RiverFest a “Party with a Purpose” invites you to join the celebration of the St. Croix River on July 22-26 in Hudson. While the goal of RiverFest is to get people out to enjoy the river, the purpose for the celebration is to build awareness of the river, our environment and the need to preserve our water quality.

There are a couple of programs that focus on the river and water quality. First, on Tuesday, July 22, there is an Invasive Species Control program. There are on-the-water demonstrations of the Minnesota DNR’s electrofishing boat planned for 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. (water conditions permitting). Additionally, the Minnesota DNR and the Wisconsin DNR will have display booths with information and demonstrations at the pavilion by the Lakefront Park Beach House.

Next, on Wednesday, July 23, the public and Rotarians are invited to a free program with speaker Angie Hong, Water Education Specialist, Minnesota Washington Conservation District. The program is at 7:15 a.m, follows the Hudson Daybreak Rotary meeting, at YMCA Camp St. Croix’s RCU Discovery Center. Angie will discuss the State of the St. Croix Watershed—where progress is being made to protect and restore water quality and what challenges are coming.

One of RiverFest’s popular events is St. Croix Valley Community Band Concert on Thursday, July 24 at 7 p.m. at the Lakefront Park Bandshell. You won’t want to miss this fun-filled family evening! Come to the park early at 6 p.m., before the concert, to visit the RiverFest partner organizations and other non-profit groups’ booths with information and activities.

See the RiverFest mascot Scrappy on display during the concert. Each year the litter collected in Hudson during the river cleanup is re-purposed to create a new “skin” for Scrappy.

RiverFest would not be possible without the support of our event sponsor Nor-Lake, and the many other local sponsors, as well as the numerous partner organizations who collaborate to make RiverFest a success.

RiverFest is a five-day celebration of the St. Croix River with an assortment of activities planned for people of all ages to enjoy. It starts on Tuesday, July 22 with the annual River Cleanup and runs through Saturday, July 26 with a Native American Celebration.

Please visit StCroixRiverFest.org for a complete list of RiverFest activities with event details and updates, or you can find St. Croix RiverFest on Facebook.

Submitted by RiverFest Committee