatigue and skin blemishes, in part by seeking out for intolerances and nutritional deficiencies. More information can be found at www.cottagegrovechiro. com.

Not to be outdone, Viverant Physical Therapy was also at Saturday’s Community Showcase. With locations across the Twin Cities (including in Cottage Grove and Woodbury), readers can learn more about what Viverant has to offer at www. viverant.com. Whole Health Chiropractic (a wholly separate entity) also on site Saturday in the persons of Dr. Danielle Stromme and Dr. Lauren Hanson-Sithisane, with more at www.wholehealthmn. com. Among those handing out candy on Saturday, meanwhile, was the City of Cottage Grove itself. Among the things Cottage Grove wants businesses to know are that they’re ready to work with you, helping you come to the area.

Among the things the City wants residents to know are that more restaurant opportunities are coming this year, including Pizza Ranch. Meanwhile and to improve (“lessen”) traffic congestion, the City will widen and add a roundabout at Jamaica Avenue and East Point Douglas Road in 2023. More on the city can be found at www. cottagegrovemn.gov. Hy-Vee was also on site Saturday, offering food to hungry Showcase goers. For those who missed out, HyVee can be found at 7280 East Point Douglas Road.

Among the banks on hand at Saturday’s Showcase, meanwhile, was Merchant’s Bank. Located at 8479 East Point Douglas Road, Merchants Bank stands ready to help customers with all their banking needs, with additional information at www. merchantsbank.com. Also on site were Becky Uecker and Katie Eastman from Old National, with website at www. oldnational.com.

As to nature, there was the Carpenter Nature Center, while for community development on the public sector level, the Washington County Community Development Agency (CDA) was on hand as well. Located at 7645 Currell Boulevard in Woodbury, the Community Development Agency can help with housing as well as growing your small business or funding critical services for the homeless. The contact phone for the Washington County CDA is 651-458-0936.

If furry friends are important to you, meanwhile, the Hound Around Resort at 8607 West Point Douglas Road South in Cottage Grove has everything that your pet needs to thrive on a day away from home, with dog daycare, boarding, and grooming services. Learn more at www. houndaroundresort. com.

Next on the list of area organizations to know about is The Grove. Affiliated with the United Methodist Church, the Grove describes itself as “a vibrant new church in Cottage Grove,” meeting Sundays at 10 a.m. and with more information at www.thegrovecg.church.

Meanwhile and in terms of private religious education, Pine Harbor Christian Academy is among the offerings available to local parents, recently undergoing an expansion just off Highway 61. Serving Kindergarten through 8th Grade and located on the border of Hastings and Cottage Grove, readers can learn more at www. pineharbor.org. For balloon entertainment and birthday parties, meanwhile, there’s Balloon art by Mandana Moshrefzadeh, more at balloon artistry by mundane. com.

Switching over to South Washington County Community Education in the meantime, Locally grown summer theater camps are due to come. The multi-day events at Oltman Middle School are scheduled with opportunities in June, July, and August, with more information available at https:// www.locallygrowntheatre. org.

If it’s sports rather than theater that you’re into, on the other hand, Advanced Sportswear at 1632 Hastings Avenue in Newport has what you’re looking for, with apparel for East Ridge, the Hastings Raiders, and Park Wolfpack among its other offerings. Find out more at https://advancedsportswear. net.

Also present at the Community Showcase on Saturday, was Edward Jones, with Financial Advisor Jeffrey Showmaker of Hastings, along with Remax Professionals real estate brokering, represented in the booth by Tony Khambata. More on Edward Jones is available at www.edwardjones.com, while those interested in using Remax to buy or sell their house can find more information at www.professionals. net. If home renovations are your thing, Craftsman Renovations and Renewal by Andersen were also on site Saturday.

As to Craftsman, more information is available at www.craftsmanrenovationsllc. com, while for Renewal by Andersen, they’re seeking workers. As such, Talent Acquisition Partner Dani Reding was present on site, with local jobs related to Shipping Associate and Retail Quality Coordinator posted online at www.renewalbyandersen. com/careers. Shifting back to Christian private schools, meanwhile, Hope Christian Academy could be the fit for you.

With a loving family atmosphere, God-centered focus, experienced staff and free transportation to all students in the District 833 boundaries among its many perks, Hope Christian Academy is waiting to share more at www.HopeChristian Academy.org.

Also taking time out for the Community Showcase, meanwhile were Costcotravel (details at costcotravel. com), Kok Funeral Home for end of life needs (www. kokfuneral.com), and the Youth Service Bureau, the last handing out free water bottles to Showcase participants. More information is available at ysb.net.

Coming in next with public education is South Washington County Schools, offering Early Learning, Youth, Kids Club, Aquatics including swimming lessons, and other opportunities. Among the many offerings is Great Rivers Adult Education, allowing those beyond school age to do GED prep, k-12 Diploma completion, English as a Second Language, and more! Find out more at commend. sowashco.org.

Next up on the list of participating businesses, meanwhile, is the Snapshot Photo Camper. Offering “a unique photo booth experience in a vintage camper” with professional photo equipment and lighting, the Snapshot Photo Camper helps creates memories, one snapshot at a time. Learn more at www. thesnapshotphotocamper. com. To help get ready, there’s Mary Kay, with local representatives Shelly Fuller and Becky Fox helping in the makeup area.

Also showing up to the Showcase, meanwhile, were S & S Lawn Care Service (phone contact at 651-238-7317), United Healthcare with Licensed Sales Agent Reed Pollack at 7204 Hidden Valley Lane, Veritas Financial Strategies, Biz Recycling, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, and Thrivent.

Closing out the list of participants are Midwest Mickey Disney Vacation Planning (Midwestmickey. com), All Energy Solar with Jeff Wiberg, Mike Mart with Ice Cream and Candy (more information at mikmarticecream. com), North Star Sheets (hiring!), Burn Boot Camp (www.burnbootcamp. com), along with the Lake Elmo Inn and Grove Nutrition.

Last but not least, there was the Journal, though if you’ve made it this far we suspect you knew that.

Subscriptions to the Journal are available by calling 651-829-3234.

For a full listing of what the Cottage Grove Area Chamber has to offer in terms of local businesses, meanwhile, head on over to www.cottagegrovechamber. org, complete with a member map under the Directory tab. Don’t miss out, learn what Cottage Grove has to offer today!

Mayor Bailey and Council member Steve Dennis were on hand with Gretchen Larson of Administration and others to help let visitors to the Saturday showcase know what Cottage Grove could offer.Photo by Joseph Back

Becky Uecker and Katie Eastman of Old National were on hand at Saturday’s Community Showcase. Photo by Joseph Back

One of Minnesota’s largest employers, 3M was on hand at the Community Showcase to show some of its innovative products, with job openings also available! Photo by Joseph Back

Remax Professionals had a display where those stopping by could vote on what they preferred in terms of home and other options. Photo by Joseph Back