Have you ever felt like you were a celebrity?  Ever been treated to over the top service?  Ever felt like you mattered and were important?  Saturday I felt like I was an honored guest and I have the wonderful city of Webster City, Iowa to thank for making me feel that way. 

The Chamber of Commerce hosted our North Iowa Blogger group on December 13th for a day in their thriving town.  I had never visited this lovely town that boasts a population of just around 8000 and is situated on the Boone River in North Central Iowa. It is the county seat of Hamilton County and the day we visited was an unseasonably warm but foggy day but that certainly did not deter the six bloggers from thoroughly enjoying the events that were lined up for our enjoyment.  Our hostess for the day, Deb Brown, is an amazing advocate for the community and since she is a blogger in her own right ( Need A Little Advice) she “gets” us and wants to help us each grow our blogs by providing experiences that will nurture and encourage.  She put together a day of incredible meet and greets and experiences that will provide fodder for many blog posts to come.  

I have to admit that I was pretty tired by the end of the day.  Full disclosure–we shopped, we ate, we shopped, we toured some fabulous places, we shopped, we ate, we laughed, we shopped……you get the picture.  I succeeded in making it through the day relatively unscathed but I did take out a brochure holder outside the Shanti Wellness Day Spa  for which I apologized profusely but everyone kind of guided me through the rest of the day from that point on fearing more property damage.

The shop owners were all so welcoming and told us a bit of the story of their business and how much they love being a part of the Webster City community.  From all appearances it is one big family and they support one another and all pitch in to help when things need done. We could not have asked for a better overview of Webster City.

Bloggers walking single file to the next destination.

Not only did we tour some wonderful businesses (and yes—we all stimulated the economy of Webster City a little bit) we were treated to lunch at The Grid Iron Grill where we started off with some delectable fried pickles with ranch for dipping. 

We also toured the historic and lovely Jane Young House and the Kendall Young Library which are both incredible sources of pride and history for the town.  I could have spent the entire day in the library but alas–it was at the end of the day and they were getting ready to close. For some reason we ran behind schedule all day—–do bloggers like to talk?  Perhaps so.

We ended the day with a tour of the Christmas lights at Briggs Woods Campground  which was a wonderful end to a jam packed and fun filled day.

The weather was getting really foggy so we had to call it quits before we were able to enjoy some pizza specials at Seneca Street Saloon but that just means that we need to plan another trip back to experience that as well.  Several of us are already planning that trek.

All in all it was a wonderful introduction to Webster City. Thank you to all who opened their doors and hearts to us.  I may not have had a crown or tiara for the day but I did feel like a celebrity.