Fridley's Riedel House Is Home to Events

Local governments are increasingly renting out publicly owned facilities for events like weddings, according to an article in the Star Tribune that mentions nearby places such as Murzyn Hall in Columbia Heights and Bunker Hills Golf Course in Coon Rapids. 

Often the facilities must serve multiple purposes, with private rental events filling schedule books that otherwise include public events and functions.

But that's not a problem at Anoka County Parks' Riedel Farm Estate in .

Using the historic estate for events was what the county had in mind when it bought the property from a predecessor of what's now BAE Systems, according to county spokesperson Melissa Fink.

She said the county rents the space year-round for weddings, rehearsal dinners, bridal showers, birthdays, graduation parties and corporate retreats.

Parks programming, such as the for younger kids next month, is rare there, Fink said.

And even when rental events are outside, such as on the estate grounds or at picnic pavilions within Riverfront Park, conflicting uses between park visitors and eventgoers "doesn't seem to be an issue," she said.