2025 Event Schedule and Map
Sunday, September 7
12pm-4pm
West River Pkwy & 34-36th Street
Free Ice Cream from Big Bell while supplies last!
- 12-4pm
Voyageur Canoe rides from Longfellow Beach - 12:30pm
Rock Walk with Rebecca Clotts - 12:45-4pm
Live Music - 1-4pm
Face Painting - 1pm & 2pm
Dakota Tours with Marlena Myles - 1:30pm & 2:30pm
Tours with Friends of the Mississippi River
All activities are FREE!
Parking is limited – walking or biking is encouraged.
About the Longfellow River Gorge Festival
The Longfellow River Gorge festival is one of LCC’s longest running annual events. Each fall we honor and celebrate the Mississippi River, its history, and its vital ongoing importance to humans and wildlife. The festival educates community about the River’s functions and ecology in a fun and approachable way focusing on restoration and conservation.
Accessibility Information
Location
34th Street: **Canoe Rides** A staircase descends to the “Sand Flats” at Longfellow Beach.
Bernstein Overlook/35th Street: **Main Gathering Space** This area features educational tables, ice cream, and serves as the starting point for guided tours. It is mostly flat and includes sidewalks, along with a small overlook of the river and gorge. The guided walking tours take participants through the forest along the Mississippi River, utilizing unpaved and uneven paths.
Bathrooms
34th Street – One porta-potty at the top of the staircase.
Bernstein Overlook/35th Street – One standard porta-potty and one ADA accessible porta-potty located near the parkway.
Water
A water cooler will be located in the main tabling area at the Bernstein Overlook. You are encouraged to bring your own water and any supplies you may need for the afternoon.
Sensory
Live instrumental music, crowd, opportunities to touch various items at the education tables (not required), sand/water down by the canoes.
Please contact with any questions or concerns.
Meet the Tour Guides & Musicians
Marlena Myles
Dakota Tour at 1:00pm & 2:00pm
Marlena Myles is a self-taught Native American (enrolled Spirit Lake Dakota & also of Mohegan and Muscogee descent) artist located in St Paul, Minnesota. Her art brings modernity to Indigenous history, languages and oral traditions while using the land as a teacher. Growing up on her traditional Dakota homelands here in the Twin Cities, she enjoys using her artwork to teach Minnesotans of all backgrounds the Indigenous history of this place we call home. More about Marlena: https://marlenamyl.es/
Rebecca Clotts
Rock Walk at 12:30pm
Rebecca Clotts is a geologist in the Department of Earth, Environment, and Society at the University of St Thomas. She has passion for geoscience education at all levels.
Join Rebecca for a Rock Walk starting with an easy stroll through 450 million year old rocks in the Mississippi River Gorge. Want to go deeper? Head down the bluffs to see where rock meets water and explore how the water is still shaping the area.
Bass & Fife
music 12:45-4pm
As Bass & Fife, John (upright bass) and Amy (flute) play jazz and pop standards ranging from Gershwin to Van Morrison, along with some Celtic songs in the mix.
John began playing tuba in NE Jr. High and bass in North High schools. He’s played electric bass with local bands Lemongrass (92′-97′) and Trampoline (2000-current). He has lived in Minneapolis his entire life, currently residing in the North Loop. Amy began playing flute in middle school and also bass and guitar in high school jazz bands. She’s played flute in the U of M Marching Band (96′-97′) and local quintet Winds Out of the Northeast (2016-current). Originally from west central Minnesota, she has lived in Minneapolis for over 25 years, and now resides in South Minneapolis. Currently, both John and Amy are members of the Northeast Community Band located in NE Minneapolis.
Thanks to LCC volunteer community organizers for making this event possible!
The Longfellow River Gorge Festival (formerly Share the River Gorge) is an annual event hosted and partially funded by the Longfellow Community Council. The event is organized by a dedicated group of neighborhood volunteers who are passionate about the River and our shared environment. It’s the work of community volunteers that has kept the River Gorge Festival going for over a decade, bringing free, educational, and fun environmental experiences to our neighborhoods.
The River Gorge Festival is possible thanks to generous community support. Every donation makes a difference!
Donate to the River Gorge Festival