The first week of May is national travel and tourism week. The Owatonna Chamber invites you to take part in a photo contest. All during the month of May take pictures of places you enjoy in Owatonna. Tag your pictures with #CelebrateOtown. A minimum of four photos must be tagged and at least one from each category: Attractions, Iconic selfies, Outdoors and Food. You'll be entered into a drawing to win $100 in Chamber Dollars and an Owatonna-themed basket. Participants should post pictures on Instagram or Twitter.

Tourism kicks off in a big way May 5-8 with Corky's Early Bird Softball Tournament. This year 176 teams from eight states will take part. This is an increase from 148 teams last year. It's expected to bring about 4,000 visitors to Owatonna. It's estimated that this will bring $222,000 into the local economy, and this doesn't include lodging.

New visitor guides are available at the Chamber office.

A new group tour package is being offered this year that partners the Chamber with the History Center and the Orphanage Museum. Contact the Chamber for details.

Owatonna has also joined Faribault and Northfield in a regional tourism marketing partnership called the Minne-Roadtrip. They'll be pooling resources in an effort to reach more people.

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