Paxton Tollackson worked at the Westby Creamery Cheese Store in Westby on Thursday before President Joe Biden landed nearby on Marine One.

“I didn’t believe it at first,” the 16-year-old said when his co-workers told him about the president’s visit. “(Westby) is such a small town.”

Tollackson said that when seven cases of Westby Co-op Creamery cheese were purchased for the occasion, he thought, “He’s really coming.”

The national political spotlight turned to Westby on Thursday as Biden visited the Vernon Electric Cooperative to tour the facility and tout a $7.3 billion investment in clean, reliable electricity for rural America as part of his Investing in America agenda.

April Young, who works at Furniture Décor and More, said the president’s visit to the small town was an exciting experience for her.

“I grew up on a farm, and I hate to see small farms disappear,” she said. “They have a hard time competing with the big farms.”

She said she has worked for telecommunications companies in Viroqua and Coon Valley and added that the work the companies are doing to expand infrastructure in the area, especially broadband internet, means a lot to residents.

“School children rely so much on the internet. Putting that within reach (means so much).”

We hope that once the Main Street reconstruction is complete, the city will be ready for growth.

For security reasons, State Highway 27 was closed for a period of time during Biden’s visit.

Councilman Blaine Hedberg said it was an honour for the small community to host the government’s chief executive.

“It’s pretty cool that the president is visiting a town of 2,300 people,” he said. “Honor that position no matter what political party you lean toward.”

Hedberg, who is also president of the Westby Area Historical Society, said he did some research and discovered this is the first time a sitting president has visited the town. He said that 10 years ago, former President George W. Bush drove through town to campaign for his brother, Jeb.

While at Vernon Electric Cooperative, Biden announced the first 16 rural electric cooperatives received New ERA awards. They will serve rural communities in 23 states, including western Wisconsin.

Among the beneficiaries is La Crosse-based Dairyland Power Cooperative, which is set to receive an award of nearly $573 million. Vernon Electric Cooperative is a member of Dairyland Power Cooperative.