There's a new draft of an environmental impact statement from Scott County regarding resuming gravel mining around the current MNRF site. The plan includes options which could allow for the festival to remain where it is for now -assuming they can get the lease extended again. But it would gradually eat away at the remaining original parking lot, the Queen's Gate lot and likely the participant's campground which doesn't seem like a viable plan for MNRF.
Environmental impact statement link:
https://scottcountymn.gov/506/Merriam-Junction-Sands
The craft coordinator announced in her New Years greeting to crafters:
We are pleased to mention that the lease at our current location was recently extended through 2022.
No new update yet to the mining proposal in the first post.
All the rumors this season are pointing towards a new long term lease. MNRF announced in a New Years post to crafters that the lease was extended through the end of the 2022 season. But they haven't told crafters anything official beyond that. However, crafters' contract wording did change this year. For several years booth contracts said they "will relocate" at some future date. This year our booth contract said they might get a long term lease, or might move. There is still a proposal to resume mining the site called "Merriam Junction Sands." That proposal is still on the Scott County website, but the rumors du jour are that Bryan Rock is no longer going to pursue that plan.
There is confirmation that the Shakopee Mdewakaton Sioux tribe bought the land next to the horse ranch along the entrance road from the Hwy 41 to MNRF where MAF held the Trail of Terror. So MAF will likely have to relocate the Halloween show as well as the offices they use on that parcel of land. Word is the tribe is going to use the land to expand their organics composing business.
May you live in "interesting" times...
It seems the land MNRF sits on has been purchased as of 12/22/21 by Bryan Rock the company that had been mining the construction and landscape gravel. This change of hands might be the reason crafters have not yet received their information regarding paying their deposit for 2022. That info normally comes out during the run so we can pay the deposit the last weekend of the show. So it seems we may be in continued limbo regarding the site in spite of the favorable rumors during the run.
Word from a source with the County is that Bryan Rock will resume some level of mining, but that for now the festival site is safe for several years.
Still now word on a new extension on the lease. And crafters still haven't received contracts yet. They say they are in the middle of setting up an online contract system like they have used for cast members.
On the plus side, they announced Verizon is going to have a temporary cell tower on site, so fingers crossed that it might help the slow credit card processing during peak hours.
Crafters didn't get contracts until 5th weekend, but MNRF has put out an announcement to crafters that they are in negotiation for a new long term land lease since the gravel company Bryan Rock bought the land in December 2021.
Word is that Bryan Rock will be mining gravel in other areas near the fest site, but that the festival site was just part of the over all land deal and that there is more profitable rock to be had in the surrounding areas than under the festival site itself so it should be safe for quite some time yet.