Madelia’s Resilience: Park Days 2024

National Park and Recreation Month (July) promotes gratitude to all parks and recreation professionals, staff, and volunteers for their dedication to ensuring communities have clean, safe, and available spaces and places for residents and visitors.

National Wellness Month (August) encourages prioritizing self-care by reducing stress, creating healthier habits, and doing things that make you feel better about yourself and humanity.

As we close out National Park and Recreation Month and move into National Wellness Month, we want to reflect on the resilience and highlight the wellness of the Madelia community. 

Madelia’s Park Days Amongst the 100-Year Flood

It was 1976 when Park Days was created as an extension of the Nation’s Bicentennial celebration. Since then, Park Days has been an annual event held the second weekend of July at Watona Park. Former residents return to Madelia the most during Park Days weekend. The every-decade all-school reunion is held during Park Days when proud Madelia Area Public School alumni gather. Park Days is an anticipated celebration worthy of its heavy attendance.

However, this year, the 100-year flood caused a cancellation. While rain is a common occurrence in many parts of America, every 100 years, Madelia sees exceptionally high water levels that flood the parks and part of the city. Yet, Madelia residents are resilient and the community bond is strong. Not wanting to give in to the lack of parks for Park Days, nor the depression caused by flood damage, Madelia residents showed a true sign of wellness and community spirit by shifting the Park Days plan.

Madelia’s 2024 Park Days was renamed Park Days Uptown Edition and moved from Watona Park to Beautiful Downtown Madelia. July 12 - 14, 2024, residents and visitors enjoyed Main Street and celebrated no-park Park Days with a 5k run, live music, food trucks, a bean bag tournament, a parade, a car show, and so much more. 

Madelia’s Fire Bond

While 2024’s 100-year flood was catastrophic causing residents to lose their homes, valuable memorabilia, and businesses to close for repairs, etc., neighbors and FEMA stepped in to help those in need. Yet, this wasn’t the first time during this century that Madelia faced traumatic times.

February 3, 2016, Downtown Madelia suffered a five-hour fire that wiped out Main Street. While some businesses were able to operate at alternate locations, many were not. It took roughly two years for businesses to rebuild with the help of the community, the State of Minnesota, and other resources. Highlighting the strength and prosperity of Madelia, 99% of the businesses affected by the 2016 fire are operational and thriving in Madelia today. Many of these businesses were open and/or participated in Park Days Uptown Edition. 

Parks and Business Wellness

Parks and recreational facilities are major economic drivers that also help increase the quality of life and personal and business wellness. Watonwan County is working on a master plan to improve all parks and trails.

Located in the Northeastern part of Watonwan County, the Madelia area consists of three cities: Madelia, La Salle, and Lewisville. Combined, the Madelia area offers four county parks, multiple trails, and six local parks for outdoor enthusiasts, family bonding, child’s play, or the workaholic longing for a quiet stroll.  

As a telecommuter-forward location, the Madelia area offers better internet than the closest metropolitan area, a robust community, and space for tele-health, tele-commuting, tele-ag, agriculture, and retail industries. Being a small, rural area, the workforce is educated, knowledgeable, ready, and available.

Consider the Madelia area to start, relocate, or expand your business. Contact MARC to learn more about why you should be here.