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Briggs Woods Conference Center

Briggs Woods, and its Conference Center, are Treasures Made on Earth

By KOLLEEN TAYLOR

When the Briggs Woods Conference Center was first discussed in 2012, the vision of what it could be was fairly vague.

But it has turned into a lightning rod and a treasure in our own back yard.

It’s funny how we don’t recognize treasures until someone else calls attention to them. The Briggs Woods Conference Center has become a destination for many different venues, from weddings, class reunions, business meetings and conferences.

Kelly Haman was the special events coordinator when the talks first started in 2012. They began by using event tents at the Briggs Woods Golf Club House.

“Kelly Haman started doing weddings and getting tents and then bigger tents, and the demand just grew,” Rick Young, chairman of the Hamilton County Board of Supervisors, said.

“That was kind of our way of bringing in more events and also a little bit of an experiment to see how much events could help Briggs Woods and Hamilton County Conservation,” Haman said in an interview with the Daily Freeman-Journal in 2019.

The $2.6 million construction cost was paid completely through private donations and grants. The cost of construction stayed on budget.

The full commercial kitchen was funded through a levy, approved by the Hamilton County taxpayers.

The gazebo just putside the conference center sets a beautiful setting for any type of event.

The budget for the conference center includes a line item that pays off that levy. The levy will be paid off in 2031.

Haman trained the current full-time staff, Lynne Chalfant, conference manager, and Sue Mourlam, food service manager. It was Chalfant’s first full-time job; she started first as a part-time employee in the Briggs Woods Golf Clubhouse. Mourlam worked for nearly 20 years in dietetics at Southfield Care Center before being hired at Briggs Woods.

“I don’t think you can talk about the conference center without talking about Kelly Haman,” Lynn Chalfant, said. “She did all the fundraising, knew the people to talk to and put it together.”

Chalfant and Mourlam agreed that Haman was driven when it came to the Briggs Woods Conference Center project.

At some point the plans were redesigned. The facility now has a capacity to seat 400 people at a dinner. If the rooms are set up theater style, it can seat 1,000 people. The facility can open all the walls to allow for one large event, or section off the space for smaller meetings, That means multiple events can be held at the same time, Chalfant said.

The partnership that brought the project to fruition — joining the community, businesses and county government together — is not that common.

“The business model is extremely unique,” Young said. “I don’t know of any county in the state that has such a venue.”

“Once a week we go over details: overhead costs, meal costs, labor,” he said. “When you try to budget for a year and a half ahead, how do you know what the demand will be?”

So far they have done well at figuring it out.

“If ever a dream team was assembled, we have it in Lynn and Sue,” Young added.

The job they are doing is pulling out all the stops to keep the facility in perfect running order, with clean facilities and delicious food.

“It looks like it did the day we finished construction,” Young said.

The conference center just hosted its 100th wedding and reception. The team there has completed 1,860 events, as of August 10. They anticipate income of $1 million for the 2025-2026 fiscal year.

That’s good news for the conference center.

And it’s good news for the people of Hamilton County.

Another benefit? One of the great services that are offered to Hamilton County residents through the conference center is its involvement with feeding people of the county. Here are some of the extra things that are being done:

Sue Mourlam, catering manager of Briggs Woods prepares for a large evening event.

Codey Berg is one of the part time employees who help set up and tear down, and serve during events.

Prepare and package Meals on Wheels that are served five days a week to about 20 people per day using volunteers to deliver the food.

Prepare and feed prisoners in the Hamilton County Jail. They are served meals from the kitchen seven days a week with hot meals at lunch, and a cold meal in the evening.

The Noon Rotary Club meets every Monday for lunch at the conference center and Rotary After Hours meets one day a month there.

It provides off-site catering, to some groups monthly, to others at least once a week.

On top of all that, lunches can be ordered for pickup. During harvest, for example, there are as many as 20 meals picked up every day. The menu for “to go” meals cost an average of $13 to $16 per meal.

The women at the helm today are doing the job with just three permanent part-time employees and around 50 temporary workers, usually high school students. They work tirelessly together to keep the costs in line for the facility.

