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Northern Minnesota's Moondance Jam rock fest cancels all headliners without offering refunds

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Northern Minnesota's Moondance Jam rock fest cancels all headliners without offering refunds


We’ve all seen a big-name act or two get pulled from a lineup in the days leading up to a music festival, but this might be the first time the entire roster of headliners has been canceled.

Citing “unforeseen circumstances based on the present economic climate,” the organizers of northern Minnesota’s biggest rock festival, Moondance Jam in Walker, announced to ticket holders on Monday that all the national acts have been canceled on the schedule for their 33rd annual run, July 18-20 .

The fest is scheduled to go on with just local acts performing — and for now without refunds being offered.

Some of the names that have been axed from the schedule for Moondance 2024 include Creed, Switchfoot and whatever is left of the classic rock bands Foghat, Kansas, Blue Öyster Cult and the Sweet. Three-day general-admission tickets were priced at $200 — and actually are still selling at that price, according to the festival’s website.

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Now being billed as Camp Moondance instead of Moondance Jam, the backup roster features Minnesota rock vet Johnny O’Neill, Mason Dixon Line (paying tribute to CCR) and cover bands such as Mallrats, A Hard Day’s Night, Mad Alice and more.

A festival representative answering the event’s general telephone line on Monday afternoon declined to answer ticket holders’ questions about refunds. The festival’s owner, Kathy Bieloh, later responded to questions from the Star Tribune but still left uncertainty over folks getting their money back.

“We are working through ticket refund details; there are a lot of moving pieces that we are working through at this time,” Bieloh said via email. “My hands are tied about saying most anything at this time.”

She admitted poor ticket sales were the culprit for the lineup cancellation.

Under its post announcing the lineup “changes” on Facebook, the Moondance team laid out a few alternative ticket options for current ticketholders besides refunds. Those include getting four free tickets for every ticket bought to this year’s festival or hanging onto this year’s tickets until next year.

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“We understand the disappointment this news may bring to our dedicated supporters, and we share in those sentiments,” the post reads. “Our commitment to delivering an exceptional experience remains steadfast.”

The comments section under Moondance’s post was turned off so ticket holders could not sound off about the news. Fans made their disappointment known in other posts, though.

“Way to screw people over,” one fan, Brian Casey, wrote under a post by country music station 98.1 Country, which called Moondance’s announcement “shocking.”

“All we get are just a bunch of bar bands,” Haylee Kosobucki lamented under a post by Creed, which is adding a date in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on July 20 in lieu of the Moondance gig. Creed is also scheduled to perform nearer to the Twin Cities at Treasure Island Casino Amphitheater on Aug. 17.

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Minnesota woman detained by ICE needs emergency surgery for tennis ball-sized ovarian cyst, lawmakers say

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Minnesota woman detained by ICE needs emergency surgery for tennis ball-sized ovarian cyst, lawmakers say



Minnesota lawmakers are calling for the humanitarian release of a woman detained earlier this year, amid Operation Metro Surge, who is suffering from a tennis ball-sized ovarian cyst.

Federal immigration agents arrested 23-year-old Andrea Pedro-Francisco in Burnsville on Feb. 5, just days before she says she was scheduled to have surgery.

Pedro-Francisco moved to Minnesota seeking asylum with her mother back in 2019. Right now, she is being held in a detention center in El Paso, Texas.

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State lawmakers — including practicing ER physician Sen. Alice Mann, D-Edina — held a news conference Thursday morning at the Capitol to push for Pedro-Francisco’s immediate release.

Andrea Pedro-Francisco

Pedro-Francisco family


“An ovarian cyst this big can put weight on the ovary and cause the ovary to twist onto itself, cutting off the ovary’s blood supply. This is a medical emergency,” Mann said. “This can impact fertility, and we are talking about a 23-year-old. If not treated, this can lead to infection and even death.”

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Also on hand Thursday was North Dakota-based pastor Ellery Dykeman, who said he met with Pedro-Francisco last week in the detention center. Dykeman said she looked thinner than he had seen her in pictures.

Dykeman said Pedro-Francisco told him she is forced to climb up to a third-level bunk despite immense pain extending from the right side of her abdomen to her back.

Earlier this month, Democratic Minnesota Congresswoman Angie Craig said her team is tracking 20 medical cases with improper care within ICE detention. A quarter of them have serious conditions, her office says.

WCCO has reached out to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for comment.

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Minnesota weather: Rain and storms possible late Thursday

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Minnesota weather: Rain and storms possible late Thursday


Minnesota weather forecast.  (FOX 9)

Most of Minnesota will be under a marginal risk of severe weather on Thursday, with rain and rumbles expected.

Thursday weather forecast 

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Local perspective:

A line of storms is expected to develop in west-southwest Minnesota on Thursday and grow in coverage as well as intensity tracking east into the early evening.

Large hail and damaging winds are the prevalent threats, but an isolated tornado is also possible along the line.

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Isolated showers are expected to form in the western part of Minnesota on Thursday morning. 

Rain chances in the Twin Cities area increase in the afternoon, as a line pushes through with possible thunderstorms. 

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Stay Sky Aware with FOX 9 for the latest. 

The Source: This story uses information from the FOX 9 weather forecast. 

Weather ForecastMinnesota
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TikToker’s ban from St. Paul parks lifted after appeal, agent says

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TikToker’s ban from St. Paul parks lifted after appeal, agent says


A TikTok creator is no longer banned from parks in St. Paul, Minnesota, after appealing the city’s restriction, according to his agent.

St. Paul Parks and Recreation Director Andy Rodriguez earlier this month accused Josh Liljenquist of going to Pig’s Eye Park to “harass, record and profit from vulnerable adults residing there without said individuals’ permission.” Liljenquist, who is known for giving away food and cash in his videos, denied the allegation.

On Wednesday, Liljenquist’s agent shared a new letter from the city.

“Based on an evaluation of the facts of this situation as they were relayed during your appeal meeting, I will be rescinding your ban from our parks, effective immediately,” the letter from Rodriguez read.

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Rodriguez also wrote the city expects “all residents and visitors to our parks to abide by the rules.”

“Our responsibility is to ensure park spaces remain safe, respectful, and accessible for all, and we appreciate your partnership in that effort,” the letter read.

Liljenquist told WCCO he has only recorded at Pig’s Eye Park once, and it was with the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office’s consent. He said he and his videographer always get consent from individuals they film, too.

Local organizations that work with people experiencing homelessness are split on Liljenquist’s impact. Sue Phillips, director of the Metropolitan Interfaith Council on Affordable Housing, said his content “is exploiting people experiencing homelessness/housing instability.” Feeding St. Paul founder Michael Brendale, on the other hand, said, “Josh has changed many lives, taken people off the streets.”

Liljenquist told WCCO he films his efforts instead of making them private in hopes of “inspiring other people to do it, showing that it doesn’t take a lot of money, it doesn’t take a lot of resources to go out there and do something for somebody.”

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