A Taste Of The Big Muddy

The Taste of Minnesota – a longtime tradition of St. Paul, Minn., that was revived this year after a three-year hiatus – was in jeopardy at press time while organizers searched for a location because of recent flooding.

The event is expected to happen on the Fourth of July weekend and to feature acts like Soul Asylum, Joe Nichols and Halestorm, but its location at Harriet Island Park is under water.

Producer Linda Maddox has stressed that the event is not canceled, only relocating – although as of June 24 a location was yet to be announced. Maddox told WCCO news radio that her team was looking at soccer fields and baseball fields to host the event. Meanwhile, the Mississippi River has a new sea monster: a giant clam that was dislodged from a playground at Harriet Island Park.

None of this is amusing to Gov. Mark Dayton, who hopes to ask President Obama for federal aid when he visits Minnesota June 26.

A Taste of Minnesota was founded by Maddox’s late husband, Ron, in 1983. It was sold to International Event Marketing in 2009, which filed for bankruptcy protection the following year. Linda Maddox announced in October her intention to revive the event.

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