Summer community celebrations are truly special, and I love seeing how each town in our area puts its unique spin on things. Working in radio gives me the fantastic opportunity to be involved in many of these events. It’s a lot of work for the organizers, but always worth it!

Let’s dive into a few of them:
Boyd Good Time Days is a local legend, said to be our oldest continuous celebration. While things have certainly evolved over the years—they used to have one of the best parades, which I was in numerous times, but I don’t think they do one anymore—and that’s a sad thing.

Canby Hat Daze is always a blast. As someone involved with the Canby Chamber, I can attest to their incredible work organizing this event. This year, an air show added an exciting new dimension, and the parade was, as always, a huge hit. Even though Mother Nature  rained on our parade and other activities, everyone still had a great time coming together.

Riverfest in Dawson probably packs in more activities than any other town. From sporting events to the arts to an absolutely amazing parade, the people of Dawson truly know how to celebrate their community. Plus, there are always plenty of bands and delicious food.

Beyond those, there are so many other wonderful community events: Montevideo Fiesta Days, Appleton’s Applefest, Marietta Hometown Days, Ortonville’s celebrations, Benson Kids Day, Westernfest in Granite Falls, Milan is rich in Norwegian heritage events and Minneota Boxelder Bug Days are all fantastic.

My absolute favorite aspects of these celebrations are the parades and Ribfest events. Parades, to me, are the heart of any community celebration. One thing I do miss, however, is the marching and community bands. You just don’t see as many anymore. You must have music in parades.

I have such fond childhood memories of attending parades in New Ulm, which were always filled with lively polka bands. And who could forget the St. Paul Vulcans, who used to playfully chase women around trying to steal a kiss!

This past Saturday, the Madison parade featured about 80 units, and some of my favorites included The Sticks Bar and Grill (happy birthday to Jaz!) and the Q-92 car and Valley Dance District. My boss, Kerri, and I had a great time announcing in front of the Grand Theater—it was my first time doing that!

Later that afternoon, I headed to Ribfest at the Happy Hour. My friend Dan Tuckett makes some of the best ribs around! Madison truly has so many talented rib masters; it’s an amazing and incredibly fun event. I’m already looking forward to the next Ribfest at the Swift County Fair in Appleton.

Do you have a favorite summer community celebration you look forward to each year?