Summer Adventures

What’s in Store for the Range This Summer: A Guide to Plan Your Perfect Trip Up North

By Ceasar Ortega

The snow, I can comfortably say, is finally gone! As fun as winter events can be Now as things begin to heat back up everyone is rolling up their sleeves to get into some summer fun and I’m excited to say that there will be parties and festivals the likes of which we haven’t been able to have since pre-Covid.

Trying to make the most of your trip can feel exhausting sometimes, and you may somehow end up missing something you would have loved and walk away from the experience feeling just a little bit of disappointment for having missed out. Here I will be laying out all of the big ticket festivals and shows throughout The Range this summer so we can avoid missing out, because we absolutely want to have you here to enjoy the fun with us!

Between big festivals, hidden history to explore, and awesome outdoors locations you’ll want to jump into you can find what you’re looking for on The Range!

June 17^th – 18^th: Land of the Loon Festival

The 47^th Annual Land of the Loon Festival is a celebration of the cultures and customs of the early immigrants who settled the Iron Range and who made it what it is today!

The festival will kick off with an eighty-unit parade down Chestnut Street and Fifth Avenue in historic downtown Virginia and will then move on to Olcott Park. With three-hundred exhibitors, craft vendors, and thirty food vendors so if you’re hungry you can take your pick: kettle corn, sarmas, turkey legs, & Foot Long Corn Dogs, as much a variety of fun festival food as the original settlers of The Range are available throughout the weekend.

It’s a big community event with even bigger energy that will make your stop through Virginia a treat that will stay with you for a long time to come.

Shoppers filling Virginia’s Olcott Park Saturday check out thousands of hand made items for sale during the annual Land of the Loon arts and craft fair.

June 24^th

Buhl Independence Celebration:

If you love fireworks and just can’t wait for July 4^th come by in late June for fireworks, a parade, a dunk-tank, and live music from a one-man-band. Buhl is a small town that comes to life for a celebration! Although the Independence Celebration was held on the Fourth of July in the past it is now held earlier in order to not compete with the surrounding cities during the fourth of July which has worked out well for a double dose of fireworks and parades for attendees.

Bridge City Music Festival:

The Bridge City Music Festival is held annually in Virginia featuring primarily Christian music and is held in Olcott Park. Three stages through the park will host a variety of bands and performers that will play throughout the day, vendors with an assortment of crafts will also have stands set up throughout the park.

July 3^rd – 4^th: Thunder Over Eveleth & Street Dance

One of the most anticipated events on The Range is the Eveleth Street Dance which is full of food vendors, music, dancing, and it wouldn’t be a Fourth of July celebration without fireworks. The morning after the fireworks is when the parade is held as well as some kid friendly activities! Find info on parades and fireworks in Aurora and other Range communities at ironrange.org. You’ll also note that Hibbing’s Jubilee parade and fireworks happen the weekend after the Fourth festivities.

July 20th -23rd: Hoyt Lakes Water Carnival

A weekend-long festival that is an absolute must if you’re wanting a summer to remember, the sixty-seventh annual Hoyt Lakes Water Carnival will mark the height of summer on The Range. This seasonal festival will hold an array of fantastic summer-time fun activities this year including the Shockwaves water ski show, a parade, a gigantic fireworks display, live music, a softball tournament, hot dog eating contest and much more!

The Mesabi East Band marches in the Water Carnival Parade

August 2nd – 6^th: Doc “Moonlight” Graham Days & St. Louis County Fair

If you’re in the Chisholm area you would absolutely be missing out if you didn’t stop and join in the Doc “Moonlight” Graham Days Festival which runs in conjunction with the St. Louis County Fair which is located on the other side of the highway from downtown Chisholm at the Fairgrounds. For some background on as to what Doc “Moonlight” Graham Days is (and more importantly the history behind the name) Doc Graham was a resident of Chisholm who had a particularly large impact, and more than that, he was also a character featured in the motion picture “The Field of Dreams”.

He was not only a famous baseball player but he was a big hearted individual who improved the lives of those who lived in Chisholm during some of the hardest moments of the city and he is celebrated to this day with a parade and various other events that go on throughout the week in downtown Chisholm.

The St. Louis County Fair also makes it’s annual appearance during this festival and makes a pretty big splash with it’s fireworks display, rides and food vendors! Not to mention their horse shows and petting zoo! Funnel cakes, cotton candy, popcorn and specialty foods make this event a delectable must-have if you’re in town during the first week of August!

Chisholm’s Doc Moonlight Graham Days parade

August 18-19 Mines and Pines Revisited Returns

Music and fine art take center stage at Mines and Pines Revisited in Hibbing. After a two-year hiatus this event is back in Bennett Park with activities for all ages plus local musicians and plenty of food and drink. Stop by to see the creations of local and regional artists and crafters and shop for that perfect something for your home or office.