Bemidji Chamber

I was 25 the first time I flew on an airplane, so I’ve never taken for granted what it means to have that opportunity right here in Bemidji. I grew up in a community where air travel simply wasn’t part of everyday life. Family trips and business meetings weren’t planned around where you wanted to go — but how you could get there. Our airport is something many of us don’t think about until we need it.

It’s easy to read a headline, hear part of a conversation or scroll past a social media post and quickly form an opinion about decisions being made at city hall, the county board or a school board meeting. It’s a lot harder to sit at the table — especially right now in Bemidji. Across our local community, public officials are facing decisions that carry some heavy weight. Not political debates — but choices that impact families, businesses and the future of our community.

In just a few days, a busload of Bemidjians dressed in signature red and black plaid will travel to St. Paul for the 19th annual Bemidji Day at the Capitol. Led by the Bemidji Area Chamber of Commerce, this effort has become an important annual tradition. About a dozen teams made up of civic and business leaders, elected officials, young professionals, entrepreneurs and community members will meet with legislators and lawmakers from across the state to advocate for the Bemidji area.