Northfield Downtown Development Corporation

Based on the comments the nights of, as well as the days after, the First Annual JuneBug Music Festival was a great success. The weather supported the efforts of the organizers, the performances of the musicians, and the enthusiasm of the attendees.

Pictured here is Blue Moon, one of dozen local bands that performed during the festival. Yeah…that bass guitar player does look a little familiar…and that seems to be a Tiny’s cap that he’s wearing.

Griff Wigley, of Locally Grown, took a number of great pictures each night of the event. See his coverage, and photos, of Night One, Night Two, and Night Three to get a good sense of the experience.

JuneBug is just another example of how the idea of a couple of individuals, in this case Julie Bixby and Norman Butler of the Contented Cow, when supported by a few dozen hard workers and several hundred eager participants, can turn into a real community-building event. Of course the sponsors, Chapati, the Contented Cow, the NDDC, the Sitze Building, and Tiny’s Dogs All Day, helped too, by putting the necessary infrastructure in place.

Thanks to everyone who helped make the First Annual JuneBug Music Festival a great success. Let’s do it again, in Downtown Northfield.

We’re barely to end of June, but it already seems like there has been, is, and will be much going on in downtown Northfield, all summer long.

Tonight, Thursday, June 26th, Tom Franek is at the Upstairs Rueb, 503 Division Street, at 6 pm, the Northfield Community Band is in Bridge Square, at the heart of our community, at 7 pm, there’s an Opening Reception of Fiber Arts on Climate Change and the annual Arts in Bloom exhibit in collaboration with the Northfield Garden Club at the Northfield Arts Guild, 304 Division Street, 7 pm, Teague Alexy is at the Tavern Lounge, backside of the Historic Archer House, 212 Division Street, and it’s the first evening of the JuneBug Music Festival, behind the Contented Cow, rain or shine, 302 1/2 Division Street.

Friday, Kim Bloom is at the HideAway, 421 Division Street, 7 pm, Joe Meyer is at the Tavern Lounge, backside of the Historic Archer House, 212 Division Street, and JuneBug continues.

Saturday, Kim Bloom is again at the HideAway, 421 Division Street, 7 pm, Norwegian Cowboy is at the Tavern Lounge, backside of the Historic Archer House, 212 Division Street, and its the final night of JuneBug.

It appears that a stage is emerging from the parking lot behind the Contented Cow. Indeed, it’s part of the upcoming JuneBug, a new Annual Music Festival in downtown Northfield.

JuneBug is a celebration of local music, highlighting the wide variety of impressive talent in the Northfield area, brought together on one stage over the course of three evenings at the end of June.

Thursday night features Marty Anderson and The Goods, followed by the Rice County All-Stars. Friday’s line-up consists of Meredith Fierke, Occasional Jazz, Blue Moon, and The Last Known Whereabouts. Saturday features Dr. Jellyfish, Jon Manners, Fish Frye, The Loafers, Gospel Gossip and the Zillionaires.

So come on down(town) and check out the music, along the east bank of the Cannon River, and support your local artists.

If this incredible…almost magical…weather continues to bless us…there’ll be no place better to be this weekend…than Downtown Northfield.

Friday night, Kim Bloom plays acoustic guitar at The HideAway, 421 Division Street (7 pm), pianist Tom Franek is doing the Acoustic Cafe scene at Hogan Brothers, 415 Division Street (7 pm), Katie Harris and Baker London are that the Contented Cow, 302 1/2 Division Street, and slide-guitarist Jeff Ray is at the Tavern Lounge, backside of the Historic Archer House, 212 Division Street.

Saturday night, Kim Bloom is back at The HideAway, 421 Division Street, Draper Daniels performs Heartland Rock and Roll at the Contented Cow, 302 1/2 Division Street, and Relativity performs current and classic light rock as well as original music at the Tavern Lounge, riverside at 212 Division Street.

Sunday night, there’s a discussion of the Northfield Charter at Politics and a Pint at the Contented Cow, 302 1/2 Division Street (6 pm), and, if you want to take a walk on the wild side of town, there’s a Community Midsommar Celebration at Way Park (6 pm).

…in Downtown Northfield.

Thursday, June 12th, there’s an Exhibit Preview and ChARTdonnay Thursday, 5-8 pm, at ArtOnWater Gallery, Tom Franek performs at the Upstairs Rueb, the Northfield Community Band celebrates the music of the WWII Era, 7 pm in Bridge Square, and Mark Mraz is at the Tavern Lounge.

Friday, the Over and Back Band celebrates the release of its first recording, 7 pm, at the Northfield High School Auditorium, John Wills and Trace Remington are at The Contented Cow, and Norwegian Cowboy is at the Tavern Lounge.

Saturday, it’s the Carleton Commencement, 9:30 am, on the College Campus, the Forcefield Community Cabaret, 7:30 pm, at the Northfield Arts Guild Theater, (my personal recommendation) Blue Moon, say 8 pm, at The Contented Cow, and Kevin Stanke at the Tavern Lounge.