The quiet town of Swanville, Minnesota does a complete 180 transformation the weekend after the 4th of July every year. What is usually a peaceful park turns into a bustling area serving up an iconic BBQ chicken dinner, live music takes over the band shell, and carnival rides get set up all the way down Degraff Avenue.
This town of only 332 people throws a party that attracts thousands of people for three days of fun and entertainment. The area Lions Club is a huge reason why this festival happens.
Work for the carnival starts in the winter leading up to it. Back in the 80s, the Lions Club started the tradition of going to a local area lake and cutting ice to use at the beer gardens. Instead of buying ice, storing the blocks from the lake was far more cost-effective, and it keeps the beer ice cold during three of the hottest days of the year.
The local Lions Club is also responsible for setting up the tents the week before the festivities, organizing the bands, and running the iconic BBQ chicken dinner. This dinner really is a huge highlight of the event. It started back in the 60s, at one of the first carnivals the Lions Club was responsible for the live music and the beer garden. A few members brought down grills to the area and started making BBQ chicken dinners for the organization members, but people at the carnival were wondering where they could buy some for themselves. That snowballed into the Lions starting their own food stand and now they serve 1,000 chickens, and about 250 gallons of bbq sauce in just a matter of days.
The festival is marking its 60th anniversary in 2023, with live music from Paul Jensen followed by Arch Allies (Friday) Backroads band followed by Maiden Dixie (Saturday), and Alan Godage & Sundown (Sunday). A full rundown of the events, as well as live updates as the festival goes on, can be found on the Swanville Midsummer Carnival Facebook page.
Check out The Small Town Tourist Podcast where we deep dive into the carnival with Lions member Grant Allen:
The Small Town Tourist 
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