urbanMSP

Didn't see a thread for this. Seems like there probably is though.

Anyone have insight into the logic behind the Aquatennial changes? It seems so bizarre to drop the events that regular folks can actually participate in that are actually tied to 'aqua' (i.e. the stuff at Calhoun).

It's seems so strange at first blush that I gotta think there's more to the story. Money? Attendance? Some constituency mad about something?

Having been a past Milk Carton Boat Race participant, I think the Downtown Council is shameful. Also, why is this solely a Downtown Council Event?

Its really sad to see the Milk Carton Race go away. Such good memories as a child, I hope people are outraged enough to make them take a 2nd look and bring it back next year.

People at the milk carton boat races and sandcastle contest aren't buying overpriced beer and food from downtown businesses.

oh snap! and dangerous and hard to park too.

Tyler, that wasn't Montesnark, but rather an astute observation at how ridiculous it is to have the Downtown Council as the organizer for a citywide event.

Yes Matt. I fully comprehend and I agree with the consensus above.

I'm also bummed out that some of the classic old events are being canceled.

Regarding who should be running it... these things don't run themselves. If the Downtown Council didn't step up to the plate to run this, it wouldn't be happening at all. It's not like they strong-armed it away from a functional and well meaning organization.

Perhaps there should be a functional and well-meaning organization because in my mind, while DC may be the former, it is certainly not the latter.

Yes, there should be. But my point is that there isn't.

It's no small matter to pull together these things. Look, for example, at the May Day Parade, which is a hugely beloved cultural institution which is responsible for putting on a single parade in a single location on one day a year, and yet has struggled mightily in recent years. Because it's a ton of work and it's expensive, even when volunteers are doing most of the work.

And while the Downtown Council certainly represents a very particular set of interests, I don't think that means that they're not well-meaning. There are a few particular things I could point out where I disagree with stances they've taken, but in general their work is pretty closely aligned with improving the public sphere downtown, which benefits most everybody who visits.

Couldn't meet Minneapolis handle this?

Meet Minneapolis is really just a marketing organization. They're better at partnering with organizations to promote their events. Not that it's not possible, I suppose.

I'm defining "well-meaning" in the specific context of this festival. I don't think any entity that restricts the festival to only benefit downtown business for an event celebrating the waters of Minneapolis is being at all well-meaning.

Who handled this before the Downtown Council existed? It just seems totally backward to have a city-wide festival controlled by a very geographically specific set of businesses.

Well, there's the Amabassadors & the Commodores.

http://www.aquatennialambassadors.com/

http://www.journalmpls.com/news-feed/or ... quatennial

Boy you sure could see this coming a mile away. Conspiracy theorists fire away.

The horror.

Downtown Aquatennial. What a cool neighborhood celebration.

Egh.

Huh. I've lived in Minneapolis for over 20 years now, and the only Aquatennial events I've ever attended have been downtown. My experience may not be typical, but while these downtown events draw tens of thousands of people, based on the news footage I've seen, even the most popular of the "other" events (the beach bash/milk carton boat races) draws a very small fraction of that.

I guess if you're looking for something to be upset about, this is as good as the next thing.