My Grandpa certainly wasn’t thinking about finding a good day-trip-destination community when he settled on our farm in the late 1930s. He just wanted a good spot to grow turkeys, and who could have foreseen what an ideal destination Cannon Falls would become? In that era, Highway 52 was a quiet two-lane road and Cannon Falls would have felt much further from the growing population base in the Twin Cities. Today, with the help of 65 mile-per-hour speed limits and four-lane highways, our historic community along the Cannon River is less than an hour from both the Twin Cities and Rochester, and a perfect place for us to call home.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately because this is typically the season of community planning for our Flavors of the Falls celebration and annual Ferndale Market Fall Open House, held on the same weekend. Although these events won’t be held this year, autumn is still a terrific season to spend a day in Cannon Falls and I invite you to visit us in the coming weeks. Now more than ever, our local businesses need the support of out-of-town visitors, and I think we’re all eager to have a change of scenery before winter arrives in Minnesota.
Cannon Falls was unofficially coined the “Local Foods Capitol of Minnesota” a few years back, and during the harvest season it’s easy to see why. You can find fresh apples at Sogn Valley Orchard, grape harvest festivities at Cannon River Winery, and a delicious pumpkin ale on tap at Tilion Brewing. Or, choose to get outdoors on the Cannon Valley Trail or the newly revamped Lake Byllesby Regional Park, accessible on the Mill Towns Trail from downtown Cannon Falls. Speaking of downtown, no trip to Cannon Falls would be complete without a stop at Hi Quality Bakery, CannonBelles Coffee & Ice Cream, or one of our other independent shops and restaurants.
Although we’ll have to wait until next year to hand you a turkey hot dog at our Fall Open House, I hope you’ll consider a visit to Cannon Falls in the coming autumn weeks. We’ll look forward to seeing you!
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