Before leaving the area we were sure to check out the other half of the Twin Cities – neighboring St. Paul. We drove over to the downtown area and lucked into a great parking spot. Off we went to explore the neighborhood on foot. Our first stop turned out to be Mears Park where the Concrete and Grass Lowertown Music Festival was taking place.

Food trucks lined the outer edges of the park, while a stage and vendor booths lined the front. A fairly large crowd had gathered on the lawn. People had also found spots on benches or any other place that looked comfy, including back in the lush landscape behind the main lawn.

Deciding to stick around for a bit to take in some of the entertainment, we waited through a short break for the music to start back up again. When it resumed a few singers from the Minnesota Opera presented a series of songs from a variety of Operas (including one piece from the Marriage of Figaro, which holds special meaning for us, as another piece from that opera was featured at our wedding).

We stayed for four songs and enjoyed every one of them. The performers all had wonderful voices and the crowd seemed very appreciative. Of course, it seems there is always one person who insists on talking through the whole thing. In this case a gentleman who was speaking with a couple nearby, mentioning how he’d seen some opera on TV and didn’t care for it much. But the beauty of an outdoor venue with no assigned seating was it made it really easy to move away from him, so we did.

Once we left the park, we headed up to the Capitol Building to explore the grounds and the monuments. The grounds held all of the cities war monuments. I always find the monuments sobering (and sometimes even chilling), and this case was no different. But it was the final monument that truly drew me in – a lone soldier on this particular section of lawn, with hands outstretched.

Entitled Monument to the Living, it was dedicated in 1982 to the Veterans of Minnesota, with the simple question, “Why do you forget us?” inscribed on it’s plaque. I can’t recall ever seeing such a piece in the many memorial parks I have visited. It was a good reminder that while it’s important to remember and pay tribute to those who have died defending our country, it is equally important to remember those who return.