50,000 community members and 230 businesses attended Ojibway Park during a single August weekend in 2019. The labor of over 250 people enabled this community to eat, play, and celebrate the town that they loved. About two years have passed since the annual three-day festival, Woodbury Days, occurred. It was cancelled last August for reasons relating to COVID-19. However, in the words of the Woodbury Days Council Media Chair Kristina Nyquist, “Woodbury Days 2021 is ON!”

Between crafts, rides, alcoholic beverages, and BINGO, Woodbury Days 2021 will have an attraction for every generation! Beginning with kid-friendly pastimes, on Friday from 5pm to 7pm, Stuff-n-Fluff Animal Workshop will unfold. The first 100 kids aged 1-12 that line up near The Kids’ Gazebo will have the opportunity to stuff, name, and adopt a raccoon plushie. On Saturday and Sunday, six additional enrichments for children will be held. One will be the Woodbury Days Challenge. People over the age of 4 will interpret clues and obey challenges in teams. Each group will be required to have 2-4 people. At least one of those participants will need to be an adult. Upon completing the untimed activity, everybody will secure a free t-shirt and an entry into a raffle. A complete list of family-friendly opportunities can be discovered on www.woodburydays. com/kids-activities/.

Although the festival does not charge admission, joining in on most of the kids’ activities will require the purchase of a Woodbury Days button. When they are bought in advance, singular buttons cost $5 and Family 4 Packs are $15. At the event, individual buttons will be sold for $6 and Family 4 Packs for $20. Woodbury Days Council President Amy Lombardi informed The Journal about where one can purchase these buttons prior to August 20-22: “These can be purchased at Culver’s, Kowalski’s, Sweet Pea Floral, Season’s Holiday Station, Cub Foods, Geri Martin State Farm Office, Jerry’s Foods, and Dorothy Ann Bakery.”

Woodbury Days buttons will have perks that go beyond eligibility for family- friendly events. “You also get discounts within the Taste of Woodbury food tent and the opportunity to submit your name for our raffle drawing, which has a 2-year lease on a Mitsubishi as the grand prize!” exclaimed Lombardi.

The Beer Tent will cater cold beers and hard ciders to Woodbury Days attendees who can prove that they are 21+ years old. Drinks must be paid for in cash. These funds will support the Rotary Club of Woodbury. If one desires to claim a refreshment from the Beer Tent, they can do so from 4pm to 10pm on Friday, 12pm to 10pm on Saturday, and 12pm to 4pm on Sunday.

Likewise, the BINGO Tent will be operating the entire weekend. People of all ages may play for prizes from 4pm to dusk on Friday, 10am to dusk on Saturday, and 11am to 4pm on Sunday.

While the Kids Activities, Beer Tent, and BINGO Tent are dishing out pastimes, Taste of Woodbury will be whipping up lunches, snacks, dinners, and desserts. Lombardi explained, “Taste of Woodbury is a chance to taste a variety of local flavors all under one tent.”

20 vendors are expected to be cooking inside of it this year. This includes two new businesses. Lombardi insisted, “…new options from Pizzeria Pezzo and Bub’s Aussie Pies are sure to be a hit!”

Extra featured attractions including, but not limited to, a volleyball tournament, fireworks show, business fair, and carnival will round out the weekend. In addition, a series of soccer activities led by Joy of the People will be unique to Woodbury Days 2021. One can browse the following website to explore every possibility: www. woodburydays.com/.

The Woodbury Days Council is expecting to host tens of thousands of people this weekend. “We are anticipating about the same turnout as we’ve had in years past,” Lombardi said. “Based on what we have seen with other local summer events, such as Starlight Cinema, it seems that the community is ready to be out and enjoying themselves, but there are still some people who are not ready to make that leap.”

61% of Washington County is fully vaccinated for COVID-19. The State of Minnesota last revised this data point on August 4. As reported by the Mayo Clinic, the number of average daily COVID-19 cases in the county on August 6 was 32. That is 20 more than what was calculated two weeks earlier, on July 23. In response to any worries about COVID-19 spreading at Woodbury Days 2021, Lombardi detailed, “We have plans to offer masks to our volunteers and have sanitizer at tables in the BINGO tents. Since we are an outdoor only event, we are hoping that people will feel comfortable joining us.”

“Making the magic happen,” as Lombardi puts it, is a team of volunteers. The Woodbury Days Council is a group that appreciates how the festival serves the local community. They spend many hours preparing for Woodbury Days each year. Lombardi told The Journal that they have been losing council members recently. “Uncertain” is the word she put to the future of Woodbury Days. “It is really important for the community to know that the future of the event relies on people stepping up and joining the council to help with planning,” Lombardi wrote. “There are options for all levels of involvement. Let’s keep our community event going in 2022!”

If readers are willing to become involved with the Woodbury Days Council, they may head to www. woodburydays.com/wp-content/ uploads/2018/11/Woodbury- Days-Council-Application. pdf .

One may desire to simply attend the festival. If that is the case, they can drive to 2695 Ojibway Dr, Woodbury, MN 55125 this weekend. Below are the hours of operation for Woodbury Days 2021.

Friday, August 20 4:00 pm – 10:30 pm Saturday, August 21 10:00 am – 10:30 pm Sunday, August 22 11:00 am – 4:00 pm