St. Croix Falls
Buy Local Initiative

THIRD VISTA ARRIVES!

St. Croix Falls is fortunate to have a third VISTA volunteer working full time with Arianne and Julie.  Katelin Holm, a native of Luck, has returned to take this position after receiving her masters degree from the UW Madison in Agroecology. 

Katelin will work to enhance self-reliance in the St. Croix Falls community by producing a local skills database and facilitating the organization of re-skilling workshops in the area of food production, arts and culture, and nature.  If you have a skill to share or are interested in education in a specific area feel free to contact Katelin at kholm[atsign]cityofstcroixfalls.com. 

All three VISTA's office in the City Council room at City Hall.  If you have any questions, or would like to know more about what they're working on, feel free to stop in.  You can also click on the "About Us" button on the left.   Welcome, Katelin!

 Buy Local Bucks distributed to City of St. Croix Falls households!

Buy Local Bucks in 2009 is a joint promotion of the Downtown Business Improvement District (BID) and the City of St. Croix Falls.  Unlike some community promotions where people buy "dollars" and give them as gifts, the Buy Local Bucks partners have committed to give money to the households of St. Croix Falls to spend at participating downtown businesses.  The Buy Local Bucks has been expanded in 2009 to include $10 in Buy Local Bucks both now and again in December.  That's huge! By the end of 2009 that could amount to more than $200,000 to the local economy.  Here's a link to an article about Buy Local Bucks in the Pioneer Press.

The Buy Local Bucks promotion is also introducing the new 'Buy Local Thrive Local' logo to the community.  This symbol in a store front indicates an independent retailer, and when we purchase from an independent retailer more of our dollars spent stay and circulate in the economy versus larger chain retailers.

Eats & Arts Guide to Local Foods, Art, & Products in Polk County

Download the electronic version of Eats & Arts here. Hard copies are available at the Polk County Information Center in St. Croix Falls, the UW-Extension office in Balsam Lake, and several participating businesses.

The Eats & Arts guide provides a listing of thirty-nine local artists and craftspeople; pick-your-own, direct sale, and community supported agriculture (CSA) farms and farm stands; stores that carry local products; galleries with local artwork; and restaurants using locally grown ingredients. The guide also features updated information about Polk County farmers’ markets, the Share the Bounty program that encourages gardeners to grow extra for families in need, and a map of the addresses listed.

The Buy Local Initiative partnered with the Polk County Information Center, the UW-Extension, and the International Trade, Business, and Economic Committee (ITBEC) to produce and distribute the Eats & Arts guide. On May 30th, hard copies were distributed to every household and business in Polk County through the yellow Advertiser.

And the Winner Is...

Look for this logo in independent retail shops in St. Croix Falls in the coming months. Soon you will be able to purchase the logo on various products which will help fund Buy Local promotions.