I’m in the car on the way to Grand Rapids (not driving) and I ran into two fun, local web sites that I think demonstrate innovative uses of the Internet – and probably broadband if the sites are as interactive as they sound.

First is the story of the new online car dealership in Granite Falls. The last car dealer in Granite Falls closed in June. But two former car dealership owners have come up with a new plan to sell cars via the Internet. Dick Kollen and Dan Picht didn’t want to leave their city without a dealership. They realized they had 70 years of experience between them. They realized that through the Internet they could order any make or model of car for customers.

They needed an office to meet state regulations, so they do sell some autos on-site but primarily they buy their cars online for clients. It’s a great example of mall town innovation brought about to create a e-business.

Second is a nice educational (lifelong learning) site that celebrates the Minnesota River. Scott Kudelka, Kim Musser and Rick Moore are creating an interactive web site that details the history of people on the River. They plan to include videos with people talking about the history, an interactive impaired-waters map of the Minnesota River Basin, images that will show the history of the last century, and a project that will show how a Mapleton Township farm has changed from the late 1800s to now.