Community-building festival returns to north Minneapolis
Dozens of children walked away from Franklin Middle School in north Minneapolis with stuffed backpacks on Saturday afternoon, even though the start of the school year is still weeks away.
It was the third annual “Harvest a New North” festival, organized by the Hope United Community Development Corporation in partnership with local churches, nonprofits, government agencies and the school.
Organizers said the top of their agenda was back-to-school preparation, with free school supply giveaways, as well as information on youth programming and needed vaccines.
But it was an event for all ages — with free BBQ and Caribbean food, and a headlining set by Grammy award-winning group Sounds of Blackness.
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“We wanted to do something that would bring joy, happiness, and more focus on those kinds of things within the community,” said lead organizer, Norman Harrington.
Harrington, director of programs at Hope United Community Development, said the “Harvest a New North” festival came about as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic and civil unrest after the murder of George Floyd.
He said three churches began holding prayer walks around the area to bring peace. The churches — Wayman A.M.E. Church, Westwood Community Church, Waite Park Church — decided to focus their energy on Franklin Middle School to support families amid the global crisis, developing a community advisory group to work with the school year-round.
Then they started the festival, and several other churches and stakeholders joined the effort.
“It's just a groundswell of all of these organizations coming together, wanting to bring shalom, peace, and joy in a community that's often defined by their deficiencies,” Harrington said.
He said over 500 people attended the festival last year; this year, organizers expect up to 1,000 will have visited over the course of a day.
WCCO-TV reporter and north side champion Reg Chapman emceed the event. The National Guard surprised Chapman, a Gulf War veteran, on stage with a service award recognizing his demonstrated contributions to the community.
The day also included performances by local youth dancers and choirs, with many church members volunteering at the event.
“There's a lot of skepticism I think about the church and churches today, and a lot of people who think that the church is part of the problem. And part of what we want to do is we want the church to be a part of the solution,” said Kory Kleinsasser, pastor at Waite Park Wesleyan Church in northeast Minneapolis.
Kleinsasser said the relationships formed through the festival are one of its most important contributions.
Resources across the fair also supported public health and long-term success. An M Health Fairview mini-clinic sponsored by the Minneapolis Health Department offered free preventative dental treatments and measles vaccines. Clinic volunteers were also available to check blood pressure or answer questions about needed vaccines.
“I think the services are wonderful because the community needs them and not everybody has access to them, so it was kind of like the city bringing these services and supports to us, which is great,” said attendee Ebony Johnson.
A Franklin Middle School alumna herself, Johnson brought her children and neighbors out to enjoy a “last hurrah for the summer before school starts again.”
“It feels good to be outside… we've had a rough couple of years, so it's just good to be out and with people again doing nice, wholesome family engagement events like this,” Johnson said.