Grand Old Day, the unofficial start to summer in St. Paul, is officially back on.
The announcement at Billy's on Grand restaurant came Thursday afternoon, just over a week since the Grand Avenue Business Association canceled the street festival that for more than 40 years has drawn hundreds of thousands to St. Paul's Grand Avenue on the first Sunday in June.
Organizers last week said their fundraising couldn't cover their costs. Within days, business owners and others announced a last-ditch effort to rescue Grand Old Day. On Thursday, the festival's Facebook page announced its revival.
So far, organizers say they have raised $75,000 toward the cost of staging the festival, halfway to their goal, making them confident they can put on Grand Old Day on June 2.
"We're taking a leap of faith," said Bob Lawrence, vice president of the business association. "We still have a lot of work to do."
"We did it, we did it!" said Aimee Hanson, owner of Spara Realty and a longtime Grand Old Day participant. "We're so happy."
Hanson credited Ashley LeMay and Andy Rodriguez, who came up with the idea of an alternative, scaled-back event, Grand Old Day Anyway. That effort ended up saving the festival, she said.
LeMay, whose family owns Tavern on Grand, was beaming.