The big lake skirting the west side of Freeborn is covered with ice and snow and ice fishing houses scatter the surface. Quite a common sight for any lake in southern Minnesota in winter.

Some local citizens see the lake, Freeborn County’s second largest, as the community’s prime asset and they would like to emphasize the point.

Gene Millang of Freeborn is semi-retired now from his long career as an explosives expert. He worked for a Maryland company that planned and executed controlled demolitions of unwanted buildings, including the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City after the tragic bombing there.

Millang is now allied with other Freeborn area citizens in an effort to make better use of the beautiful and scenic lake. A local booster club, a bank and the city fire department have joined forces in planning an event designed to make the lake more attractive and useful for young people.

Labor Day weekend 2009 is tentatively slated as the date for what is hoped will be an annual event, said Millang. Recent town hall meetings have served as a focus and driving force for the planned event.

Getting kids involved in using the lake’s many resources is central to restoring a sense of community to Freeborn, which no longer has its own school to function as a center for youth activities.

“Since the school was closed down, our local kids tend to spend their time in the other towns around here, where their school friends live. We want to make our lake into a destination that kids want to come and enjoy,” Millang said.

Freeborn area students are now part of the United South Central school district, centered in Wells, but including Freeborn, Easton, Walters, Bricelyn and Keister.

Something different for anybody and everybody is how Milland describes the Labor Day weekend events. Pontoon rides to Arrowhead Point and fishing lessons will be featured as ways to capture kids’ imaginations and lead them to want to return to Freeborn, and its lake, again and again.

Town leaders plan to sponsor hayrides, live music, a hot dog feast and other activities to attract the young people of the area. A tractor pull and horseshoe pitching contests will also be included as a means to stimulate interest among groups of all ages.

Timing is everything in planning local celebrations, and Freeborn civic leaders hope their choice of Labor Day weekend will give an added boost to attendance, Miland said.

“By Labor Day all the county fairs and most of the other local celebrations are over. The only thing we will have to compete with will be the Minnesota State Fair. Our event will be a lot closer to get to for the people around here,” Milland said.

Freeborn civic leaders hope to finalize their plans soon after the first of the year. They hope to make the Labor Day weekend event a major attraction for people throughout the area.

“We want everybody to come and have a good time, enjoy our beautiful lake and get to know our community.”

Freeborn has recently proved that it can generate widespread support for well-organized, strongly promoted events. The local Eagles club recently spent five weeks promoting a cancer telethon auction which raised $12,000.

Some Freeborn residents appreciate their lake for its solitude and quiet beauty. Craig Hedensten, 39, likes to go for walks along the lakeshore. He said that having multiple boat landings around the lake makes it a good venue for water sports.

Mark Christenson of Hartland loves to go ice fishing on the lake, and points to the excellent recent catches of crappies on the lake as a reason why he keeps coming back. He limits his catches to 20 fish on the nights he inhabits his friend’s ice house, but says he could easily catch more.

“They taste just as good as walleyes if they’re prepared right,” Christenson said