Inaugural Founder’s Fest celebrates history of Lonsdale, USA

When the City of Lonsdale set out to bring fireworks back to Trcka Park, it faced a tall order with a fundraising goal of $18,000. But within just a few months, Lonsdale ended the inaugural Founder’s Fest with an 18-minute firework show funded entirely by donations from residents, organizations and businesses totaling more than $20,000.

Founder’s Day Committee Chair Sophie Orluck said there were moments when even she doubted the ability to raise enough funds, but the months of work were worth it when she and City Councilor Kari Miller reunited through tears during the fireworks finale. The new event simultaneously celebrated the small town’s 1903 founding and the 250th birthday of the United States with schoolyard games, tours of the Historic 3R Landmark School and more on July 3.

“Founder’s Fest was a phenomenal showing of community serving community,” Mayor Tom Berg said.

The day began at 3 p.m. at the 3R Landmark School, where Orluck and Berg helped lead a patriotic opening ceremony complete with Miss Lonsdale River Johnson singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” and the Lonsdale American Legion Post 586 Color Guard presenting the flags of the nation and state.

“It was wonderful,” Orluck said. “The turnout was way more than we anticipated. … We were at over 500 in terms of attendance, and that’s 10% of our town. That’s huge for a first-time event with very little marketing. The turnout at the schoolhouse at the opening ceremony was amazing.”

The events continued all day in Trcka Park and at Rail 19 Bar & Grill, capping off with the fireworks show at 10 p.m. and a street dance with live music at Rail 19 until midnight.

“Honestly, my favorite part was watching how genuinely happy the community was throughout the entire day. It absolutely made it all worth it,” Berg said. “For the future, I absolutely trust the committee will do a phenomenal job for years to come. They have so much support, potential and have the ambition to make those continuous additions and improvements together.”

On the Lonsdale Area News-Review Facebook page, Carmen Sevcik called the event “a fun and enjoyable day,” and Sharla Johnson said she enjoyed being able to tour the schoolhouse.

“I wished we could still go down the fire escape,” she added.

The committee was not formed until February, which Orluck said made it a challenge to organize everything in time. But ultimately, she said it was a good way to celebrate both the 123rd year of the city and the 250th year of the country.

“It was honestly unbelievable to me because I was like, ‘No way everyone in the community actually came together and contributed toward our goal,’” she said. “It was an act of faith on all of these businesses, organizations and individuals that partook in the sponsorship because no one knew what to expect. No one knew what this festival was going to look like. No one knew what the attendance was going to be. It was really a lot of faith in the works of this, and seeing the outcome was just amazing.”

While she said she already has several ideas to make it even bigger and better in years to come, she is especially happy that the city did not use tax dollars for the event.

“It was a big learning year, lots of notes were taken, and we did have a little turnover on the committee as well,” she said. “All of that being said, I think we should be proud of what came out of it, and I hope the community is too.”

Orluck is from the Twin Cities and grew up in “big towns with big people and lots of money involved.” Chairing the Lonsdale Founder’s Day Committee was her first time being on any type of committee or board like it.

“Being able to actually have a voice here is really cool,” she said.

Berg noted the filing period for mayor and two city councilors is July 14-28.

“It’s an exciting time in Lonsdale to join the city as a mayor or a councilmember,” he said. “I can definitely speak for myself: It’s been an honor of a lifetime to serve this community. A very special and sincere thank you to Lonsdale for letting me share my passion toward this town and show my dedication to you.”