Map of St. Peter

Rock Bend Music Festival in September. At the center of Minnesota Square Park is a decorative and usable pavilion, newly opened in 2019.

Up the hill in St. Peter is Gustavus Adolphus College’s Hillstrom Museum of Art and its Theater & Dance and Music departments, which offer a wealth of events and performances by students and guest artists that are open to the public. In 2020, a brand new black box theater opened on campus, creating an alternative option to the standard theater space. Find a calendar of events or purchase tickets online at gustavus.edu/finearts.

Another new addition to the community arts and performance spaces is the 750-seat auditorium in the new St. Peter High School. The SPHS theater department opened the venue with the rousing, sell-out performances of the musical “Footloose” in November 2017 and also hosted the 20th anniversary observance of the 1998 St. Peter tornado. It continues to be a popular destination for theater and music, both from high school and outside performers.

The arts flourish throughout the St. Peter school district and private schools in St. Peter with choir, band and drama performances throughout the year.

Every year, St. Peter celebrates St. Patrick’s Day with a whole lot of green in a community parade, plus some fun events around town. Oktoberfest is another annual event in St. Peter that is held in the downtown each year, celebrating all things German, especially beer.

Another popular event in the St. Peter community has been the emergence of 2nd Story Comedy Club, which has moved its venue to the American Legion Club at 229 W. Nassau St.

The St. Peter Choral Society is entering its 40th year. There are no auditions or membership fees to join. For more information, see the website at saintpeterchoralsociety.org.

Like to dance? St. Peter Just for Kix offers classes for students from preschool through high school. Call 507-276-8989.

There’s also a long list of events — from films to music — at Nicollet County Historical Society’s Treaty Site History Center. Find the schedule at nchsmn.org/events.

New venues throughout the community include The Capital Room at 419 S. Minnesota Avenue. The renovated former armory building dates back to 1913 and is growing in popularity, with use for weddings and special events.

And we can’t fail to mention the long history of the Govenaires Drum and Bugle Corps. The Govenaires is a highly competitive performing arts organization which calls St. Peter home and has entertained crowds across the country since 1927.

Arts Center of Saint Peter

The Arts Center of Saint Peter, which offers performances, exhibits and classes, continues to shine within the community. The center’s staff and volunteers are frequent participants at the many St. Peter festivals and community

events. Its Souper Bowl fundraiser in late winter is growing in popularity, with some 400 handcrafted pottery bowls available for purchase.

Throughout the year, the center spearheads fun community-wide events, such as the popular Jesus Christ Superstar revival and singalong. Tell Me A Story is an ongoing storytelling and musical program that gives residents a chance to open up and get to know others in an intimate environment.

Founded in 1979, the center was established to share and cultivate the fine arts through year-round exhibitions, performances, education and outreach.

The center features two galleries with new exhibitions approximately every month, spotlighting regional artists, writers and musicians, to solo and group shows by artists of national renown. The lower gallery also serves as an intimate performance venue with seating for up to 100.

A new upstairs space has opened up fiber arts opportunities at the nonprofit, including weaving, knitting and crotcheting.

Classes have been offered through partnerships with St. Peter Community & Family Education, and also individually by Arts Center staff, taught by area artists committed to helping students and adults experience and enjoy the creative process. Classes, including those at its heralded Clay Center, range from introductory sessions for children, teens and adults to drawing, printmaking and weaving.

The Arts Center has also teamed up with the Minnesota Security Hospital and state Department of Human Services to host performances and shows by patients at the St. Peter facility. Another new development spearhead by Arts Center staff and the city of St. Peter’s parks department is plans to develop an arts garden and sculpture park at Levee Park, highlighting the works of and inspired by former St. Peter resident Paul Granlund.

Visit the center at artscentersp.org or call 507-931-3630.

Hillstrom Museum of Art

Located in the lower level of the college’s C. Charles Jackson Campus Center, the museum is named for 1938 Gustavus graduate, the Rev. Richard L. Hillstrom, who donated many of the works in its collection.

The museum is free and open daily to the public while classes are in session. Visit gustavus.edu/finearts/hillstrom or call 507-933-7200.

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