The Lemonade Concert & Art Fair is one of St. Cloud State University’s best-known campus traditions, and marks the opening of the St. Cloud Granite City Days community-wide event. Lemonade returned to campus June 26 for the 52nd annual year, complete with the Lemonade President’s Reception inside of Atwood Memorial Center. This year, however, brought some new faces to the podium.
The reception finished off the first Lemonade for SCSU Interim President Larry Dietz, who joined the University in July 2024. It was also the first Lemonade festival and Granite City Days opening ceremony for St. Cloud Mayor Jake Anderson ’03 since taking office this year. The pair each spoke of their collaboration to keep improving both SCSU as well as St. Cloud as a whole.
“I believe in St. Cloud State, and I believe in the role all of you have played and will play in keeping our university the treasured resource it has always been for our students, our communities and our world,” Dietz said. “Today we have 134,000 alumni living and working around the globe.”
Anderson — who is an SCSU alum along with his wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother — spoke of the University’s importance to the community.
“Not only is there a community connection, but there’s that family connection. This is an important institution,” he said. “It’s an important, driving factor in our local economy.”
The night was also a first for new St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra Artistic Director and Conductor Kornel Thomas. Thomas previewed the concert portion of the evening during the reception, which was emceed by Ajay Panicker, SCSU’s associate provost for academic and faculty affairs. The Symphony Orchestra has performed during the Lemonade Concert for the past 30 years.
Following the reception, Anderson and Dietz officially opened Granite City Days with a lemonade toast inside Ritsche Auditorium. Granite City Days’ Rock On Award winners were recognized as well before the St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra performed the annual Lemonade concert. This year’s award winners included SCSU alumna Donnella Westphal ’03 and supporters Rick and Helga Bauerly, along with the Rotary Club of St. Cloud and the Great River Children’s Museum.
See more photos from the Lemonade Concert & Art Fair below. Want to share your photos? Send them to [email protected] to add them to the gallery.
