Welcome Back Students!

Welcome back to St. Cloud students!

The time has come yet once again - school is back in session! We hope you all had great summers and we’re excited for you all to be back on the campuses and kick off the year in St. Cloud.

As you’re getting settled and attending your first weeks of classes, we want you to remember that one of the keys to success for all students is to get involved as quickly as possible! We encourage you to take advantage of all opportunities on your campuses, as well as throughout the community.

Take yourself, or grab a group of friends, and get involved in a campus organization, or volunteer through community programs. Staying active, networking, and getting involved will assist you in creating lasting relationships, and landing great internships and job opportunities.

If you’re new to the city, (or even if you’re not) we invite you to partake in the great activities and opportunities St. Cloud has to offer. Numerous parks and trails fill the city and are waiting for you to explore. The surrounding restaurants are waiting for you to come on in and enjoy a delicious bite to eat. Entertainment and events? No problem - visit AroundTheCloud.org for community updates & info!

And, as any student knows, life isn’t just about play. So, if you’re searching for a solid part-time job, check out the Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation’s JobSpot, St. Cloud Workforce Center, The St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce, and The Crossroads Mall. All of these sites feature a wide range of job opportunities around town.

More interested in on-campus/work study positions? Take a look at the job board postings on the St. Cloud State University and St. Cloud Technical & Community College websites.

Again, we welcome you to the great St. Cloud community and hope you have the chance to embark on experiences that will create lasting memories.

Join us and be a part of something GREATER. As students, we want you to discover why St. Cloud is a great place to work, live, and play now and in the future! Of course, there are many ways to get connected with all the latest news & updates.

Study hard and be GREAT,

The City of St. Cloud

#StCloudGREATER

GREAT Summer Activities

Whether we want to accept it or not, the elusive season known as summer is coming to an end.

BUT, this isn’t to say there aren’t a whole ton of fabulous ways to enjoy it here in St. Cloud.

First, let’s discuss the community phenomenon that is Summertime By George! The outdoor music/food/craft/etc extravaganza has been bringing central Minnesotans in the by the thousands this year, and you still have one more week to experience it for yourself! Come down to Lake George on Wednesday, August 27th for the sound of central MN favorite, The Fabulous Armadillos!

Summertime by George // Photo Credit: Granite City Photography

Music is everywhere in St. Cloud during the summer months, including Munsinger Gardens, perched near the Mississippi on the city’s south side. Music in the Gardens brings talented musicians together every other Sunday afternoon near the Gazebo in Munsinger Gardens. Like Summertime by George, the musical performances are free to all. Oh, and root beer floats for a dollar don’t sound too bad.

Music in the Gardens 

Nothing says summer quite like a spread of fresh vegetables, fruits and other locally-produced foods. The St. Cloud Area Farmer’s Markets haven’t sung their swan song just yet!  The Saturday market has been a popular staple, and you can find it in the Lady Slipper Parking Lot (that’s the one between Perkin’s and Fitzharris in downtown St. Cloud), 8am-noon, through the last Saturday in October.

St. Cloud Area Farmer's Market 

If you’re aiming for a late summer outing on the water, but don’t have the proper boating gear, you should check out the boathouse at Lake George. SCSU’s Outdoor Endeavors club has joined forces with the City of St. Cloud, St. Cloud Parks Department and the St. Cloud Rotary Club to make Lake George a focal point for rentals of boats, canoes, kayaks and more, along with professional instruction and safety advice, all summer long. Rates vary depending on gear and time, but this is a solid way to try a new water activity without a serious commitment!

Lake George

And finally, The St. Mary’s Cathedral Block Party in downtown St. Cloud is a summer-ending smash hit, and that’s going to be hosted on September 6th. The event starts at 4pm with an outdoor mass, and is set to include food, a beer garden a raffle, a silent auction, several popular local music acts and lots more. Seriously - what’s better at wrapping up summer than a gigantic downtown party?

So there you have it. There’s plenty of summer left after all! Be sure to check out AroundtheCloud.org for a variety of additional activities, arts, and entertianment throughout the community. Anything make the list that you’re going to do? Leave us a comment and tell us about it!

Capture the Beauty of St. Cloud, MN

Do you have an eye for photography? Is capturing moments with your camera a passion of yours?

If the answer is yes, then get July 11th on your calendar; that’s the deadline for St. Cloud GREATER's 2014 summer season photo and video competition!

The guidelines are simple; we’re looking for your photos and videos that capture the essence of what makes St. Cloud GREAT! Use your imagination and creative eye to illustrate what you love about our community. Suggested settings include:

- Neighborhoods

- The downtown area, including skylines, streetscapes, infrastructure, landmarks, and buildings

- City Buildings (exteriors only)

- The Mississippi and Sauk Rivers

- Transportation (ex. trains, busses, railroad tracks)

- Any number of city parks, trails, open space, flora/fauna, and wildlife

- Businesses

- Public Safety

- Community Life – arts/culture, education, volunteerism, entertainment, and celebrations

- People Portraits, including people participating in any of the City sponsored summer events (e.g. Summertime By George, Granite City Days, June 13 Art Crawl, July 4th fireworks, etc.


So basically, the sky’s the limit. Choose whatever you value most about St. Cloud life, and send it our way! You’re encouraged to submit up to 10 different photos, which will be judged based on age and skill level - youth to professional.

Work will be judged by a carefully curated panel of photo and video professionals, who will present finalists to Mayor Dave Kleis. Kleis will make the final selection, and our prize-winning photographers will be announced LIVE at the August 24th Summertime by George festivities! 

We’ve got an extensive submission requirements list, which is detailed on the city’s website; take a gander and consider sharing your favorite St. Cloud moments with your friends and neighbors! After all, it’s you who makes St. Cloud “GREAT!”

"Summertime by George" Is Back!

It's the Wednesday night phenomenon that’s brought thousands of Central Minnesotans together every week...and it’s back!

Since its inception in 2011, Summertime by George (SBG) has continued to pull thousands of people into Downtown St. Cloud on Wednesday evenings for music, food, art and more.

Now, while the idea for the free community event seems foolproof in hindsight, the fact is, no one really expected SBG to become as popular as it has. Let’s back up a little and review how all this even came to be…

The groundwork for SBG was laid in 2007. At that time, the St. Cloud Rotary Club, in tandem with the City of St. Cloud, started kicking around the idea of gathering the funds to fix up one of St. Cloud’s most central and historic parks.

Over the years, Eastman Park / Lake George, while ideal for all types of things, had developed a reputation for being underutilized and conditions began deteriorating.

This inspired the Rotary Club of St. Cloud to take action.

Four years and $7 million in restorations later, the park was ready for a celebration. The park was transformed with granite water fountain, fishing piers, restored walking and bike paths winding around the lake, a splash pad and, most recently, a permanent performance stage, completed earlier this year.

The question was - exactly what kind of celebration would suit this new community gathering place? After much discussion and whittling away at the list of options, Rotary members expressed overwhelming support for the creation of a weekly outdoor festival, complete with live music, food vendors, artisan retailers, a beer garden, activities for children and families...and more.

That plan was ideal. Last year’s final festival shattered records, drawing in an estimate 13,000 attendees. That brought total SBG 2013 attendance to over 86,000 people.

So, if you haven’t yet been bitten by the Summertime by George bug, you can on June 11! We hope to see you there.