The Polartry Walk, one of two seasonal poetry walks, is now on display at Detroit Lakes City Park. It features 32 original poems as part of Polar Fest, the city’s annual winter celebration. Submissions were accepted from late November through January, and the poems will remain on display through early March.
According to volunteer and organizer Mary Beth Gilsdorf, the Detroit Lakes Poetry Walk is a grassroots public art project that began in 2022 and is supported by Project 412. It is designed to bring poetry into shared public spaces while building a growing community of poets and poetry enthusiasts.
The program features two outdoor poetry walks each year, inviting residents and visitors to experience original writing while enjoying the outdoors. In addition to the winter Polartry Walk, the Flowerpot Poetry Walk returns this summer, with poems displayed in the oversized flowerpots that bloom throughout downtown Detroit Lakes. Submissions for that event will be accepted beginning April 1.
Gilsdorf says the goal is to inspire poets of all ages and make poetry accessible, engaging, and fun for the entire community. She adds that while the process of creating this event takes a lot of work, it’s well worth the effort.
Story By Karen Downing