Art, Music and a Crowd Favorite as Granite City Days Hits Full Stride Thursday

(KNSI) – St. Cloud’s Granite City Days celebration moves into its first full day on Thursday with a lineup that runs from late-morning art browsing all the way to an evening symphony performance.

The day opens with two longtime staples, both starting at 11:00 a.m. The Lemonade Concert and Art Fair returns to the St. Cloud State University campus for its 52nd year, running until 7:00 p.m. This year’s edition again brings live musical performances, food trucks and the Little Lemons Art Park, where children can dive into their own art projects.

Granite City Days Committee co-chair Alisa Schmidt points to the fair as a stop worth making time for. “They have over a hundred vendors that are spread throughout the campus, so making sure that people go and check out that, because some of those vendors, the work that they do, is just, it’s incredible,” Schmidt said.

Also at 11:00 a.m., the Paramount Center for the Arts hosts a free hour-long original production titled “CHEESE,” created and performed by participants from WACOSA and presented through the Empowered Stars program. Doors open one hour before the show, and admission is free.
The action shifts back to the SCSU campus as the day winds down. Mayor Jake Anderson, who emcees the kickoff, walked through how the evening lines up. “And then we’ll see the Granite City Days official opening ceremonies from 7:00 to 7:30 and followed by the St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra from 7:30 to 8:30.”

Anderson will hand out the Mayor’s Rock-On Awards during the opening ceremonies in Ritsche Auditorium inside Stewart Hall. The awards recognize individuals and groups for outstanding civic participation and leadership in the St. Cloud community. This year’s honorees are the St. Cloud Professional Firefighters Local 464, BCI Construction, Rachel Thompson, Tiffany Elise and the Zonta Club, which is also serving as this year’s parade Grand Marshal as it celebrates 75 years in the community.

Every event runs at no cost to get in, with food and vendor items available for purchase. The full Granite City Days schedule runs through Sunday and includes Friday’s Park and Rock, Saturday’s parade, and Sunday’s fly-in breakfast.

Get the full schedule by clicking here.

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