Chaska « GREG SWAN

National Night Out 2012, West Downtown Chaska

August 8, 2012 — Leave a comment

We had another great turnout for our National Night Out in historic downtown Chaska this year. It was our third annual event for the neighbors in West Downtown Chaska, and it’s been fun to see it grow year over year.

The Chaska Herald came out to snap some shots and WCCO-TV sent a camera guy to get some footage for their Good Question segment about if we really know our neighbors.

Per the topic, our neighborhood uses a combination of offline and online techniques to connect. Although our email list is getting to a substantial size and it’s been fun to watch the Facebook Group for the neighborhood grow, we still take time to chat to one another on front porches, festivals or at the park. We share tools, produce from the garden and schedule play dates for the kids.

Arguably, the people you live near have a more direct impact on your day-to-day life than national and global news. Knowing your neighbors is just the first step of contributing and living in a community. And National Night Out is a fantastic catalyst for creating those connections.

See you tonight and tomorrow at River City Days

July 27, 2012 — Leave a comment

This weekend I’ll be slinging Pork Chops on a Stick at Chaska’s River City Days in historic downtown Chaska on behalf of my church.

If you’ve never been to historic downtown Chaska, this annual community event is a great reason to come check it out.

Nestled on the banks of the Minnesota River and about a 15 minute drive from the Twin Cities, downtown Chaska is a genuine gem.

Century-old “Chaska brick” buildings and historic homes dot the streets, antique shops and locally-owned restaurants serve up malts, burgers and enchiladas, and the entire area is walkable. There’s also the picturesque Chaska Cubs Ballpark, the soaring Guardian Angels Church cathedral and Greg Swan’s house. (ha).

River City Days features model racetracks, bouncy castles and face painting for the kids, a 5K Fun Run and beer garden for the adults, and a community parade, bands, craft and food vendors galore for the whole family. See you there!

In Chaska chaska river city days, oasis church

Best National Night Out Twitter Conversation Ever

June 23, 2012 — Leave a comment

In Chaska national night out

Tommy’s Malt Shop introduces the Tommy’s Juicy Lucy

March 7, 2012 — Leave a comment

Until Matt’s Bar and their AMAZING “Jucy Lucy’s” (only Matt’s Bar spells it w/o the “i”) move across the street from my house, I will gladly settle for Tommy’s Malt Shop in historic downtown Chaska serving up their new menu item — the Tommy’s Juicy Lucy.

I saw a post about new Spring menu items on their Facebook Group (they’re still struggling with a Facebook Page strategy) yesterday, and we immediately made plans to go sample them.

Tommy’s has two Lucy’s — the Tommy’s Lucy stuffed with American Cheese, fried onions and pickles, and the Smoky Lucy stuffed with jalapenos and pepper jack cheese, topped with fried onions and chipotle mayo. Both are served in baskets with frieds, and the Tommy’s Lucy is only $2 more than a normal burger.

All of Tommy’s burger buns are buttered and grilled, just like an old fashion diner. Their fries are always crisp (just be sure to ask for the sweet potato fries not to be too crisp – they sometimes overcook them a bit), and we’ve never had a bad meal there.

After being warned by both the kitchen manager and our waitress to be careful with our molten cheese-filled burgers, my wife and I dove into the oral orgasm that is the experience of eating two beef patties crimped around a puddle of piping hot cheese.

They were amazing. I’m not a food critic so lack the adjectives to share with you. Let’s just say, they were amazing.

Matt’s Jucy Lucy will always be the best. But I don’t live across the street from Matt’s, so this is more than sufficient!

(note to Brett and Emily, I would love to sit with you for an hour and volunteer some help in setting up your Facebook strategy and profiles. You’re missing out on great word of mouth and organic social media opportunities by not having your channels properly set up. Let me know! We love Tommy’s and are big advocates!)