Discovering The Mature Lifestyle Annual summer celebrations don’t happen without volunteers Page 6
Festivals
June 18 & 19, 2015
June Issue
Fridley, Columbia Heights festivals are ‘community reunions’
Brooklyn Park Tater Daze, Crystal Frolics spell summer fun
BY SUE WEBBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
BY SUE WEBBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Summer celebrations in Fridley and Columbia Heights have become like community reunions, according to some longtime volunteers who have seen both festivals change and grow over the years.
Brooklyn Park’s three-day summer festival last month and Crystal’s three-day celebration this month are possible because of the time and talents of generous donors and dedicated volunteers.
FRIDLEY 49ER DAYS, JUNE 25-27 Sue Johnson has worked on Fridley 49er Days for 30 years and now is vice president of the festival. “Last year we celebrated our diamond anniversary,” said Johnson, who is administrative coordinator for the Fridley Parks and Recreation Department. “It’s a tradition.” For years, the festival was held in the ice arena, Johnson said. When the arena was sold, they needed a new venue. Now held at Commons Park, the festival is in a rebuilding mode, having encountered bad weather in the last few years. “Weather really plays a big role,” Johnson said. “The last few years, weather killed us.” The festival committee is made up of some members of the local Lions Club, a few community volunteers and city staffers. They meet monthly except for July, according to Johnson. “A few years ago they started an all-class reunion at Fridley High School, and we’ve incorporated that into the festival,” Johnson said. The festival features bands and other
BROOKLYN PARK TATER DAYS – JUNE 18-21
Sue Johnson checks on one of the Fridley 49er Days banners. (Submitted photo) entertainment. This year a petting zoo, inflatables and five bands are on the schedule. “We’re trying to do an athletic tournaREUNIONS - TO PAGE 5
“Brooklyn Park Tater Daze is a unique festival where residents pay homage to the humble potato,” according to the city’s website. “Early settlers discovered that potatoes flourished in the flat, sandy soil of the area.” At the first festival, prizes given away included 420-pound bags of potatoes donated by local growers, the website said. The Brooklyn Park Jaycees, the Brooklyn Park Community Organization and Come Home to the Park all have sponsored the event in the past. Tater Daze now is sponsored by the City of Brooklyn Park. One of its long-time workers is Brenda Reeves, who has lived in Brooklyn Park for 23 years and has worked on the festival committee for 20 years. She has four children and five grandchildren, and she also works full-time as a systems analyst at the University of Minnesota. “The last few years I’ve been involved with Tater Daze through the Lions, Women of Today and the Community Engagement Initiative (chair of Diversity Fest
Brooklyn Park Tater Daze button for two years), but not really on the Tater Daze Committee until this year again,” said Reeves, who chaired the festival for a number of years and now is this year’s parade co-chair. “I have a lot of passion for the festival,” Reeves said. Monthly meetings of the festival committee begin each year in October and ramp up to twice monthly as Tater Daze nears. “There are a lot of people who help,” Reeves said. As with all summer festivals, weather is always a big challenge, she said. “I can’t remember a year without a storm at some point,” she said. SUMMER FUN - TO PAGE 3