For 46 years Hastings residents have been going to the banks of the Mississippi to celebrate Rivertown Days. From carnivals to live music to car shows, the weekend has long been an excuse to get out into the community.
This year, from July 17-20, that is exactly what Hastings residents did.
The festivities started Thursday night at the LeDuc Historic Estate. The smell of Butter Burgers drifted through the LeDuc grounds as Culvers and Subway donated time and food to the event, along with drinks courtesy of Spiral Brewery and Alexis Bailly Vineyard. The band Crimson Roots played to the crowd who watched from picnic blankets and folding chairs.
The third-annual kickoff event, sponsored by Merchant’s Bank, saw lines of residents snaking around the carriage house while waiting for food.
This line was the benchmark LeDuc Site Supervisor Ryan Kutcha used for measuring attendance: “it’s more than last year based on how many times the line curved around the yard.”
Later that night, the Hastings Golf Club opened its doors for residents to view the water and light show put on with the help of the non-profit Minnesota Fire Engine Club.
The club of more than 100 fire engine enthusiasts—many of whom own one or more antique fire engines—came to showcase just how fun 2,800 gallons of water a minute can be when shot into the air and lit up with colored lights.
An estimated half million gallons of water was pulled (and returned) to the ponding basin at the golf club, according to Len Schrader, Public Information Officer with the Minnesota Fire Engine Club.
The music started on Friday at 5 p.m. with the band Dead Century. The band has been playing around the Twin Cities since 2017, but this is their first time in the Rivertown Days lineup.
“You play in the Cities and you hear about festivals in towns and [Rivertown days] has a good reputation,” said Dead Century Frontman Nick Check. “We’d love to be back.”
In their set at Stage 61, the band tested out new music from their upcoming album which is expected to be released in the fall.
The lineup for Hockey Day Minnesota 2026 was announced at 6 p.m. Friday night on Stage 61 which you can read more about in this paper.
On Saturday, Rivertown Days events across the community took place including a petting zoo, tours of Lock and Dam #2, a fly-in from Rich Valley RC club and tournaments from pickleball to disc golf to wiffle ball.
Hastings Pickleball Association President Steve Black helped with a recap of the pickleball tournament at Roadside Park.
Around 100 pickleballers forming 60 teams took to the courts for the second annual Rivertown Days Pickleball Tournament. The tournament brought players from the surrounding areas to play in 10 divisions of play: women’s, men’s, and mixed all with a variety of skill sets. Hastings was well represented with local players making up 26 of the 60 teams.
Saturday saw the women’s and men’s divisions of play. The local women did well as they took three of the top six spots. They didn’t take home any championships but played well against some very good competition.
The men’s divisions were dominated by Hastings teams.
The men’s 3.0 division saw Hastings youth dominate as they took the top three spots in the division with Jude Langley and Oliver Cox taking the top spot. It was great to see their youth and athleticism during play.
The men’s 3.5 division top spot was won by another Hastings team with players Sam Tompsett and Brent Vanderlaan. Taylor Molenda and Josh Henkenmeyer made it a clean sweep as they battled back from a game down to win two in a row for the Men’s 4.0 Championship and the trifecta.
Sunday was all mixed play, pairing men’s/women’s teams against each other in varied levels of skill, with open age categories and 50+ play.
Again, Hastings teams did well with four teams placing in their divisions, none taking home the titles. The final match of the day was a marathon between two local teams that went down to the wire, two games to one with the final game going into overtime, 14 – 12 (normal play is to 11 points). It was an exciting end to a great weekend of tournament play.
Special thanks to all the sponsors, the Hastings Pickleball Association and a great group of volunteers.
At the Rivertown Days Arts and Crafts fair, vendors from chiropractors to jewelers to hot sauce makers sold their wares.
Among them was Annette Scholtes of Scholtes Design, which sells 3D printed articulated toys and jewelry. Scholtes has been 3D printing for the last seven years and owns “a fleet of 3D printers that hum around the clock.” According to Scholtes, the articulated dragons were her best sellers.
