In delivery of boy who is ‘pure joy,’ western Wisconsin jury finds midwife negligent

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Breauanna Jennings, already a mother of two, worried something was wrong a few hours before she gave birth to her third child. Still, she said a certified nurse midwife assured her she and her baby were fine.

August Jennings, 6, on a swing in June 2025. (Courtesy of the Jennings family)

When baby August was born in Hudson, Wis., medical staff rushed to give him chest compressions and resuscitate him because he wasn’t breathing.

“I don’t think anybody was really telling us what was going on because it was an emergency situation,” Jennings said.

And the feeling in that moment for husband Anthony Jennings?

“Scared to death,” he said.

August didn’t get enough oxygen during his birth and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, according to a medical malpractice lawsuit filed by his family in St. Croix County, Wis.

A jury decided on a $29 million verdict for the family in March, though the amount was recently reduced to $17 million due to Wisconsin statutes, said Noah Lauricella, the Jenningses’ attorney.

The Jenningses said they want to ensure August will get the care he needs “for the best quality of life he can have,” which was a major factor for their lawsuit.

“August is pure joy,” Breauanna Jennings said recently. “I’m so thankful that we got to keep him, but it’s hard to watch how hard things are for him.”

“A lot of it could have been prevented,” Anthony Jennings said.

The Jenningses also want to help other families.

“The hope is … that we are making sure that medical providers are able to make the right decisions,” Breauanna Jennings said. “In the right time,” Anthony Jennings added.

Baby ‘near death’ at birth

The Jenningses also have a 13-year-old son and a 16-year-old daughter, and Breauanna said their deliveries were not problematic. There was “nothing concerning” in August’s prenatal visits, the Jenningses’ lawsuit said.

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When Jennings, of New Richmond, Wis., went to Hudson Hospital for her son’s birth in September 2018, certified nurse midwife Robyn Cox told her the baby’s “heart rate wasn’t great, but it wasn’t terrible, either,” Jennings recounted recently.

A fetal heart rate monitor was used at the hospital and “the signs, symptoms … were such that the standard of care required that care be turned over to a physician and not to a midwife” for August’s delivery, the lawsuit said.

A doctor was paged at 6:19 p.m. and August was born at 6:24 p.m. The obstetrician, who wasn’t part of the lawsuit, didn’t make it into the room, Lauricella said.

The lawsuit said Cox “knew or should have known that in order to preserve the well-being” of August, “an immediate C-section should have been called for.”

A C-section did not happen and, when Jennings gave birth to August, he was “near death” due to brain damage from lack of oxygen, according to the suit.

Midwife’s attorney: She was trained, experienced

The Jenningses’ lawsuit initially named Hudson Hospital, though the hospital was later dismissed from the legal action. It then centered on Cox and her employer at the time, Hudson Physicians.

Samuel Leib, an attorney for Cox and Hudson Physicians, told the jury that Breauanna Jennings had experienced “decreased fetal movement” in the weeks before August was born, according to a court transcript of his opening statement.

He said experts would testify that August had a “neurologic injury” before his mother “ever got to the hospital.”

“When they arrived at the hospital, if they had done a C-section the moment (she) had arrived, … the outcome would have been no different,” Leib said, adding later that was because “there was a pre-existing problem.”

Cox “was trained, experienced, licensed to do this delivery and care for mom,” Leib told the jury.

Jury found midwife negligent

In a March verdict, a St. Croix County jury answered “yes” to the question of “Was Robyn Cox … negligent in her management of the labor of Breauanna Jennings and the delivery of August Jennings” and “yes” to the second question of “Was Robyn Cox’s negligence a cause of August Jennings injuries and health condition?”

The jury awarded $29 million for past and future pain and suffering, August’s past and future medical and care expenses, and other factors. Lauricella said they were told it was a record-setting verdict for St. Croix County.

Attorneys for Cox, Hudson Physicians and the Wisconsin Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund sought a new trial or to change the verdict, which Judge Scott Needham denied in a July order.

The attorneys also argued that Wisconsin statutes cap damages for pain and suffering at $750,000 total, which Needham agreed with.

Hudson Physicians is responsible for $1.5 million of the verdict and the Wisconsin Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund for $15.9 million, Lauricella noted in a July court document that calculated interest owed as of that date. When a health care provider pays up to their insurance policy limit in Wisconsin, the fund is responsible for the rest, Lauricella said.

