Minneapolis, MN — Big changes are coming to the annual City of Lakes Loppet Festival! Now in its 17th installment, the multi-day winter festival has become a Minneapolis staple for celebrating the wonder, adventure, and fun of the winter season in Minnesota.
Now with the completion of The Trailhead, the Loppet Foundation’s long-awaited headquarters, most of this year’s City of Lakes Loppet Winter Festival events will be centered in Theodore Wirth Regional Park on the border between North Minneapolis and Golden Valley. Over a decade in the making, The Trailhead building is the latest of upgrades to Wirth Park in partnership between the Loppet Foundation and Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.
Reversing the Course
Beginning with the 2019 festival, all point-to-point events will begin on the Chain of Lakes in Uptown and finish at The Trailhead. “We have been waiting to do this for years,” says Isaac Kasper, the Loppet’s Chief of Course. “Starting on the lakes is perfect – it gives the skiers and bikers time to spread out before hitting the narrower and hillier trails in Wirth Park.”
Events like the Junior Loppet and Minne-Loppet will also be much improved for racers in this scenario. Rather than skiing on the flat and windy Bde Maka Ska, athletes will enjoy skiing on more varied and sheltered trails in Theodore Wirth Park – complete with snowmaking infrastructure that will guarantee a great event, no matter the weather.
The Big Tent and Vendor Village will also be relocating at The Trailhead – meaning that participants and spectators alike will be able to better enjoy all that the festival has to offer in a centralized location. “We are really looking forward to focusing all of the excitement of Loppet weekend at our new home in Wirth Park,” said the Loppet Foundation’s executive director, John Munger. “Between The Trailhead, our new and expanded snowmaking, and an exciting new course, we are expecting 2019 to be our biggest year ever!”
For more information, and to register for festival events, visit the Loppet Winter Festival website.
The Minneapolis Park Board & The Loppet Foundation celebrate the historic opening of The Trailhead building in Throdore Wirth Park. (Photo: Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board)
(Press release)
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, Loppet Foundation celebrate opening of The Trailhead in Theodore Wirth Regional Park
New facility will serve as a jumping off point for full slate of year-round, world-class outdoor recreation opportunities
On Tuesday, July 17, 2018, officials from the Loppet Foundation and Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) were joined by a crowd of supporters and Theodore Wirth Regional Park users for a ribbon-cutting ceremony that marked the official opening of The Trailhead.
The Trailhead is a new 14,000-square-foot building built with bird-safe glass and a variety of northern hardwoods representative of the forest in Wirth Park. It will serve as a year-round destination for outdoor adventurers from all walks of life.
“Through years of hard work, strategic thinking, and incredible community support, The Trailhead is finally coming to fruition and we couldn’t be happier,” said John Munger, executive director of the Loppet Foundation. “Having this infrastructure in place will give us exactly the boost needed to realize our vision of an ethnically and economically diverse community coming together around a shared passion for the outdoors.”
Building highlights include:
Large indoor gathering space with seating for 250 people
Outdoor patio looking out at multiuse natural trails and the winter tubing hill
The Trailhead is located at 1221 Theodore Wirth Parkway and is open daily 7 am-9 pm.
“The Trailhead will open countless opportunities for people of all ages, experience levels and backgrounds to enjoy Wirth Park and the natural beauty we’ve been gifted in Minneapolis,” said Mary Merrill, superintendent of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. “It’s a great park with incredible trails and attractions, and now we’re thrilled to add this world-class facility.”
The Trailhead was included in the Theodore Wirth Regional Park Master Plan, which calls for an area devoted to lifetime outdoor activities like cross-country skiing, trail running, mountain biking and hiking. The Master Plan was approved by MPRB Commissioners on March 4, 2015 after a five-year public engagement process that included dozens of public meetings.
“Partnerships and volunteers are crucial to maintaining and improving our beloved parks system,” said Brad Bourn, president of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. “We’re proud to partner with an organization like the Loppet Foundation, which has a phenomenal reputation and proven track record of making outdoor recreation experiences available to kids and people of color who have been traditionally excluded from the outdoors.”
The MPRB and the Loppet Foundation have worked together for years to provide maintenance and programming at Wirth Park. That successful relationship expanded as part of this project. The Loppet Foundation oversees snowmaking and mountain bike trail maintenance, while the MPRB remains in charge of golf operations and golf maintenance and programming, with the exception that the Loppet provides customer service staff inside The Trailhead.
“The exciting thing about The Trailhead is how it provides this amazing on-ramp for positive experiences in the out-of-doors,” said Anthony Taylor, Adventures Director of the Loppet Foundation. “Over the years, Loppet programming has been happening in parking lots, out of the backs of trucks and trailers, and we now have this safe space for adventure to live and flourish in North Minneapolis — and realize our ultimate goal of connecting everyone with an active, outdoor lifestyle.”
ABOUT THE LOPPET FOUNDATION
The Loppet Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that creates a shared passion for year-round outdoor adventure in the Minneapolis area, focusing on underserved youth and families. Since 2002, the Loppet Foundation has worked to create high-quality public events, youth education, and outdoor recreation programs for the local community. Learn more at www.loppet.org.
ABOUT THE MINNEAPOLIS PARK AND RECREATION BOARD
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is a nationally accredited, independent, semi-autonomous body responsible for the Minneapolis park system. With 180 parks, the Park Board provides opportunities for all people to gather at its 102 playgrounds, 77 pools and beaches, 126 miles of dual walking and biking paths, 49 recreation centers, 47 outdoor ice rinks, 12 gardens, seven golf courses, seven dog parks and hundreds of multipurpose sports fields and courts. Public water access is offered at 12 lakes, three creeks and more than 10 miles of Mississippi riverfront, and it’s expanding with the transformative RiverFirst plans. For details, visit www.minneapolisparks.org.
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