New Woodbury Days President Has Big Plans for Community Festival

Full-time middle school teacher and new-found Woodbury Days President Amy Lombardi is the latest mastermind behind this yearly celebration.

As one who has attended Woodbury Days throughout the years with her family, she knew she wanted to be a part of something more and began volunteering in the council as the chair of the Taste Tent. After two years of dabbling with the flavors Woodbury has to offer, she decided to step up lead it all.

“I never foresaw myself stepping into the role but knew that I wanted it (Woodbury Days) to continue,” Lombardi says.

The three-day end-of-the-summer community celebration draws in over 50,000 visitors and more than 200 different businesses. Featuring a variety of free activities for people of all ages, Lombardi says that this event is a great alternative to the other local fairs that typically cost a pretty penny.

“You can spend a whole afternoon there and really not pay much of anything all while doing a bunch of stuff,” Lombardi says. “Everything has something that is a fun draw.”

However, creating such a diverse event quite literally takes a village. With the help of more than 250 volunteers alongside the council, the event is able to run almost seamlessly each year.

Volunteers can get involved as much or as little as they please in the department that interests them the most. From just a few hours at the event to all-hands-on-deck roles on the council, there is truly something for everyone.

“I love the idea of people getting involved in any way that they want to, even if it is starting off small,” Lombardi says.

Upon signing up, volunteers are given the opportunity to choose which sector they would like to help with, how long they are able to and when they are available to help.

Positions consist of a variety of roles like a Bingo tent helper, a vendor assistant, an event greeter or an information booth assistant.

Each of these roles assist the larger vendors and activities that are organized by the council members. Consisting of a group of local residents and business owners, the council works together to plan every detail of Woodbury Days (including vendors, social media, crunching numbers in finance and city relations).

Lombardi says that this event is a year-long process that begins within the first two weeks preceding the jam-packed weekend. A wrap-up meeting addresses the successes and hiccups of the festival to set the stage for planning and booking for the following year.

As the ring leader behind it all, Lombardi says she is most excited for the sense of community that the whole experience brings.

“I love the interaction with the different people,” she says. “The community involvement and the direct communication (with locals) is great.”

Woodbury Days
August 21-23, 2020
Friday 4–10 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m.–10 p.m.
Sunday 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

Admission and parking are free

To volunteer: Email volunteer@WoodburyDays.com or go online at woodburydays.com and click on volunteer tab at the bottom of the page.

Facebook: Woodbury Days
Instagram: @woodburydays
Email: info@woodburydays.com
PO Box, 25042 Woodbury, MN 55125