File photo by Deb Gau In 2019, Brau Brothers Brewing Co. was among the craft brewers represented at the Made In Minnesota craft beer festival at the Red Baron Arena and Expo. Visit Marshall plans to bring the beer festival back this spring. They’re also planning some new events.

MARSHALL — For now, events at the Red Baron Arena and Expo are mainly focused around activities like hockey and figure skating. But local organizers are planning ahead for spring expo events when the ice is gone.

Marshall convention and visitors bureau director Cassi Weiss said Visit Marshall is going to be starting out the season with something new — a Youth Sports and Activities Expo on April 2.

“We wanted to have a range of things for kids to do,” Weiss said. The Youth Sports and Activities Expo will feature everything from community sports and athletic programs, to Scouting and educational activities.

The expo has been a long time in the making, Weiss said.

“It’s probably been about a year since the idea was brought up,” she said.

When the idea for the expo first took shape, there was a lot of uncertainty about how the COVID pandemic would affect youth activities. But most activities and sports programs are still moving forward, and the spring seemed like a great time for the expo, Weiss said.

It’s a convenient opportunity for kids and families to plan what they’d like to participate in, she said.

“It’s a really good time to look forward to the summer, and to next year’s activities,” Weiss said.

For parents, “Sometimes, it can be a little overwhelming seeing what’s out there,” Weiss said. Expo organizers want it to be a “one-stop shop” where kids can have fun, and families can learn about different activity options. A unique feature of the expo will be that each vendor booth will have something interactive for kids to do, Weiss said.

Besides serving as a resource for families, organizers hope the expo will help raise interest in Marshall youth sports programs and organizations.

“Sports is a huge part of tourism in Marshall,” and tournaments draw lots of people to town, Weiss said.

The Youth Sports and Activities Expo will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 2. The expo’s events page on Facebook has already drawn a lot of interest, Weiss said.

“We’ve had a lot of really positive feedback,” she said.

A dozen different vendors have already registered for the event.

Another event currently in the works for the Red Baron Arena and Expo is the return of a craft beer festival that drew a sold-out crowd in 2019.

“We’re excited to bring it back,” Weiss said.

Three years ago, the Made In Minnesota craft beer festival featured 14 Minnesota breweries, offering samples of their products for community members to try. After a couple of years off, the event will be returning in May, Weiss said. Visit Marshall will be working with Tall Grass Liquor to hopefully bring in even more brewers this year.

Weiss said working with Tall Grass Liquor manager Eric Luther has been a big help in organizing the event. Craft beer is popular with Tall Grass’s customers, and Luther has good working relationships with a variety of craft brewers, she said.

“I think we had three (breweries) that instantly said they’re going to be here,” Weiss said.

Brau Brothers, Marshall’s local brewing company, will also be part of the beer fest, she said.

The craft beer festival will return on May 14, from 3-6 p.m. at the Red Baron Arena and Expo. Weiss said tickets aren’t on sale yet, but when they are they will be available on the Visit Marshall website.

Interest in holding events and gatherings at the Red Baron Arena is starting to recover after the past two years, Weiss said. In 2020 and 2021, the COVID pandemic limited a lot of community gatherings. The number of wedding receptions scheduled at the facility also dropped to just five or six over the two-year period.

But for 2022, the Red Baron Arena’s schedule is filling up.

“Almost every event that happened here in the past is going to happen again,” Weiss said. Wedding bookings were up, too. She estimated that there were only about 10 open weekends left on the facility’s schedule this spring and summer.

“Our goal is always to fill as many open weekends as we can,” she said.