Isle Family Dentistry has been a long-time practice in Isle, and a long-time member of the Isle Area Chamber of Commerce.  Upon his retirement, Dr. John Miller has now handed the baton off to Dr. Sarah Lamecker, DDS.  Dr. John and Dr. Sarah have been communicating for the last several years about this transition, and when the time came, Dr. Lamecker was delighted to continue her practice heading up the dental office in Isle.

Sarah has family and friends in the Isle area so the transition to having a practice in the area was a natural one.  She previously practiced in Cambridge and Elk River.  She earned her undergraduate degree at St. Cloud State University and initially began a dental assisting program at Central Lakes College in Brainerd.  Sarah changed her focus to instead earn her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry.  With several years’ experience, Dr. Lamecker took over Dr. Miller’s Isle dental practice August of 2021.

Isle Family Dentistry offers a full spectrum of dental health care services, including checkups, cleaning, x-rays, implants, implant restoration, Invisalign, surgical procedures like bone grafting and extractions and more.  Office hours are Monday through Thursday, 8 to 4pm.

Sarah said “I love it here.  My move to practice in Isle has been a great experience and is the best decision I have ever made. The staff and patients are awesome”.   She plans to provide services for a long time and looks forward to getting more involved in the community.

Sarah loves the outdoors and likes to hunt and fish as well.  She and her husband, Tom, live in Princeton.

The Isle Area Chamber of Commerce extends a warm welcome to Dr. Sarah Lamecker.

Submitted by Linda Dahlen who comments:  “My own dentist of over 23 years, Dr. Kyle Edlund in Woodbury, MN, passed away in a tragic plane accident in August 2020 at age 58.   I personally saw Dr. Lamecker for my first dental visit since that time and am excited to say, she and her staff are truly amazing and I’ve found a new provider right here in the Mille Lacs area. Thank you!”

ISLE AIRPORT ASSOCIATION

The Isle Airport is the only airport on Mille Lacs Lake. The airport presently has 150 or so takeoffs and landings per year. People come from around the country and Minnesota to enjoy the Isle and Mille Lacs Lake area.  They come to visit friends and family, to shop, or go to local restaurants. Some fly in to stay at their cabins or vacation homes, or to enjoy the many events and parks around Mille Lacs Lake and surrounding lakes.

Isle Airport has a courtesy car for pilots who fly in.  It can be used for the day to visit the Mille Lacs area. There are also bicycles available at the airport if that mode of transportation is desired.

Some folks have flown in with their own folding bicycles to use to see the sites or ride trails throughout the area.  The Isle Airport brings revenue to the area and to restaurants, shops and resorts. Stop by the Isle Airport anytime to check out the facility.  If you fly in, be sure to sign our guest book at the Pilot Shack.

Isle Airport was activated in July of 1956.  The land for the airport was donated to the City of Isle by the state of Minnesota with the stipulation that it would remain an airport and that the land would revert back to the state if the Isle Airport were to cease operation.

After activation the Isle Airport bustled with activity, with multiple airplanes being based at the airport. The airplane owners were allowed to build hangars on airport property and some of those hangars still exist today.

The airport has been a sod strip since its inception with some blacktop in the taxiway areas in front of the hangars.

When the airport became less active, the City of Isle leased the airport property to the Isle Airport Association (formerly Isle flying Club) a 501c(6) non-profit organization. This group has been running and maintaining the airport for many years. Costs of running the Isle Airport are largely funded by the annual Fly In Pancake Breakfast during the Isle Days Celebration, and also by private donations. Under the arrangement with the Isle Airport Association, the airport became a private airport and no longer was public use without permission being granted.

In recent years, the Isle City Council was approached by the Isle Airport Association along with other interested parties to move forward to once again have the airport be Public Use. With this in mind the council did establish an Airport Commission in April of 2019 to re-establish public status. The Airport Commission has been working with the state of Minnesota and the City Council to return the airport to its original standards for a Public Status. That process is ongoing at this time and would be a big asset to the local economy.

MCQUOID’S INN
1327 North Highway 47
Isle, MN  56342
Tim and Cindy Potoczny, Owners
320-676-3535
stay@McQuoidsinn.com

Tim and Cindy have a fascinating story. They were married at age 18, had their first child who is now age 25 and out of college. Then son Joey, now age 5, came along. The Potocznys came from Chicago, Illinois where they had a trucking business and owned a fleet of trucks. It was a great success, but they decided they wanted to sell that business and buy a resort business to get out of the city and into the country.

