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Produced each year by the Saint Paul Riverfront Corporation, the Fillmore Dinner celebrates progress on the river and has become Saint Paul’s favorite networking event.
More than 1,200 people gathered for the 13th Annual Millard Fillmore Dinner on May 10, 2007 at the Saint Paul RiverCentre. The 2007 Fillmore program featured Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, WCCO’s Don Shelby, Ramsey County Commissioner Toni Carter and Riverfront Corporation Executive Director Patrick Seeb. They were joined by Kate Wolford, new president of The McKnight Foundation, and Mary Pickard, president of the Travelers Foundation.
Another highlight of the event was the 5th Annual RiverWork Exhibit, which featured 45 organizations who work to restore and revitalize the river valley – and make Saint Paul a better place to live, work and play.
The event was made possible by presenting sponsor Travelers and 50 additional sponsors, including corporations, foundations and individuals.
HISTORY
For thirteen years, our community’s best and brightest have gathered for the annual Millard Fillmore Dinner. Policy makers, corporate leaders, entrepreneurs, environmentalists, elected officials, philanthropists, artists and citizens from all walks of life come together to celebrate the ecological, economic and historic significance of the Mississippi River. No other event brings together such an influential and diverse group of civic leaders and community members – all deeply committed to the ongoing renaissance of Saint Paul and the Mississippi River valley.
Attendance doubled every year for the first four years – from 125 in 1995 to 1,000 in 1998. Today, a sell-out crowd of more than 1,200 people consistently attends each year. Sponsors have played a critical role in making the production of this signature event possible – and in offsetting ticket pricing to ensure full community participation.
WHY FILLMORE?
Saint Paul’s “town dinner” is named after Millard Fillmore, 13th President of the United States – and in honor of the Grand Excursion of 1854, which featured Fillmore as its most prominent participant.
The Grand Excursion of 1854 was a blockbuster event that catapulted the upper Mississippi and Saint Paul into mainstream America, attracting millions of investment dollars. The 150th anniversary of the Grand Excursion in 2004 produced similar benefits by driving redevelopment projects in Saint Paul and around the region while reintroducing the world to the river that makes Saint Paul great.
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