If you’ve ever walked by the Wolfe park in the summer and seen a huge carnival going on, that is most likely going to be the annual summer celebration that the Parktacular committee members put on as a jump start into summer fun.

According to Parktacular president, Joan Fenton, this year’s event is expected to be more popular than it has been in the past.

“Our board has been planning the parade since September,” Fenton said. “Every year we get more and more people to show up as the event gets more publicity around the Twin Cities.”

The board of committee members fundraised with businesses and companies including Park Nicollet, restaurants and banks around St. Louis Park since January to get money invested in the parade, one event during the Parktacular. According to Fenton, the Parktacular is an event that has been planned for almost a year.

“We’ve all worked really hard to get this event to go smoothly, so it would be great if a lot of people could show up, including teenagers,” Fenton said.

According to Fenton, the Kidtacular, which pertains to children 12 and under, is getting bigger.

“We increased our vendors at the expo to add more activities to be in place. This year we are having demonstrations of ‘Parkour’ which is an activity or sport of moving rapidly through an area, typically in an urban environment, negotiating obstacles by running, jumping and climbing. It is going to be shown by professionals at the amphitheater,” Fenton said. “There will also be booths set up for families to sign their kids up for workshops of a certain activity that they are interested in.”

Other new activities, besides Kidtacular are going to be in place this year at the parade, according to Fenton and her committee group.

“The 25th anniversary of the senior coronation is being held which includes alumni members of the ambassador program. Miss St. Louis Park from 1947 is being recognized, who is 94 years old. Other alumni members from 1957 of the ambassador program will be attending the parade as well. It’s going to be really exciting to see the old and new ambassadors of St. Louis Park getting together,” Fenton said.

There will also be a block party held June 19 at Wolfe Park, in which the St. Louis Park Lions Club and the St. Louis Park American Legion will sell beverages and snacks. All the money earned by the Lions club and American Legion will be donated back into the community to improve the wellbeing of St. Louis Park.

According to Fenton, the only expectation she has for the parade is for a nice sunny day.

“All our committee wishes for in the last couple weeks leading up to the parade is nice weather,” Fenton said. “We want as many people to show up to the parade and to start off the celebration of summer as a community.”

The celebration of summer starts June 8 when all St. Louis Park schools get out, and the parktacular parade, which is held a week after that, helps bring the community back together to start summer off right.

Parktacular annual parade is Thurs., June 18 and goes until Sun. June 21. The first day of the Parktacular is the annual senior dinner and senior coronation dinner that starts at 4:30-8 p.m. All the bigger events are on Saturday following the first events held on June 18.