Organizers in and around St. Cloud are in the process of putting the finishing touches on what seems likely to be the most ambitious Legacy Destination Weekend the state has ever seen with a series of events slated for the weekend of July 19-22.

Locals and out-of-towners alike will be able to take part in a wide variety of events that are being held to draw attention to the impact that the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment is having in every corner of the state.

Famed Minnesota storyteller Kevin Kling will kick off events on the evening of the 19th with a free show at the Darnall Outdoor Amphitheater on the campus of the College of St. Benedict in nearby St. Joseph. For this show, Kling will perform three of his original stories: "Softball (Odysseus)", "My Brother's Bachelor Party" and "Grace".

Also on stage that night will be "Chicago" which is being put on at The Pioneer Place of Fifth Theater in St. Cloud. Advance tickets are available for sale at their box-office.

For those seeking a more active sort of weekend, the Quarry Park and Nature Preserve and the Stearns History Museum will each be open free to the public on Saturday the 21st.

If arts appreciation is more your thing, the Munsinger and Clemens Gardens will be hosting an Arts in the Park event on Thursday the 19th, and the St. Cloud Public Library will be hosting an exhibit, "Flashback to 1968" which will attempt to recreate the feel of life in this turbulent time in our nation's history.

Music fans will also find a variety of options to fit nearly every taste this weekend with five special musical performances from which to choose. On Thursday night, the Great River Educational Arts Theater (GREAT) will be hosting a preview of their weekend series of songs from broadways musicals as a part of a social that will include hors d'oeuvres, raffle and silent auction. Then the next two nights, and again in a matinee on Thursday, the musicians will put on a free version of their show. On Friday evening the St. Cloud Rotary will put on a free public performance by Collective Unconscious at the recently renovated Lake George. And closing out the musical acts will be two big name performers. On Friday and Saturday nights Country Music Hall of Famer Don Williams will preform at the Paramount Theater, and then on Sunday night Minneapolis rockers Soul Asylum will take the stage of the Paramount.

The Legacy Destination Weekends are jointly sponsored by Conservation Minnesota, Minnesota Citizens For the Arts and Explore Minnesota as well as a number of host community organizations. They were created to draw attention to all of the ways that the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment, which the voters approved in 2008, has impacted local communities

A complete schedule of events for the Legacy Destination Weekend is available at the St. Cloud Area Convention and Visitors Bureau website or by contacting them at 800-264-2940.