History
In the mid 1950s Rosemount merchants held annual sidewalk sales, called “Crazy Days,” on the last weekend in July. By the 1960s, the then Jaycee Women’s Club sponsored a “Kiddie Parade” and the American Legion held a “Corn & Chicken Feed” on that Saturday, for the community. Sometime during this period a regular parade was added.
In 1977, a business owner suggested to the Chamber of Commerce that it should sponsor additional activities to coincide with Crazy Days. Crazy Days was then known as “Family Fun Days,” co-ventured by the Chamber of Commerce, Jaycees, Jaycee Women and Rosemount Park and Recreation.After two years of “Family Fun Days” the committee decided it needed a theme. An Irish theme was chosen because over half of the first settlers in Rosemount were from Ireland.
The Dakota County Tribune quoted in June of 1979, “Rosemount residents have decided they’d rather be Irish than crazy.” The first Leprechaun Days was a two-day event with fireworks, parades, and many community sponsored events.Over the years the committee has been organized and run by many different volunteers from the community.
By 1983, Leprechaun Days had grown to seven days, and then to 10 days of events.
In 2005, the committee became Incorporated and registered as a Non-Profit Corporation. A bluegrass festival was added to the first weekend in 2008 with the celebration of Rosemount’s 150th Anniversary, but the bluegrass festival moved to June in 2014.
The main emphasis of Leprechaun Days is to strengthen and bring our community together through family-friendly events. People from other communities are always welcomed and have participated each year, but our focus has remained the same: to see the smiling faces of the children who come to enjoy our city – and for the kid in all of us.
Come. Participate. Enjoy.
Check out the Rosemount Leprechaun Days FacebookPage for event updates and to add your own comments and photos. Check us out on Twitter.
What is Leprechaun Days?
This is your source for information related to the annual 10-day community festival that is the highlight of the summer and the entire year in Rosemount, which, for those of you who don't know, is a town of about 21,000 people southeast of the Twin Cities. Welcome to the official website managed by the all-volunteer Rosemount Leprechaun Days Committee.
If you have never been to Rosemount Leprechaun Days, we would like to suggest that you attend. Rosemount has a home-town feel that its residents cite as a major reason they moved to and continue to live in the city. Leprechaun Days reflects that home-town feel with strong resident and group participation in all its events, including the Grand Day Parade, Midsummer Faire carnival, food and music event, Rosemount Parks and Recreation events for youths and adults and much more.
Volunteers are always needed. Click here to find out how you can help.
Have fun,
The Rosemount Leprechaun Days Committee
Rosemount Leprechaun Days
July 21-30, 2017
From the Aug. 13, 1964, Dakota County Tribune
Three events added since last week
Posted July 13, 2017
Inside the July 13 edition of the Dakota County Tribune and select Sun Thisweek editions was a special section devoted to Rosemount Leprechaun Days.
It included a schedule of events that went to press July 6. Since that time three events have be added, and there are updates to other events. (The online schedule at this website has been updated to reflect the changes.)
The Sunday, July 30, Team Ortho Duathlon, which is a bike and running race for adults, has added a Kids Duathlon.
The little ones will get motoring at Dakota County Technical College at 10 a.m.
Participants will get a colorful bike jersey when they use the discount code kidsDU on registration page at http://www.minnesotadu.com/register.html.
People can support the Rosemount girls hockey program by scoring some Von Hanson’s meat during a raffle at Carbone’s Pizza in downtown Rosemount.
Two meat raffles will be held at 5 p.m. Saturday, July 22, and Saturday, July 29.
The cost is $1 per draw.
In a new twist to the Saturday, July 22, Run for the Gold, Rosemount police officer Cassie Witt will run 4 miles in full uniform while raising money for the Ben Kopp Memorial Ride under the banner of Cops for Kopp.
Rosemount High School graduate Cpl. Benjamin S. Kopp was a U.S. Army Ranger who saved six fellow Rangers during a firefight with the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2009. He sustained injuries from the firefight that he wasn’t able to recover from, and he died eight days later.
To donate to the effort, go online to gofundme.com/cops-for-kopp.
Nickie Carrigan Fitness is holding a series of free workout events during Leprechaun Days.
While there is no cost to participate, there are limited slots available and people should register for each workout at www.nickiecarriganfitness.com or emailing .
Parade, Wet ’n’ Wild
Three of the biggest changes to note for this year include having the Grand Day Parade route run only on 145th Street from Shannon Parkway to Cameo Avenue.
The change in the route allows for more room for spectators along the stretch between Shannon Parkway and Chili/Chippendale.
Wet ’n’ Wild Day, traditionally held at Jaycee Park, has been canceled for this year due to construction work on Shannon Parkway. Another traditional Jaycee Park event, the Blarney Stone Hunt, has been moved to Erickson Park this year.
More about all of these changes is inside the special section and here on the site.
Leprechaun's Lost Medallion Hunt
Clue No. 2
Love our parks, summertime blues to cure.
Too many for this match to be sure.
Some are old, some new,
Latter now won’t do.
Swing, run, slide or walk score its allure.
SunThisweek.com is not currently working as of 12:40 p.m. Tuesday, so here is today's clue. The staff of Sun Thisweek and the Dakota County Tribune is working to fix the situation. It apologizes for the inconvenience.