Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian Wagner
Hi Brian, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Grand Old Day is the largest one day festival in the Midwest starting back in 1973. The festival has always been a day of music and frivolity. Today it includes a 5k fun run, a parade, a street festival with more than six stages representing every genre of music, adult and non-alcoholic beverages, foods that will tease your taste buds, a car show, family and sports and wellness zones, an art and non profit corridor, and last but not least, Weiner dog races! Grand Old Day is a Saint Paul tradition that kicks off summer in Minnesota and provides the book end comparable to the MN State Fair providing the celebration of the season.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The production of Grand Old Day unlike most other events or undertaking of its size is almost entirely a volunteer driven event. Everyone planning the event, short of some support from our Saint Paul Area Chamber and a Festival Manager to coordinate vendors, is a volunteer. Our team is made up of members of our Board of Directors within the Business Association partnering with neighbors that have and continue to love “Saint Paul’s Main Street”. Grand Avenue back in the early 70’s was a very different corridor than it is today. The corridor was in disrepair as many of the businesses that existed here – car dealerships, dime stores, novelty shops – had disappeared and moved to other locations and to the suburbs. The business association was founded to bring leaders together to improve the corridor and make Grand again a destination of mom and pop, locally owned businesses that have been the bread and butter of our historic corridor. Grand Old Day was part of building this vibe and continues to be part of the brand. When one talks about Grand Avenue it is almost always linked to a memory or an experience. Grand Avenue is a gem in St Paul’s crown.
The pandemic and the ever-changing wheels of commerce have produced the latest challenges for our event and the Grand Avenue Business Association, which sponsors Grand Old Day. Security costs have tripled, costs for refuse management doubled. Our world has changed and we take seriously our efforts to ensure every guest that comes to our festival returns home safely at the end of the day. We must raise now over $150,000 in sponsorships just to ensure we break even. We have no gates nor would we want them to walk or enter our corridor- it is open to all… but to maintain this free event, ensure its safety, and to leave the neighborhood in better conditions than we found it, requires volunteers to work year-round to produce an event that helps us connect and make Grand Avenue our community living room for a day each summer.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Grand Avenue continues to be known for its locally owned and operated businesses. It is a place where you can go and see the same person working behind the register for years. It is a place where relationships matter. Our corridor is thriving with new investments and structure being built, increasing our density and our pedestrian experience. While online shopping continues to increase – when one wants to feel the fabric against their skin, talk to a professional, seek an opinion on what wine goes with a meal or create a meal of their own at home – they visit Grand Avenue.
Any big plans?
Grand Old Day continues to evolve and change. Elizabeth Emerson and I as co-chairs are laser focused on making this event a celebration on everything about Saint Paul and Minnesota! The fun run is expanding back to a 5k race, we are doing our best to bring back more marching bands to the parade, we are expanding the arts and non profit zone to include music – jazz and classical music, ever increasing the diversity of music beyond the traditional rock and roll which still exists within our entertainment district. We are also creating more spaces for those that desire an area of flavor without alcohol.
Pricing:
- Wrist bands are $10.00 – required to enter all entertainment spaces with the exception of the Grand Stage
- Food and beverage prices vary
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.grandave.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BmJzQETTi/
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/Grand.Old.Day.mn
