It has been pretty exciting around Albert Lea and Freeborn County over the last year or so. I do not know of many small towns that have had “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “Good Morning America” and “Nightline” stop in and report on what we have going on! Mix that in with the USA Today newspaper front page a couple weeks ago and we have become a virtual media destination.

Move over, New York and Los Angeles, Albert Lea and Freeborn County are moving in. I think I will call Oprah and see if she wants to have us build her a studio on the Blazing Star Landing.

Many people have expressed surprise to me as to how Albert Lea and Freeborn County has gotten all of this attention. I have had friends and family say, “Wow, you guys sure are in the news a lot, what is it with your area?” I tell them that what I have learned in my five years living in Albert Lea is that it is the most giving area you could imagine.

Think about it. Before “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” and AARP and Blue Zones even thought of our area, we were hitting goal after goal for Relay for Life, United Way, Salvation Army and more. We, as a community were giving and making sacrifices for our neighbors at a local Rotary or Kiwanis project or a simple pot luck fundraiser. We volunteer for so many good deeds. How many of you just ran the April Sorensen marathon or went to the fireworks because people of our area cared. The people and the businesses of our area pull together when the chips are down and that is what is with our area. Our area, in my mind, was pretty exciting and media worthy way before the national media even knew. Now, everything else is just the icing on the top!

The most recent and exciting AARP/Blue Zones challenge that we as a community have taken on has changed the way many of us have thought about health and longevity and that is a good thing. Dan Buettner, Joel Spoonheim and all the folks at AARP have been so nice to work with and have made Albert Leans stop and think about the way we live. Our goal now is to keep up this healthier lifestyle and to maintain what we have learned.

Remember those who have made ultimate sacrifice

The recent news about the deaths of our own Minnesota military personnel should hopefully be a reminder that we still have many heroic men and women giving their lives for us in Iraq and Afghanistan. Please remember that over 5,000 men and women have given the ultimate sacrifice for us all since the war began and that many more are still in harms way. Please do not stop saying prayers for both our soldiers and the families that are supporting them back here at home.

Are you among the first to know?

Texting has become a very popular way of finding out news about the weather, community events, and breaking stories. In the last few weeks the folks that are signed up for texts have been the first to know about “Good Morning America” visiting Albert Lea, the tornadoes that touched both Mower and Freeborn counties, and the recent police reports of a couple held by up by intruders. If you want to be the first to know just go to albertleatribune.com and click on text alerts —it is safe and helps you stay ahead during your busy workday.

Tribune Publisher Scott Schmeltzer’s column appears every Thursday.