In 2022, the city celebrates its incorporation sesquicentennial, and the 100th  anniversary of the invention of the sport of waterskiing. In 1922, local teen Ralph Samuelson took a homemade pair of skis and his daredevil determination, and got behind a boat on Lake Pepin to make history. Today, we celebrate that milestone with an annual Water Ski Days festival, always held the last full weekend in June.

The first person to water ski behind a plane

Ralph Samuelson was pulled by an airplane for some of his performances. Here he is in 1924 with his skis and a WWI sea plane. Ralph gave a pair of his first skis to the Minnesota Historical Society. They are on exhibit at the Minnesota History Center in Saint Paul. Replica skis are in the mini-museum located in the Lake City Marina administration building.

Calendar of Events for the 2022 Lake City, MN 150th celebration​

Keep up to date on all the events that are part of the Lake City 150th Celebration

celebrating 100 years of waterskiing

Lake City is celebrating 150 years as a city, 100 years of waterskiing and 50 years of Water Ski Days​.