What we have is a failure to communicate, if Garth Carlson is to be believed. That "New Years Eve Bash," promoted on his personal Facebook page on December 9 (screenshot above) is actually a religious gathering.
For the Star Tribune, James Walsh reports in Winnebago event center plans New Year's Eve bash in defiance of shutdown order, suit says:
Ellison sues, citing ad for bash; event center says it's "a religious gathering."
Attorney General Keith Ellison's office on Wednesday filed another lawsuit against a Minnesota business it says is defying Gov. Tim Walz's order to stay closed in hopes of slowing the spread of COVID-19.
This time, the allegation is that the Carlson Event Center & Country Chapel in Winnebago is unabashedly planning a New Year's Eve bash.
Problem is, owner Garth Carlson said, Ellison's got it all wrong.
"He doesn't know what he's talking about," Carlson said. "It's not a party. It's not a bash. It's a religious gathering."
According to a statement from Ellison's office, the Carlson Event Center "has advertised that it will hold a 'New Year's Eve Bash' on December 31, 2020, into the early morning hours of January 1, 2021, in violation" of Walz's order.
The advertisement "indicates that it will be hosting a 'big New Year's dance,' urging attendees to bring their own beer and liquor," a statement from Ellison's office said. The Attorney General's Office was unsuccessful in reaching the business, according to the statement.
Reached Wednesday, Garth Carlson sounded surprised.
"I don't know what he's talking about," he said. "He's speculating on something that hasn't happened."
When asked if there was an event planned for New Year's Eve, Carlson said it is going to be a religious gathering with items for sale. He didn't deny that there was an advertisement for the event. Rather, he said, the event was "misworded" in the advertisement.
Carlson, who said he planned to contact his attorney, criticized Ellison's office for sending notice of the lawsuit to the news media.
Ellison "just likes to blow things up for publicity," he said.
Ellison's office included what it said was an advertisement for the event in the complaint it filed Wednesday in Faribault County District Court. It makes no mention of a religious service or gathering.
The ad does, however, refer to a "New Year's Eve Bash." It also displays a picture of a five-man band wearing leather coats and cowboy hats, as well as illustrations of a bucket of beer on ice with the letters "b.y.o.b." beneath it and photo illustrations of a couple of women in tight clothing.
At the top of the ad are the words "all ages welcome," along with the cost to attend: $25. . . .
That's some miswording. There's more at the Mankato Free Press article, UPDATE: Lawsuit seeks to stop Winnebago New Year's party, where Kristin Goodrich reports:
. . .A tipster told the Attorney General’s Office he was hired to advertise the event on social media.
The center’s Facebook page appears to have been deleted Wednesday.
The lawsuit filed Wednesday in Faribault County Court also asks a judge to fine the center’s owner, Veteran Enterprises, and award damages to the state.
No court hearing has yet been scheduled in the case, court records show.
The event center is operated by Garth Carlson, who purchased the former school building in Winnebago earlier this year. He planned to turn it into a community center and a veteran’s center, he told The Free Press in April. . . .
While the center's Facebook page appears to have gone dark, Mr. Carlson's personal Facebook page still includes a variety of posts promoting events at his enterprises in Winnebago.
The events and venues make us pause as we consider the depths of the miswording in the promotional material for tonight's worship. Perhaps Carlson was thinking of the Carlson Country Chapel, at 107 Cleveland Avenue in Winnebago, which was once used as a United Methodist Church.
Carlson advertised a revival of sorts here in early November, as this screenshot of his Facebook page shows:
And he's posted a tremendous interior show of the Chapel's sanctuary:
Apparently, Garth's renamed the Country Chapel, if Wednesday's lament on Facebook about the lawsuit is to be believed:
Karen- if you all know karen have her get hold of me. Karen must be Walz sister- she all ready filed complaint about new year’s Religious get together concert at the Winnebago Veteran resource center and the Freedom Church of America. Any info on Karen’s contact info would be greatly appreciated. If your worried. Just dont come, stay home mind your own business.
In the comments, one helpful soul suggests that all churches are BYOB--Bring Your Own Bible.
We think Mr. Carlson could have avoided all this trouble by simply holding a revival at the Country Chapel and hiring a good editor.
According to records on file at the Minnesota Department of Revenue, Veteran Enterprises, Ltd purchased the old school from the City of Winnebago in early June for $61,000.00, paying $1,000 down (eCRV ID 1100563). Later in June, Veteran Enterprises picked up the Cleveland Avenue property from the First United Methodist Church of Winnebago for $30,000, with a $5000 down payment (eCRV ID 1107491). Veteran Enterprises, Ltd. was registered with the Minnesota Secretary of State in 2007; Mr. Carlson is the CEO.
Judging by the Facebook page for the First United Methodist Church of Winnebago, the congregation still uses the building as well, so maybe the chapel wasn't available on New Year's Eve.
These buildings don't look at all alike, and are located at different addresses, but perhaps Carlson is easily confused.
Screengrabs: From Garth Carlson's Facebook page.
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