Homegrown Preparing for In Person Return, Needs More Volunteers

DULUTH, Minn. – The Twin Ports’ largest music festival is getting ready to return in person.

Homegrown begins May 1 and will feature around 200 musical acts over eight days across several dozen venues in Duluth and Superior.  Executive Director Melissa LaTour says bands and performers responded well to their call for acts, which also connects to the excitement across the area.

“The overall reaction from the community has been nothing from positive,” says LaTour, “right down to both mayors.  We are doing a mayoral proclamation in Superior for the first time ever for Soup Town night, as well as Duluth.”

LaTour say they are maneuvering a number of challenges, including the lingering effects of COVID that forced them to go virtual the past two years.  “Anything from road construction coming up that effects the trolley routes, to venues that are going through some different construction.  We have the pandemic that we’re coming out of, but it’s not over.  So there’s still people catching COVID, so we have to be sensitive to that.”

To get through what has been a tighter schedule for getting this year’s festival set up, LaTour says organizers are making sure they are taking “me time” to ensure their health remains in good shape in the days leading up to the first performances.  “Really giving ourselves that time to go for a walk, take an actual day off, and a lot of communicating going on where we might have only communicated with one subcommittee once or twice.  Right now we are doing it five, ten, fifteen times just to make sure we cross all the t’s and dot the I’s.

More volunteers are needed to help keep venues, artists, and attendees safe.  Training events are set for April 19, 21 and 23. More information on this opportunity and Homegrown in general can be found on their website.

Overall, LaTour says she’s hoping that people will return to the in-person events like in years past, ensuring that Homegrown can continue on in the future.  “The last two years have been really detrimental.  We have not have ticket sales in two years.  So we’re urging the community that if you’ve ever thought of supporting Homegrown in the past, this will be the year to do it.  We’re really are looking for a great population out there, interest to support the local artists and art scene.”