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Community Events

Editor’s Note: All events are subject to change, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting restrictions in 2021.

Ambassadors’ Blues Fest

JUNE

They say no form of music communicates more genuine emotion than the blues. Ambassadors’ Blues Fest, organized by the St. Peter Ambassadors, brings the blues to Minnesota Square Park. The free event includes several bands in the park and others in local clubs. Find more at stpeterambassadors.com.

night to united & Summer Celebration

AUGUST

The community comes together for this Summer Celebration and annual Night to Unite with the city’s emergency services and law enforcement. The evening includes food, games and information about local agencies and crime prevention, in collaboration with the St. Peter Recreation Department’s End of Summer Celebration.

Check out the St. Peter Summer Celebration and Night to Unite Facebook page for information on this year’s events.

drum Corps Expo/Govenaires events

AUGUST

St. Peter’s own Govenaires Drum and Bugle Corps highlights the show, typically held in August at Floyd B. Johnson Field in St. Peter. It traditionally includes corps from across the Midwest.

The group frequently makes trips around the world, along with its traditional concert at St. Peter’s Old-Fashioned Fourth of July celebration and the usual slate of regional parades and competitions.

Learn more at govenaires.org or Govenaires Drum and Bugle Corps on Facebook.

rock Bend Folk Festival

SEPTEMBER

It’s been called a two-day celebration of southern Minnesota’s arts and artists — that’s how Rock Bend Folk Festival is best described. But the popularity of the festival now brings in acts from throughout the United States.

It’s billed as “What a music festival is supposed to be.”

Nearly two dozen acts, performing bluegrass, folk and jazz can be heard throughout the annual festival that showcases the talents of area artists and musicians in St. Peter’s Minnesota Square Park. Highlighting the event, now in its 28th year, is a Saturday evening concert.

It’s featured a fresh backdrop in recent years with the new Minnesota Square Park pavilion and the construction of a new, multipurpose facility. A main stage is where the

long list of musicians perform. A second stage features stories, more songs, demonstrations and other family-centered programs.

The event is free, largely funded through grants, donations and free will offerings from an appreciative fan base and big crowds. It attracts thousands of visitors to the park for music, arts, and plenty of food and drink. Dozens of arts and craft exhibitors and a variety of food vendors are expected each year.

Come one or both days. Bring the kids and the folks. Toss down a blanket or pull up a lawn chair, and prepare to be entertained. Find more at rockbend.org or at Rock Bend Folk Festival. You can also contact the St. Peter Tourism and Visitors Bureau at 800-473-3404.

oktoberfest

SEPTEMBER

Who doesn’t love a polka and a chance to celebrate the old country? Pull on your dirndl, or lederhosen, and head on down to the fest grounds in downtown St. Peter. The St. Peter Ambassadors host this uniquely German celebration with music, food and a parade.

More at stpeterchamber.com.

Girls night out

OCTOBER

It’s fast becoming one of the more popular downtown retail experiences of the year, with hundreds of pink-clad shoppers and visitors to St. Peter’s historic downtown district, with several dozen businesses participating every year throughout the city.

Check out the Chamber of Commerce website for updated information, stpeterchamber.com.

Halloween Fun run & Walk

OCTOBER

Billed as southern Minnesota’s largest and fastest parade of costumes, the event encourages participants 3 to 103 to dress in costume while sprinting through the city’s street. The run, which is chip timed, is hosted by the city’s Chamber of Commerce and

offers prizes for the best costumes.

For updated information, check out the chamber’s website at stpeterchamber.com.

Holiday season in St. Peter

DECEMBER

Is there anything better than a day filled with holiday fun? St. Peter area residents don’t have to choose, as there’s the annual Girl Scouts Santa Shop, Little Saints Breakfast with Santa and the Great Candy Cane Hunt. The hunt features thousands of the striped candies, while the shop allows little ones to select gifts for family members for a donation to the St. Peter Area Food Shelf.

Winterfest

JANUARY/FEBRUARY

Winterfest is a time to shake off the cold and celebrate the season! Events are as eclectic as the groups that sponsor them, from the search for a hidden medallion to the sale of one-of-a-kind pottery filled with homemade soup to the Nicollet County Sheriff’s Office’s Polar Plunge, where dozens of costumed teams hop in the frigid Hallet’s Pond to benefit Special Olympics. Learn more at stpeterchamber.com/winterfest.

St. Paddy’s day Parade

The homage to the emerald isle begins with a crowning of the St. Patrick’s Day queen. The fun continues with a parade, sponsored by the St. Peter Ambassadors, starting on Third and Broadway and heading to Mulberry Street. Local pubs and eateries offer food and drink specials afterward. More at stpeterambassadors.com.

Women Celebrating Women

MARCH

Since 2005, the annual event, which includes a dinner and entertainment, recognizes the contributions of notable area women who have achieved distinction in their field of interest or profession, and have proven to be a leader and an inspiration to other women. Visit wcwsaintpeter.blogspot.com for more information.

Cleveland & Kasota

Cleveland

Cherry Creek days JUNE

Named after the creek that runs through town, the annual celebration takes place mid-June and includes a grand parade, open houses at the Fire Department and Historical Society, a street dance, softball games, water fights, a cherry pie eating contest and fireworks. For more information, visit Cherry Creek Days on Facebook.

Classic Car & Motorcycle roll-ins 5 p.m. roll-ins held every other Friday from May through September.

Kasota

Firemen’s dane SEPTEMBER

Annual event celebrates the Kasota Fire Department’s anniversary. Music, food and refreshments are available through the evening. Visit the Kasota Fire Department on Facebook.

Kasota Prairie Scientific & natural Area

Situated on a rock terrace 70 feet above the Minnesota River Valley, is the 42-acre scientific natural area. Prairie, wet meadow, oak woodland, and lowland hardwood plant communities thrive in the thin soils. About 2 miles south of Kasota on 367th Avenue. Visit dnr.state.mn.us

Kasota Prairie

Ninety acres of native prairie and another 30 acres of restored prairie. The area has been preserved as a public scientific, educational and recreational resource. Also includes 120 acres of woods, marsh, grassland and a large beaver pond between the bluffs and Minnesota River. Maintained parking area and trails approximately 1 mile south of Kasota on Township Road 140. Visit skp.org. Chankaska Creek ranch & Winery

The popular vineyard and winery has been voted Minnesota’s finest, and now sports a new gathering hall and upgraded grounds and outdoor option. The winery offers wine tastings and events throughout the year, many with live entertainment. Tasting room features wood-fired pizzas and antipasto. Visit chankaskawines.com.

drive a Tank

Located at 550 W. Cherry St. in Kasota, it’s the only place in the world where in one place to drive a tank and shoot a fully automatic historic machine gun not owned by a government entity. Visit driveatank.com, its Facebook page or call 507-931-7385.

RANCH, WINERY & DISTILLERY

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