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Stellar 181 Taphouse

There’s something pretty special happening in downtown Spring Valley, Minn.

Stellar 181 Taphouse.  But that’s not all.

This has been years in the making.  It started with a hair salon and spa, then a clothing boutique, then a dessert and cake specialty store… and then a restaurant.

Chateau de Chic Salon & Spa, Chic by Chateau, Some Like It Hot, and Stellar 181 Taphouse.  They all have one common thread.

A line-up of businesses have evolved with the entrepreneurial spirit of a family that knows the formula for success.  They know style, presentation, ambiance, quality, and service.

And, our family and business have appreciated working with each of these four businesses.  My wife has had her hair done at the salon.  My wife loves the clothing line at the boutique.  We’ve ordered birthday cakes and a retirement cake for one of our employees at Some Like It Hot.  And we recently dined at Stellar 181 Taphouse, owned and operated by Alex and Jenn Slifka.

They didn’t disappoint.

First, we ordered nachos for the family, and there was a battle for the finale.  Delish.

My wife had the Philly steak and cheese, and I was envious (I’ll be back for that one, too).

And, then my steak arrived.  I always order my steaks medium rare.  Let me just say, “Incredible!”  One of the best steaks I’ve had in a long time, along with a side of potatoes and asparagus.  While the steak was perfect, the way the asparagus was prepared caught our attention.  My wife, son and myself all enjoyed the asparagus.  The head chef happened to come out of the kitchen and we asked him what made his asparagus so tasty.  He told us his secret.  I won’t share it here, but you can ask him when you are dining at Stellar 181 Taphouse.

We also tried their specialty drinks and beers.  Top-notch to go along with their food.

This place falls nothing short of stellar.  Highly recommended.

Residents of Winona, Fillmore, and Houston Counties, including college students, are specially invited to visit the International Owl Center for FREE on January 18 and 19. The Owl Center is located in Houston, Minnesota, just 30 minutes south of Winona.

Four live ambassador owls work at the Center: Ruby the Great Horned Owl, Uhu the Eurasian Eagle Owl, Piper the American Barn Owl and JR the Eastern Screech-Owl. You’ll also find touchable wings and tails, nine species of extremely lifelike mounted owls, owl art from children around the world, skulls, eggs, cultural items from around the world, and more. The gift shop is stocked with a wide variety of local, fair trade, and other owl items. Highly trained staff present programs each day at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

The Houston community has gotten on the owl bandwagon too. You’ll find 12 public owl sculptures located around town and Barista’s Coffee House is completely decorated with owls.

The Center is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Regular admission is $7 for adults, $5 for students ages 4-17, and children 3 and under and members are free. More information is available at www.internationalowlcenter.org or by contacting the Center at 507-896-OWLS (6957) or karla@internationalowlcenter.org.

Have you taken photos that represent the unspoiled beauty of Historic Bluff Country (a.k.a. The Driftless Region)?

The design team at Visit Bluff Country Magazine is asking the public for photos to appear on the cover of the 2020-2021 Visit Bluff Country Magazine.

For the 2019-2020 Visit Bluff Country Magazine, the following photographers were recognized for their photos contributions: Rich Aske, Madelyn Bergey, Jana Boyum, Tina Burmeister, Taylor Bushman, KJ Corson, Rylie Gatzke, Gary Gibson, Menno Hershberger, Jim Hoffman, Darla Kelchen, Mia Kelsey, Jennifer Lancaster, Felicity Lewandowski, Joni Mehus, Melissa Meyer, Adrianna Meiergerd, Addie Peters, and Taryn Raaen.

All photo contributors received a $25 gift certificate photo used from businesses that participate in the magazine.  Visit Bluff Country Magazine will again offer a $25 gift certificate per photo used for the 2020-2021 Visit Bluff Country Magazine.

If you are interested in having your photos published on the cover of 50,000 magazines that will be delivered to more than 1,000 locations in 35 counties in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, please submit your photos here or e-mail your photos to info@vistibluffcountry.com by no later than January 31, 2020.

Along with each photo, please indicate when and where the photo was taken.

Visit Bluff Country Magazine, the premier tourism magazine of the region, is affiliated with the Fillmore County Journal newspaper, and both publications are celebrating 35 years in 2020.

Date: October 9, 2019

Location: Field of Dreams Movie Site

Time: 6:00pm – 8:00pm

Sixty plein air (in open air) artists from 14 states will paint Dubuque scenes Sunday, Oct. 6 – Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019, and THEY’RE COMING TO PAINT THE FIELD OF DREAMS Wednesday evening, October 9 from 6pm-8pm!

Come to the Field for this FREE event and watch true artists at work at our corner of fantasy and reality while enjoying live music and food from a local vendor. Don’t forget to bring your glove and ball for a game of catch under the lights. And who knows, you may see some Ghosts make their way out of the corn!

Date: October 5, 2019

Location: Field of Dreams Movie Site

Time: 12:00pm – 2:30pm

The Field of Dreams Movie Site is pleased to announce we are holding a First Responders Game at the Field of Dreams Movie Site Saturday, October 5 at noon between the Chicago Police Department and the New York Police Department. Join the Field of Dreams for this FREE GAME and enjoy food from Manchester BBQ restaurant, Rockin 5k BBQ & Shack! Part of the proceeds go toward the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation and the New York Police Widows and Children’s Foundation.

Katie Harstad of Preston, Minn., stands next to her brand new Grizzly 40 Cooler she won in a recent contest.

On August 31, 2019, Visit Bluff Country Magazine conducted the fourth prize giveaway drawing of the summer, which was a brand new Grizzly 40 Cooler. As the magazine celebrates 34 years as the premier tourism publication of Historic Bluff Country (a.k.a. The Driftless Area), they will be conducting prize giveaways each month from May through September. Prizes include kayaks, a Grizzly cooler, and a Green Mountain Grill (with WiFi).

Nikki van den Heever of Cresco, Iowa, won the first kayak drawing on May 31, 2019, Rebecca Wangen Kahn of Plainview, Minn., won the second kayak drawing on June 30, 2019, and Kara Noren of Ettrick, Wis., won the third kayak drawing on July 30, 2019.

The final drawing of this contest will be for a brand new Green Mountain Grill ($599 value) on September 30, 2019. Please to go www.visitbluffcountry.com/thebest to enter this drawing.

Photo submitted