“This was a lengthy, heatedly contested and tremendously emotional trial with nationally known experts testifying in support of the care that was provided by my clients,” Leib said in a recent email.

“Robyn Cox is an extraordinarily well trained certified nurse midwife who continues to provide excellent care to her patients,” he continued. “Although we respect the jury’s verdict, the motions after verdict contained many potential appellate issues. The courts provide the opportunity to resolve disputes, and this dispute continues at this time.”

Cox lists online that she currently works as a certified nurse midwife in Minnesota and that she stopped working for Hudson Physicians in 2019.

Lauricella said they are considering filing an appeal, challenging the constitutionality of Wisconsin’s $750,000 cap on pain and suffering.

Auggie ‘makes whole room light up’

After his birth, August was transferred to a neonatal intensive care unit, where he spent about two weeks. The early months at home were just “living moment to moment” and getting him to appointments with doctors and specialists, Anthony Jennings said.

As the couple looked back at what happened on the day August was born, they had concerns and sought out the Goldenberg Lauricella law firm in Minneapolis.

Lauricella said, when his own children were born, they needed a lot of medical care. “They received outstanding … care and they’re doing great,” he said. The Jenningses “believed they weren’t so fortunate, believed that they could have had a different life for their son if things had been done differently.”

Most lawsuits are dismissed or settled without a trial. Going through the trial and reliving what happened was traumatic, said Breauanna Jennings, now 41.

It was “really sad and scary,” she said. “You put trust in a medical provider, hoping to keep you and your baby safe.”

August will turn 7 in September. He needs full-time assistance at home and school, which he will for his entire life, his parents said. He uses a walker to get around.

“He is a very social, happy guy,” Breauanna Jennings said.

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August has “a fairly good understanding of language,” his mother said, and he uses an iPad as a communication device — he pushes icons to verbalize for him, and he has been learning letters and numbers also. He uses his own kind of sign language.

He finished kindergarten last school year and will soon be heading to first grade.

“He’s a little celebrity,” Anthony Jennings said. “It takes us like 10 minutes to get out of school with everyone saying, ‘Bye, Auggie, bye, Auggie.’”

He plays with other kids “with modifications and support from an adult,” said Breauanna Jennings, who works as an occupational therapy assistant and uses her expertise with her son.

Lauricella said August “makes the whole room light up” when he enters.

“You can’t help but smile when you’re around the kid,” he said. “To see what he faces and how hard things are that we all take for granted, that our bodies can do, and for him to still walk around through life in a (walker) with that kind of joy — it’s incredible.”

‘A place to advocate’: Woodbury committee bridges the gap between police and community

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As a Black man in Minnesota, Timothy Brewington said that where he comes from, when you encounter a police officer, you turn around.

“You don’t want eye contact, you don’t want any type of communication,” Brewington said. “And it’s really the uniform. You try to stay away from the uniform.”

In Black culture, police often represent the opposite of what they’re meant to, he said. Instead of safety, they present fear among people of color – and the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020 further cemented this for many.

Black communities also tend to be more aware that American policing as we know it evolved in part from slave patrols that were “empowered to control and deny access to equal rights to freed slaves,” as the NAACP explains it.

So, where do people go from there? In a country where policing is meant to serve as the system of safety, of protection, of servanthood, how does law enforcement ensure the well-being of their entire community is protected regardless of race, identity and ability?

Woodbury, a growing population of more than 80,000, does not claim to have all the answers, but it is being intentional in hearing everyone’s voices, according to Public Safety Director and Chief Jason Posel.

In 2019, Woodbury’s Public Safety Department and members of the community joined together to create the Multicultural Advisory Committee, or MAC, to help strengthen the relationship between police and the community. Each committee member volunteers to represent their various ethnic and cultural backgrounds and work alongside law enforcement to review policy, help create initiatives and form relationships, which all contribute to creating a safer community.

“Our mission, the reason why we exist, is to serve all people with compassion and courage,” Posel said. “The Multicultural Advisory Committee is an opportunity for us to connect with the community, to work with the community to help address issues.”

