Now start counting motels, gas and other items purchased locally. In 1500 the small city of Florence Italy was the birthplace of the original Renaissance. Let us begin our own Renaissance and transform Menomonie into the new Florence of the Midwest. Menomonie and Dunn County have wonderful unfulfilled opportunities, which need to be recognized and acted upon. Dunn County has never been a tourist destination.
Tourism is a neglected arena for generating revenue for growth.
Art tourism is one of the world's chief motivators for travel. We are just one hour by freeway from the nation's 7th richest metropolitan area. High-speed trains are proposed between Chicago and St. Paul. Stout's Art Department and the wide range of local artists should become the core of a Menomonie's Renaissance in art commerce and tourism. This can become an advantage since the new ideas should stimulate new uses for these buildings.