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For a good decade or so, April 1 was a highly anticipated day in Ely.
And it wasn’t just because we were one day closer to spring, or the snow had melted just a bit more, or that we were a bit closer to having ice-free lakes.
Nope, instead April Fool’s Day became known around here as what would Ely do next to make the news?
The Ely Chamber of Commerce, with the help of a marketing agency that was on top of its game, came up with a series of April Fool’s Day jokes and spoofs that proved not only to be fun, but valuable for our area.
Simply put, there were a series of April 1 announcements, placards, signs and advertisements that put Ely in the news and captured attention that we could never afford to purchase.
Who remembers the “Say No to Canada” campaign, when the Chamber announced, on April 1 of course, that Ely would be sold to our neighbors to the north?
How about Ely’s failed bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics? That even lasted beyond April 1 with one business putting on its own Ely-Olympics not long after.
There was the announcement that International Dairy Queen had secured naming rights to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the launch of “Canoeber,” a wilderness-based ride share service.
Headlines were secured and laughs were shared when Ely was said to have become a community free of social media, as well as the community’s drone ban.
Some of the spoofs took off, generating news stories in the Twin Cities, Chicago and elsewhere, and the marketing firm, at times, took Ely’s ideas on the road, with “street teams” handing out placards showcasing the Ely spoofs in places such as downtown Minneapolis. April Fool’s Day turned into one of the area’s biggest marketing days of the year, introducing folks from hundreds of miles away to Ely and letting them know the area is not only a tremendous place to visit but a spot for vacations and fun.
All ideas run their course, and Ely’s April Fool’s Day jokes have been absent for a while.
Until this week. Again thanks to some creative folks, Ely was in the news for its bid to become home to the International Mosquito Center.
There were catchy phrases and signs, a banner that hung in Whiteside Park, good discussion at the city council table, and most importantly - publicity in the Twin Cities and elsewhere.
Of course we won’t be adding the International Mosquito Center in between our existing International Wolf Center and North American Bear Center, but for a day Ely once again separated itself from other destination points - calling attention to the region.
Perhaps it was a one-time thing or perhaps there will be another creative idea in 2026.
Whatever the case, hats off to all who had a hand in the return of the April Fool’s Day campaign.
We all could use a little more good fun, especially when it has community-wide benefits.
