The City of Owatonna has received the League of Minnesota Cities 2024 City of Excellence Award for the 5,000-29,999 population category at the League’s Annual Conference in Rochester.

Owatonna was honored for its “Coptober Event Program.”

The Owatonna Police Department partnered with the Owatonna Public Library to organize Coptober, an event that provides a safe and friendly environment where police officers could build relationships with Owatonna youth and their caregivers.

KRFO-FM logo
Get our free mobile app

The free, one-day event was first held at the Owatonna Public Library in October during the 2022 Minnesota Education Association (MEA) break and was repeated in 2023. Coptober included hands-on demonstrations for kids including evidence processing, a police uniform photo booth, book readings, squad tours, and K9 visits. These engaging activities informed kids and their caregivers about safety and crime prevention and allowed them to strengthen relationships with Owatonna city employees.

The City of Excellence Awards are given yearly by the League of Minnesota Cities in three population categories and one topical category. The awards recognize cities for outstanding programs or projects. Each winning city will receive a plaque, and a check for $1,000.

Way to go Owatonna!

LOOK: See the Most Famous Musician Born the Same Year As You

Stacker identified musicians born in every year from 1920 to 2003 and determined the most famous born the same year as you.

Gallery Credit: Stacker

QUIZ: Can you identify 50 famous companies by their logos?

How well do you know the logos of 50 of the world's most famous companies? Keep scrolling to see if you can guess which icon belongs to which brand.

More From KRFO-FM