In the early 2000s, what mysterious phenomenon appeared on North Long Lake, staying unfrozen even in sub-zero temperatures?

What if the antidote to digital fatigue and rural isolation was already happening in a back room at Jack Pine Brewery—and you just didn't know about it yet?

One Thursday a month, something remarkable unfolds in Brainerd. Strangers become storytellers. Names get drawn from a hat. Seven-minute stories spill out—some funny, some heartbreaking, all achingly real. No scripts. No performance. Just neighbors sharing the kind of truth you can't find scrolling through your phone at 11 PM.

Randy Capelle and Terese Dirks didn't set out to solve loneliness or create the next big community gathering. They just loved NPR's "The Moth Radio Hour" and wondered: could that work here? Turns out, middle Minnesota was hungry for exactly this—a space where a former California lifeguard can share a harrowing ocean rescue, where a mom's heart bursts hearing her child's Boundary Waters story, where a woman rebuilding her life after loss finds healing simply by speaking her truth aloud.

The Commons runs on zero budget, pure volunteer energy, and one radical idea: everyone's story matters. No gatekeepers. No auditions. Your name goes in the hat, and if it's drawn, the stage is yours.

In five events, they've created something that sounds impossibly old-fashioned—genuine face-to-face connection in an age of screens—yet feels urgent and necessary. First-time attendees arrive planning to observe. Then they surprise themselves, putting their name in the hat, stepping up to that small stage.

Because here's what Randy and Terese discovered: when intimacy increases, vulnerability increases. And when vulnerability flows freely in a room where nobody's more than 15 feet from the stage, something shifts. Community stops being an idea and becomes a living, breathing thing.

Want to know what that looks like?

Weather Forecast

Tuesday, Jan 6
34 °F 🌡️ 23 °F | 🌥️ Mostly cloudy | 💨 Light and variable
Mostly cloudy skies with highs in the mid-30s. Overnight lows in the low 20s.

Wednesday, Jan 7
37 °F 🌡️ 26 °F | 🌥️ Mostly cloudy | 💨 Light
A dreary, mostly cloudy day with mild temperatures; lows stay in the mid-20s.

Thursday, Jan 8
37 °F 🌡️ 19 °F | 🌥️ Mostly cloudy | 💨 Light
Cloudy and cool, with highs in the upper 30s and colder overnight.

Friday, Jan 9
29 °F 🌡️ 16 °F | 🌥️ Mostly cloudy | 💨 Light
Cooling off with highs around freezing; mostly cloudy skies.

Saturday, Jan 10
22 °F 🌡️ 11 °F | ❄️ Snow & flurries likely | 💨 Light
Colder with intermittent snow and light flurries possible.

Sunday, Jan 11
22 °F 🌡️ 17 °F | 🌥️ Mostly cloudy | 💨 Light
Low clouds dominate, cold with highs in the low 20s.

Monday, Jan 12
36 °F 🌡️ 19 °F | ⛅ Partly sunny | 💨 Light
Warmer with a mix of sun and clouds.

Forget everything you know about ice skating. This isn't a flat rink where you circle endlessly in the same predictable loop. This isn't a frozen lake where you're exposed to biting wind with nothing but white space around you. This is something Minnesota has never seen before—and it's happening right here in the Brainerd Lakes area.

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Minnesota's first-ever forest ice skating trail opened December 21st at Northland Arboretum, and the response has been nothing short of electric. Nearly 100 people showed up on opening day, and hundreds more have already experienced what one hockey coach called "really exciting"—a winding ribbon of ice that curves through jack pine forest, navigates gentle hills, and creates a skating adventure that feels more like gliding through a winter fairytale than typical recreation.

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This isn't just skating. It's terrain skating. The quarter- to half-mile trail features elevation changes that challenge even professional hockey players, with one describing the downhill sections as "more like skiing". Families from San Francisco have made special trips. Local figure skaters are calling it transformational. Social media is exploding with comments like "I'll sign my rights away to everything just to try this".

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What makes this trail so groundbreaking? How did a nonprofit executive director who'd never heard of forest skating create Minnesota's pioneering trail with a $1,650 Zamboni from a surplus auction? And why are local businesses saying this could transform winter tourism in the Brainerd Lakes area the way snowmobiling once did?

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The complete story includes everything you need to know—operating hours, admission prices (kids under 5 are free!), what to bring, and why this represents a completely new chapter in our region's winter recreation story. Discover why hundreds are calling this the most exciting winter development in recent memory—and how you can experience it yourself this season.

Most mornings in the Brainerd Lakes Area begin with lackluster coffee — either too weak, too bitter, or costly, leaving locals struggling to kick off their busy days.

Picture a Baxter January morning: snowplow just blocked your driveway, school’s delayed, and your Zoom call looms — only to find your coffee tastes burnt and thin.

Bizzy Cold Brew, born in Minneapolis, offers a solution with smooth, ultra-strong, locally brewed coffee made from 100% Arabica beans, micro-brewed cold for 18 hours.

