Minnesota Night
The 2nd Annual Minnesota Night hosted by the Minnesota Parent's Club was held in the Arnold Hall Ballroom. They hosted around 300 guests (there are 88 MN Cadets and each was allowed 2 guests), also invited were the international Cadets as well as Academy staff and permanent party.
This event was held as a way to bring a little bit of Minnesota State Fair to their Cadets who miss the State Fair (held in August when the Cadets are back at USAFA), as well as bringing gifts from home. They purposely held the event in February because it’s winter and warmer in Colorado than in Minnesota. There were 38 parents and family members who made the trip to Colorado Springs to help put on the event.
They served up Minnesota’s favorite foods brought from home: Fresh Minnesota Walleye (state fish caught all year), tater tot hotdish, State Fair cheese curds, lefse with butter and sugar, honeycrisp apples (invented at the University of Minnesota) with caramel dip, wild rice soup and Minnesota’s own famous Sweet Martha’s cookies.
Dave Ryan from “The Dave Ryan Show” KDWB in Minnesota travelled out as well to MC the event. Dave’s father used to work at USAFA and he grew up on base.
Here's a list of their sponsors and donors for the event.
| Donation Level | Donor | Amout | Item |
| Falcon | 3M | $5,000.00 | gifts for bags |
| Falcon | Ron Hall | $2,500.00 | Walleye, Cheese Curds, Catering Equipment & Catering |
| Falcon | Bose | $2,000.00 | 3 Bose Headphones and a theater surround system |
|
Falcon Falcon |
Polaris Minnesota Twins |
$1,500.00 $1600.00 |
hats, beanies, t-shirts, backpacks, luggage, jackets / $500 Cash Merchandise |
| Airman | Christine & Bob Hockman | $1,125.00 | State patches for flight suits, gift bags, Yeti mugs |
| Falcon | Wendy Ojala & Justin Klett | $1,090.00 | various prizes |
| Falcon | Slingshot Plastics | $1,000.00 | Cash |
| Falcon | TCA AOG | $1,000.00 | Cash |
|
Airman
|
MN Fire Chiefs Assoc.
|
$780.00
|
Fire Department Tee Shirts
|
| Airman | Lakeville Lions | $600.00 | Cash |
| Airman | Bottema Family Farms | $500.00 | Cash |
| Airman | Chick-Fil-A | $500.00 | Spin the wheel game & prizes |
| Airman | Lakeville Rotary Foundation | $500.00 | Cash |
| Airman | Mall of America | $500.00 | $150; $350 in tix and merchandise |
| Airman | Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux | $500.00 | cash |
| Airman | General Mills | $375.00 | food donations |
| Airman | Steve & Danya Gustafson | $375.00 | Cash |
| Airman | Lakeville Trophy | $325.00 | Will provide event/sponsor Banner |
| Airman | Hugo Matejcek VFW Auxiliary #3723 | $300.00 | Cash |
| Airman | Prior Lake Lions | $300.00 | Cash |
| Airman | Shearer's Snacks | $300.00 | 300 bags licorice |
| Airman | Bad Daddy's Burgers | $285.00 | 20 burger gift cards |
| Terrazzo | Anchor Paper | $250.00 | 300 gift bags |
| Terrazzo | Cirrus Aircraft | $250.00 | Cash |
| Terrazzo | Denny's | $250.00 | Dressing, tarter sauce, carmel dip, silverware |
| Terrazzo | Greenside Landscaping | $250.00 | Cash |
| Terrazzo | Hollis & Catherine Cavner | $250.00 | Cash |
| Terrazzo | Minnesota State Fair | $250.00 | State Fair Buttons/ Cups/pens |
| Terrazzo | Restaurant Technologies - Corporate | $250.00 | trinkets for gift bags |
| Terrazzo | Robb Reed | $250.00 | Cash for gift cards |
| Terrazzo | Robert & Janet Pasnau | $250.00 | Cash |
| Terrazzo | Rocky Mountain Chocolates | $250.00 | candy |
| Airman | Roundbank | $250.00 | Cash |
| Terrazzo | Mary's and Maggies | $210.00 | 28 boxes of soup |