Bridging gaps

The committee started in 2019 after a woman called the police department and shared how her grandson had negative encounters with law enforcement outside of Woodbury. With the desire that her grandson and others would feel safe and connected, she suggested that the community and the department have conversations to try to build trust, according to Brewington. From there, the committee bloomed and now has close to 20 members who meet in person every fourth Monday of the month.

“Like in any relationship, you have to get to know the person and, over time, you can really open up and state how you feel,” said Brewington, who joined the committee in 2019. “But the timing of the formation of this group was important, because we started in the early part of 2019, and then George Floyd was murdered in May of 2020.”

The group wasn’t formed out of crisis, Brewington said, but rather to address an existing systemic issue. Floyd’s murder, which created a massive outcry in Minnesota and globally, became a sort of “testing ground” for the committee, he said.

“That experience taught me that the department was serious about building relationships,” Brewington said. “It wasn’t just something to check off the box, something to put on the website.”

Muna Abdi, a Somali-American Minnesotan who joined the committee in 2020, said it is an opportunity for community members to have a seat at the table.

“I feel like it’s a place for me to come and advocate for community members and actually build trust with law enforcement,” Abdi said.

MAC impact

Committee members are involved in new officer hiring processes whenever possible, and more than 20 officers have been hired with use of the members’ input, Posel said. Committee members separately interview potential hires with their own set of questions, which allows the department to evaluate candidates through different lenses, Posel said.

“What I appreciate is tangible outcomes as a result of us coming together,” Brewington said.

The MAC doesn’t operate under one leader but rather as a collective, through facilitated conversations led by community member Shawn Sorrell. They meet in community spaces like the YMCA, Hero Center and the Public Safety Department, and are always asking the question “Who’s not represented?” Brewington said. Posel said this can include seniors, youth, additional multicultural communities and the LGBTQ+ community.

During the meetings, the committee will cover things from community programming to law enforcement training to traffic stops, development, policy and practices, Posel said.

“But sometimes, something’s happening in the world and we change our agenda so we can talk about what’s happening,” Brewington said.

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Members are not shy, either, Brewington said – if something is impacting them and it’s not being addressed, they’ll make it known. Right now, conversations for the committee surrounding immigration and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are front and center.

Posel said the department has discussed what their role is in federal enforcement, and that Woodbury’s focus is to “enforce state law and to work with the community to address issues,” which has provided clarity to the volunteers on the role of officers. Brewington said, from the community perspective, members have shared information to help people know what their rights are, where to go if they need help and what resources are available to them.

“There’s a lot of this mutual sharing that happens during our discussions,” Brewington said.

Why it matters

Brewington said being a part of the committee has given him an appreciation for how complicated the role of an officer is and an understanding of how necessary it is for officers to have good moral values, to understand their prejudices and dispositions and not allow them to impact how they treat people.

He said it’s shown him that most officers want to come to work, do a good job and serve their community.

“In the past, my tendency has been to put everybody in the same group,” Brewington said. “Now, I don’t want that done to me, but I do that to officers. This has been an experience for me to see beyond the uniform.”

Abdi said she remembers her first ride-along with officers after joining the committee, which is something each volunteer is encouraged to do at least once a year, according to Posel. Abdi spent four hours observing how officers interacted with her community.

“Seeing the practicality of the work, it was really mind-blowing,” Abdi said. “When you see an officer who’s handling the work with care and respect, it’s really amazing.”

Everyone in Woodbury wants to feel safe and respected and experience fair treatment, Abdi said, which is why she’s involved to advocate for others. Committee volunteers often feel as though they are ambassadors for the community, Brewington said, and their experiences carry with them in conversations with family and friends.

“The history of distrust between the police department and communities of color, it’s always present, and this group works to restore that relationship,” Brewington said.

Fear is what brought the members to the table, Brewington said, and unfortunately, while he feels safe, seen and valued in Woodbury, that doesn’t necessarily translate outside of the community. Woodbury’s is one of the few departments in the state to have a Multicultural Advisory Committee, according to the department.

“I still get that nervous feeling when there’s an officer behind me or within eyesight of me as I’m driving around (outside of Woodbury),” Brewington said.

An amazing place to live

Woodbury is an amazing place to live, Abdi said, a place where she feels at home and safe.

Brewington added that he believes Woodbury is a great place to live because of leadership from the mayor, city council, police department and other entities that focuses greatly on community engagement.

