Page 47 - 2017 Willmar Lakes Area Guide

sunburg (pop. 100)
Founded by Norwegian immigrants, Sunburg continues to celebrate and reflect its ethnic heritage. Kaffestua, the local café, features Klub (Norwegian dumplings) every Tuesday for lunch. It also offers lutefisk over the Christmas holidays. Kultur Hus offers Scandinavian gifts, hosts Norwegian class instruction on Fridays and musical lessons and events throughout the year. Barnenhaug, is a Norwegian preschool, a collaboration between the Concordia Language Village and the KMS school district. Sunburg celebrates Syttende Mai (Norwegian Independence Day) every year on the Sunday closest to May 17 featuring a full day of activities, including a large parade.
Sunburg sponsors the Norway Lake-Sunburg Lakers, a community baseball team in the County Line League. Games are held Sunday afternoons at the Willie Reigstad baseball diamond in Sunburg. The Sunburg area is also home to a variety of churches, several of which stem from the Norwegian Lutheran tradition. The Trolls Car Club sponsors a large collectible car show every Labor Day weekend.
The Village of Sunburg (pop 100) was platted by local residents in 1916. This is rather unique in that most towns were platted by the railroad. Sunburg is located in the northwest corner of Kandiyohi County, within walking distance of Swift and Pope Counties on MN Hwy 9 and Kandiyohi County 7 in the heart of the Glacial Ridge Trail. Sunburg is called home by people from 20 mile radius.
spicer (pop. 1,167)
Spicer is a delightful community located on the shores of Green Lake, in the heart of the Little Crow Lakes Region, 99 miles west of Minneapolis/St. Paul. With its friendly people and restful atmosphere you will want to choose from a lakeside resort, bed & breakfast, hotel or campground and stay awhile.
No matter the season, if you’re looking for family fun you can’t beat Spicer and the Little Crow Lakes Region, where hospitality always comes first.
Cross-country skiing and snowmobiling are popular sports for residents and visitors alike. Spring with its freshness and promise is always a good time to visit. Shopping is always great with many gift, antique and specialty stores. In the summer you’ll find weekend flea markets and plenty of farmers markets along the road. Drop a line in one of our sparkling clean lakes or enjoy a variety of water sports. Fall brings spectacular colors as our forest and prairies are transformed into brilliant seas of orange, gold and red. Come stay with us in Spicer.
KAndiyohi (pop. 491)
Kandiyohi is located 6 miles east of Willmar on Highway 12. In 1870, Kandiyohi was made the temporary county seat when two counties merged (Kandiyohi and Monongalia) before Willmar was chosen because of its central location. Affordable housing and the close proximity to Willmar make Kandiyohi a great place to live and raise a family while enjoying the small town atmosphere. All small towns have their celebrations and Kandiyohi is no exception. The first Saturday in June is reserved for an all-city rummage sale. The following weekend is the city-wide celebration Kandi is Dandy Days. This celebration features a variety show, parade, games in the park, antique tractor pull and a business appreciation supper.
roseLAnd (pop. 500)
Roseland, with a rural population of less than 500, was settled by Dutch immigrants in 1926 as a railroad stop for the Luce Line Railroad. Until the railroad was taken out, Roseland was a growing town and in the 1960s was a popular place to play baseball. As the town stopped growing, houses replaced the baseball field.
sveA (pop. 60)
Svea is a tiny community of around 60 people south of Willmar approximately 8 miles. Like many towns, a post office was first established in July 1891 and then businesses and homes followed. At one time, Svea had a school, church, bank, co-op store, mercantile, several garages and more. What remains today is a small, quiet community of homes and the still active Svea Lutheran Church.
regAL (pop. 34)
What’s in Regal? With a population of less than 40 people, you are probably thinking—not much, but during the summer months the Regal Eagles, a Class C Minnesota amateur baseball team lights up the evening by hosting other state amateur teams.
Tournament events draw some pretty large crowds to the little town. You can check out their schedule on the web at www.leaguelineup.com. The Regal Eagles were state champs in 1991 and state runner-up in 1997.
bLomKest (pop. 157)
Come to Blomkest during Blomkest Appreciation Day, the second Saturday in July, and you will find the entire town population as well as the county folks celebrating with a parade, fireman’s supper and entertainment. It’s one of the pleasures of living in small town America—nobody’s a stranger for long.
Because of the close proximity to Willmar and affordable housing, young people find Blomkest a desirable place to live and raise their families. They claim to have the oldest active Sportsman’s Club in the state of Minnesota.
LAKe LiLLiAn (pop. 238)
The City of Lake Lillian is located on the south shore of Lake Lillian, just north of the State Highway 7 and County Road 8 intersection in beautiful Kandiyohi County—”Where the Lakes Begin.” Big Kandiyohi Lake County Park East & West are approximately five miles from Lake Lillian and offer camping, boating and boat rental, swimming beaches and park stores. From Lake Lillian it is a short, twenty minute drive to Willmar the County Seat of Kandiyohi and the area’s largest community with many restaurants, shopping opportunities and a wide variety of health care facilities available.
Lake Lillian is part of the BOLD (Bird Island, Olivia, Lake Lillian) School District. One church serves the spiritual needs of the area; United Lutheran Church of Lake Lillian. The City has two parks. The north park has a playground, basketball court, horseshoe, ball field and picnic shelter with tables. The south park has ball fields and a picnic shelter. The City is served by it’s own Ambulance Service, Fire Department, Library and City Center (community center for seniors and general community use).
Lake Lillian Fun Days is celebrated on the first weekend in August each year. The fun includes a craft show, parade, community supper and live entertainment. The Lake Lillian Civic Commerce organization promotes many community activities and events as well as providing student loans to local students.
FUN FAct Columbia, which is currently the town of Spicer, was the first townsite in what would become Kandiyohi County. It was staked out on August 10th, 1856. The first home was built in Columbia in October 1856 by the Townsite Company. The Post Office was established in 1857 and
the mail came semi-weekly on an established route.
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Where The Lakes Begin - www.willmarlakesarea.com - 800.845.8747