This year marks the 39th annual Osseo Lions Roar Festival (September 11 and 12) in downtown Osseo! This is an all ages, family friendly event put on by the local Osseo Lions Club to celebrate the City of Osseo held each year during the first weekend after Labor Day. The Osseo Lions have been active in the community for over 70 years, and take great pride in serving the community in which they live and work. The Lions Roar Festival is a time to bring the community together, let your hair down, and have some good old fashioned fun!
The event takes place in downtown Osseo, located in 3rd Street NW. Event set-up begins this next week as crews block off the west end of 3rd Street NW starting on Friday, September 11 to prepare for the festival. Crews will also begin setting up the kids bouncy area (located in the Premier Bank parking lots) on Friday afternoon. Business access will be available until 12:00 Noon on Friday and the street will be closed to all traffic through Saturday, September 12.
The festival kicks off on Friday afternoon at 4:00 PM and into the evening, as the Then & Now Band takes to the music stage from 6:30 PM to 10:30 PM. The music stage will be located at the intersection of 3rd Street NW and 1st Avenue NW. The Lions Club will also host the annual food tent. The menu includes all the local favorites: grilled pork chops, hot dogs, Polish sausage, roast beef sandwiches and huge turkey legs. Coke products and bottled water are also available, served by Boy Scouts Troop 211.
The ever-popular Beer Garden (located in 3rd Street NW) will feature strong beer and wine (including Budweiser, Michelob Golden Light, Lime-A-Rite and Straw-Ber-Rita, Barcardi Silver Raz, a selection of wines, and non-alcoholic Sprecher Root Beer). Of course, you must be 21 years of age to drink, and all beer/liquor vendors will card each patron.
The Lions Roar community parade, considered the highlight of the Lions Roar Festival, will begin at 12:00 Noon on Saturday. The parade features over 100 groups from local and area businesses, Osseo city leaders, marching bands, and much more. The parade route follows the same route each year, starting at the intersection of 5th Ave SE and 2nd Street SE. The route travels north along 5th Ave SE to 1st Street NE, where it turns west and travels along 1st Street NE. When the route reaches Central Ave, it turns north and travels through downtown Osseo, before turning west again at 6th Street NW. The parade ends at the Osseo Senior High School parking lot. Again this year, the Classic Car Show (following the parade) will be showing vintage and classic cars on Central Ave until 6:00 PM. Be sure to check out some of the great and beautiful classics from years past!
The party continues Saturday afternoon and into the evening, as two more musical acts take center stage. The Elan Band will play at the music stage from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM, followed by the Urban Myth Band from 6:30 PM to 10:30 PM.
In addition to those great events, the Lions Roar Festival will host a wide range of exciting activities this year. This year we’ll host a kids Inflatables Park, open on Friday from 4:00-9:00 PM and Saturday 2:00-9:00 PM. The Festival also includes a Kids Corral featuring a petting zoo, hair and face painting, character appearances and much more! Craft stations will be available and a fun cake walk event (provided by the Osseo Church of the Nazarene) will be on hand. The Kids Corral will be open from 2:00-4:30 PM on Saturday located in the Osseo Church of the Nazarene parking lot right behind the food tent. The Festival also features a Medallion Hunt, presented by the Osseo/Maple Grove Press. Check out the Press newspaper for clues to find the Medallion and win the cash prize!
Additionally, the following events will take place during the 2015 Lions Roar Festival:
Bingo at the Osseo Community Center, Saturday 2:00-4:00 PM
Art in the Park and Sidewalk Sale, Friday 12:00 Noon-5:00 PM & Saturday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Located at Boerboom Park and along Central Ave
Lions Roar 5K Run/Walk, Saturday 10:00 AM start
Craft Show and Fair, located on 4th Street NE, in the south end of Boerboom Park
Bean Bag Toss, Saturday 3:00-6:00 PM (with mini-donuts provided by the Hopkins Noon-Time Lions)
Pull Tabs and Big Wheel games, Friday and Saturday during the event
The Lions Roar weekend is always a festive and fun event showcasing the City of Osseo. Lions Roar helps build community involvement and makes Osseo a fantastic place to live, work or shop. Hope to see you at this year’s 39th Annual Osseo Lions Roar Festival!
Riley Grams, City Administrator, City of Osseo