| Terrazzo | Dakota Electric | $200.00 | Cash |
| Terrazzo | Jaci & Brian Tuin | $200.00 | $200 in subway gift cards |
| Terrazzo | Minnesota Gophers | $200.00 | Trinkets & clothes |
| Terrazzo | Minnesota United | $200.00 | Jersey, t-shirt, hat, scarf |
| Terrazzo | Northstar Granite | $200.00 | Cash |
| Terrazzo | Warners' Stellian | $200.00 | Cash |
| Terrazzo | Cole's Salon Savage/Prior Lake | $175.00 | gift basket |
| Terrazzo | Jill & Joseph Bruns | $150.00 | Cash |
| Terrazzo | Mary & Tom Steiner | $150.00 | cash |
| Terrazzo | Pam & Jim Koch | $150.00 | Cash |
| Terrazzo | Sue Ojala | $150.00 | gift cards |
| Terrazzo | Carol the Cake Lady | $130.00 | 15 dozen cakes |
| Terrazzo | furnitureWORX | $125.00 | Cash |
| Terrazzo | Kraft - Heinz | $125.00 | food donation for goody bags |
| Terrazzo | Sweet Martha's Cookies | $125.00 | 50 dozen cookies |
| Terrazzo | Zyvonne & David Langan | $125.00 | Cash |
| Terrazzo | Mrs. Olson's Lefse | $120.00 | Lefse |
| Terrazzo | Beniek Property Services | $100.00 | Cash |
| Terrazzo | Canes - Castle Rock | $100.00 | gift basket |
| Terrazzo | Citizens Bank & Trust Co | $100.00 | cash |
| Terrazzo | Deb & Ed Reicher | $100.00 | Cash |
| Terrazzo | Dick's Sanitation | $100.00 | Amex gift card |
| Terrazzo | Gigi & Tom Guilland | $100.00 | Cash |
| Terrazzo | Industrial Tool Solutions | $100.00 | Cash |
| Terrazzo | John & Judith Ahlquist | $100.00 | Cash |
| Terrazzo | Minnesota Timberwolves | $100.00 | Tickets |
| Terrazzo | North Shore Apparel | $100.00 | t-shirt, hats & discount cards |
| Terrazzo | Restaurant Technologies - Denver | $100.00 | cooking oil |
| Terrazzo | State Farm Insurance | $100.00 | Cash |
| Terrazzo | Target - Lakeville | $100.00 | $100 gift card |
| Doolie | Chick-Fil-A | $85.00 | food cards |
| Doolie | Vineyard Vines corporate | $85.00 | Men's tie |
| Doolie | Starbucks - Shakopee | $80.00 | donation of products |
| Doolie | Adam Turman (MN artist) | $75.00 | 11x14 and 18x24 original screen print "MN Months" |
| Doolie | Gina & Ted Ciganik | $75.00 | gift cards |
| Doolie | Jen & Lou Stephens | $75.00 | gift cards |
| Doolie | Love from MN store | $75.00 | MN-related merchandise |
| Doolie | Patti & David Blair | $75.00 | Cash |
| Doolie | Sue & Stephen Jantscher | $75.00 | Cash |
| Doolie | Costco - Burnsville | $50.00 | Gift Card |
| Doolie | Costco - Eden Prairie | $50.00 | Gift Card |
| Doolie | Maple Grove Fire Department | $50.00 | 2 t-shirts & 2 coins |
| Doolie | MN Vikings | $50.00 | Poster & trading card |
| Doolie | Karen & Mike Pirozzoli | $40.00 | Wild t-shirts |
| Doolie | Jen Barb Creations | $35.00 | bracelet & necklace |
| Doolie | Starbucks - Savage | $35.00 | prizes |
| Doolie | Denny's | $30.00 | (3) $10 gift cards |
| Doolie | Perkins | $30.00 | Gift Cards |
| Doolie | Buffalo Wild Wings | $25.00 | gift card |
| Doolie | Costco - Colorado Springs(Nevada) | $25.00 | $25 gift card |
| Doolie | HyVee - Savage, MN | $25.00 | $25 gift card |
| Doolie | Safeway | $25.00 | gift card |
| Doolie | Sam's Club - Shakopee | $25.00 | gift card |
| Doolie | Sprouts Farmer Market | $25.00 | gift card |
| Doolie | Starbucks - Plymouth | $25.00 | gift bag of Starbucks treats |
| Doolie | WCCO | $19.99 | T-Shirt |
The parents attended the hockey game on Friday night as a group because they’re from Minnesota and it’s their state sport!
To view the rest of the pictures, go to Galleries > Extracurricular > Special Events or click the link below.