Our Top 12 Moments of 2025
By YOUR INNER OTTER
As we look forward to 2026, we wanted to look back on some of our favorite moments from 2025. We have had a ton of fun over the past 12 months. These are the efforts that stood out for us in no particular order.
POLAR PLUNGE
Over the past 6 years, we have gathered on Otter Tail Lake to raise money for a very special cause. The Polar Plunge for Special Olympics Minnesota presented by Law Enforcement comes this way again February 7th, 2026. Last year we had 182 plungers and raised $82,243 bringing our total raised to $515,708. You can help us hit our goal of $85,000 this year by donating or registering to take the plunge.
GOING PRO
We’ve been bringing Gopher Student Athletes up to experience Lake Life for a few years now. We might be biased, but the fishing is usually the highlight of their visits. In the spring of 2025, former Minnesota Gopher quarterback and current Minnesota Viking Max Brosmer reached out and said some of his new teammates liked to fish and asked if they could come up for a visit. We said “Heck yeah”. We had one heck of a day on the water. In other sports news, friend of the program & former Gopher defensive lineman Danny Striggow made the Jacksonville Jaquars roster. He’s played in eight games this season.
INNER OTTER MASCOT: 36 events
One of our goals in 2025 was to get the Inner Otter mascot out & about more locally as well as regionally. We are happy to report that the Inner Otter made 36 appearances over the last 12 months. These stops included local community celebrations, festivals, openings & such. Of course your Inner Otter made a few trips to the Twin Cities to hang with their buddy Goldy.
UPGRADES TO WEBSITE
Change is the only constant when it comes to digital communication these days. We put a lot of effort into improving our website to make it mobile first & user friendly. We also got some cool new imagery to give it a new look/feel. In addition, we spent
MN TRAILS MAGAZINE partnership
Biking is a big draw here in Otter Tail Lakes Country. Especially when you consider the newly completed Heart of the Lakes Trail which runs from Pelican Rapids, MN to Perham. There is also systems likethe Glendalough Trail, Central Lakes Trail and others. We were searching for a way to promote these assets and we ended up connecting with MN Trails Magazine. After reading their first blog, were blown away by the entertaining & informative articles they wrote about their adventures. You can find examples here.
STAR TRIBUNE ARTICLE
Speaking of articles, there was a headline in the Minnesota Star Tribune that caught our eye. In September, we were pleasantly surprised to see our slogan featured so prominently. You can read the article here.
GOPHER FOOTBALL ON ICE
As we mentioned earlier, one of our favorite activities of the past few years has been taking Gopher Student Athletes fishing. This past year, we were able to host 7 defensive lineman for an overnight stay on Otter Tail Lake. The idea started with some comments by player Jaxon Howard and us on Twitter (X). Soon Jaxon’s dad & former Minnesota Vikings player Willie Howard was in touch and we were able to pull of a true Minnesota winter adventure for the fellas. Hoping to do something similar in 2026. Row the boat.
Otter Trail SCENIC BYWAY EXPANSION
The Otter Trail Scenic Byway is another gem in these parts. In 2025 we helped facilitate an expansion of the route to include the communities of Henning & Parkers Prairie. The additions added variety to the route because these cities are unique and have a lot to offer. Huge thanks to the people in these towns who help make the expansion happen.
OTTER tail BYWAY & TRAIL MAPs
With all of these great trails & routes, we wanted a new old school way for folks to be able to leverage them. In a collaboration between Otter Tail County, Otter Tail Lakes Country & Heriot Creative we developed an insert that went into all 30,000 of our destination magazines.
ST. PAUL SAINTS GAME
Your Inner Otter mascot had a lot of firsts in 2025. One of them included throwing out the 1st pitch at a St. Paul Saints game. Of course your other Inner Otter tagged along and got to do some color commentary from the booth. Huge thanks to our friends at Explore Minnesota for arranging this appearance.
Greater Minnesota Digital MARKETING SUMMIT
As part of our continuing effort to help the region be at the top of their marketing game we created an event a few years ago called the Great Minnesota Digital Marketing Summit. The idea is to bring industry experts to our area to share their knowledge. At the same time giving our partners an opportunity to learn from the best and network. We were fortunate enough to have global communications expert Maha Abouelenein on hand at the 2025 edition of the event. Her presentation on the 7 Rules of Self Reliance was solid gold. Super grateful for everyone who attended. If you are wondering, the 2026 Greater Minnesota Digital Marketing Summit will take place in the fall.
OTLC MAGAZINE
Last, but certainly not least is another fine edition of our Otter Tail Lakes Country Magazine. We take great pride in this annual publication. The 2025 version is 116 pages long and full of stories and information designed to help folks find their Inner Otter. We printed & distributed 30,000 of these last year. The 2026 version should be printed by March or April.
