Opening of Highland Park in St. Paul drew record crowd in 1925

Opening of Highland Park in St. Paul drew record crowd in 1925

St. Paul threw what was then its biggest party ever to mark the opening of Highland Park in August 1925. The seven-hour celebration, which boasted free barbecue and band concerts between speeches from local officials lauding the potential of the city’s newest park, drew more people than opening day at the Minnesota State Fair a month later. “They called it a monster picnic,” said Charlie Evans, a St. Paul Public Works designer who has researched…