Bizzy started as an experiment by two friends, Alex French and Andrew Healy, who wanted powerful, low-acid coffee without the big city price.

Now available across the Lakes Area, Bizzy is praised for its convenience, consistent quality, and fridge-ready options.

Whether you’re a teacher on Highway 210 or launching boats on Gull Lake, Bizzy delivers practical, Minnesota-made energy—with easy shipping direct to your door.

LAKES AREA KIDS BUZZ

Share with a child you know :)

In the snowy woodlands of Merrifield, a rabbit and a raccoon argue, leaving messy footprints in the snow. Paul Bunyan, the friendly lumberjack, teaches them the power of gentle words. By replacing their angry words with kindness, they create beautiful patterns in the snow. As they walk together, the peaceful woods transform, reminding everyone that gentle words can brighten even the coldest winter days.

Kids learn to Use Your Words, Not Your Hands

Upcoming Events

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Meat Raffle - American Legion Post 49, Pequot Lakes, 5:30-8:00 PM - Benefits Pequot Lakes Fire District​

LEGO WeDo Robots Building Class, Brainerd Public Library, 3:30-4:30 PM - Kids can learn to build and code LEGO robots​

Mount Ski Gull - Skiing/Snowboarding 3:00-8:00 PM - Open runs on multiple trails with chairlift access​

Northland Arboretum - Winter Recreation - Forest ice skating, skiing, snowshoeing, sledding (daily access)​

Blood Drive, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Brainerd - Community blood donation event​

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Premium Series Old Fashioned Wednesdays, b*merri Gastropub, 4:00-9:00 PM - Rotating lineup of premium whiskies​

Meat Raffle at Lucky's Tavern, Pequot Lakes, 6:00-8:00 PM​

Brainerd Library Board Meeting, 4:30-6:30 PM, Large Meeting Room - Open to public​

Mount Ski Gull - Skiing/Snowboarding 3:00-8:00 PM​

Northland Arboretum - Winter Activities - Ice skating, skiing, snowshoeing trails open daily​

Thursday, January 8, 2026

*Meat Raffle and Virtual Races, The North Star, Breezy Point, 6:00-7:00 PM - Weekly event​

Trivia Mafia-General Knowledge, 6:30-8:30 PM - Team trivia competition (2nd and 4th Thursday)​

b*merri Meat Raffle, 5:30-7:00 PM, Sponsored by Brainerd Snodeos Snowmobile Club​

Mount Ski Gull - Skiing/Snowboarding 3:00-8:00 PM​

Northland Arboretum - Winter Recreation Daily Access​

Friday, January 9, 2026

*ICE FEST 2026!, Breezy Point Resort, 5:00 PM-12:00 AM - Winter wonderland celebration with multiple activities​

American Legion Meat Raffle, 5:30 PM - Weekly Friday night event supporting local non-profits​

Meat Raffle at Lucky's Tavern, Pequot Lakes, 6:00-8:00 PM​

Mount Ski Gull - Extended hours: 10:00 AM-7:00 PM for skiing/snowboarding​

Smoked Rib Fridays, Sunshine's, Nisswa - Fresh BBQ ribs from the smoker starting 5:00 PM​

Saturday, January 10, 2026

*ICE FEST 2026! (Day 2), Breezy Point Resort, continuing from Friday​

Grumpy Old Men Bingo & Brunch, Manhattan's, 11:00 AM-3:00 PM - Themed bingo with flannels and winter hats encouraged​

Winter Fox: Paint and Sip Class, 1:00-3:30 PM - Art activity​

Date Night Game Night, 14 Lakes Craft Brewing, 6:00-9:00 PM - "How well do you know your partner" game​

Mount Ski Gull - Full day skiing/snowboarding 9:00 AM-7:00 PM​

Sunday, January 11, 2026

Meat Raffle, Merrifield area, 2:00-4:00 PM - Benefits Merrifield Marathoners​

Mount Ski Gull - Skiing/Snowboarding 10:00 AM-7:00 PM​

Brainerd Farmers Market - Winter Hours, 11:00 AM-12:00 PM (Saturdays through March, but checking if Sunday)​

Northland Arboretum - Winter Recreation (weekend hours 8:00 AM-4:00 PM)​

Bar Bingo at Nisswa Legion, 3:30 PM​

Monday, January 12, 2026

*January Nature Book Club, Northland Arboretum, 5:00-6:30 PM - Discussion of "The Light Eaters" by Zoe Schlanger​

Raffle Tickets Turn-in Night, Brainerd Amateur Hockey, Essentia Health Sports Center, 5:00-8:00 PM​

Mount Ski Gull - Skiing/Snowboarding 3:00-8:00 PM​

Nisswa Lions Meat Raffle, Ye Old Pickle Factory​

Northland Arboretum - Winter Recreation Daily Access​

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

VIDEO CREDIT: Lakeland PBS

The "Black Hole" (a large opening in the ice caused by thermal/biological activity).

Thanks a bunch for reading Lakes Area Buzz today! If you spotted something handy, go ahead and pass it along to a neighbor or a friend—ya never know, it might make their day too.