Buffalo Days return, live and in person this weekend

Luverne Chamber staff and volunteers were finalizing posters and advertising for the 2021 Buffalo Days weekend when they learned pandemic restrictions would be lifted May 28.
Prior to that May 21 announcement, plans were in place to have the Friday Night Cruise-In at the Luverne City Park to encourage participants to spread out more safely.
They quickly pivoted and put the word out that the classic car event would return to its classic location downtown Luverne.
 
Cruise-in returns downtown
Corral parking at the cruise-in will be available for over 300 cars, trucks, antique tractors, off-road vehicles, motorcycles and more. Vehicle registration is free.
Starfire and Jorie Kosel will provide music from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. with a beer garden, food and drinks.
Chamber Director Jane Wildung Lanphere said she’s happy about restrictions lifting, but changing directions last minute presents hurdles.
“It sounds super simple to just move it back downtown, but we’re going to inconvenience the Palace and the performance of ‘Grease,’” she said of the Luverne High School musical.
Students are performing in the Palace until the new performing arts center is completed at the sch0ol.
“We’re going to have to make accommodations and figure out parking, because that’s really important.”
Cruise-in starts at 5:30, and “Grease” starts at 7:30. No-parking signs will be placed along Freeman Street near the Palace so that motorists and shuttle services can drop people off
“We’re going to do the best we can,” Lanphere said. 
“The one thing we all know and support is we all want to have events and we’ve planned them and tried to hold them with the best of our abilities given the information we have at the time. … We’re all just happy we can be out and about.”
 
Buffalo Days Expo returns to courthouse
The Buffalo Days Expo (formerly Arts in the Park) will return to the Courthouse Square after a wet city park prompted the decision two years ago. It’s from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 5.
“The public likes it there,” Lanphere said. “I’ve never had so many calls and emails from people supporting an event.”
Because fewer vendors had been coming through the years, the smaller venue made more sense so they weren’t spread apart so far.
Also, Lanphere said, contrary to social media reports, the event wasn’t moved to eliminate the Buffalo Chip Throwing Contest.
“It was moved to accommodate our businesses and the people who came and supported the trades,” she said.
“They loved it up here. It’s easier to get to, there’s parking on all sides so you don’t have to wait to go across a river. You can walk downtown. All day we had people walking from different directions from neighborhoods. It’s a beautiful location. It’s not so big to walk around the whole park.”
She said sidewalk accessibility is an important factor for many people.
“There are so many older people who love to come down to Buffalo Days that just could not make it, because you have to walk so far,” Lanphere said.
So far about 60 vendors have committed to coming to this year’s event, but many longtime vendors didn’t survive the pandemic.
“Lots of people who used to do trade shows had to give it up, because they weren’t making any money,” Lanphere said. “When I reached out to some who had always been here, they’re out of business.”
In addition to the Buffalo Days Cruise-In and Expo, the Buffalo Days Parade starts at 10 a.m. Saturday down Main Street, and from June 1-8 Sanford Health is sponsoring a virtual 5k Buffalo Days Fun Run/Walk.
A quilt show will be at the Hinkly House from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and a live band, Too Drunk to Fish, will play from 5 to 10 p.m. at Take 16.
Sunday’s events include a wrap-up of weekend baseball tournaments, pulled pork sandwiches from noon to 3 p.m. at the History Center and golf cart rides on the Loop trail from noon to 4 p.m. starting at the History Center.
See luvernechamber.com for details.