The Lemonade Concert and Art Fair is one of St. Cloud State University’s best-known campus traditions and marks the opening of the St. Cloud’s Granite City Days community-wide event. The event returned to campus on June 22 for the 50th annual year, complete with the annual Lemonade President’s Reception inside of Atwood Memorial Center.
“This event is not only a favorite regional festival attracting as many as 10,000 visitors each year, but also a hallmark of our campus and community partnerships that make Central Minnesota a great place to live and learn and work,” said Dr. Robbyn Wacker, President of SCSU. “Each year we are thrilled to host this treasured tradition that began in 1974 with a free concert by the Minnesota Orchestra and art fair with 13 local artists selling poetry, paintings and jewelry. It quickly grew into a premier example of the many mutually beneficial relationships between St. Cloud State, the city and the local arts community.”
For the past 28 years, the St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra has performed during the Lemonade Concert. In honor of the 50th anniversary of Lemonade, a new composition, “On Oak-Crowned Banks,” was commissioned by the orchestra, composed by Michael Halstenson and performed during Thursday’s concert following the Granite City Days opening ceremonies in Ritsche Auditorium as a tribute to St. Cloud State’s University hymn. The new piece was made possible by support from SCSU arts professor emeritus and acclaimed artist Merle Sykora.
St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra Maestro Hisham Groover and St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis ’89 also took part in the Lemonade President’s Reception, with both speaking of the mutually important relationships between the University, the city of St. Cloud and the orchestra.
“I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all of you, and especially to SCSU for your ongoing support,” Groover said. “It is because of you that the St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra is able to touch the hearts and souls of our community through the power of music.”
Granite City Days’ Rock On Award winners were recognized following the reception, and President Wacker and Mayor Kleis celebrated the festival’s opening ceremonies with a lemonade toast. The evening closed with the annual Lemonade Concert, complete with the St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra’s performance of “On Oak-Crowned Banks.”
