Here’s what optimism looks like in a small town

An Ely friend once told me, “Whether you believe it can be done, or believe it can’t, you’re right.” I understood that to mean, pessimism doesn’t deliver positive results, and we should get busy if we want to reach for the stars. Believe in the dream, work for it, and make it real.

The philosophy of optimism abounds in the small northwoods town of Ely these days. Yes, we have setbacks, like the fact that the local hospital will not be doing planned delivery of babies in the near future. But many folks who have already been born are doing some focused, optimistic stargazing.

Take, for example, the 30 who met recently at the Vertin’s building to talk about a proposed Ely Folk School, much like the very successful North House Folk School in Grand Marais. The defunct restaurant in downtown Ely, recently purchased by John and Vicki Ott as a renovation project could, according to coordinator Greg Heide, become a base site for three types of classes. They include wilderness travel or bushcraft, arts and crafts, and homesteading. Instructors would include a slew of Ely area experts with skills from birch bark canoe construction to animal tracking to glass blowing and cabin building. Utilizing the Vertin’s kitchen, local ethnic cooking classes could be on the menu, too. Next steps include building renovation, forming a non-profit, creating a board, establishing a vision and mission and starting a few classes as early as this summer.

“We want to connect artisans and craftsmen here with visitors and others in the community who are interested in learning these crafts, and we want to share the unique aspects—mining, logging, the BWCAW and tourism—of Ely and what makes it incredible,” he said.

It’s well worth celebrating that the Otts have purchased additional landmark buildings in Ely with plans for exciting restoration possibilities. The State Theater and nearby buildings and the crumbling Tanner Hospital “castle,” are in the hands of Ott, who built his fortune in radio and real estate and has helped renovate a number of historic buildings in Columbia, Missouri and elsewhere.

In another innovative local effort, the steering committee proposing a regional recreation complex will conduct a $20,000 community survey to learn the extent of support for the idea and how people would likely use and fund such a facility. In prior community meetings, an informal survey revealed interest in such a complex including (in ranked order) a swimming pool, outdoor ice arena, gymnasium, fitness-wellness center, meeting room, library, walking-running track, community garden or greenhouse, sauna and climbing wall.

The mailed survey will go out January 12 to 1,500 people in Ely, Isabella, Babbitt, Embarrass, Tower, Morse and Eagles Nest townships and the Fernberg area. The survey could help the committee determine next steps, such as the creation of a proposal to include location, size, amenities, construction costs and a maintenance budget. The committee toured four regional community complexes to learn how they were established and funded, what was working well, and any mistakes that were made along the way. Interested parties can follow the project on its Facebook page at Ely Regional Community Complex.

Meetings are also ongoing in the wake of Ely’s hiring of Wendy Lindsay and Stone Soup Events to create additional happenings to draw visitors to Ely. The Ely Chamber of Commerce, its Merchant Committee, City of Ely, Incredible Ely and Ely Tourism Bureau chipped in to fund the contract. Chamber Director Cherie Sonsalla said that the new projects would target the area’s shoulder seasons, put heads in beds for lodging establishments, and involve participation by local businesses and organizations.

“We hear people say, ‘I always wanted to catch a lake trout,’ so one option is a fishing contest near the opener in the spring,” she said. The events will likely start out modestly and build over the first few years while organizers polish the process and work out the bugs.

Other events could include a Great American Canoe Festival in June and a Boundary Waters Biathlon involving paddling and portaging. A fall sports show might feature makers of canoes and paddles, a canoe parade and a walleye cook-off.

Folks hereabouts would have to be way off the grid to not have heard of Incredible Ely, the grassroots organization focused on revitalizing Ely’s downtown with the help of the MN Design Team architects, engineers, city planners and visionaries from other communities. They recently involved the public in brainstorming about how to “build and sustain positive momentum” using our own beautiful area and assets.

A poster featured on the Incredible Ely Facebook page summed up the kind of influence all of these initiatives are having on the area’s direction and potential future. “Leaders don’t force people to follow, they invite them on a journey.”

We may live in a small northwoods community, but thanks to all these folks, we are also intently, optimistically embarking on a journey, perhaps to our version of the stars.