A booth for the soon-to-open Hastings Chuck and Don’s was also at the fair. While Sept. 21 is slated to be the grand opening, the store is hoping to open its doors in late August or early September.
The Hastings Chapter of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) was raising funds at the craft fair with a book sale. Children’s books in particular were popular at 4 for $1.
“You don’t think people want to carry around a book but they do,” said Pat Powers, a member with AAUW.
Residents might have recognized other local booths including Black Dirt Theater, which is in the final runup to its production of “Anything Goes” which premiered July 25 and runs through Aug. 2.
Gates downtown opened at 1 p.m. starting with Darrell Pipo at Oliver’s Grove and Dancing with Deena at the Pavillion Stage. The music ran through to 9:30 p.m. with Yam Haus at Stage 61.
On Sunday, the annual Rivertown Days car show began at 11 a.m. As to how the Rivertown Days car show was different from the rest: “It’s not,” said Howard Shofner, member of the Car Show Committee.
The City of Hastings set up “Machinery Hill” in the parking lot under the Highway 61 bridge Sunday morning. This year, over 350 people visited and explored many pieces of equipment used by both Parks and Public Works Departments within the city. Kids were given hard hats and safety vests at the information table and were able to climb over and on the city’s equipment.
Some of the equipment on display ranged from the smaller skid loaders to the giant bucket loader that public works use to move massive piles of snow. Kids also explored the normal sized dump truck and the large orange snowplow dump truck. Parks had their field groomer, and their vehicle mounted leaf/snowblower on display too. City employees from both departments were on hand to chat with fairgoers.
The YMCA Duck Race made a splash Sunday afternoon, drawing laughter, cheers, and plenty of river water as six determined locals took to oversized rubber ducks for a wobbly ride down the Vermillion River. Tucked behind the Dakota County fueling garage, at the intersection of County Road 46 and 31st Street West, the race served as one of the weekend’s quirkiest and most crowd-pleasing fundraisers.
Organized by the Hastings YMCA, the event was more than just floating fun. Riders competed in head-to-head heats, aiming to earn fans and funds. Spectators could bet $5 on their favorite duck jockey, with winners earning chances at a stack of donated prizes. The proceeds support YMCA scholarships and youth programs, with the goal of making sure cost never keeps anyone from joining.
This year’s race returned to the river after a stint in the pool last year, and it showed. Several competitors battled more with balance than speed, with two riders spending more time in the water than on their ducks.
Officer Georgeann Freeman-Denn and YMCA aquatics Director Connie Waters both had early exits after struggling to stay afloat.
“The current does what the current wants,” Waters said, before giving a good-natured shrug and swim to shore.
Defending champion Adam Elling looked strong in his first heat, easily advancing past Freeman-Denn, but it was Mitch Shemon, a local teacher and coach, who stole the show.
Riding a duck named Chuck, Shemon floated past Connie Waters in the semis and then outpaced both Elling and early standout Nicole Sindelar in the finals. He clinched the win by three duck lengths over Elling, saying afterward that the race “went to the game plan” and crediting the YMCA for a well-run event.
With the crowd packed along the riverbank and cheers echoing off the fueling garage, Shemon summed up the day with a grin: “Jumping into a nice ice-cold river on a hot day was beautiful.” Whether or not he returns next year, he leaves as the 2025 Duck Race champ—dry at the finish line and proud to have paddled for a cause.
Down at the Pavillion Stage, the Hastings Marching Band gave a sneak peek into their Sept. 20 home marching band show with the theme “Becoming the Tin Man,” a prequel to “The Wizard of Oz” about a lumberjack who eventually becomes the Tin Man.
The band spent a week at Gustavus Adolfus College learning the music and choreography for the show.
“If you like what you hear, come back and see us in the fall,” said Josh Wahlstrom, Percussion Director.
After the bustle of the weekend, from live music to tournaments to craft fairs to duck races, as the festivities were packed up, one thing is for certain: The 47th annual Rivertown Days is officially less than a year away.