Meander Kick Off Event
On Friday, September 30th from 4 to 8 p.m. the 8th Annual Meander Upper Minnesota River Arts Crawl will kick off with a brand new event showcasing picturesque Downtown Granite Falls as a gateway to the Upper Minnesota River Valley and all the art, culture and natural beauty it has to offer.
The Meander is a self guided tour of 33 artist Studios in western Minnesota. The weekend routinely draws more than a thousand visitors from the Twin Cites Metro Area, Sioux Falls, Fargo and the surrounding region who enjoy exploring the unique treasure spots found in the small towns and farms of the Meander region.
The quaint Minnesota River town of Granite Falls, just off of West Hwy 212, is the perfect place to begin the Meander weekend for those coming from the Twin Cities and Sioux Falls, according to event coordinator Nicole Zempel.
“There are four arts studios concentrated here and 2 others close to town,” Zempel explained. “There will be an exhibit of work by Meander artists from all over the region at the newly restored KK Berge building on Main Street Granite Falls,” she added. “Combine this with music, food and a river walk stroll over the historic Granite Falls footbridge and you have the makings of a memorable Friday evening!”
A Walking tour of downtown Granite Falls will start from the Father of Prohibition -- Andrew Volstead’s House at 4:30 p.m., proceed to the footbridge and conclude with a walk to the Popcorn Stand at 5:30 p.m. The tour will be led by members of the Granite Falls Historical Society.
Musical artists Jerry Ostensoe and the Strollers and Luther Cole will be playing on Main Street throughout the evening. Wine and appetizers catered by Bootleggers Supper Club will be available at the KK Berge building and other businesses on Main Street will be serving food. An Open House of the KK Berge building will allow everyone to view progress on the remodeling and re-purposing of the building, which was saved from demolition by local citizens involved with Granite Falls Riverfront Revitalization.
At 6:30 p.m. – at the height of the Kick Off event, citizens are being asked to gather at the Historic Foot Bridge that spans the Minnesota river for a short celebratory ceremony that will feature music by Emma Woods and Andrew McCormick, dance by members of the Treasure Talents Dance studio and the poetry of Florence Dacey. For more information on the event, contact Nicole Zempel at 320-564-4039