A guide to small-town festivals in Minnesota and Wisconsin
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Next weekend, "Wizard of Oz" fans from around the world will descend upon Grand Rapids for the northern Minnesota town's annual Judy Garland Festival that celebrates the birthplace of the iconic actress.
The big picture: It's just one of many annual gatherings around Minnesota and Wisconsin with street parades, concerts and, of course, pie-eating contests.
We asked Axios Twin Cities readers for some of their picks.
🛶 Loons & Lakes Festival, June 20-22 in Crosslake. This inaugural event "celebrates quiet recreation (paddleboarding, canoeing, etc.) and offers eco-education experiences," notes reader Katy S. There's also an art market.
🎶 Joetown Rocks, July 3-4, St. Joseph. Music, bingo, fireworks and a parade "practically triples the town's population," says Cullen T.
🇺🇸 Liberty Fest, July 4-7, Chetek, Wisconsin, gets high marks from Evan N. "It's one of the only festivals I know of that features both a water ski show and WWII-era planes flying over its grand parade."
🚜 Kolacky Days, July 26-28, Montgomery.
- Tom W. writes: "Where else can you take your best spit in the U.S. National Championship of Prune Spitting, compete in the Bohemian Tractor Pull, watch fireworks synchronized to polka music, take your best bite in the Kolacky Eating Contest, and watch one of the best parades in all of Minnesota!"
🍠 Rutabaga Festival, Aug. 22-25, Cumberland, Wisconsin. Leslee M. says there's a hot pepper-eating contest, live music and a bus that drops attendees back at their cabins.
- Back in Diane L.'s younger, single years, she ended her nights here by dancing on bar tops.
🥧 Stone Lake Cranberry Festival, Oct. 3-6, Stone Lake, Wisconsin.
- "This festival draws 30,000 people to a town with a population of 61. Great crafts, art, furniture, food and a parade! It's a beautiful drive that time of year. Lots of parking and shuttles," says Beth V.
The bottom line: Janice R. points out that "the best small-town festival is the one you have the closest ties to, because the idea is to connect with people you haven't seen for awhile."
- Amen.
Go deeper with Star Tribune's longer rundown of some of Minnesota's top festivals.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to accurately describe the location of Grand Rapids, which is not on the North Shore.