With the future of Lumberjack Days unclear because of money problems and a criminal investigation, two Stillwater-area men say they want to create a new family-friendly summer festival.
Jesse Kurtz and Bob Hart are proposing a plan for “Stillwater Valley Days,” which would be held on the July weekend that Lumberjack Days was scheduled to occur.
“Stillwater needs a summer festival,” said Kurtz, a private detective in Stillwater and a former detective-sergeant for the Washington County sheriff’s office. “But we want to bring it back to what it should be, which is a festival for local people and local artists.”
Added Hart: “Our community event would be a horrible thing to lose. It would be a shame to see it go away, and it seemed like no one else was stepping up.”
Among Kurtz and Hart’s ideas: a “Dancing with the Stars” competition featuring local celebrities; a Miss Stillwater beauty pageant; polka bands; fireworks; a parade; and traveling magicians and clowns.
Kurtz said he plans to contact city officials about his proposal.
Meanwhile, the owner of Mid-America Festivals, which runs the Minnesota Renaissance Festival, recently contacted Stillwater Mayor Ken Harycki about helping out with Lumberjack Days.
“We love the Stillwater area and would love to see the Lumberjack Days event succeed,” said Deb Schaber, director of marketing for Mid-America Festivals, based in Shakopee. “We’re interested in helping out. We’re not interested in taking it over.”
City Administrator Larry Hansen said the city is not actively seeking proposals for Lumberjack Days.
The Stillwater City Council voted last month to suspend its contract with the Lumberjack Days Festival Association pending the results of a police investigation.
In November, Stillwater police began investigating claims that the association issued worthless checks for more than $35,000 to three vendors and the Stillwater Area High School boys hockey booster club.
Stillwater officials say the association also failed to pay the city $20,000 owed for police and fire protection, a payment that was due Dec. 31.
Festival organizer David Eckberg, who owns Stillwater-based St. Croix Events, said festival proceeds were down dramatically last summer because of bad weather.
Eckberg has not been charged with a crime. The Washington County sheriff’s office is investigating. Sheriff Bill Hutton said Thursday that he did not know when investigators would turn over the case to the Washington County attorney’s office for possible charges.
“This is not going to be an investigation that is going to be done overnight,” Hutton said. “From a law enforcement perspective, we have to be very thorough.”
Until the police investigation is completed, the city is in waiting mode, Hansen said.
“Currently, I’d say our hands are tied,” he said. “If this drags on a whole lot longer, will we try something else? I’d say, probably.”
Eckberg said Thursday that organizing an event like Lumberjack Days is complicated.
“People have got ideas,” he said. “Well, ideas aren’t the problem. It’s getting everything paid for that is hard.”
Harycki said the city council would listen to any proposal brought forward.
“We’re not going to say ‘no’ right off the bat, but we’re not going to say ‘yes,’ either,” Harycki said. “There is a process that we have to go through as the dust settles from Lumberjack Days, and I don’t know if we would have enough time to do that before the summer.”
Harycki said that any new contract for a summer festival would be subject to input from local residents.
“There’s going to have to be a public process about what do we want from Lumberjack Days,” he said.
Kurtz said he and Hart would produce a festival that area residents would embrace.
“This should be about Stillwater and the St. Croix Valley,” said Kurtz, who owns Kurtz Investigation and Personal Protection Service. “I’ve talked to people who wouldn’t even go downtown during Lumberjack Days.
“We’re talking about a much smaller (festival),” he said. “The bands we have talked to are mostly retro bands. Neil Diamond is not in the equation; Barbra Streisand isn’t going to be here.”
Mary Divine can be reached at 651-228-5443. Follow her at twitter.com/MaryEDivine.