Sandbar Storytelling Festival, in partnership with the Winona County Historical Society, invites the public to the third installment of the four-part Business & Immigrant Stories featuring key figures from the Bluff Country Coop on Thursday, August 13 at 7:00 p.m. in the WCHS Wanek Room.
Each summer Sandbar Storytelling Festival partners with the Winona County Historical Society and Project FINE to present a four-part series highlighting the people that built the businesses that built our town. This series celebrates Winona’s legacy businesses and the people that built them, giving attendees the opportunity to learn more about how iconic and beloved Winona institutions came to be. In 2026, SSF featured Blooming Grounds, Merchants Bank, Bluff Country Co-op, and Immigrant Stories with Project Fine.
All Business & Immigrant Stories events are free and open to the public. There is limited seating, but no reservations are required. Stories begin at 7:00 p.m., with a reception and refreshments following the story. Previously held was Blooming Grounds on June 4 and Merchants Bank on July 16.
Sandbar Storytelling Festival presents storytelling performances which celebrate and preserve the power and pleasure of our varied cultural traditions and human experiences and to promote the art of storytelling for all ages. The 2026 festival will be held October 7-11. Sandbar Storytelling Festival operates with support from: Winona Community Foundation, Elizabeth Callender King Foundation, Southern Minnesota Arts Council, and is made possible by funding through the Minnesota Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment.
