WILLMAR — A crew of about five people made up of volunteers and Willmar Public Works employees set the refurbished 8-foot-tall Kaffe Fest coffee pot on the Kandiyohi County Historical Society grounds Tuesday in Willmar.
The pot was presented during Kaffe Fest in the 1940s and 1950s and stood as the centerpiece of the 250-foot coffee bar built for the city festival — later transitioned into the current Willmar Fests.
The piece, which had been lost for several decades, was found in 2018 and, after much cleaning up, was finally anchored permanently at the historical society on Tuesday.
The giant coffee pot was initially supposed to be unveiled during the 2020 Willmar Fests, but it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
1/4: Historical society volunteer Cal Miner moves planks that were used to place the refurbished Kaffe Fest coffee pot on Kandiyohi Historical Society grounds Tuesday in Willmar. Miner played a large role in refurbishing the old pot, which was found in 2018. Erica Dischino / West Central Tribune
2/4: The old Kaffe Fest pot, which was uncovered in late 2018, is pictured before it was refurbished. West Central Tribune file photo
3/4: Larry Vogt anchors in the refurbished Kaffe Fest coffee pot on Kandiyohi Historical Society grounds Tuesday in Willmar. Erica Dischino / West Central Tribune
4/4: The 8-foot tall coffee pot that was presented during Kaffe Fest, which later transitioned into Willmar Fests, in the 1940's and 1950's was anchored on the Kandiyohi County Historical Society grounds Tuesday in Willmar. Erica Dischino / West Central Tribune
Erica Dischino is a photojournalist for the West Central Tribune and Forum News Service. She grew up in northern New Jersey and has lived in the Midwest since 2017. She enjoys photographing the stories of west central Minnesota from county fairs, parades and pandemics. Feel free to contact her at edischino@wctrib.com or 320-894-8865 with your best photo ideas.
