New Holiday Lights Coming to East St. Germain Street

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- The East End of St. Cloud will be a little brighter this winter.

St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis and the East End Community are inviting you to help turn on the new holiday lights on East St. Germain Street. The lights will stretch from Veterans Bridge to Lincoln Avenue.

The lighting ceremony will be this Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. starting at Iron Street Distillery.

Ashley Severson from Handyman's Hardware says the East End business community was established two years ago and is made up of business owners along East St. Germain Street and Lincoln Avenue.

Their mission is to revitalize the East Side of St. Cloud and change the narrative of it being a high-crime neighborhood with little potential.

Photo by WJON.com's Jim Maurice

In their first year as an organization, they saw on-street parking established on East St. Germain Street, and they welcomed four new businesses. They say several more are coming in 2025.

Their first major event, Festi-Fall in September, raised over $8,000. That money, along with help from the city, and a small grant that was left over from the former East Side Boosters, bought 23 new holiday lights that are being installed. The designs are bright white stars and snowflakes to celebrate the spirit of winter.