History
Arlington has over 2,000 people and was first laid out in 1856. The name of the town was officially approved on May 11, 1858 (any good Minnesotan will know this was the day the state was born). German settler came in the 1860s-1870s and the town is still predominantly German descent (as my coworker’s last name suggest). The railroad was built in 1881 and the location of the city changed a bit. Arlington was officially incorporated in 1948.
Arlington is home to the Sibley County Fair Grounds and is enjoyed beginning in August. The Fair Grounds also has races when the fair is not in full swing. Arlington also has a baseball team which provides great entertainment and is “the best thing about the town.” (Per Tim my coworker) They even have a team that plays vintage baseball where they play without gloves. The water tower of the town is even decorated as a baseball.
Arli-Dazzle
I have a coworker from Arlington. When I started on this adventure, I polled my coworkers about where they were from and what to do there. He said Arli-dazzle is probably the thing I should do. I have to agree. Arli-Dazzel says it is “Probably the largest lighted Christmas parade in Minnesota.” The town is full of people on the first Saturday of December full of cheer.
Arli-Dazzle is home to horse drawn sleigh rides, 4H petting zoo, snowball baseball game, vintage snowmobile show, Christmas market, 5K “Dash through the Snow,” and so much more. The festivities are capped off by Santa Clause arriving by lighted train. He shows up just in time to be the grand-Marshall of an amazing light parade. This is not a short parade either, and the floats go all out. At the end of the parade they light off fireworks!
We did not get there to enjoy the entire day full of activities, but it seems like a lot of fun activities to do. We arrived for the parade and were wrapped up full of blankets. The town had warming fires all up and down the main street. I was also impressed that the hair studio right near where we were seated was open. Inside it had free hot cider and chocolate as well as homemade Christmas treats. The other magical thing about the night is that right when the parade ended it started to snow.
Arli-Dazzle | chamber (arlingtonmnchamber.org)
Sources/Links
Home | www.sibleycountyfair.com
Arlington Raceway – Arlington, MN Home