The Chaska Herald once again sponsored “Faces of River City Days.” On Friday and Saturday, for a $2 donation to the Chaska Historical Society, passerby could get their photo in the Ch

By Mark W. Olson

The Chaska History Center’s new exhibit, premiering for River City Days, is “Uniforms on Parade: All Decked Out in Chaska’s History.”

The exhibit takes the form of a “stationary parade,” where the viewer might see uniforms and accessories that would have been worn in parades from Chaska’s past.

The Minnesota Valley Community Band will present a Concert in the Park on Friday, July 23 as part of Chaska’s River City Days celebration.

Some of the titles on the program include: “King Cotton,” Sousa; “I’ve Made My Plans for the Summer,” Sousa (a vocal solo featuring Jane Fox); “Commando March,” Robert Russell Bennett; “Far and Away,” John Williams; and “Malaguena,” Lecuona.

Concert time is 7 p.m. at the Gazebo, in the center of City Square Park. Everyone is invited to bring a lawn chair or blanket.

By Mark Olson

While enjoying River City Days festivities, stop by the Chaska Herald’s booth, on the Fourth Street side of the City Square Park, near the gazebo.

At various shifts throughout Friday and Saturday, you’ll meet staff writer Mollee Francisco; sports editor Tim McGovern; editor Mark Olson; ad representatives Bob Suel and Vanessa Stroh; publisher Richard Crawford; and general manager Mark Weber – among other Herald employees.

A few things you can do at the booth:

During the week preceding River City Days, through July 23, local businesses will be collecting non-perishable food and items for Bountiful Basket and Love INC.

The organizations’ wish lists include: canned goods, cereal, peanut butter, toilet paper, paper towels, diapers and other items. A more extensive list can be found on the River City Days website: www.chaskarivercitydays.com.

Items can be dropped off at participating business locations:

If it seems as though River City Days is no longer confined to three days at the end of July, you’re not imagining things.

Over the last year, long-time organizer Tim Sebenaler made a concerted effort to expand the annual festivities.

While most of the events are Friday, July 23 to Sunday, July 25, the past week has also been full of activities. “It’s not just a weekend, but also the week leading up to it,” Sebenaler said.

The 2010 Chaska River City Days Triathlon went a lot like the 2009 edition.

But just a little bit faster.

A pair of Chaskans repeated as overall champions on a sunsplashed Saturday morning at Firemans Park, in the kickoff event for the upcoming River City Days festivities.

Chaska native Nick Madrinich repeated as the men's overall champion, finishing a second faster than his 1:10 time last year.

Madrinich, a 2009 Chaska High School graduate who swims for the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, studied abroad in Milan, Italy last year.

By Mark W. Olson

River City Days, Chaska’s unofficial mid-summer mark, is coming earlier than usual this year.

The core of Chaska’s big city celebration will still be the last full weekend of July. However, in an effort to create more family and recreational events, organizers will also be holding activities in the events leading up to July 23-25, according to organizer Tim Sebenaler. It’s a way to get families “off the couch,” he said.

Jeannette Lebans, of Chaska, won the Walk the Sidewalk grand prize during River City Days. The prize includes a shopping spree worth $550, with $25 gift certificates from 22 participating businesses.