Sales of commemorative “Skipper pins” have financed Aquatennial programming for decades. Many volunteers wear decades worth of pins on their lapels or hats during the festival to highlight their years of service with the organization.

Sonny and Cher were scheduled to be 1967’s headline musical performers supplementing the more psychedelic “Happening” concert series which included Buffalo Springfield, the Electric Prunes, and Jefferson Airplane. Tragically, Cher suffered a miscarriage shortly before the show was planned to begin. To save face for a heavily promoted show, the duo’s agent and radio promoters convinced a reluctant Sonny to leave California for the show while Cher recovered at a hospital. After holding a last-minute audition for backup female singers, Sonny performed his first show ever without Cher.

While winning the Queen of the Lakes pageant came with impressive perks for candidates in the early decades of the Aquatennial such as new cars and international trips, schedules proved grueling at times. 1962’s Queen of the Lakes, Pamela Jo Albinson, recalled the work which went into being featured in the parades: “Connie and I had to stand because of the float design. We were strapped into a metal waist--harness attached to a sturdy pole. Then our dresses were placed over the contraption. When the float jounced or jostled, it was quite a task to remain poised and posed.” Pamela Albinson, Seventy Five Years of the Minneapolis Aquatennial (Minneapolis: Nodin Press, 2014). Used with permission of the Hennepin County History Museum.

Visits from parade royalty from around the world, as well as from diplomatic officials served the Aquatennial’s original goal of building business connections between Minnesota and cities both at home and abroad. Minneapolis Aquatennial Souvenir Program Collection, Call # F.613.M93 M52. Used with permission of the Hennepin County History Museum.

Richard Nixon served as grand marshal of the Aquatennial in 1958, the first vice president to do so since Alben Barkley in 1950. Used with permission of the Hennepin County History Museum.

Richard Nixon served as grand marshal of the Aquatennial in 1958, the first vice president to do so since Alben Barkley in 1950. Used with the permission of the Hennepin County History Museum

Dayton’s Department store was regarded among Aquatennial organizers and attendants alike as regularly sponsoring the most lavish floats of the Grande Days and Torchlight Parades for decades, ranging from full-size paddleboats to scale replicas of the Taj Mahal led by elephants. Aquatennial Parade Floats[graphics], Sound and Visual Collection Call #I:3. Used with the permission of the Hennepin County History Museum.

For 1956’s parade, Dayton’s created a 167-foot long float depicting fashion trends by decade from the 1860s to the 1950s with live models. This ten-car display briefly held the world record for the longest parade float. Used with the permission of the Hennepin County History Museum.

Dance troupes from Hollywood and Broadway perform a revue number on the Aqua Follies stage on Wirth Lake for the finale of the Aqua Follies show. While the Follies originally ran twice daily during the Aquatennial, they were cut back to nightly performances, as audiences preferred the more spectacular accompanying lighting. Used with the permission of the Hennepin County History Museum.

The “Aqua Dears” were the foundation of the highly choreographed Aqua Follies shows for more than two decades, combining synchronized swimming with use of elaborate floating props for crowds of six thousand. Used with the permission of the Hennepin County History Museum.