Legendary socialist lair to hold 80th anniversay with picnic, lectures

You know what you don’t see much of these days? Cooperative recreational parks in which membership is based on shared maintenance of the grounds. The Mesaba Co-op Park between Cherry and Hibbing is legendary on the Iron Range and beyond. Of course, part of that might have more to do with its reputation as a frequent gathering place for all degrees of socialist and labor organization. Today, Mesaba Park endures as a family-friendly picnic and fun zone on the edge of Northstar Lake. This summer they celebrate 80 years:

Mesaba Park’s 80th anniversary Midsummer Festival will take place June 19-21 at Mesaba Co-op Park east of Hibbing. The theme of the festival is “Sustaining the Future Since 1929: Cooperating for 80 Years.”

Events begin Friday evening, June 19, with a lakeside bar-b-que and music jam lead by Pat Eliason and other area artists. Saturday, June 20th, offers a luncheon prior to the speakers’ program in the historic Mesaba Park pavilion. At 1 p.m., Dr. Arnold Alanen, University of Wisconson, Madison, will speak on “The Early History of Minnesota’s Finnish Cooperatives and Mesaba Co-op Park.” Professor Pam Brunfelt from Vermilion Community College in Ely will present on “Finnish Cooperatives and the Creation of a Unique Political Culture on the Iron Range.”

At 4 p.m. Saturday, Terrence Smith leads the annual Maypole Dance, followed by a social hour, and a special dinner by organic caterer Sheila Weidendorf of Minneapolis. At 7:30 p.m., Pat Surface and the Boundary Water Boys play a concert of bluegrass, Celtic and Americana music in the pavilion dance hall. The group is comprised of award-winning musicians playing acoustic string instruments. They are joined by Donna Surface, a performance artist in sign for the deaf. This popular group offers something for everyone. After the concert, the “Mesaba Park Band” takes the stage for a rousing all-ages dance, followed by lakeside reflections, and the traditional midnight bonfire.

On Sunday, June 21, a pancake breakfast precedes the Park’s annual member meeting. At Noon, a lunch of beef and vegetarian mojakka will be served. The festival concludes at 1 p.m., with a poetry reading lead by John David Schirber, and other poets. This program will also feature prose and storytelling.

A festival weekend pass costs $10. Camping is free. Meals, t-shirts and memorabilia are available for additional cost. Mesaba Park is located at 3827 Mesaba Park Road, near the intersection of Hwy. 37 and Co. Rd. 5 North. For more information and a complete schedule of events, call 218/262-1350, or visit our website: www.mesabapark.com

Mesaba Park is a true northern Minnesota gem, if only for the history you absorb when you go there. It’s a fun place, too, regardless of your political orientation.

UPDATE: Link is fixed now.

Comments

  1. link is busted

  2. Correct link seems to be http://mesaba.wordpress.com/

  3. A friend of mine went to this park for some reason and reported back to me that another mutual friend was there. It was all said in a sort of suspicious way, like being there tainted someone as being sort of “red.” Ha. I don’t think so, these days, although sometimes I think that anyone of my generation has a few hippie genes.

  4. Link is fixed. Sorry for the trouble.

    Yes, I think the “legend” of Mesaba Park is of this scary communist place but as it stands today it’s actually a warm, family-friendly picnic location … it’s kind of an ironic joke played on the right. 🙂

  5. We are invited to a wedding there in a few weeks for someone whom we don’t really know. We don’t know why we were invited. The wedding party includes camping, maybe so people don’t drink and drive. (?)

    Can anybody go to that park if they aren’t invited?

    Do you think that raising money as a group makes something similar to a co-op? I’m thinking about the new (to be built in 2009, hopefully) community building in Cook. A group raised abut $150,000 for this project by having fundraisers. Quite an accomplishment for a small town.

  6. You’d have to check with the park about their specific rules. I don’t think you need to be a member to attend special events or weddings. I think the central idea of a co-op is shared ownership. The origins of this park are pretty fascinating for that reason. These were poor Finnish immigrants who figured out a way to buy a lake for their own recreational use and keep it going for three generations (and counting).

  7. FYI You do not have to be a member to use the Park. It is open to the public. This summer there are six weddings and a union picnic booked @ the Park and hundreds of people will be visiting the Park, many for the first time. If you come to the Park to swim, fish, hike, picnic, etc. we sell parking passes to raise money to pay the taxes, $5 a day per car or $20 per year. David B.

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