RiverFest “a Party with a Purpose” invites you to join the celebration of the St. Croix River on July 19-23 in Hudson. While the goal of RiverFest is to get people out to enjoy the river, the purpose for the celebration is to build awareness of the river, our environment and the need to preserve our water quality.

The 5-day event has activities planned to appeal to a variety of people, starting on Tuesday, July 19th with annual River Cleanup at 10 am, Carpenter Nature Center Animals at 11:30 am, and an evening Foraging walk. On Wednesday, July 20th the Toonies ENVIRO-FUN Puppets will be at the bandshell at 6:30 pm. There is an Evening Prairie Hike at the Carpenter Nature Center Wisconsin Campus Trail on Friday, July 22nd at 7 pm and Saturday, July 23rd there is the Native American Celebration from 1-4 pm followed by the Longer Table Picnic at 5 pm and the Honor the River Program at 6:30 pm.

One highlight of RiverFest that always draws a crowd is the St. Croix Valley Community Band Concert on Thursday, July 21st at 7 pm at the Hudson Bandshell with conductors Jim Root, Elaine Baumann, Connie Root. The concert celebrates community and the scenic St. Croix River with something for people of all ages. You won’t want to miss this fun-filled family evening! Families are encouraged to bring a picnic blanket or lawn chairs and settle in to enjoy the show Several partner organizations and individuals collaborate to make RiverFest a success. There will be RiverFest partner display booths with information and demonstrations before and during the concert, starting at 6 pm.

See the RiverFest mascot Scrappy on display! Created by sculptor Mary Johnson, the splashing bass figure is metal armature. Each year students from the Phipps Center for the Arts “Just Add Water” class help complete the sculpture by processing and re-purposing the litter collected in Hudson during the river cleanup to create a new “skin” for Scrappy.

To learn more about RiverFest, please visit StCroixRiverFest.org or look for St. Croix RiverFest on Facebook or Eventbrite.

RiverFest celebrates community and the scenic St. Croix River during the St. Croix Valley Community Band Concert on Thursday, July 21st at 7 pm at the Hudson Bandshell.