Chalfant and Mourlam are constantly working together as a team.

“We just about live here, so we have to get along,” Chalfant.

“It’s my second home,” Mourlam added. They are both proud of their reputation.

“It takes a lot to build up a reputation,” Chalfant said. “It doesn’t take much to tear it down.”

The Briggs Woods Conference Center is adding more than just food to organizations locally. The conference center has become a destination which has developed a reputation far beyond the county line. It has become all it was dreamed to be, and so much more.

“Two years ago we were on a Mississippi Dinner Cruise and we overheard someone mention a wedding that was to be held at the Briggs Woods Conference Center,” Young said.

The next words made his day.

“I heard it’s a great place,” the couple said.

Of course, this prompted Young to introduce himself, and apologize for eavesdropping, but his pleasure at hearing the reputation was good so far from home made him proud.

The Briggs Woods Conference Center was just opening up as he went into office in 2019, he said.

Chalfant began working in November 2019.

Mourlam started in February 2020.

Three weeks after Mourlam was hired, Covid closed them down.

“We just had to crawl out of Covid,” Young said. “The first year was just gone.”

It was a rough start with everything shut down. Under normal circumstances the food service and hospitality industry is one of the most challenging businesses, Young said.

“The history in the hospitality business is less than 20% successful after five years,” he said.

That figure didn’t count on Covid.

Today, after less than 10 years of operation and building a reputation, creating a concept out of a dream, the Briggs Woods Conference sells Webster City well.

Perhaps more than was expected.

The dining area can seat 200 guests at round tables, perfect for conversations. This includes a dance floor and banquet style head table for wedding parties or for conference speakers.

A LITTLE HISTORY

When the Briggs family donated the original 60 acres to Hamilton County in 1919, they couldn’t have dreamed what it would be today: a place that is at the tip of the tongue of people who plan events.

Briggs Woods is a prime location for class reunions.

Briggs Woods is now a destination wedding location.

Briggs Woods is now a professional conference center.

Briggs Woods provides a challenging 18-hole golf course.

Briggs Woods provides both rustic and beautiful cabins.

Briggs Woods is one of the oldest county parks in the state. And its address is Webster City.

FINAL THOUGHTS

What does this dream team enjoy the most, and what were their biggest surprises?

“It was a surprise how much behind-the-scene work goes into the events,” Chalfant said. “The crazy hours; we work weird hours and some people just don’t understand.”

Chalfant enjoys working with brides from the beginning of the plans for their wedding to their completion. “It’s great to see their joy,” she said.

“It’s events like the Taste of Fall,” Mourlam said. “I get to come up with a menu and try different things out of my comfort zone.”

Books We Love

by Lori Berglund

Two Bucks and a Can of Gas

Model A Adventures on the Gunflint Trail

Robert R. Olson

Published 2012

North Shore Press, Grand Marais, MN

Exploring the Gunflint Trail

Tagging along with a man of adventure

It’s not the kind of book I would typically pick up. And yet is one that I read in just three days and could barely put down. It captured my imagination with real-life stories and beautiful adventures in the great North Woods of Minnesota.

‘Two Bucks and a Can of Gas — Model A Adventures on the Gunflint Trail,’ by Robert R. Olson sounded like something my father-in-law would love when I found it at a flea market. And he would, as soon as I decide to part with it.

This is just a delightful, swift read for anyone who enjoys the outdoors, northern Minnesota, or reading about a simpler time. Born in 1945, Olson grew up in Duluth, MN, and enjoyed the kind of outdoor life that is seldom seen today. He was an Eagle Scout, a school teacher, and I imagine the kind of fellow with whom my husband would enjoy swapping hunting and fishing tales.

I was a little afraid that I had bought just a ‘car guy’s book when I waded into the early chapters. A 1930 Model A truck is a main character in this book. It may have rolled off Henry Ford’s assembly line at one time, but not all together.

