Business & Immigrant Stories of Winona – Immigrant Stories with Project FINE

Sandbar Storytelling Festival, in partnership with the Winona County Historical Society (WCHS), invites the public to the final installment of the four-part Business & Immigrant Stories — featuring immigrant stories from Project FINE (Focus on Integrating Newcomers through Education) — on Tuesday, Sept. 15. The event will begin at 7 p.m. in the WCHS Wanek Room.

Each summer, Sandbar Storytelling Festival partners with the Winona County Historical Society and Project FINE to present a four-part series highlighting the people who built the businesses that built our town. This series gives attendees the opportunity to learn more about how iconic and beloved Winona institutions came to be. Earlier in 2026, SSF featured Blooming Grounds, Merchants Bank, and Bluff Country Co-op.

Fatima Said, the executive director of Project FINE, will introduce us to some of the most fascinating, and, at many times, heart-wrenching stories of immigrants from around the world who have landed in Winona. You will hear their stories, some through language interpreters, of how they left their home countries and came to the United States for a better and safer life for their families. Project FINE has been serving refugees and immigrants in Winona County and the surrounding area since 1990. Hear the personal and inspirational stories of immigrants who have chosen to call Winona home.

All Business & Immigrant Stories events are free and open to the public. There is limited seating, but no reservations are required. Stories begin at 7 p.m., with a reception and refreshments following the stories.

Sandbar Storytelling Festival presents storytelling performances which celebrate and preserve the power and pleasure of our varied cultural traditions and human experiences and promotes the art of storytelling for all ages. The 2026 festival will be held Oct. 7-11. Sandbar Storytelling Festival operates with support from: Winona Community Foundation, Elizabeth Callender King Foundation, and the Southern Minnesota Arts Council, and is made possible by funding through the Minnesota Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment.

For more information, email sandbarwinona@gmail.com.