By DEB BENTLY
Staff Writer
Several hundred people attended the grand opening celebration for the new Arcadian Bank building in Hartland on September 14. Most of Arcadian Bank’s 30-some employees volunteered at the event, helping with setup, serving, and general goodwill. About 500 meals were served, and many people got their first look at the new building’s interior. Rolls and coffee were offered in the morning; a full dinner was served beginning around 3 p.m. On the menu were pulled pork sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, cole slaw and chips.
Arcadian Bank has branches in Freeborn and Albert Lea as well as the Hartland location where the business began as Farmers State Bank in 1912. Construction of the new building in Hartland has recently been completed after the original 1912 bank building on the same site was irretrievably damaged by a December, 2021 tornado.
Long-time tellers Darcy Newman and Cindy Recknor said they look forward to serving customers from the “beautiful new” counters.
Mark Heinemann, Arcadian’s president, commented: ”It was a wonderful day. Being able to share the new building with the community reaffirmed our decision to rebuild. There were so many grateful, positive comments. Now we look forward to helping any of those people in the area who are not currently customers to come experience the difference.”