Their hunt was on to find resort to buy. They looked at literally hundreds of resorts online for many months. They looked diligently in Wisconsin, Upper Peninsula and Minnesota. They personally visited 15 to 20 of those resorts. The McQuoid’s Inn resort came on the radar along with a number of other contender properties. But McQuoid’s held their interest. The launches were a key part of that.  The year-round diversity of snowmobiling, ATVing and ice  fishing were also a draw and were rented right at the McQuoid’s property for those who didn’t have their own machines. Terry and Dusty McQuoid had built a wonderful legacy and the Potocznys wanted to continue that family business.

The McQuoid’s property is about 10 acres with a 31-room hotel and event center. There are 3 rentable modular cabins and 9 rentable Condos.  The main building even has a children’s play area, with swing sets and bouncy houses out back. Inside, visitors can enjoy free breakfasts of waffles, fruit, yogurt, juices and coffee each morning. The pandemic hurt their business at first, but when Canada closed, the Potocznys found business picked up in the summer and fall of 2020.

With the main building Event Center, and Cedar Room out back, McQuoids can host corporate events, weddings, bachelor parties, family gatherings and much more.

Tim and Cindy also jumped headlong into being involved in the South Mille Lacs and Isle Area.  Tim is on the Isle Chamber of Commerce board of directors and Mcquoid’s sponsors many or is involved with a number of other non-profit organizations in the Mille Lacs Area.

Data-Link Accounting has an over 30-year history of providing personalized professional tax and accounting services for Individuals and Businesses.  Linda Dahlen started her accounting business from her home in 1987 when her kids were toddlers.  After college, she earned her Enrolled Agent designation through the IRS, in 1990.  To attain an EA credential meant passing a 2-day, four-part, 12-hour exam to test knowledge and expertise of tax law.

Linda first grew her business in California, sold it to relocate to her home state of Minnesota in 1993 where she grew another accounting practice in Woodbury.  Moving into commercial office space as the business grew, she merged with a CPA firm in Woodbury in 2006.  She moved full time to Isle where she had hunting land, and commuted for three years to/from the Cities for work.  She now has a tax and accounting practice in her Isle home where she and husband Dr. Donald A. Dahlen live.

Linda is a member of the National Association of Enrolled Agents, the National Association of Tax Professionals, and takes over 34 hours of Continuing Professional Education every year to maintain her credential.  Linda has niche specialties in Small Business tax, Real Estate Professionals, Non-Profit Organizations, IRS Representation and Problem Resolution, and Strategic Planning for special situations like inheritance, life changes, and investment strategy & reporting.  Both Linda and staff provide accounting services as well.

For more information, go to www.datalinkacct.com where you will find many features, financial calculators, newsletters and tax planning information.

South Isle Family Campground is a “family oriented” campground located on 74 acres of land including woods and prairie, that is owned and operated by family as well.  Wally and Sue Heise bought the campground in 1991 so this is their 28th season.  Now, son Bryan, and daughter Kim are involved too, helping manage the business.

The Campground has 130 camp sites but originally there were 65 sites.   Eighty-five sites are seasonal permanent and 45 sites are overnight or shorter term.  The campground is open from April through October and all visitors bring their own campers, whether long term or short term.  Their busiest times are from Memorial Day through the end of August.

“Family Oriented” is for real at South Isle Family Campground.  There is a miniature replica train Rainbow Express that gives rides around the campground, a ½ acres pond with paddleboats, giant playground, Frisbee Golf Course, tractor drawn hay rides and heated swimming pool.  There are many planned activities, such as Horseshoes, Wacky Olympics, Christmas in August, Minute to Win-It Amazing Race, Halloween in July and new this year is Easter in June.  And of course there are campfires at night!

South Isle Family Campground is a safe and clean place for you camping enjoyment.  Check out their website and schedule of events.  The campground is right across the road from Fiddlestix Golf Course and convenient to bike trails, Mille Lacs Lake, Farmers Markets and shopping.

For More information:
www.southislecampground.com
320-676-8538
39002 Highway 47
Email:  sifcamp@frontiernet.net