The second annual Taste of Osakis, which will be held Sept. 10-11, aims to be larger than the first.
A lot larger, said Cory Abers, president of the Osakis Area Chamber of Commerce.
"Last year we kept it simple," Abers said. "We kept it downtown only, we kept it only one day. We had vendors, we had food, a bean bag tournament, a little bit of music, things like that. But this year, we dialed it up."
In addition to those original events, Taste of Osakis will host bull-riding, mutton-busting, chainsaw carving, a shooting exhibition by the Gould brothers, a car show, activities from the National Guard, a petting zoo, more vendors and other events.
There will also be live music, including a concert from nationally-known group Confederate Railroad on Friday, Sept. 10, at 10 p.m.
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Junkyard Caddy and Girls Night Out — A Tribute to the Superstar Women of Country will be performing Friday night, as well.
"There's something for everyone," Abers said. "If you're looking for some live music then there's something for you there. There's a bunch of family-friendly events, with the bull-riding and the Gould shooting exhibition and the chainsaw carving. Plenty of activities to either watch or participate in, and also plenty of food."
Taste of Osakis evolved from what used to be Moonshine Madness and is sponsored by the Osakis Area Chamber of Commerce, along with assistance from volunteers.
"The chamber took it over last year and just kind of did a smaller event," Abers said. "We've got some more people on board this year for some planning purposes, and we decided to make it a larger event. …
"Last year the cost was minimal. We had probably a few thousand (dollars) into it," he said. "This year, with putting an event on like this, it's well over $50,000 to do. To get the bull-riding and to get the music with the bands and then all the support stuff that goes behind it, it costs a lot to do those things."
But Abers said the cost will be well worth it because of what the event does to promote the community.
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"When we say 'Taste of Osakis,' we really mean that in the fact of, you get a full flavor of what the town has to offer," he said. "We're an exciting town, we're a vibrant town. We want to show that off to our surrounding communities."
That's one of the main reasons the event is happening, Abers said.
"These businesses want you to come to town, they want you to (see) what they have to offer, but they want to show the town off," he said. "They want people to travel here, they want people to live here, they want people to become part of their organization or business and work from here. To do that, we feel that we have to put events on like this to showcase what a great town we have here in central Minnesota."
A schedule of events is available on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/osakischamberofcommerce.
Ticket information for the Confederate Railroad show and bull-riding is available at https://www.eventbrite.com/o/osakis-chamber-of-commerce-33804610361 , or on Facebook.
Tickets may also be purchased in person at the following locations:
Osakis: A J's Cafe, Osakis True Value, Brothers Market, Osakis VFW, Panther Distillery, The Bowling Barn and Grill (VIP Bull Riding available from here), Head of the Lakes Resort
Alexandria: Blairview Saddle Shop (VIP Bull Riding available from here), Elden's Foods, Viking Pawn
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