Get Ready For Rock The Riverside’s Fifth Season Kick-off

SAUK RAPIDS (WJON News) -- The fifth season of Rock The Riverside in Sauk Rapids is kicking off next week.

The summer concert series will be held for 13 consecutive Thursdays starting on June 5th and running through August 28th.

City Administrator Ross Olson says he's booked a variety of both local and regional bands.

We are showcasing talent from Duluth, Rochester, LaCrosse, Fargo, all over.  They want to be on our stage in Sauk Rapids.  We have an opener from 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m., a 15-minute break, then at 7:00 p.m. is the headliner.

The headliner plays until 9:30 p.m.

Olson says he's always on the lookout for talented bands that he can bring to the community.

A lot of the bands you're seeing from outside of Central Minnesota come to us through social media or just word of mouth from artists.  The music world is pretty small.  A lot of artists are talking about this really cool event with the Mississippi River as your backdrop.  We get between 2,000 and 3,000 people every Thursday.

For the first week, the opening act is Wayside and the headliner is Pandemic, which was a request from former Sauk Rapids Mayor Kurt Hunstiger.

The first week will also be a pre-party for Lakes Jam with representatives there giving away tickets, t-shirts, and other swag.

Olson says downtown businesses are seeing an increase in customers both before and after the live music each Thursday night.

They also have food trucks in the park, with a variety of rotating trucks this summer.  Benton Station also sells food and beverages at the park each week.

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Attendees are also welcome to bring their own coolers, just don't bring glass bottles.

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