As Olson described, the Model A was made from 1927 through 1931. It came in three styles, coupe, four-door sedan, or pickup. Many of the parts were interchangeable for all three versions — wow, what a wonderful concept! Shade tree mechanics could literally find the right parts and pretty much put it together themselves. That’s just what Olson’s father, grandfather and uncles did in about 1952.

Olson takes great pains in describing the process of starting a Model A when it wasn’t in the mood to start. But that wasn’t often a problem. This little Model A took Olson on a wealth of adventures over the course of a lifetime.

But it’s not a book about just an old truck. It’s about coming of age and learning what a person can do when he sets his mind to something. It’s also about the good people who come to help when perhaps you get a little beyond what you can do just yourself.

I am thinking about the farmer who got his tractor out on a cold northern Minnesota Sunday to pull Olson and his friend out of a snowy road before darkness set in. And there was the farmer’s wife who had a bowl of hot soup and a sandwich ready for the intrepid Olson when the Model A was freed from the

snow. Did I mention that Olson was only 14 years old at the time, did not have a driver’s license, and had not told his parents he was taking the Model A to go fishing that day? Oh well, it worked out.

It’s about hunting the ditch banks of northern Minnesota where the water table is high and the Model A practically had to swim. Olson tells of ‘riding the fender’ hunting for grouse on the chilly days of autumn. Today, young conservation officers would faint at the sight of a kid riding a fender with a loaded gun, waiting for his prey so he can take a shot. Every bit of that is completely illegal today — but people had more sense back then.

In this book, readers will meet some of the early characters who inhabited the Gunflint Trail region. They were hearty people who knew how to take care of themselves, and wouldn’t think of not helping a tenderfoot. The meandering Gunflint Trail leading northwest out of Grand Marais, MN, was not fully paved until about 1979. Once you get off the trail, it’s a different kind of rugged outdoors. But that never deterred Olson.

I particularly enjoyed how Olson, from time to time, related simple words of faith to his adventures. Venturing into the boreal forests of northern Minnesota for his first solo trip of camping and fishing, he had just settled into his canoe when the trip could have been seriously derailed. He had reached into his back pocket for a handkerchief — the big cloth kind men always carried and some still do — when his only key to the Model A went flying out of the pocket and into the lake.

Those lakes of the Gunflint Trail region are deep and cold, very deep and very cold. The keys were gone. But Olson kept his head about himself and figured out how to the start the Model A on his own. Like any good fisherman, after he had the vehicle squared away, he went back to fishing.

During this solo adventure, sleeping in the bed of the Model A with only a cardboard topper and wool blankets for warmth, he wrote that he could talk to his parents back home, “only in prayer.”

What a beautiful thought. In another chapter, he talks about the danger that was often present, but never over-whelming as Olson tackled so many solo adventures. “The Lord looks after me,” he wrote, and again, what a wonderful thought to be reminded of in an outdoor book.

As a college student in the 1960s, Olson wasn’t protesting, he was building a cabin by hand in the far north regions. It had just a wood burning stove and plenty of drafty walls, but he loved every minute of it. His water came from the nearby lake. In winter, he used a chisel to break up the ice and haul it to the cabin. When he couldn’t fish, he studied.

The world today is very loud, full of distractions on our phones and in our cars, and everywhere. To get away to such a place, where it’s so quiet, and so dark, even yet today, sounds particularly enchanting. Although, I must confess I would like a cabin with hot water and a good furnace. Until then, I’ll have to settle for a walk in my favorite woods.

‘Two Bucks and a Can of Gas — Model A Adventures on the Gunflint Trail’ is rare to find, but worth the effort. Ask a good used book store. It’s also available from some online book sellers.

If one doesn’t have time to drive several hours north to the Gunflint Trail, try a little quiet in the timber trails of nearby Dolliver State Park. A brief refresher in the woods can change one’s outlook and transform a busy day.

Webster

City Parks & Recreation Department

CITY SCENE CITY SCENE

Kicks

Off

an Exciting Season of Youth and Community Programs

Youth Basketball Registration Now Open!

