St. Paul Park’s Heritage Days Festival is going to have a decidedly different feel this year. The city’s annual festival is moving out of downtown to Heritage Park – and it will have a more family-friendly focus, said St.
Paul Park City Council member Tim Conrad, who is helping spearhead the changes. The festival, which runs Friday-Sunday, includes a parade, kids’ activities, outhouse races, a tractor pull, live music, a craft fair, mud volleyball and a car and motorcycle show, he said. Conrad said he decided to help revamp the festival after talking to voters last fall while campaigning for city council.
“People said they didn’t want to bring kids to events that were surrounded by alcohol,” he said. “They kept saying, ‘When can we get a Heritage Days that is a community event and not just a bar event?’” During a candidates’ forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters last fall, Conrad said he was asked what he would do to build “community unity.” “I said, ‘I want to revive Heritage Days and make it a family event.
” Mayor Keith Franke is holding his annual contests again this year. There will be an egg toss, balloon toss and a mustache contest. “We go around and round people up for the mustache contest,” Franke said.
“We’re looking for the longest mustache, the neatest mustache, the bushiest beard and the most unique.” Franke said he is looking forward to a great weekend. “I’ve always advocated for Heritage Days to be more fam.