As the parent of a child with special needs, Brewington said he’s long been concerned with how officers would interact and misinterpret his child’s unwillingness to abide by commands, a fear he said many parents of neurodivergent children have.

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Now, because of what he knows of the training and resources of the Woodbury department, “if something happens with my son, I feel comfortable calling the department to come and provide aid,” he said.

It’s important to engage the community in building relationships with law enforcement and creating solutions together, Brewington said, which is as important now as it’s ever been, he said.

“This is our proactive antidote to what’s trying to divide us,” Brewington said.

Other Minnesota cities that have similar committees include Roseville, Maplewood, Coon Rapids, Hopkins, Columbia Heights, St. Louis Park, Bloomington, Edina and more.

Woodbury Multicultural Advisory Committee

To learn more about the committee or get involved, visit woodburymn.gov/881/Multicultural-Advisory-Committee.

What’s hot (Nine Inch Nails, Benson Boone) and not (Linkin Park, the Offspring) at local arenas this month

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August is full of distractions, from vacations to back-to-school plans to the Minnesota State Fair. Yet the month is traditionally one of the busiest when in comes to arena concerts in the metro.

This year is no different, with a dozen acts stopping by St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center and Target Center in downtown Minneapolis. But not all are created equal in terms of ticket sales. Here’s a look at the hot shows and, well, the ones not exactly setting the world on fire.

Hot: Nine Inch Nails

Not too long ago, it looked like Trent Reznor was ready to ditch Nine Inch Nails in favor of continuing to create terrific film scores with his longtime collaborator Atticus Ross.

That changed when the pair announced they were recording the soundtrack to the upcoming film “Tron: Ares” — as Nine Inch Nails — and released the new single “As Alive as You Need Me to Be” last month. The accompanying tour earned rave reviews in Europe this summer and is set to hit these shores this week. It features a main stage where Reznor is playing his hits and a second stage for deep cuts, acoustic renditions and remixes by German producer Boys Noize, who is also NIN’s opening act.

Tickets are nearly gone for the band’s local tour stop, which will be the first time Nine Inch Nails performs live in the metro since 2013. (7:30 p.m. Aug. 17; Xcel Energy Center)

Not: Linkin Park

Mike Shinoda and Emily Armstrong of Linkin Park perform at Barclays Center on September 16, 2024 in New York City. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

Friends Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon and Brad Delson began performing together as California high school students in the late ’90s. They played for several years with varying lineups before taking on vocalist Chester Bennington and landing a deal with Warner Bros. Records under the Linkin Park moniker.

The band’s 2000 debut “Hybrid Theory” topped 12 million in sales, making it one of the best-selling albums of the ’00s. It also gave the band their first of a long stream of rock radio hits with “One Step Closer,” “Crawling,” “Papercut” and Linkin Park’s breakthrough smash “In the End.”

In 2017, Linkin Park had toured South America and Europe in support of their album “One More Light” when Bennington died by suicide on July 20, a week before the planned start of the North American leg. The group canceled all shows and, that October, held a tribute show to Bennington at the Hollywood Bowl.

After taking an extended break, the band returned to action last year with a new lead singer, Emily Armstrong. While their first run of 11 tour dates sold out — including a two-night stand in Brazil that drew more than 96,000 fans — sales for the summer outing are struggling. It doesn’t help matters that they’re touring on an in-the-round stage that opens up seats throughout the entire arena. The majority of the upper deck at Target Center remains unsold. (7:30 p.m. Aug. 27; Target Center)

Hot: Benson Boone

Benson Boone performs during the first weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club on Friday, April 11, 2025, in Indio, Calif. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

A Washington state native, Benson Boone’s first experience performing was when a friend asked him to play piano and sing in their high school’s battle of the bands. After graduating in 2020, he briefly attended Brigham Young University before dropping out to pursue a career in music.

Boone made it onto the 19th season of “American Idol” in 2021, but withdrew from the competition after making it to the top 24. He focused on posting his music to TikTok and won the attention of Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds, who signed Boone to his Night Street Records label.

His 2021 debut single “Ghost Town” went platinum, as did 2022’s “In the Stars.” But Boone’s career really took off with last year’s “Beautiful Things,” one of the year’s biggest hits on the planet. It reached No. 2 in the States and topped the charts in 19 other countries.

