Our View: Music festival shows off city park

It’s always fun to drive past Cloquet’s Veterans Park and see bustling activity — crowds of people, cars parked along the road, bright tents and kiddie games, food vendors, and musicians on a big stage in the corner.

This time, it was the Kingdom Builders Ministry that brought back its annual festival to the park last Saturday, after a break last year due to the pandemic. We couldn’t be happier to see them.

The park was updated by the city in 2016, to the tune of more than $1 million, to add walkways, the wall honoring veterans, shelter improvements and installation of better drainage to keep the grounds dry. Better electrical service was added too, which helps events like the Wood City worship festival present live music in a concert-like setting. It’s been a terrific addition to the annual events in the city.

Who isn’t happy to see hundreds of people visit Cloquet on a summery Saturday? Although the event is billed as a Christian music festival, there was no one at the gates checking people’s religious affiliation. In fact, there weren’t any gates at all and people were encouraged to bring blankets, chairs, and picnic baskets, and food vendors were on site as well. It was truly a welcoming event.

It’s the perfect summer event for the park and we’d like to see more of them. Lee Harris, who is the driving force behind the festival (although we bet he’d instantly defer credit to the KBM board and all the volunteers), has figured out how to organize, promote, and pull off a successful event. We think other groups could probably do it too. It’s not only good for them, it’s good for Cloquet, and helps promote the city and all of its amenities.

And while the Wood City festival is an alcohol-free event, there’s nothing prohibiting a beer tent or other alcohol sales at Veterans Park, with proper permits. All sorts of events could be held at the park, and we’d love to see them come to town.

The park has become the spot for Fourth of July and Labor Day activities as well, in non-pandemic years. It’s a great place to mingle with your neighbors and visitors.

The park was considered the center of Cloquet in the 1970s and in 1975 it was officially established as Veterans Park to honor those who have served in the military. Talk of redevelopment of the park, leading to its current state, began in 1999. A lot of time and vision went into creating what is certainly a jewel in the city’s parks crown.

For now, we just want to thank the Kingdom Builders Ministry for holding a fine festival on a hot Saturday in August at our riverfront park. We hope to see them there for many more years to come.