The Webster City Parks & Recreation Department is thrilled to announce that registration is open for Youth Basketball for boys and girls in kindergarten through 6th Grade. This activity gives young athletes the chance to learn, play, and grow in a positive, encouraging environment building skills, confidence, and teamwork along the way.

Kindergarten–2nd Grade: Learning the Game

The kindergarten–2nd Grade Youth Basketball program focuses on fun and fundamentals. Young players will learn dribbling, passing, teamwork, and shooting all while staying active and building a love for the game. This introductory level is the perfect starting point for beginners who want to explore basketball in a supportive environment.

3rd & 4th Grade: Building Skills Through Play

The Level 1 Youth Basketball program for 3rd and 4th graders introduces 3-on-3 half-court play with no score kept, allowing athletes more touches on the ball and more opportunities to develop their skills. Games will be played on 9-foot rims with 27.5” basketballs, promoting proper shooting form and confidence. Teams will be mixed weekly, emphasizing development over competition.

5th & 6th Grade: Playing as a Team

For older players, the Level 1 Youth Basketball program for 5th and 6th graders features 5-on-5 fullcourt play with scorekeeping , offering friendly competition while reinforcing solid basketball fundamentals. Teams will stay together throughout the season and play on 10 -foot rims with 28.5” basketballs. This level helps athletes grow their game, work as a team, and prepare for future play opportunities.

A Community Effort

The Webster City Youth Basketball Program is a collaboration between the Recreation Department, Lynx coaches, and community volunteers. Together, we aim to teach fundamental skills, teamwork, and sportsmanship , helping kids succeed both on and off the court.

More Fall & Winter Activities at Fuller Hall

The fun doesn’t stop at basketball! Fuller Hall Recreation Center offers a full lineup of programs for all ages this season.

• Winter Swim Team

Dates: October 14th – December 11th

Practice: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 6:30– 7:30 p.m.

• Adult Adaptive Volleyball

Begins: Thursday, November 6th

Time: 10:30–11:30 a.m.

Location: Fuller Hall Gym

• After School Programs

Days: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 3:30– 5:00 p.m.

Activities Include: Baking, German kickball, dodgeball, octoball , and swimming – everyday is a different fun, engaging activity!

Get Involved

Whether you’re a young athlete eager to learn basketball or a community member looking to stay active, Fuller Hall Recreation Center has something for everyone this season. Stay active. Get involved. Be part of Webster City’s growing recreation community!

Fuller Hall’s Annual Halloween Party: A Spooktacular Morning of Fun!

CITY SCENE

Get ready for a spooky, fun time at Fuller Hall’s Annual Halloween Party, happening Saturday, October 25 th from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. This family-friendly event is perfect for children ages 12 and under, offering a safe and festive way to celebrate Halloween right here in our community.

Little ghosts and goblins are encouraged to wear their costumes and join the fun! The morning will be packed with games, crafts, sensory tables, coloring stations, and even special guests a balloon artist and a face painter ready to bring your Halloween look to life. And of course, no Halloween party is complete without trick-or-treating!

Bring your friends, your creativity, and your Halloween spirit it will be a morning full of laughter, imagination, and community fun at Fuller Hall!

Classic cookies get a fall makeover

LET’S EAT

There are plenty of reasons to enjoy oatmeal. This fiberrich food is filling and can be part of a healthy eating plan that promotes weight loss. In addition, health experts say that oatmeal can be instrumental in helping to moderate cholesterol levels in the blood.

Flavor and versatility are some additional reasons to enjoy oatmeal, especially when preparing baked goods like cookies. Oatmeal cookies are classics all on their own, but home bakers can put a fall spin on this cookie jar staple with the introduction of a few seasonal ingredients. Enjoy “Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies” from “Live Well, Bake Cookies” (Rock Point) by Danielle Rye.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Makes 24

1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

11⁄2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1⁄2 cup packed light brown sugar

1⁄4 cup granulated sugar

1⁄3 cup pumpkin puree, squeeze out the excess moisture with paper towels

1 large egg yolk, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, ground cinnamon, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Stir in the old-fashioned rolled oats and set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together for 1 to 2 minutes, or until well combined.

