A big round of thanks for our Backyard Bash 

A HUGE thank you to everyone who came to our Backyard Bash last Saturday.  We had a blast, we hope you did too!  How about that weather?! Every year we learn how to make things better and we’ll definitely be implementing those lessons for next year.  Thanks for all the feedback and support! Now, some shout outs are in order:

First, the bands.  How incredible were they?  The Brian Boru Irish Pipe Band opened the gates with kilt-clad energy. Caroline Smith and the Goodnight Sleeps started us off gently on a sunny Saturday morning, setting a great vibe for the day.  Heartbeats and Summit alumni Eric Lovold got the crowd rocking, always great to see that kid!  Halloween, Alaska brought their experience and artistry to the happy crowd and Now Now charmed with their humor and verve.  Doomtree, oh Doomtree.  They brought the house down, like usual.  It was just raucous, wonderfully raucous.  And Hotpants DJs wove the day together beautifully with their vinyl playing fun.  It was an amazing showcase of the vitality of this Minnesota music scene we are so fortunate to have.  Thank you to all the bands for bringing their enthusiasm and talent to our party-we deeply appreciate it!


Caroline Smith singing her heart out.

Thank you to our hosts, Mark Wheat and Jill Riley from the Current.  We know you guys are busy-thank you for spending your Saturday with us! And a big thanks to the Current for being our media partner-it was a perfect pairing!  Thanks to Jade as well from the Current, for her 2^nd year in a row awesome stage managing and band liaison-ness.  We are very lucky to have you!

Thanks to the Minnesota Music Coalition-you guys are doing important work and we are honored to help with that mission.

I got to sample some of the food, wish I could have had it all!  Thank you to Barrio, Blue Plate, Bennett’s, Dixie’s, Black Forest, Pizza Luce, Ngon, and Original Kettle Korn for keeping everyone balanced on Saturday!


Ngon Bistro's incredibly cute food truck.

Thank you to Bennett’s, Tiffany’s, O’Gara’s, and Shamrocks for providing free shuttles.  Parking is limited in these parts, so it was much needed!  And thanks to everyone who rode their bikes, walked, took a bus/cab/shuttle, and carpooled-way to go!

Thank you to Eureka Recycling for helping us work towards a zero waste event.  It was a lot of work on everyone’s part to make this party green, but it was definitely worth it!

Our volunteers!  You are awesome.  A combination of tour guides, friends, and family, we couldn’t have made it a green event without you.  In total we had 76 wonderful volunteers that helped everything run smoothly in every corner of the event.

Thank you to our neighbors Harris Mechanical, National Checking Company, EMC Publishing, and Twin City Tile for opening their parking lots to us and to you.  Very generous of them!

Thank you to the Saint Paul Jaycees.  They were the kind folks who poured the beer, scanned your tickets, and sold water/pop.  We definitely could not have done this crazy event without you.

Thank you to Spectrum Audio for the great sound and awesome attitude-always a pleasure to work with you guys!  And thank you to Ellen Westin Photography for capturing some great images-more to be posted soon!

A thank you as big as the sky to the incredible party planning committee, the brewers, and all the other staff that stepped up to make this event a success.  Now let’s start planning next year’s party!

Finally, another ginormous thank you to all of you who came to our party to celebrate 26 years with us and to all of our fans over the years.  You built this company-don’t you ever forget it!


You.

Cheers,
Carey