Tim Spitzack
Editor
The year was 1976 and communities across the country were busy planning celebrations to commemorate the nation’s bicentennial. Old Glory was flying everywhere, and patriotic messages filled business marquees from coast to coast. But here in South St. Paul, the mood was far from celebratory. Many residents were in a state of shock after losing their livelihood due to the rapid decline of the city’s meatpacking industry, once one of the largest operations in the world. Swift & Co. closed in November 1969 and the demise of Armour & Co. was not far behind. Armour closed its beef-kill operation in 1973 and had steadily reduced its workforce before closing for good in June 1979. At one point, these two plants – the city’s largest employers – had more than 12,000 workers. With the closures went jobs that paid good wages, jobs that allowed working-class people to build a comfortable life for their families.
Darrol Bussler came to South St. Paul as the end of that era was drawing near. He was hired by the school district in 1972 to teach English at the high school but it was a short-lived assignment. He was laid off three years later due to budget cuts. He was quickly rehired to work within the district’s Community Services department, and a year later was promoted to director of Community Education, a position he held for many years. In “South St. Paul: A Brief History,” Bussler described the somber tone that permeated the community in those days, saying, “A deafening silence hovered over South St. Paul. Its heart had been ripped out.”
To bring some joy back to the community, Bussler spearheaded a holiday celebration in 1975 called Christmas in South St. Paul. It featured music, dance and theater performances, and visual arts exhibits. It was intended to be a community-building event, and it turned out to be successful in lifting the community at large from the doldrums. Following its success, community leaders urged Bussler to organize a summer festival, one that might coincide with the South St. Paul Jaycees annual Fourth of July fireworks show. He accepted the challenge, rolled up his sleeves and went to work.
The next summer, in 1976, Kaposia Days made its debut. The celebration included a children’s parade, an evening in a park with food, dance and theater performances, an art show, craft fair, family race and street dance. After the street dance, Bussler remarked, “There was laughter and shouting. It was a positive public gathering of the community. And once again, there was life on Concord Street.”
The celebration takes its namesake from the Kaposia Band of the Mdewakanton Dakota, the earliest known residents of what is now South St. Paul. Today, its signature event is the Grande Parade, in which people stake out their territory far in advance for prime viewing. Over the years, other events have become festival staples, including a softball tournament, car show, pancake breakfast, Bingo, kite fly and more. Kaposia Days is now a deep-seated summertime tradition, and just like that inaugural event so many years ago, it continues to strengthen community ties.
