The campaigns that went far beyond Ely are a relic of the past, but April Fools Day still brought some fun to town.
Elyites woke up on April 1 to social media posts exclaiming, “Say No to Miming,” and around town there were signs and placards bearing similar messages.
Of course it was all a spoof, and one that caught attention and created a few laughs around the city and beyond.
The April 1 bit was the brainchild of a handful of Ely residents, who came together for a second straight year in an effort to pull an April 1 prank.
“The goal was to have fun,” said Emily Roose, one of the participants and a member of Ely’s city council. “The idea came from last year when we did the International Mosquito Center. We wanted to do something fun but we knew it couldn’t be exactly the same.”
Roose wasn’t quite sure how the group settled on the mime theme, which plays off the “We Support Mining” signs that have been displayed around the area in recent years.
“It was a play on words and kind of funny,” said Roose. “The thought was we can bring light to situations where it brings us all together and have fun.”
Reaction via social media appeared to be highly receptive, with Ely residents of varying political persuasions playing along.
Numerous businesses displayed signs highlighting the spoof, and the signs were delivered by Roose and a team of others- Abby Dare, Ryan Stewart, Jesse Olson and Ian Lah - who acted as mimes.
“When we went around town people would take a second look,” said Roose. “We walked into all of the businesses and handed them a sign, and (communicated) to pick a poster and have fun and play along with us. We didn’t say any words and they seemed to get it.”
The mime theme was not Ely’s only crack at an April 1 joke.
Ely’s Steger Mukluks also turned some heads with an “announcement” that the company would move its factory from Ely, Minnesota to Ely, Nevada.
Via social media, the company indicated that “In the process of considering our new climate, we have decided to trade in liners for flip flops. Stay tuned for our other style transformations.”
Of course that too was made in jest, and the reaction was swift, generating hundreds of likes and comments on the business’s Facebook page.
This week’s activity brought memories back to the days when, as part of an ongoing effort to lure visitors to Ely and put Ely visits on the minds of would-be tourists from across the Midwest, the Chamber of Commerce, through a marketing agency, sponsored numerous well-received and highly publicized campaigns.
The first came in 2008, with a “news report” that Canada was buying Ely and annexing it to capture more Boundary Waters tourism business.
Other notable campaigns since the included:
• A failed bid for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games;
• A bid by International Dairy Queen to buy the naming rights to the BWCAW;
• A ban on social media throughout the Ely area;
• The launch of “Canoeber,” the world’s first water- based ride share service.
• The launch of a new Ely TV channel;
• A ban on drones within city limits;
• The launch of the Original Ely Electric Paddle.
