Could a parade put Baldwin on the map?

One of Baldwin's maintenance trucks rolled through Zimmerman's parade Saturday, sparking interest in the June 29 visioning session.

Look for the truck again in Princeton's parade at 6 p.m. June 10.

One of the advantages of living in between two cities with festivals is the ability to share in these celebrations without having to host. But that doesn't mean Baldwin couldn't host its own summer festival in the future.

Perhaps a unique festival or parade could help put Baldwin on the map, like it did for Whalan, MN -- a town of 64 residents which hosts a Stand Still Parade each year. Whalan neighbors the larger town of Lanesboro, which has its own festival.

Whalan's tiny, two-block town draws about 1,500 people to walk around the static parade floats each year. The story of their journey to create the parade is detailed in this chapter of the book, Way Off the Road: Discovering the Peculiar Charms of Small-Town America , by Bill Geist.

Do you think Baldwin should have its own summer festival or parade? What pieces of Baldwin's history could be celebrated?

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