Minnesota’s longest-running art and book festival? It’s happening Saturday in Hackensack

HACKENSACK, MINN. — There’s no bookstore here. Or art gallery. But there is the state’s longest-running art and book festival.

The small community 14 miles south of Walker on Highway 371 hosts the 29th annual Northwoods Art & Book Festival on Saturday featuring 35 Minnesota authors available for book signings and readings alongside 65 regional artists and live music.

Sure, there are longer-running art festivals around Minnesota. St. Paul hosted the 55th annual St. Anthony Park Arts Festival and Lanesboro celebrated 43 years of fine art. Twin Cities Book Festival has been going strong for 24 years. But Hackensack’s is an art and book festival, a marketing approach meant to lure more literary visitors to town. And it seems to work.

Hackensack, population hovering around 300, drew 3,000 people last year’s festival, said Lynn Van Allen, a coordinator with the Northwoods Art Council.

“We did our research in regards to the longest art festivals, longest book festivals, but there were no art and literature festivals and that’s how it came about,” Van Allen said. “I’ll go to an art festival, and it’s been going way longer than 29 years. So ours is just a unique niche.”

Some of the local authors include John Noltner, who wrote about selling his home in Minneapolis to “live small” during a 900 day, 93,000-mile journey with his wife, Karen. There are mystery and suspense authors like Laura Hern and Jodie Leigh Murray. Darrell J. Pedersen, author of “Who Will Carry the Fire? More Reflections from a North Woods Lake,” is a returning festival favorite.

The festival is another economic boon for Hackensack, home of Paul Bunyan’s sweetheart, Lucette. The town not only boasts the art and book festival, but there’s also Sweetheart Days in July to kick off summer followed by a chainsaw carving event in September.

And every Friday through Aug. 30, a lakeside concert series attracts hundreds of visitors and locals to the shores of Birch Lake for free live music hosted by the Northwoods Art Council.

“The local business owners really do appreciate the efforts of everyone at the Northwoods Art Council because these events certainly bring a lot of people into the city, and it does help our business,” said Brian Hinchley, co-owner of Sun and Fun ice cream shop and boutique in the heart of downtown Hackensack.

“We always do better on these weekends,” he added.

Lindsay Lorenz, president of the Hackensack Chamber of Commerce, said she hopes Saturday’s festival attendees fall in love with all that Hackensack has to offer, including a brewery and local restaurants.

“What I think is the most beneficial with our town and its economy is the new people that it brings in because they’re going to attend the festival ... but what they’re going to see is like, ‘Oh, wow. Hackensack has a lot to offer. I want to come back.’ So that’s what we hope.”

More information about the Northwoods Art & Book Festival including vendors, youth activities, artists and authors is available at www.northwoodsartscouncil.org.

The festival, located at the intersection of Lake Avenue and Third Street, starts at 10 a.m. and runs until 3 p.m.