While Boone’s singles from his sophomore album “American Heart” haven’t found the same success, his current tour is a hot ticket and it kicks off right here in St. Paul. (8 p.m. Aug. 22; Xcel Energy Center)

Not: The Offspring

Dexter Holland of The Offspring performs live on stage during day one of Lollapalooza Brazil at Autodromo de Interlagos on March 22, 2024 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

Guitarist/vocalist Bryan “Dexter” Holland and bassist Gregory “Greg K.” Kriesel formed what would become the Offspring in 1983. Guitarist Kevin “Noodles” Wasserman joined the following year and the band released their first single “I’ll Be Waiting” in 1986. They went on to sign to a small label and issue their self-titled debut before inking a deal with emerging punk label Epitaph Records.

The Offspring didn’t take off in a major way until their third album, 1994’s “Smash,” found success in the wake of Nirvana and Green Day bringing punk to the masses. Fueled by the singles “Come Out and Play,” “Self Esteem” and “Gotta Get Away,” “Smash” topped six million in sales and stands to this day as Epitaph’s biggest selling album.

With a newfound and large audience, the band jumped ship to Columbia Records for 1997’s “Ixnay on the Hombre.” For the next decade, the Offspring maintained a strong presence on both rock and alternative radio. They only released one album in the ’10s, but continued to tour.

Their current tour supports the band’s 11th album, “Supercharged,” but despite high-profile opening acts Jimmy Eat World and New Found Glory, ticket sales have been sluggish for their local tour stop. Maybe longtime fans are happy to have caught the Offspring at last summer’s inaugural Minnesota Yacht Club Festival? (7 p.m. Aug. 15; Target Center)

Hot: Tate McRae

Tate McRae performs at The Greek Theatre on July 11, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)

Canadian pop star Tate McRae began dance lessons at the age of six, when her family was briefly living in Oman due to her father’s job. Two years later, she returned to Canada and furthered her studies at the training school for the Alberta Ballet Company. She went on to perform with various American dance troupes and, in 2016, made it to third place on “So You Think You Can Dance.”

The following year, McRae began posting her own original songs on her YouTube channel, which was previously devoted to dance videos. Her track “One Day” earned the attention of nearly a dozen record labels. She signed with RCA in 2019 and released her breakthrough single “You Broke Me First” the following year.

In the time since, McRae found further success with “You,” “She’s All I Wanna Be,” “10:35,” “Greedy” and “Exes” as well as the trio of singles from her most recent album, “So Close to What.” (7:30 p.m. Aug. 13; Xcel Energy Center)

Not: Deftones

Chino Moreno leads Deftones, whose summer tour will bring them to Minneapolis’ Target Center on Aug. 29, 2025. (Courtesy of Clemente Ruiz)

Childhood friends Chino Moreno (vocals), Stephen Carpenter (guitar) and Abe Cunningham (drums) began jamming together in 1988 when they were in high school. They brought a diverse group of inspirations — hardcore punk, post-punk, new wave and heavy metal — to form a unique sound that straddled alt-rock and metal.

After some lineup changes, the group adopted the name Deftones and signed with Madonna’s Maverick Recordings in 1993. They released “Adrenaline” two years later and toured heavily to support it. In 1996 alone, Deftones played 7th Street Entry, First Avenue, Target Center twice (opening for Ozzy Osbourne and Pantera) and the Dinkytown McDonald’s parking lot.

They scored their first hit in 2000 with “Change (In the House of Flies),” which landed at No. 9 on Billboard’s mainstream rock chart, the group’s first of a dozen times they visited that chart’s Top 20. The following year, Deftones won their first Grammy, a best metal performance nod for “Elite.”

Three decades into their career, the band has booked their largest local arena show to date. But soft sales suggest Deftones may downsize to the Armory, which they filled in 2022. (7 p.m. Aug. 29; Target Center)

Hot: Billy Strings

Born William Lee Apostol in a household plagued by drug abuse, Billy Strings earned his stage name from his aunt, who recognized the young man’s talent playing a number of bluegrass instruments.

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Strings’ stepfather, an accomplished amateur musician, introduced him to traditional bluegrass acts like Doc Watson, Del McCoury and Earl Scruggs, while Strings explored classic rock (Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead) and metal (Black Sabbath, Def Leppard).

