'Community Sing' Comes to Rosemount

Once upon a time, whole neighborhoods gathered in parks for giant, community sing-alongs—a holdover from the Woodrow Wilson era that died out during the Cold War years. But one Minneapolis-based group is reviving the summer tradition, and they're bringing it to Rosemount. 

Minnesota Community SINGS will be in town on Friday, July 12, when they will lead a singing session in Rosemount's Robert Trail Library, starting at 2 p.m. The leaders will also be giving a historical presentation, titled "The Singing Summer of 1922." 

According to the group's website, community singing events began during World War I. At the time, they were not optional, but mandated by state governments, including Minnesota, as a way to keep morale up and encourage patriotism. However, community singing soon took on a life of its own and began a summertime ritual in Minnesota, from the end of the war in 1919 through the late 1950s.

The event is free and open to the public.