A Community with Imagination, Purpose, and a Future.

DATE: March 18, 2020

The City of Elbow Lake has been working with local, county, and state partners to help protect the health and wellness of both the community and employees during the rapidly changing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. As transmission has changed in Minnesota from travel-related to community spread, the city is making the following changes while still ensuring it can provide essential services to residents.

All city facilities closing to the public on March 18-30, 2020.

*Starting Wednesday, March 18, 2020, and continuing through March 30, 2020, ALL city facilities will close to the public. This includes City Hall, the City Utilities Shop, Community Building, Senior Center, and Public Library.

*City staff will continue to work in all facilities in a limited capacity to provide essential city services. To connect with city staff please call 218-685-4483 or e-mail cityhall@runestone.net

*Utility payments can be made in the following ways:

(1) Payment of your bill by check must either be mailed (PO Box 1079, Elbow Lake, MN 56531) OR placed in a sealed envelope and put in the dropbox outside of the city office located at the north end of the Community Building – 117 Central Ave N.

(2) If paying by cash, please get a bank’s cashier’s check or a money order from the Post Office and place this in a sealed envelope and put in the dropbox outside of the city office located at the north end of the Community Building – 117 Central Ave N.

(3) If you currently use Bill Pay thru your bank, please continue to do so. If you want more information on this option contact your bank directly.

*Thorson Memorial Library – To request and pick up items, call 218-685-6850. Staff will get your items ready for you. Park in the designated and marked spots on the south-west side of the Community Building. Call when you arrive, and staff will come out and place your items near your car for you to grab. The book return will remain open. Please return items there and not at the curbside. WIFI will still be available near the building. All items will check out for 8 weeks. All items that were due between 3/17/20 and 4/6/20 have been renewed to 5/12/20. Overdrive and hoopla will be extending the number of checkouts per month. Watch for additional details.

* All City of Elbow Lake Committee and Board Meetings are canceled as of March 17, 2020, until further notice. If meetings are necessary, they will be conducted via teleconference in accordance with MN Statute 13D.021 MEETINGS BY TELEPHONE OR OTHER ELECTRONIC MEANS.

* City Council will meet as necessary via teleconference in accordance with MN Statute 13D.021 MEETINGS BY TELEPHONE OR OTHER ELECTRONIC MEANS.

Facility Closures will be re-evaluated by the Mayor and City Council prior to March 30,2020

Questions about COVID-19?

*Call the Minnesota Department of Health COVID-19 Hotline, 7 am– 7 pm, at 651-201-3920 or 1-800-657-3903

* Find information about coronavirus at:

– The Minnesota Department of Health website https://www.health.state.mn.us/#coronavirus

– Centers for Disease Control website https://www.cdc.gov/

A welcome …
Welcome to our city’s website! Elbow Lake offers an excellent quality of life for people of all ages. Whether you are looking for a place to live or a place to visit, you will discover what makes Elbow Lake a unique and wonderful place! We are a city on the move!
Location:
Elbow Lake is a small city of 1,290 people and the county seat of Grant County, Minnesota. We are located at the junction of State Highways 55 and 79 and US Highway 59 in west central Minnesota. We are only 12 miles west of Interstate 94 (Exit 82) or 16 miles south of Interstate 94 (Exit 61). Our municipal airport, “Pride of the Prairie” has an excellent reputation and also serves as a Seaplane Base and has a helipad.
What we offer:
We have our own Municipal Power, fiber-optic high-speed internet (speeds up to 1000 Mbps), and a solid city infrastructure to meet the needs of our residents and businesses. Our community has everything you’d expect to find in a thriving small city from professional services (including CPAs, dentists, doctors, chiropractors financial advisors, lawyers), to a critical access hospital and clinic, We have 3 banks, retail stores, grocery store, a pharmacy, convenience stores, gas stations, a terrific thrift store, a discount/variety store, a hardware store/lumberyard, floral shops, insurance agencies, hair salons, barber shop, newspaper office, computer store, a flooring store, bottled water delivery, automotive supplies, eating and drinking establishments, fitness center, laundromat, car wash, car repair, plumbers, electricians, builders and a motel. We like to say you can get most everything you need without ever having to leave town. We are an agri-business-based economy with a cooperative grain and fertilizer association, a cooperative oil, two Agri-machinery dealers with repair services
Small-town living at its best: We indeed have small-town living at its best, with great people, great parks, and a wide variety of activities. Elbow Lake is conveniently located near several regional hubs, as well as to excellent post-secondary training and education institutions.
Prairie Ridge Hospital and Health Services offers an Emergency Room, a clinic, and a variety of Health Services including therapy services in-town. We have an excellent volunteer ambulance crew, well-trained volunteer fireman, and law enforcement provided by Grant County Sheriff’s Office. Along with Grant County Offices, Elbow Lake conveniently hosts several regional, state, and federal offices.
Something for all Ages: Our city has wonderful child care providers, an excellent Head Start program, and a strong Children’s Program at the Library. Elbow Lake is part of the progressive West Central Area School District and hosts the WCA North Elementary School. WCA North has classrooms for pre-school through grade 4. Older students catch busses to attend grades 5-12 at the WCA Secondary Building in Barrett-just a few miles down the road. There are eight faith congregations located within in our city limits. Maplewood Manor is a newly established senior living campus offering services at all care levels from independent living, to assisted living, memory care, and transitional care. The Senior Center located in the Community Building offers a schedule of activities and events.
Activities abound: Whether you are young or old, Elbow Lake has much to offer for arts and music, volunteer opportunities, service organizations, and outdoor activities. Our city parks (Athletic, Kube, and Veterans) offer year-round activities from skating and hockey rinks to softball fields, a walking track, frisbee golf, tennis and pickle ball courts, basketball courts, newly installed playground equipment, picnic shelters and an outdoor stage. A Splash Pad is scheduled to open Summer 2023! A walking/biking path is located right outside of town with wonderful views of prairie, lakes, and wetlands areas. The City owns the 200+ acre Tipsinah Mounds Campground just outside of town right on the shores of Pomme de Terre Lake. The city also has Fairhaven Beach with a picnic shelter and a public lake access on the other side of Pomme de Terre Lake. The 18-hole Tipsinah Mounds Golf Course (semi-private) is a hidden gem and is open to the public. The area surrounding Elbow Lake is excellent for hunting and fishing. The 112-mile Central Lakes Bike Trail is close by. There is lots to do!
History is Honored and Celebrated Here: History is a big part of our city with the Grant County Courthouse and the Scofield Building both on the National Register of Historic Places. The Grant County History Museum is a treasure trove of historical artifacts, from prehistoric times (teeth and bones of a mammoth) to the present. The Veterans Memorial Hall has exhibits from the Civil War times to the Iraq-Afghanistan War.
Celebrating Norwegian Heritage: We extend a special invitation to you to visit during our annual town celebration: “Flekkefest—a Norwegian Troll Fest.” It is held the first full weekend in August with lots of fun, community-wide activities, including a parade on Saturday afternoon. This festival celebrates our Sister City relationship with Flekkefjord, Norway established in 1972. We have a collection of uniquely painted Trolls outside businesses up and down Central Ave and around town just waiting to pose with you for a keepsake picture!

Thanks for checking out our City’s website and discovering all that the Elbow Lake area has to offer. Hope to see you around town soon – as a visitor or as a new community member!