The small community has the distinction of holding the longest-running July 4th celebration in Minnesota.

In honor of the anniversary, the community expanded activities to a three-day celebration.

The fun started Friday evening with a Fireworks display. On Saturday, the community gathered in the park for live music featuring performances from Ross Deopere, The Wildflowers and DD & Roscoe. Sunday featured children’s games in the park along with a lunch service. The annual Independence Day parade began at 1 p.m.

Cambria is well known in the region for its 4th of July celebration. The town only has a population of fifty to sixty people, but the annual Independence Day celebration brings former residents and their families back.

Staff photo by Clay Schuldt Mara Barret (left) and Arwinn Edwards (right) make bubbles during Cambria’s Independence Day celebration Saturday.

Cambria native Danielle Deopere said “I think people from Cambria have a lot of pride in it. Even people who move away come back for the Fourth because that is our day.”

It is not uncommon to see family reunions in Cambria, with returning relatives and friends visiting for the holiday.

This year’s celebration was special because of the 150th anniversary of the tradition, but it was also a rebuilding year from 2020. The pandemic prevented the community from holding its traditional celebration, but an impromptu parade was held on July 4, 2020, with a few vehicles circling the town. These few locals were able to save the tradition.

Deopere and others commented that this year’s celebration was one of the best attended in recent memory. Several extended family members returned for the Independence Day activities and the parade around town was one of the longest ever held.