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Art fair dazzles St. Cloud
By Crystal Meyer
 Media Credit: Jessica Tonsfeldt Children build and decorate a dinosaur at the Little Lemons Art and Entertainment Area, sponsored by the Paramount Arts District, June 27.
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 Media Credit: Jessica Tonsfeldt Dancers entertain a packed crowd during the Wheels, Wings, and Water Festival Opening Ceremonies.
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 Media Credit: Jessica Tonsfeldt Nicole Torborg gets her hair wrapped at the Ananke Henna Body Art booth at the Lemonade Art Fair.
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The day started off with a cold glass of lemonade for many as people were seen walking under a cloudless blue summer sky, as SCSU once again played host to the kick-off ceremonies for Central Minnesota's famed Wheels, Wings and Water Festival.
On June 27, thousands of area residents packed the campus grounds for the all-day Lemonade Art Fair from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., capped off by the official cermonies and symphony concert on the mall plaza between Atwood Center and Stewart Hall.
In what could be termed "The Great St.Cloud Get-Together," infants in strollers, seniors in wheel chairs, college students, business professionals and families all rubbed shoulders as they shopped, ate, chatted, listened to music and ate some more. Vendors ran their food booths empty as they dished out chicken, roasted corn, gyros, mini doughnuts, funnel cakes, brats, and hundreds of gallons of lemonade to a hungry and thirsty crowd.
The unique blend of different cultures, crafts and foods tied in with a more local flavor created just the right combination of variety and tradition to the Lemonade Art Fair. Different booths had musical instruments, food, clothes and jewelery ranging in origin from Indonesia, Ecuador, Peru, Greece, Nepal and India, as well as Minnesota and other states.
One vendor, Jaime Tituana, resident of St. Cloud, has a family owned store called Quichua Maqui, located on the north east side of St. Cloud.
"My family and I have participated in the Lemonade Art Fair for the last three years," Tituana said. "We make necklaces and tapestries similiar to the ones made in Peru and we get all our musical instruments from Ecuador and Peru as well."
SCSU President Roy Saigo and Mayor John Ellenbecker joined together to welcome citizens to the start of four days of non-stop partying, entertainment and family fun in the St. Cloud area. Among those people was college student Faisel Ahmed, 21, junior who commented,
"Today is wonderful. I enjoyed the arts and crafts, it is the most visible thing here. I would like to see this continue every year, so I could invite my other friends next time."
However what many people do not realize is how many years this event has been happening for and the history behind how it got started.
Former mayor Larry Meyer reminisced about the humble origins of this city festival as he looked relaxed in shorts and tennis shoes while he teased his successor Mayor John Elenbecker, who showed up in a white shirt, tie and formal black suit.
"In the mid 1980's we were just concluding a City Council meeting when Councilor Paul Herges came up with the suggestion that we really needed to bring the community together with a summer festival," Meyer said. "Nobody thought there would be much interest in such an event, so we told Paul to start a commitee to work on it, figuring that would be the last time we heard about it.
"I do not think even Herges would have envisioned the success this event has come to be. A couple of years after the first festival we invited Country singer star Reba McEntire.
"She was not yet the superstar that she is today, but she was delighted to come to St.Cloud. Sadly, she perfomed in a near empty Stewart Hall, but was really sweet and upbeat about the whole thing. Today we would never be able to afford her!"
While the first years of the Lemonade Art Fair may have been a failure, no one would disagree this year was a great success. As the sun set, a hush grew over the campus as music director Lawerence Eckerling conducted the St.Cloud Symphony Orchestra and concluded the evening with a Sept. 11 rememberance suite of patriotic songs including God Bless America and Battle Hymn of the Republic. After the conclusion of the night, residents headed to distant parking lots in the twilight, as many comments could be heard from those already eagerly looking forward to this "slice of Americana" once again next summer.
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