Council's 'Stillwater Log Jam' Pick Makes Headlines

Stillwater's choice of a new group to put on a summer festival in place of Lumberjack Days was news online, at newspapers and with local television stations. 

      Click here for the full video from the special council meeting Friday.

KARE 11 noted that although the Stillwater City Council made its selection, the dates of the festival are not yet firm, and a contract with the city is a next step: 

Organizers say it'll "hopefully" be held on the third weekend of July and it will replace "Lumberjack Days." ... The final contract with the group still needs to be drawn up and approved by the council. 

Council member Ted Kozlowski said he had received more than 50 emails in support of The Locals since Sunday. "We could probably burn down the library and wouldn't get 50 emails," he said.  

Kozlowski said he was impressed with the quality of the emails -- not just the quantity.

"The emails were so heartfelt and sincere and detailed," he said. "It wasn't a bunch of people saying, 'Support The Locals.' It was, 'I remember Lumberjack Days in 1974. ...' I could feel the love that the community has for this event, and the support that this group has. It was exceptional, inspiring." 

KSTP reviewed why Stillwater finds itself looking for a replacement for the long-running Lumberjack Days festival:  

St. Croix Events, run by Eckberg, had a contractual Dec. 31, 2011, deadline to pay thousands of dollars in outstanding bills related to Lumberjack Days and the 2010 and 2011 Stillwater Marathons. Eckberg's company also owed three businesses and a high school hockey booster club approximately $38,000, according to police, after Eckberg's checks to cover those festival-related debts bounced.

There was one member of the council who didn't support the proposal, the Stillwater Gazette reported: 

The lone dissenting voice against The Locals, Councilman Doug Menikheim cited his concerns about the financial aspects of the festival and their brand new group that didn’t have the same level of experience as some of the other groups.

“This is not just a single event,” Menikheim said. “This is a three-day event with lots of things going on at one time. What’s best for Stillwater is very important to me. I could see you and somebody else providing what’s needed and the experience and practicality of it all. I’m not sure you’re the best ones to do it but I am going to challenge you to prove me wrong.”

Related at Patch: 

• 'Locals' Picked to Put on 'Log Jam' to Replace 'Lumberjack Days'
• Watch the Stillwater City Council Choose The Locals' 'Log Jam'
• Stillwater's New Summer Festival: See All Four Presentations
• 'The Locals' Present Proposal for Summer Festival
• What Will Be Stillwater's 2014 Summer Festival
• Lumberjack Days Revisited: What About 'The Locals'?
• Lumberjack Days Update: City Receives Several Proposals
• RiverJamSawmillCitySpirit? Logjam of Lumberjack Days Replacements

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