After spending four years performing with mandolin player Don Julin, Strings went solo in 2017 and turned heads from the start, with Rolling Stone pegging him as one of its top 10 new country artists to know that year. He signed to Rounder in 2019 and his sophomore effort “Home” went on to win a Grammy for best bluegrass album.

Thanks in part to his heavy touring, Strings has built an ever-growing cult following. His local arena debut follows a string of shows at the Turf Club, First Avenue, the Palace Theatre, Surly Brewing Festival Field and the Armory. (7:30 p.m. Aug. 9; Target Center)

Opening of Highland Park in St. Paul drew record crowd in 1925

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St. Paul threw what was then its biggest party ever to mark the opening of Highland Park in August 1925.

The seven-hour celebration, which boasted free barbecue and band concerts between speeches from local officials lauding the potential of the city’s newest park, drew more people than opening day at the Minnesota State Fair a month later.

“They called it a monster picnic,” said Charlie Evans, a St. Paul Public Works designer who has researched Highland Park’s history.

“It was pretty primitive when it first opened,” he said of the park. “Even so, they still had 30,000 people show up.”

Highland Park would eventually become a jewel of St. Paul’s park system, helping to spur the development of the surrounding neighborhood that shares its name. But in 1925, it was just 244 acres of swampy fields more than three miles from the city center.

Many St. Paulites didn’t see the value in this far-flung piece of property, and park backers hoped to win them over with an afternoon of free food and entertainment.

A new park

The early decades of the 20th century were transformative for St. Paul’s parks.

While they had long been oases of natural beauty where residents could escape the noise and pollution of urban life, parks also came to be viewed by St. Paulites and city officials as venues for “active, organized recreation,” local historian Andrew J. Schmidt wrote in 2002.

The peaceful lakes and manicured gardens of Como and Phalen parks soon found themselves sharing the landscape with golf courses, tennis courts and baseball fields. Park-goers flocked to these new amenities.

When the Ford Motor Co. bought up land for a factory on the city’s southwestern edge in 1923, officials instantly recognized that the surrounding farmland would soon be developed into housing for auto workers. And they would need a park of their own.

Highland Park was conceived with active recreation in mind from the start. In addition to golf, tennis and baseball facilities, it would be equipped with a swimming pool, a football stadium and a toboggan slide.

As the price tag for this new park grew, parks commissioner Herman Wenzel asked the city council to fund its purchase and development by taxing surrounding property owners in a sprawling assessment district, which stretched from the Mississippi River in the west to Dale Street in the east and Summit Avenue to the north, Evans said.

Wenzel’s plan faced stiff opposition from taxpayers. One of his co-workers later wrote that the commissioner’s wife “received telephone communications to the effect that she would probably be a widow if the agitation for the park continued.”

The party on Aug. 9 was billed as a chance for skeptical St. Paulites to see what they were paying for.

“Many do not know where the park is,” the St. Paul Daily News editorialized on the eve of the celebration. “Others think it inaccessible. It is to acquaint people with their new park that the monster community picnic has been arranged by the park department and four community organizations for Sunday.”

Monster community picnic’

The party began at 2 p.m. with a series of sporting events that pitted picnickers against each other for donated prizes in everything from sack races and tug-of-war to horseshoes and kittenball — an early version of softball.

One of the wildest events was a motorcycle hill climb, in which riders zipped up a 300-foot hill in about seven seconds.

“There was a near panic when one of the motorcycles in the hill climb broke through the thickly massed crowd near the top and started back down,” the Pioneer Press reported. “The broad line of spectators on the south side of the track got away like a football backfield.”

Fortunately, no one was injured.

Dinner was served after a series of speeches from Wenzel and other officials. St. Paulites “consumed floods of pop and acres of ice cream cones,” according to the Pioneer Press.

The festivities were capped off with a fireworks display in the evening.

The picnic seems to have swayed some — but certainly not all — Highland Park skeptics. When the city council met in October to vote on Wenzel’s $452,000 assessment proposal, several hundred taxpayers showed up to testify on both sides of the issue.

“You know what you’ll get for this,” one outraged property owner shouted during the hearing. “You’ll get a kick in the anatomy.”

The council ultimately voted to approve the assessment.

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