ABOVE: A piece of art on the sidewalk at the end of Downtown Plaza in Fairmont done by Imagine Martin artist, Al Hurney. The city and arts non-profit are partnering for a new event, Lakefest, which will be centered on the lakes.

FAIRMONT– The city of Fairmont is launching a new festival that will be centered around the lakes. With the boost of a grant and help from local arts non-profit, Imagine Martin, Lakefest is set for Aug. 10, 2025.

Hannah Neusch, a water resource technician for the city, said that the festival really stems from an $8,000 source water protection grant the city received to use on public education regarding water quality.

The city is using a portion of the grant money to work with businesses on installing unique public art pieces that are representative of the lakes. The first piece, done by Imagine Martin artist Al Hurney, was installed last September on the sidewalk at the end of Downtown Plaza.

“When we started thinking about the amount of money we have to spend and how much it took to do that one piece of art, we wondered if we could scale it up to an event,” Neusch explained.

She said they were also inspired by Chalk Fest, an outdoor art festival that takes place in the Twin Cities area.

“The whole heart of the festival is coming and watching artists put their art onto the street,” Neusch said.

While there are other aspects of the festival, she said they’re all supporting the artists doing the live art installations, which is what Lakefest will be like, too.

The plan is to hold Lakefest at Amber Lake Park. Neusch said that location was chosen because it has a lot of open space and it recently had new cement put in when the rock rapids and sidewalks were redone.

“There’s so many spaces and it was just begging for something,” Neusch said.

At the heart of this event, similar to Chalk Fest, will be the live art installations. Hurney said she’s hoping to have both adult artists and some youth working on multiple projects.

“I’m hoping to have all ages of art,” Hurney said, adding that she’s been in contact with Fairmont Elementary School’s art teacher, Ashley Haake.

She’s also heard form local adult artists who are interested in being a part of Lakefest or some of the other projects happening with the grant dollars.

In addition to the art, Neusch said they’re planning a few other things to build out the event and make it family friendly.

Nick Lardy, Superintendent of Streets and Parks, is going to provide a giant sand pile for kids to play on and Neusch said there will also be shovels and pails.

The Prairie Ecology Bus, based out of Lakefield, will be on site to provide some hands on education about local species, environments and the lakes.

“We plan on having a couple of food trucks. We’re in conversation with a few and are looking forward to having refreshments on site,” Neusch said.

There are some other plans in the works and Neusch said they are eager to partner with any other local businesses or organizations for the event. She encouraged those interested to reach out to the city.

Both Neusch and Hurney are excited about what this event can grow to be.

“We’re excited to be a part of this. We’re looking looking forward to finding more artists in the area and we’re also excited for the community aspect of this,” Hurney said.

Neusch said she hopes the Aug. 10 event will serve as the seed event and it can grow overtime into something that’s unique for Fairmont.

“I’d really love to see our community rally around our lakes more. We all love them and love spending time on them or around them… I think it’s time we celebrate them for what they are,” she said.

Anyone with questions can contact Neusch at hneusc@fairmont .org or Hurney/Imagine Martin at info@imaginemartin.com.