Rondo Days is an annual festival held the 3rd Saturday in July in
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center ...
that commemorates the
Rondo Neighborhood
St. Paul's Rondo Neighborhood was the center of the black community in the Minneapolis–St. Paul region for much of the 20th century. The intact Rondo neighborhood was socially and economically active, as well as self-supportive. The core of Ro ...
, an
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...
community that was split in two by the construction of
Interstate 94 in the mid-1960s. The festival has grown since its inception in 1983, by co-founders Floyd G. Smaller and Marvin R. Anderson, to become the largest African American sponsored festival in Minnesota.
History
The construction of Highway 94 through St. Paul in the 1960s destroyed several neighborhoods including Rondo - the backbone of the black community in the Twin Cities. Every June, Rondo days celebrate that community via an annual multi-cultural reunion, started in 1983.
With officials scrapping the 2020 festival caused by the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, the 37th was deferred to 2021.
Festivities
The Rondo Days Grande Parade begins promptly at 10AM, on the 3rd Saturday of July, at St. Claver Church and ending near the MLK Rec Center Park.
There is live music and food, and a drill team contest with participants from around the region.
Other activities have included pony rides, a bike clinic, and petting zoo. Community partners include churches, sports teams, schools and others.
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References
External links
Rondo Days website
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African-American history in Minneapolis–Saint Paul
Culture of Saint Paul, Minnesota
Festivals in Minnesota
Tourist attractions in Saint Paul, Minnesota