Albert Lea was host for a special “Mystery Tour” for Gary Block’s Tour Company recently. While we have tour bus groups regularly in Albert Lea visiting our attractions, it’s always fun to hear about what visitors see about our community.

The tour group’s first stop was the Minnesoy-ta Nice Soy Candle Factory in Glenville where they made candles and soaps, sampling the many lotions created by the factory. Karen Trow always has a special treat for groups on the tour.

Dirk and Susan DeVries generously opened their “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” for another surprise. Susan’s butterfly stones she creates were a special treat to purchase and bring home. “What an amazing story!” another tourist remarked.

Visiting our beautiful city would not be complete without a guided tour by one of our “experts” — Roger Lonning telling the Albert Lea story and followed by a catered lunch and cruise aboard the Pelican Breeze II. “The crew was so much fun!” was another comment from the group. Thank you, Darcy Gayken, Rex Stotts and Marilyn Roche!

The last stop for the group was an industry tour to Lou-Rich. Vern Jensen, John Gulbrandson, Steve Tufte, Bruce Mullenbach and Ann Greibrok provided tours. The group was impressed how the employees took pride and explained each process.

“One of the best manufacturing tours I’ve been on with such a bright future,” a gentleman commented about Lou-Rich. Additional thanks to Doug Olson, who organized the tour, Sue Berg and Tiffany Hagen for serving refreshments.

It takes a whole community to be welcoming and friendly — a warm smile can go a long way. Thank you for making a huge impact for this group!

Susie Petersen

executive director

Albert Lea Convention & Visitor Bureau

Albert Lea