Pearl Lake Lodge

Established in 2001. For one day each year, the Irish among us get to take center stage. In this edition of Minnesota Moments, we feature one such person who turns one tiny village into a small city on St. Patrick's Day. Last St. Paddy's Day, between 4,000 and 5,000 folks flocked to Pearl Lake, a wide spot on a Stearns County road, to watch a parade and celebrate. The man behind this spectacle is Tom "Rudy" Ruether, a man whose Irish heritage and personality are contagious.