Staff photo by Fritz Busch The New Ulm League of Women Voters honor retiring Brown County Auditor-Treasurer Jean Prochniak with flowers for her 40 years of service at its annual meeting at Turner Hall Tuesday.

NEW ULM — The bands are coming back to New Ulm this year.

New Ulm Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Michael Looft told the New Ulm League of Women Voters Tuesday that bands are being booked for 2021 Bavarian Blast and Oktoberfest events. In addition, ticket details and COVID-19 safety plans are being worked out.

Bavarian Blast is scheduled for July 15-18. Looft said more information including band confirmation will be released soon.

“Our mission was to ensure everybody in Brown County survived the pandemic,” Looft said. “We’re still active in the county. The New Ulm Partnership has no elected officials. We have school, city staff, the PUC and EDA working to connect people on a different level. We are trying to stop the idea of ending a business when people retire, with downtown business succession plans.”

Looft said it’s about planning things together.

“Before 2020, we were really siloed. It’s about community assets,” he added. “New Ulm can do better at attracting people. We’re working together on marketing.”

Looft said a sausage shop and new wedding venue are coming to New Ulm.

“Foot traffic is key to economic vitality,” he added. “We’re good at supporting local business. We’re going to get better at marketing. New Ulm is the most stable spot on the map with industries like Kraft Foods, 3M and New Ulm Precision Tool Inc. Our unemployment rate is close to two percent.”

Looft said New Ulm’s labor force will be behind by nearly 1,000 people by 2025. He said School District 88 creating a CTE (career and technical education) center from the donated former Windings building is essential.

“We’re lucky to have really good leaders now willing to come together in a new group, the New Ulm Partnership,” he added. “While other communities were losing businesses, New Ulm opened seven new businesses in 2020.”

Looft said the New Ulm Chamber will be involved with childcare challenges.

He said the concept of multiple-family housing over businesses appears to work well at Minnesota State University, Mankato and that the New Ulm EDA is creating a loan program for multiple family housing.

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New Ulm League of Women Voters Action Chairman Theresa Keaveny presented Brown County Auditor-Treasurer Jean Prochniak with flowers for her 40 years of service.

“It’s been an honor to serve Brown County. I’m choked up. Thank you,” Prochniak said.

New Ulm League of Women Voters President Ruth Ann Webster praised Prochniak for encouraging people to be involved in elections.

She said the local League of Women Voters worked hard to counter misinformation about voting from home and counter misinformation about the 2020 election after it happened.

“There are no elections this year, so we’ll have to focus on other things like voter rights and suppression, diversity, equity and inclusion,” Webster said. “It’s always a challenge to address structural challenges, but heck, we can do it.”

Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@nujournal.com.