Construction has started on Luverne’s giant nutcracker, and our social media announcement stirred a long string of comments, both positive and negative.
As is the case with many community developments, some will support new initiatives, some will voice sincere reservations, and others are never happy.
We welcome all kinds of feedback, but we can’t abide personal attacks, expletives and vulgarity. This bad online behavior reflects poorly on all of us, and shame on those whose comments needed to be taken down. We’re better than this.
We were further disappointed by the ill-informed comments criticizing public spending on the nutcracker. Many were shared by people right in town who by now should know the giant nutcracker is a gift funded by private dollars and that it has a perpetual fund to pay for future maintenance.
We understand that not everyone reads or subscribes to their local paper or participates in public process. But those who take such vehement positions online would do their credibility a favor by getting the facts straight. Many of the shortsighted remarks reflected ignorance and further perpetuated disinformation.
We get it that not everyone likes nutcrackers and we all have different aspects of our community that we’d rather be known for. But there’s no disputing that the 5,800-piece nutcracker collection downtown is a national novelty that’s already drawing thousands of tourists to Luverne.
The History Center guestbook has signatures from all parts of the nation and corners of the world to back this up. Many of them go out of their way to say they came to see the nutcrackers and they’ll come back again, bringing friends and family.
Every time a tour bus comes to town — the dollars spread exponentially.
We would be foolish not to capitalize on this economic draw, and we’d be foolish to criticize those who are actually working to keep Luverne a viable, thriving community.
Talk is cheap (as are ill-informed criticisms), but the ambition and vision of those willing to make things happen are appreciated by the silent majority who haven’t participated online.
Thank you, Betty Mann, for sharing your collection so many years ago and for being our “crazy nutcracker lady” to promote Luverne.
Thank you, Walgrave family (and donor supporters), for your giant nutcracker gift to help boost the nutcracker momentum and keep dollars traveling into Luverne.
And thank you to our Chamber staff and local leaders for recognizing the nutcracker potential and for promoting and nurturing our brand.
We don’t have to like nutcrackers to appreciate what they’re doing for our town.
- Lori Sorenson