PORTFOLIO  - FREELANCE WORK - OTTER TAIL LAKES COUNTRY MAGAZINE - 2025 ISSUE

Below are Heather's stories from the 2025 issue of the Otter Tail Lakes Country Magazine published by the Otter Tail Lakes Country Association. PDFs of each story below are available to view/download via the corresponding images.
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Battle Lake Housing Boom
March 23, 2025

Battle Lake knew there was a need for housing, so the city completed a housing study and added various housing options to the area over the past few years.
Uncle Eddie’s: 40 Reasons to Smile, 100 Feet to Happiness
March 31, 2025

Walk into Uncle Eddie’s ice cream shop in Fergus Falls, and you’ll soon see that ice cream is not the only attraction. Before you check out the taste-bud-tickling ice cream flavors, look up to see what’s believed to be the world’s longest gumball machine track!
Matching grant program helps New York Mills businesses revitalize
April 6, 2025

New York Mills developed a matching grant program in 2024 and is doing it again in 2025 for businesses to make improvements to the exterior or certain interior parts of their buildings.
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Parkers Prairie is growing
April 13, 2025

The city has a new Economic Development Authority, formed in 2024, focused on growing the community from housing to business development. The seven-person EDA represents different parts of the city, including city council members and business owners. The EDA recognized the opportunity for growth and hit the ground running.
​Fore! Plenty of golfing options in OTC
April 18, 2025

Sure, Otter Tail County is known for its lakes and beautiful scenery. But what a great way to take in some of the beauty nature has to offer than with a round of golf?
Pelican Rapids Paving Toward the Future
April 25, 2025

Detours, construction and roundabouts, oh my! Pelican Rapids is in the middle of some much-needed road construction projects spanning multiple years. The goal is to have everything done by fall of 2025, a schedule that is also weather-dependent.
​A Colorful New Welcome to Perham
May 2, 2025

Perham has a new artistic way of welcoming people to town. Anyone driving through town receives that artistic greeting in the form of a newly painted mural on the wall of the MN Tru North business in NP Park at 200 West Main Street in Perham.
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Brianna Mae Designs Is A Sparkling New Jeweler In Vergas
May 11, 2025

Brianna Mae Designs is a jewelry business that started with young business owner Brianna Mae Alley using copper wire to wrap stones. Using social media for inspiration in designs, Alley worked on her craft for a few years before moving back home to Perham. Then she thought: Why not turn this into a jewelry store business?
New Trail Section, New Trail Center Added To Glendalough State Park
May 16, 2025 

The addition of a new section of trail at Glendalough State Park created an entire loop within the park that is entirely off the road. It’s a six-mile trail inside the park, with about two miles added to it. The trail also connects to Battle Lake.
It's Always Sunny At Sunny Bay Resort
May 30, 2025
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Sunny Bay Resort near Perham has nearly 200 feet of sandy beach shoreline with lake access perfect for walleye fishing, swimming and recreation.
Heart Of The Lakes Trail Is Almost Finished
June 11, 2025

In total, the Heart of the Lakes Trail is a 31-mile regional, multi-use trail going from Pelican Rapids to Perham. Construction for the trail started in 2021 and is scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2025. The trail is open for cycling, e-bikes, walking, running and roller blading. No motorized vehicles allowed.
New York Mills Cultural Center Cultivating Community Capital Campaign: Cultivating The Arts For The Next Generation
June 15, 2025

It’s been nearly 30 years since the last remodel of the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center. So, now is the perfect time for the community to take the next step forward in preserving this resource with a Cultivating Community Capital Campaign.
A Brand-New Look For DeLagoon Park Campground
Aug. 3, 2025
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Check out the new and improved campground at DeLagoon Park! The entire DeLagoon Park Campground area was leveled to make way for a whole new campground with a variety of improvements to the campsites and amenities for campers.
One Stop Shop: Lakes Lockeroom, Lakes Country Nutrition & Sara Faaaliga Photography
Aug. 3, 2025 

T-shirts, protein/coffee drinks and photography. What do they have in common? Customers have access to all three businesses in one building at 112 East Main Street behind First National Bank in Battle Lake. Sara Faaaliga owns Lakes Lockeroom and Sara Faaaliga Photography on the right side of the building.
Skating Into A New Era
Aug. 6, 2025 

One of the big projects in Henning over the past year or so was adding a new skate park to the city’s roster of parks. The skate park provides additional recreational opportunities for kids, families and community members in the Henning area
Ottertail Demo Derby Is A Smashing Hit
Aug. 6, 2025 

The Ottertail Demolition Derby has been an annual staple in the city for more than 30 years, taking place on the Friday night of OtterFest weekend in August at the permanent track near the water tower.
Snap A Selfie With Otto The Otter
Aug. 14, 2025 

