Sartell Summerfest: A Day Of Parades, Music, And Family Fun

SARTELL (WJON News) -- It was a perfect day for a parade in Sartell on Saturday. The annual Summerfest parade started at 10:00 a.m. and went down Riverside Drive. There were floats, bands, and plenty of candy for the kids.

People started reserving their spots to watch the parade as early as 5:00 p.m. Friday.

Sartell-St. Stephen Marching Band Director Dave Lumley says Summerfest is fun for everyone involved:

"It's a great kickoff for us; this is our first parade every season. It's fun because we get to see all the people we know, and they get to see their kids play, and also community members play in the parade."

The High School Band's theme for this year is Mario Bros. video games. They played songs from Super Mario Brothers, Underworld, and Mario Kart.

Lumley says it is a challenge coming up with a new theme every year:

"Last year, we did a theme of the Open Road so it was all highway songs, and towards the end of the season, I had some students mention that a Mario theme would be really fun, so over the year, I kind of thought about how we could incorporate that into a marching band show."

He says Sartell does eight parades a year, and the kids put in a ton of time to get ready every summer.

The marching band also plays for Sartell's Memorial Day ceremony every year.

Summerfest had four marching bands, 15 new floats, and 67 total entries this year.

In addition to the parade, there was a Summerfest celebration at the community center from 4:00 to 10:00 p.m. with a kids' 1 K dash, a kids zone, food trucks, fireworks, and live music.

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Beautiful Photos From Clemens Gardens

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