 For the first Small Business Showcase, we spoke with Scott Kesti and Kaara Nilsson of The Rusty Bucket.
The Rusty bucket is located on Main Street between second and third Avenue and can be accessed by the south end detour via mill street and Etna Avenue. During construction they are open by appointment only, otherwise their regular hours are Thursday - Saturday 10am -5pm. Tell us a little bit about yourself? Scott: I was a residential building contractor for 15 years before opening the store and still do small projects for people. Kaara, when not hunting for junk, is a Registered Nurse at Deer River Hospital. What is The Rusty Bucket? S: The Rusty Bucket is a fun Junk store with new treasures added regularly. How long have you been in business? S: 10 years Why did you want to open The Rusty Bucket? S: we have always enjoyed collecting unique items, and I wanted to move close to some family property north of town. What aspect of The Rusty Bucket are you most passionate about? S: The hunt is always enjoyable and meeting all of the great people. One thing you would like your customers to know? S: Everyone is welcome! One thing is for sure, The Rusty Bucket is one of the many unique treasures of our small town!
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Contact: Diane Ammerman FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Remer Area Ambulance Service January 26, 2022 (218) 244-2268 REMER — When responding to an incident, every second counts. The top priority for emergency responders is to ensure the safety of themselves as well as bystanders, in order to prevent the situation from worsening. A new piece of equipment recently added to the Remer Area Ambulance Service (RAAS) volunteers’ main truck will help the crew uphold that priority. For years, RAAS volunteers manually loaded and unloaded patients into the ambulance trucks. This was not an optimal situation for patient or volunteer safety. Diane Ammerman, chief and 40-year member of the Remer Area Ambulance Service, said the crew’s new automated cot system is easy to use and is much safer. “Prior to the Stryker Power-LOAD cot, it was really difficult,” said Ammerman. “In the early years, we had to load patients 100% manually. Later, with semi-auto loading, we still had to fold up the cot and put the patient on it, to load into the back of the ambulance. We also don't always have assistance from others at the scene—it may just be two people working the call and it could be a struggle to lift the cot.” Now, with the push of a button, the new system supports the cot throughout the entire process. This prevents further injury to the patient—especially in an emergency situation where time is of the essence—as well as, literally, doing the heavy lifting for the EMS volunteers. “With Sourcewell Community Match Funds, we were able to purchase the new system,” said Ammerman. “It was a godsend! I can’t even imagine not using the auto-load cot. In case the main truck with auto-load is out on a call we have a second truck, but everyone hopes they never need to use it.” The service area of RAAS covers a resident population of 2,500—which doubles during the summer months—across a 465-square-mile area. The challenges of aiding patients in all kinds of weather and rural terrain make the power cot system a boon for area residents in need of medical treatment, as well as for RAAS volunteers. “Thanks to partners on this project, we can do our jobs so much more effectively and safely,” said Ammerman. “That’s what it’s all about in our community—working together and doing our best.” VIDEO LINK: https://vimeo.com/667309505 Below is a letter from Chamber President Jon Karner from July, 2020. The proposed membership changes required a change to the By-laws. These changes were voted on and approved at the September regular meeting.
To All: The membership committee has proposed some changes to the Chamber By-Laws. In essence, the proposal changes our fiscal year from Jan.–Dec. to Sept.–Aug. of each year. This is a result of feedback from some of our members who believe it would be easier to pay membership dues during summer months when local business is better. To change the membership dues date, the membership committee felt it best to adjust all of the dates to correspond. Specific changes are. Membership year would run from Sept. 1 to Aug. 31. (Instead of Jan. 1 to Dec. 31) Membership dues would be due by Sept. 1st. (Instead of Jan. 1st) Board Member “terms of office” would start Sept. 1st of a given year. (Instead of Jan. 1st) Annual Meeting would be in May to accommodate voting for new officers (Instead of Oct.) Furthermore, at the Chamber meeting on 7/21 when the proposed changes were discussed. Those present agreed that the change in membership dues would not go into effect until 2021. This would mean that if you are already a member, you next membership dues would NOT be due until Sept. 1st of 2021. We felt this is something the Chamber could do to provide some relief to members due to conditions created by COVID-19. I have attached a copy of the proposed changes for your review. They should also be included in the July meeting minutes. Per our By-Laws, these changes will be voted on during our next meeting in August. If you have any questions or concerns about these changes, please feel free to contact me by responding to this email or calling at 218-244-0959. Regards, Jonathan Karner President Remer Area Chamber of Commerce Booya Changed to Curbside with Faith in Action Faith in Action for Cass County has decided to hold the 2020 Fall Booya Curbside on Friday, September 25th from 4:30 to 6:00 PM at Union Church in Hackensack. “We believe this is the only Booya event in North Central Minnesota,” stated Booyamaster Mike Bohanon. “We know we can make this a fun curbside event for fall.” Booya is a rich stew, slow-cooked to perfection overnight in a giant cauldron with several kinds of meats and loads of vegetables. With Linnea’s Organic Sourdough Bread, you have a superb meal for a fall evening. Faith in Action’s community volunteers provide neighborly assistance with rides, accessible van rides, companionship, basic home repair and chore services. Services are provided based on need, not income, and there are no fees for services. Local support of Faith in Action is the key to helping people stay living in their homes and communities for as long as possible. Donations will be accepted at the door. Call 218-675-5435 to learn more about the free Booya event and Faith in Action programs and volunteer opportunities. Or visit www.faithinactioncass.com for more information.  Guide for Minnesota Small Businesses Who Need Help
March 31, 2020 | Economic DevelopmentOver the past few weeks, several state and federal programs have been built to assist small businesses struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Different programs make sense for different businesses, so we’re providing this summary guide to help small businesses quickly see which programs might be right for their situation. SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) – all Minnesota small businesses should apply for these!
