A new writing contest aims to “generate broad interest, discussion and dialogue about what is happening in Lake City and what there is to do to have fun and to be entertained right here in our community,” according to contest rules.

Organizer John Hutchinson said he and Jim Schreck developed the idea as a fun activity to help pass the cold winter months. It’s loosely based on an ideas festival held annually in New York Mills, Minn., that attracts experts from across the country to present their ideas, he said.