St. Michael Daze and Knights, the community’s annual festival to celebrate the waning days of summer, is set to kick off Friday with food, inflatable play areas and plenty of music.
And with this year’s 10th anniversary, a familiar event is joining the fray. The Bierstube, revived just a couple summers ago, will team up with the Daze and Knights event on Saturday.
FRIDAY
The weekend starts Friday night as the inflatable midway, featuring the “moonscape” madness, a pirate ship and plenty of “bouncy houses” opens at 5 p.m. and will run until 9 p.m. Wristbands are available now at St. Michael City Hall which gives kids (and young adults) access to almost every inflatable on the grounds for a discounted fee. Wristbands are good both Friday and Saturday. There are some inflatables that do cost extra.
Friday’s action continues with the beer garden and concession area opening at 5 p.m. Bring the family out for dinner as there will be sandwiches and meats from Dehmer’s, ice cream, hot dogs, corn, pizza and much more to munch on.
Plus, it will be Food Truck Friday – a new feature presenting some popular food trucks firing up on the grounds at 6 p.m. sharp.
Friday night gets rolling at 5 p.m. with the beer garden opening for the weekend. Then, it’s on with the entertainment with some St. Michael Daze and Knights favorite – GB Leighton and his band. The show starts promptly at 9 p.m., and they’ll run until after midnight. This is a 21 and up show ONLY, and there is a $5 cover charge beginning at 8 p.m.. The St. Michael Lions Club will be manning the ID station and the beer garden as well.
SATURDAY
This will be the second year for the St. Michael Color Daze 5K Run. Complete details can be found here, including registration.
The Classic Car Show will be held from 10 a.m. at 3 p.m. at a nearby location – in front of the Marketplace Grocery Store. There will be prizes in several categories.
Let your artistic side show in the annual Chalk Walk, sponsored by shop St. Michael and others. Grab a square on the south side of St. Michael City Hall around 9:30 a.m. and the contest will run until 10:30 a.m. Several prizes will be awarded with grab bags for almost everyone who participates.
The inflatables pop up again around 11 a.m., running through 10 p.m. Concessions along the midway will open at 10 a.m.
The annual Parade, which runs from Town Center Drive onto Edgewood and, finally, Frankfort Parkway, starts promptly at NOON this year. Dozens of entrants are registered representing local businesses, politicians and youth sports groups. It’s a great way to support the community.
This year, the St. Michael Lions Bierstube joins forces with the St. Michael Daze and Knights events. German Dinner starts at 4 p.m. on the grounds, and the mugs will go on sale at 2 p.m. Food will be available until it runs out (last year it was prior to 7 p.m.).
The Bierstube closes the weekend along with fireworks at dusk and the Shane Martin Band under the big tent from 8 p.m. to Midnight (again, a 21 and up show with a $5 cover).
Other Saturday events include:
Business Expo – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Located on the City Hall lawn by the library.
Bean Bag Tourney – 10:30 a.m. registration, 11 a.m. start
Bingo – noon to 3 p.m. in the beer garden (no beer though), sponsored by the Senior Center
Sawdust Pile Treasure Hunt – sponsored by First American Bank, starts promptly at 10 a.m.
Fire Department Demos – post-parade Saturday by Allina Clinic.
For more information and locations on all of these events, check out the St. Michael Daze and Knights Website. The event is also on Facebook, where you can post pictures and leave messages for this year’s organizers.