Making an impact: Lakefront Music Fest comes to Prior Lake

Prior Lake American

The Wednesday before Lakefront Music Fest, a young woman stepped into Sweet Nautical Boutique in downtown Prior Lake.

She was looking for outfits for the two-day musical festival, put on by the Prior Lake Rotary Club July 13-14 at Lakefront Park.

It’s a familiar request for boutiques in the days before the festival — boutique owner Becky Leffler said she doesn’t see an increase in business on the evenings of the event itself, but increased sales the week prior as people look for something to wear to the event.

“We’re geared up for jeans, jean shorts, tank tops,” Leffler said. “I purchased for this event a few months ago and I spent the (last) weekend getting the inventory ready.”

Economic impact

With thousands of people flocking into Prior Lake each year for the concerts, the festival is bound to impact the city beyond Lakefront Park. Patrons of the event shop in town beforehand, frequent local restaurants, head to the bars afterward and more.

Wild Ruffle boutique co-owner Cate Mezyk said her shop also sees an uptick.

“When we attend the festivals ourselves, it’s fun to see the outfits dotting the landscape that we helped pick out ourselves,” Mezyk said. “We try to have outfits readily available that people would wear to an outdoor music fest. ... Things that are comfortable, easy to wear in the hot sun, but lead into the evening hours.”

Extra Innings Saloon owner Garrett Staaf, who has worked in the downtown bar for 21 years, has been around since the beginning of Lakefront Music Fest nine years ago. But, Staaf said he’s never been to the festival itself, as he’s always been busy working.

“You’re steadier through the day as people come and go, but most people are on their way there — afterwards, you get flooded,” Staaf said. “It’s like the night before Thanksgiving.”

Staaf said the bar is busiest from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. after the concerts are over and patrons are either looking to continue drinking or waiting for shuttles and ride shares to get less busy.

This year’s festival will be the first for Boathouse Brothers Brewery in downtown Prior Lake, which opened in the spring. Though the brewery normally closes at 11 p.m., it will stay open until 1 a.m. both nights of the festival.

“We are brewing as much as our tanks will allow to make sure we have beer for the whole weekend,” Boathouse Brothers Brewery co-owner Emmett Swartout said. “This will be our first music fest that we’ll be open for, so we are excited to see how it goes.”

Leffler said there could be more economic benefits as a result of Lakefront Music Fest if Prior Lake were to have more parking or hotels.

“Most people have to bus from outside of the downtown area, rather than walking around and browsing,” Leffler said. “The size and the venue and who they have playing does put Prior Lake on the map — I think that’s always a positive, whether or not it’s a direct impact financially.”

Prior Lake Rotary spokesperson Kyle Haugen said the festival brings in people from around the state and even other states.

“I think it certainly creates an economic impact for the community, when you think about over 50 percent of all the tickets sold come from outside of the Prior Lake-Savage-Shakopee area, so that means a lot of people are coming into the community for the event,” Haugen said. “They’re going to make an event of it so it’s not just coming in for the concert and leaving.”

Charitable impact

Lakefront Music Fest is the largest fundraiser for the Prior Lake Rotary Club. From 2016-17, the rotary gave more than $216,000 in charity money to projects and programs, with nearly half of that going to Lakefront Music Fest community partners, according to the rotary’s website.

“In the old days, we used to do a number of things to raise money,” said Frank Boyles, Prior Lake city manager and Rotary transportation chair. “We use to sell roses. ... Now, we only put our hand out one time a year and that’s what the music fest does.”

The Lakefront Music Fest community partners include the River Valley YMCA, the Laker Athletic Booster Club and the Patrons of the Arts and Activities. The latter two organizations raise money for clubs and activities in the Prior Lake-Savage Area School District and received more than $55,000 from the Rotary in 2016-17.

“Our Prior Lake-Savage district is growing and as it’s growing, our programs are growing as well,” Patrons of the Arts and Activities Board President Renee Remde said. “Lakefront Music Fest is an activity for all eight activities to fundraise together.”

The community partners volunteer to run the festival on the day of as well as help sell tickets beforehand and split the profits.

“Lakefront Music Fest is a wonderful community event,” Remde said. “I think it’s wonderful the Rotary uses nonprofits to partner with to run the event and give back to the community. Patrons of the Arts and Activities is grateful to be included in that.”

The popularity of the festival has allowed the Rotary Club to double or triple the club’s charitable giving budget, Haugen said.

“This is our ninth year and we’re very proud of what we’ve been able to build in nine years,” Haugen said. “We’re proud of what we’ve been able to give back to the community as a result of the funds we’ve raised. ... We’re making a lot of difference in the world around us because of the support from the community.”

Community impact

Aside from the numbers, the Lakefront Music Fest gives a chance for the larger community to get to know Prior Lake, Mayor Kirt Briggs said.

“To me, the impact is that it has provided the city of Prior Lake with broad exposure across the Minneapolis metro area,” Briggs said. “You have one shot at a first impression. Music fest, by and large, creates a very positive first impression.”

Those who patronize the festival and local businesses might find a reason to return to Prior Lake later on, Boyles said.

“How do you discover other places? You go there once,” Boyles said. “That’s how commerce works, people start developing attachments.”

While a large festival like Lakefront Music Fest can bring unintended consequences for Prior Lake residents like large amounts of littering and loud noise, the Rotary Club does as much as possible to limit those effects, Boyles said.

“We generally get good cooperation from these guys,” Boyles said. “They know this is in the midst of an urban area and we need to be good neighbors.”

The festival allows the city to showcase itself, Community Development Director Casey McCabe said.

“This event provides an excellent opportunity for our business to capitalize on the activity during this one weekend in July, but also allows the city to showcase Lakefront Park, downtown Prior Lake and the rest of the community, which will result in many of these visitors returning again and again over the years,” McCabe said.