Minneapolis, MN
What you need to know about the 2024 Minneapolis Aquatennial
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis Aquatennial — a dayslong celebration that highlights the city — makes its return next week with free events and its signature parade and fireworks show.
Here’s what you need to know about the festival:
What is the Minneapolis Aquatennial?
The Aquatennial is the civic celebration of the City of Minneapolis. The annual event, which this year will take place from July 24 to July 27, features multiple events, including the Torchlight Parade, and culminates in a fireworks show.
The Torchlight Parade kicks off the celebrations. It starts at 12th Street South on Nicollet Mall at 7:30 p.m. on July 24 and ends on Fourth Street South. There will be floats and performances, and the parade will be emceed by K102’s Chris Carr and Company.
Who are this year’s Parade Grand Marshals?
The 2024 Grand Marshals are Nicole Hensley and Lee Stechlein, members of the Walter Cup Champion Minnesota Professional Women’s Hockey League team.
Hensley was the first goaltender selected in the inaugural PWHL Draft and is a two-time Olympian. Stechlein, a Roseville native who played for the Unviersity of Minnesota and the Minnesota Whitecaps, is a three-time Olympic medalist.
What’s the history behind the Aquatennial?
The Aquatennial can be traced back to 1939, when a group of Minneapolis businessmen who wanted to promote the city as a summer destination and create a sense of civic unity came together to brainstorm what eventually became known as “The 10 Best Days of Summer.”
Minneapolis in the 1930s had witnessed a Teamsters truckers strike and anti-union violence in which 67 were injured and two killed, and the businessmen believed that a celebratory spectacle would improve the city’s reputation, according to the Minnesota Historical Society.
The group pulled together a festival that featured more than 200 events, thanks to the help of volunteers from the St. Paul Winter Carnival. The inaugural festival was held in July of 1940.
The name “Aquatennial” was chosen by contest and reflects the lakes and rivers of the city. The first parade had 86 floats, 15,000 marchers, 50 bands and drew in a crowd of more than 200,000, the historical society says.
Throughout the years, popular events have phased in and out: The Aqua Follies show, in which 24 women performed a choreographed aquatic revue on Lake Wirth, attracted crowds of roughly 6,000. For a while, all the women were required to be exactly 5’4″ and weigh 125 pounds, the historical society says. The show, which also featured stunt divers and comics, brought in revenue for the festival until the mid-60s, when it was cut for budgetary reasons.
The Milk Carton Boat Race across Lake Bde Maka Ska was promoted by the American Dairy Association from 1971 until 2015, and the festival has seen skateboard competitions, sand sculpture competitions, and live shows.
The mainstays have been the Queen of Lakes pageant contest, as well as the Torchlight Parade and the fireworks that conclude the festival. The fireworks display on the final night is one of the largest in the country.
In the early 2000s, the festival neared bankruptcy as programming costs rose, and the Minneapolis Downtown Council bought the rights to the Aquatennial in 2003. The “10 Best Days of Summer” became truncated, and the goal of the Aquatennial shifted to focus more on highlighting downtown Minneapolis.
How do you get to the Aquatennial?
Attendees can take Metro Transit to the Aquatennial Torchlight Parade by clicking here to download a free ride pass, which will be valid from 4 p.m. to midnight on July 24.
Parking is also available in the ramps on 10th, 7th, 6th, and 5th streets. For more information click here.
For a full schedule of events, click here.
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Employees at a south Minneapolis child care center said they are increasingly concerned about drug use and safety issues, as a homeless encampment grows nearby under the Cedar Avenue and Highway 55 overpass.
Staff at Baby’s Space child care, which has served the neighborhood for more than 25 years, said things have gotten especially bad over the past month.
Yolanda Reyes is an administrative assistant at Baby’s Space, which is just blocks away from the encampment.
“The encampment was moving and then the cops would clear it out, and they’d wait a few hours and they were right back,” said Reyes.
Staff said a fence installed to discourage people from gathering at the encampment has been ineffective. A WCCO camera captured an opening in the fence that allowed people to continue gathering on the sidewalk.
Drug use has become more visible and has moved right outside the child care center’s front door, Reyes said.
“Open use, just freely using their drugs. I had to go out the front door and say, ‘Hey, this is a child care center,’” she said.
The concerns have affected daily activities at the facility. Debbie Lund, executive director for Baby’s Space, said staff worry about what children could encounter while playing outside. She said Minneapolis police now stand watch by their playground.
“It’s hard for us to play outside because we’re not sure what the kids are going to be exposed to,” said Lund.
The concerns have drawn the attention of city leaders. On Tuesday, Minneapolis City Council Member Jason Chavez sent an email to city officials, including Mayor Jacob Frey and Public Safety Commissioner Todd Barnette, requesting immediate support for unhoused residents in the area.
A city spokesperson said the fencing is temporary to allow time for a better long-term solution, in collaboration with the county, Metro Transit, and the Minnesota Department of Transportation, who all have facilities in the area.
In the meantime, the city said they are working to help people move from unsheltered homelessness into stable housing.
Reyes and Lund emphasized that they sympathize with people living in the encampment who are struggling with addiction.
“It’s so hard because our hearts go out to everybody, and yet we really need to keep our children safe,” said Lund.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has released his timeline for selecting the city’s next police chief following the sudden resignation of former chief Brian O’Hara last month.
Timeline announced
What we know:
Mayor Frey announced a 16-week timeline on Tuesday for a national search for the next chief that will take place in six phases.
The mayor says the search will begin immediately and will start by gathering feedback from community stakeholders.
Phase 1
- Gather feedback from police department employees and hold council focus group.
- Develop police chief position profile and recruit materials.
- Community engagement
- Finalize recruitment strategy
Phase 2
- Launch recruitment campaign
- Post listings
- Accept and review applications
Phase 3: Screening interviews
- Conduct candidate evaluations
- Complete initial screening interviews
- Prepare search report and presentation of candidates
Phase 4: First-round interviews
- First-round interviews held
- The interview panel may include: Officer of Community Safety leaders, Minneapolis Police Department leadership, and police labor leadership.
Phase 5: Second-round interviews
- Second-round interviews held
- The interview panel may include: Officer of Community Safety leadership and city council members.
Phase 6: Final interviews and selection
- Final interviews with Mayor Frey, Office of Community Safety Commissioner Todd Barnette, and other city leaders held.
- Finalist selected
Nomination process
What’s next:
The mayor anticipates submitting his nominee to the council sometime in October or November. From there, the council will review the nominee and vote on the selection.
What they’re saying:
“Selecting a police chief is one of the most important decisions a mayor can make,” said Frey. “We’ve made significant progress to make Minneapolis safer over the last several years, but we still have work to do. This position demands someone who can lead a complex department, support officers, build trust with residents, and continue delivering results – both fighting crime and making reforms. Filling this role is a priority, so we’re going to conduct a thorough search and get this right.”
The backstory:
Former Chief O’Hara resigned last month after an investigation into allegations of him carrying on relationships with department employees. While the investigation never substantiated any of the allegations against O’Hara, investigations found O’Hara deleted a contact of one of the employees from his work phone. Investigators also say O’Hara violated requested confidentiality during the investigation process.
Bill Peterson was named interim police chief earlier this month. Peterson told media members that he isn’t interested in seeking the full-time gig.
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