Council approves of annual Fourth of July parish festival

by Frank Lee

operations@thenewsleaders.com

The St. Joseph City Council unanimously approved a liquor license for the Church of St. Joseph for its St. Joseph Parish Fourth of July Celebration.

There was a request to authorize Mayor Rick Shultz and City Administrator Judy Weyrens to execute a temporary liquor license for the parish between 6 p.m. and midnight on July 3.

“The adjoining property owners were notified,” Weyrens said at the council’s meeting April 4. “We sent it out to about 350 feet around the property as we typically do, and we have not received comments in the office on the event this year.”

The Church of St. Joseph is again planning an outdoor concert for the Fourth of July holiday, which includes plans to close College Avenue from Minnesota Street to East Baker Street.

The police chief is working with the parish and committee members to assure adequate staff and training is included and the parish will be responsible for paying the additional public safety cost, according to the council meeting agenda item.

“It also includes some road closures,” Weyrens said. “Last year, we tried for the first time not closing Minnesota Street . . . They’re going back to closing Minnesota Street partly because we had some calls (from people who) thought it was too dangerous trying to cross the street.”

Parish Concert Committee Chairman Richard Schwegel of St. Joseph spoke at the city council April 4. Council member Renee Symanietz was not in attendance.

“This is our 11th year doing it,” Schwegel said. “It’s the same thing we do pretty much every year. And it’s going to be in the same place – the night of the third. The concert will be in the east parking lot, east of the church. We open the gates at 5 o’clock, the music will start at 6.”

The free outdoor concert on July 3 will include a fireworks display during one of the intermissions and will be visible from the festival grounds.

“One of the things we have always offered those folks is if they are concerned about the noise, we will put them up in a hotel or a motel for that evening, and in the 11 years, we haven’t had anybody take us up on that – and that’s a good thing,” Schwegel said.

The concert and the festival grounds will be fenced in, and security officers will be at the entrances and patrolling the grounds, according to a March 2 letter by Schwegel to the council.

“In today’s world, security is a big thing,” he said. “We, again, will not allow any backpacks or coolers or any kind of bags like that into the festival grounds.”

“In addition to that, we don’t allow any food or beverages or things like that in,” he added. “And at the end of the night, we do not allow any food or beverages or containers of any kind out of the fenced-in areas, and that’s to keep downtown St. Joe looking nice.”

The parish, located at 12 W. Minnesota St., will offer food and beverages for sale and bingo and other games for festival-goers, estimated at 15,000 people for the upcoming event.

“We are working with the police chief on security,” Schwegel said. “I’m sure all of St. Joe’s finest will be out there that night, and we have four deputies from Stearns County coming, and we usually have about 20 to 25 of our own security personnel to supplement the sworn officers.”

The St. Joseph Lions are again planning a July 4 parade down Minnesota Street. College Avenue between Minnesota Street and Baker Street will be closed between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., with a proposal to close Minnesota Street between First Avenue NE and College Avenue.

“Not only is this a good thing for the city, it’s also a good thing for the greater central Minnesota community, so thank you for all your support,” Schwegel said to the council.