The Fergus Falls Otters isn’t just a nickname. The larger-than-life otter statue is a can’t-miss attraction in Adams Park near Grotto Lake. Stop by and snap a selfie with Otto the Otter!
Colorful Floral & Glass Art In Downtown Fergus Falls
Aug. 18, 2025 

The Flower Mill in downtown Fergus Falls specializes in a variety of fresh flowers, plants and unique gift ideas. Flowers change with the seasons and holidays, with deep oranges, reds and burgundy colors in the fall, Christmas pine and then tulips and iris in the spring. They also have local tulips grown in Minnesota which the shop receives weekly in-season.
New Creative Arts Center Takes Shape In Battle Lake
Aug. 25, 2025
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Battle Lake is known for supporting the arts. The non-profit Art of the Lakes organization expanded its space into a former Lutheran church, turning it into the Creative Arts Center. The group started leasing the church space in January 2024.
Fergus Falls, A Thriving Arts Community
Sept. 3, 2025 

The arts are a big part of Fergus Falls, and residents and visitors can take part in a variety of activities to support the arts community.
Rural By Choice - Brett and Hannah Albright
Sept. 8, 2025 

Brett Albright, originally from Ohio, and Hannah Albright, from the Frazee area, met while they were both living in Minot, N.D. With Brett later stationed in the military in Idaho, the couple was searching for a place to live with some acreage. They found a place in Otter Tail County: A two-bedroom, one-bathroom house on the top of the hill just outside of Vergas along County Hwy. 17. They made the move to the area in October 2020.
Henning's Fire Department Works - and Plays - Hard
Nov. 23, 2025

Work hard together, and play hard, too. That’s the adopted motto of the Henning Fire Department, a group consisting of volunteers who are like one big family.
Coffee is the Focus at Owly Coffee Co. and Roasters
Nov. 30, 2025

Kyle Hagen opened the Owly Coffee Co. coffee shop in 2017. A couple of years later, he wanted to have control of his coffee product, so he expanded into Owly Bean Roasters to roast his own coffee.
New York Mills Talking Trail: Small Town, Big Life
Dec. 7, 2025 

New York Mills has its own Talking Trail with 17 different talking points, a couple of them broken up into two parts.
New Place to Roll at Wadena Lanes
Dec. 14, 2025 

Wadena Lanes always ensures its facility is up-to-date, usually making needed improvements over the summer. Most recently, the alley’s biggest project was upgrading the actual bowling lanes.
Meet the Locals: Don Del Greco
Dec. 21, 2025
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Don Del Greco retired in October 2024 after 40 years of working with the state of Minnesota and the Department of Natural Resources. Locally, he was a park ranger at Maplewood State Park for the past 14 years.
The Legend of Hairyman
Jan. 4, 2026

The legend of the Hairyman – a sasquatch-like figure – sightings around Vergas dates back decades to the 1970s. There used to be a lot of sightings of the larger-than-average, hairy man walking around near the Vergas trails known as the Klondike areas.
Operation Trail Head will create an adventure for everyone
Jan. 11, 2026 

Currently, kids in Perham wanting to try hockey have to go to nearby Detroit Lakes instead. A full sheet of ice on an outdoor rink as part of Operation Trail Head would be much more user-friendly, said Trent Swanson, president of Perham Area Youth Hockey Association.
Passing the torch: Betty’s Pantry is now Marge’s Diner
Jan. 18, 2026 

Marge’s Diner is the spot to visit if you’re looking for classic diner food, especially breakfast, in Ottertail. The diner has a menu with high-quality ingredients to serve up delicious meals to its customers.
Freedom Rock memorial honors fallen WWII hero Walter Fick
Jan. 25, 2026 

Lyle and Pam Kreig didn’t know what a Freedom Rock was until they came across one while traveling in Iowa. The Freedom Rock is a large boulder painted by artist Ray “Bubba” Sorensen II and placed on a site honoring Veterans.
Go for a skate at Ottertail’s outdoor skating rink
Feb. 1, 2026 

Check out the new outdoor community skating rink in Ottertail!
Meet the Locals: Joe and Kim Paulson
Feb. 8, 2026 

Joe and Kim Paulson love living and working in the Wadena community. They’re grateful to be part of a place with that small-town feel that Kim said many people crave.
Meet the Locals, New York Mills: Rick and Linda Grotheer
Feb. 15, 2026 

Rick Grotheer grew up in Deer Creek. He and his wife, Linda, moved to the Twin Cities area in 1990 before moving back to Otter Tail County – to New York Mills – in 2017 after they “got tired of the city life,” Rick said.
Meet the Locals, Battle Lake: Gregory Gerhart
Feb. 22, 2026 

Battle Lake resident Gregory Gerhart is a self-taught photographer, sharing his photos with others as a gift.