The 2025 OTLCA Magazine is in

Letter from the Editor

By Marie Noplos

Every year, our Marketing & Membership Director, Marie Noplos, puts together a destination magazine designed to help folks find their Inner Otter. This guide has become a staple in the region and is one of the finest travel publications in the state of Minnesota. This year’s edition even features a pull out map that includes multiple trail systems in Otter Tail County. If you’d like to view the digital version of the magazine, click here. If you’d like to request your FREE copy to be mailed directly to you, click here. Below is the Letter from the Editor about the 2025 Otter Tail Lakes Country Magazine.

Growing up as an only child in Fergus Falls, I remember going to my mom and dad and proclaiming in dramatic fashion, “I’m so bored! There is nothing to do.” Fast forward another 10 years or so and I remember hanging with my friends in the commons area at school and saying, “What are your plans this weekend? I don’t have anything going on, there is nothing to do in this town.” If only I would have known what I know now. But then again, I was a teenager, and I probably wouldn’t have listened anyways!

You want to know why I truly love living in Otter Tail County? Now as a mom of two adult children in her “empty nest era,” I always feel like there’s something going on. Often, I look at the calendar and find myself trying to figure out how many events I can squeeze into one day.

Some of my favorite events happen in the off seasons of winter and fall, like the Special Olympics Minnesota Polar Plunge. 2025 was our 6th annual Ottertail plunge. This year’s official shirts said, “Minnesota’s Favorite Past Time”. Now, I would agree this is probably in the top five or so, but I think meat raffles are probably closer to number one! Speaking of meat raffles, I love me a good meat raffle so much that we had one at our wedding in lieu of a garter raffle! There is just something so exciting about winning a nice steak or rack of ribs for $1!

Of course, there are so many other things to do in the winter—fat tire biking, snowshoeing, sledding, ice fishing, skating, skiing, and hiking. I enjoy events like the candlelight hikes at our state parks, Glendalough and Maplewood. The lanterns light the path, the only sounds are the squeaking of my boots on the packed snow, and a stillness fills the air that makes these events feel magical.

Fall in Otter Tail County is unmatched. There are breathtakingly beautiful views from the top of Hallaway Hill in Maplewood State Park. Rich colors of red, maroon, yellow, orange and gold paint the tree top canopy like a Bob Ross painting. I love listening to the variety of birds and taking in all the sights the park has to offer.

Then, as soon as the ice starts moving off our 1,048 lakes, my husband and I get our kayaks out of the shed and water ready so we can go out exploring as soon as possible. As you look at this year’s magazine, I hope that you are inspired by the community events, activities, natural resources, and outdoor recreation that our county has to offer in all four seasons of the year. Enjoy!