4. Mix in the pumpkin puree, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until fully combined, making sure to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

5. Mix in the dry ingredients until just combined, then mix in the chocolate chips on low speed until fully incorporated.

6. Using a 11⁄2-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets, making sure to leave a little room between each one. Gently press each ball of cookie dough down to slightly flatten it.

7. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the tops of the cookies are set. Remove from the oven, and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 to 10 minutes; then carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

8. Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

LANDMARKS

How well DO YOU know Hamilton County?

Look at these photos and see if you can identify these local landmarks.

Photo #1

by Jim Miller

What Seniors Need to Know About This Fall’s Vaccines

Dear Savvy Senior ,

With a longtime vaccine critic leading the nation’s health departments, can you give me updated information on which vaccines are recommended for Medicare seniors this fall?

Medicare Mary

Dear Mary,

Even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is undergoing major cultural changes and upheaval, the overall fall vaccine recommendations for “older adults” resembles last year, with exception of the Covid shot. Here’s what you should know.

Flu Shots for Seniors

Just as they normally do, the CDC recommends a seasonal flu shot to everyone 6 months of age and older, but it’s especially important for older adults who have weaker immune defenses and have a greater risk of developing dangerous flu complications compared with younger, healthy adults.

For people age 65 and older, there are three different FDA approved flu vaccines (you only need one) that are recommended over traditional flu shots. These include: the Fluzone High-Dose Quadrivalent, Flublok Quadrivalent (recombinant, egg free vaccine), and Fluad Quadrivalent. These vaccines are formulated to create a more robust immune response, helping the body produce more antibodies, which makes them more effective in preventing the flu.

All flu vaccines are covered 100 percent by Medicare Part B as long as your doctor, health clinic or pharmacy agrees not to charge you more than Medicare pays.

RSV Shots

In addition to the flu shot, the CDC also recommends a single-dose of RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) vaccine for all adults age 75 and older, as well as to high-risk adults between ages 50 and 74. These are people who have chronic heart or lung disease, weakened immune systems, diabetes with complications, severe obesity, or who live in long-term care facilities.

RSV is responsible for 6,000 to 10,000 deaths and up to 150,000 hospitalizations each year.

The three RSV vaccines approved and available in the U.S. – Arexvy, Abrysvo and mResvia – are all covered under Medicare (Part D) prescription drug plans. But note that if you got an RSV shot last year, or when it first became available in 2023, you do not need to get a second dose this year. For now, only one dose of RSV vaccine is recommended.

Covid Booster

If you haven’t had a Covid booster shot lately, the Food and Drug Administration recently approved the 2025–2026 Covid-19 vaccine, which has been updated to target the dominant strain.

This vaccine has been recommended for all adults 65 and older and younger people that have a health condition that makes them vulnerable to severe Covid. But the new, CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices just announced that they are no longer recommending Covid shots. Instead, they are recommending 65 and older adults and immunocompromised younger people should decide individually or with a doctor.

Covid still causes at least 40,000 hospitalizations and approximately 47,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. Covid shots are covered by Medicare Part B.

Pneumonia Vaccines

If you haven’t been vaccinated for pneumonia, you should also consider getting the pneumococcal vaccine this fall. These vaccines are now recommended by the CDC to adults age 50 and older, instead of age 65, which was the previous recommendation.

Pneumonia causes a whopping 1.2 million people to visit medical emergency departments in the U.S. each year and causes roughly 50,000 deaths.

If you’ve never been vaccinated for pneumonia, the PCV20 (Prevnar 20) or PCV21 (Capvaxive) are the top choices because they cover the most common serotypes.

Medicare Part B covers pneumococcal shots, and you only need to get it once.

Side-Effects and Safety

You should be aware that all these vaccines can cause mild side effects like pain or tenderness where you got the shot, muscle aches, headache, fever or fatigue. Also note that it’s safe to receive these vaccines at the same time, but it may be best to spread them out a week or two because multiple vaccinations on the same day may cause increased side-effects.