2. Next, call your bank. Your banker will have advice for you on:
4. If you do not use a bank and/or do not have insurance on your business:
Permalink: http://mn.gov/deed/newscenter/press-releases/index.jsp?id=1045-425890 View entire list 12 Uniquely Simple Ideas to Spread Some Holiday Cheer (Taken from: becomingminimalist.com)
1. Handwrite a letter. The handwritten letter has become a lost art in our world. During the holiday season, the handwritten letter has been replaced by the mass produced-family-photo-card-purchased-on-Shutterfly. And in a world where handwritten letters have been forgotten, their uniqueness and value increases dramatically. So find yourself 10 minutes, a stamp, and an envelope. Choose an old friend with a current street address and put some of your thoughts of appreciation on paper. You’ll be glad you did. And it will be the best piece of mail your friend receives this holiday season. 2. FaceTime/Skype an old friend. Technology has entirely changed our lives. In my lifetime alone, the idea of video conferencing with a friend has gone from far-fetched science fiction to cultural norm. Use it to your advantage by connecting face-to-face with an old friend or a friend halfway around the world. It doesn’t need to be too long, just lengthy enough to wish them a happy holiday and maybe compare how much the children have grown. 3. Buy coffee for a stranger. Next time you roll through the drive-thru of your local coffee shop, offer to pay for yourself and the person behind you (if they have already ordered, the cashier should have their bill handy). Or better yet, a little trick I learned from a friend is to leave a $20 bill with the cashier after you pay and ask him/her to pay for the following customers until the $20 runs out. Either way, coupled with their favorite beverage, this pleasant surprise is guaranteed to brighten someone’s day. 4. Smile and joke with your next cashier. The hustle and bustle and stress-filled shopping days leading up to Christmas results in plenty of customer-frustration. Parking lots are crowded, shelves are empty, aisles are full, and check-out lines are long. During these days in retail, even the simplest of smiles from a customer is too rare and fleeting. Next time you reach the front of the check-out line, make the most of your interaction by smiling, engaging, and flashing a little humor. 5. Leave a nice tip. Rare is the waiter or waitress getting wealthy at their job serving food to patrons. Most of the servers I know are working the shift just trying to make the ends meet for themselves and their family. An extra $20 added to their nightly tip will certainly bring some extra holiday cheer—especially during a busy time of the year when they’d rather be home with their family. 6. Buy movie tickets for a family in your neighborhood. Know somebody on your block who has fallen into some difficult financial times? How ’bout putting some movie gift cards in an envelope and leaving it on their doorstep? Time with family is always good. And some holiday entertainment may be just the distraction they need to experience a little extra cheer. 7. Ask your religious friend about the story behind the season. Christians, Buddhists, Jews, Muslims, and other religions all celebrate important dates and remembrances during the month of December. The next time you are at a holiday party, ask your spiritual friend the story behind their religion’s celebration. Almost certainly, their eyes will light up that somebody expressed interest in something so important to them. And whether you choose to believe the story or not, you will become better informed about another culture’s understanding of the season. Win-win. 8. Invite someone over for dinner. For any number of reasons, there are many people alone during the holidays. If you know someone alone this season, open your house to them for a meal. Rather than infringing on your holiday traditions, it may just become one of your favorites. 9. Send a gift of food/coffee. There are countless inexpensive, clutter-free gift ideas that can be shipped nearly anywhere in the world. With minimal expense and just a few mouse clicks, you can easily send an edible gift to show someone your appreciation for them. For example, a good friend just gifted me a membership to Mistobox. Needless to say, its arrival is virtually guaranteed to spread some holiday cheer into my coffee mug. 10. Shovel your neighbor’s driveway. I learned it from my dad years ago. Now granted, with the prevalence of snowblowers nowadays, this early morning surprise may be a little less appreciated than in years past. But if you can bring a little cheer to your neighbor’s face on a cold, snowy morning during the holiday season, your good deed will not go unnoticed—and will likely get mentioned by the recipient as soon as they arrive at work. And when it does, it will sound something like this, “You’ll never guess what my neighbor did for me this morning…” 11. Bring in a warm breakfast for your office. Doughnuts are great. I mean, everybody loves the guy who brings in doughnuts. But to take it even one step further this holiday season, bring in something warm for your officemates to eat. If the timing is right, you can bring in something homemade. But I once had a boss unexpectedly bring in 25 various breakfast sandwiches from McDonalds and place them on the counter for the office staff. Certainly, it cost him a lot more than a dozen doughnuts. But I still talk about those breakfast sandwiches even 5 years later. 12. Go ahead, sing along. Whether in your car, in the office, or in the store, you know the songs. They get played every year. And quite frankly, some of them are pretty darn catchy. So go ahead, sing along when you get the chance. It’ll brighten your mood and almost certainly the mood of the person next to you as well. Even if singing isn’t your strongest talent, you can always hum along. Remember, cheerfulness is contagious. We probably can’t change the entire world with these simple ideas. But we can still intentionally seek to add life and cheer to the people around us. And as a result, make this season a little more wonderful. |
