Culture & Recreation
The Roseau Public Library provides a wide variety of reading and resource material for the community. Some of the items available at the local library include adult and children's books, periodicals, newspapers, books on tape/cd, and movies. The Roseau Public Library is a branch of the NW Library System and can usually supply almost any book through the aid of inter-library loan. The spacious and comfortable library provides computers with internet access, wireless internet access, private study rooms, comfortable furniture and an ample reading area. The library also features extensive displays of visual arts from local and regional artists. The Roseau Public Library is located at 121 Center Street East; Suite 100 in the Roseau City Center.
The Country Historical Museum provides many excellent exhibits to interpret the cultural and natural history of Roseau County and Northwest Minnesota. As an area resource center, the museum seeks to produce educational exhibits, present informative public programs, and provide classroom supplemental experiences to area schools. The museum also provides extensive genealogy resources and knowledge for family research. The Roseau County Museum hosts various travelling Smithsonian and other regional exhibits. The Roseau County Museum is located at 121 Center Street E, Suite 101 in the Roseau City Center.
Roseau Memorial Arena & North Rink
The City of Roseau maintains two artificial ice sheets for all ages and skating needs of the community. Memorial Arena, home of Roseau Ram Hockey team is the main arena with bleacher seating, warming house, concessions, and locker rooms. Adjacent to Memorial Arena is the North Rink, which is sponsored by the Roseau Youth Hockey Association. This rink provides artificial ice, boards, locker rooms, and scoreboards for youth hockey practices and games. Both rinks maintain free admission for open skating and open hockey sessions
The City of Roseau maintains numerous park areas for the benefit of the community.
- City Park: The first and largest park for the community is the Roseau City Park. This park, located in southeast Roseau, provides over 40 acres for recreational use. The City Park is located along the Roseau River and provides river access for paddle boarding, kayaking, canoeing, boating and fishing. A boat launch and fishing pier are located at this park. The park also provides many activities including: playground equipment, disc golf course, sand volleyball, horseshoes, and recreational trails. The park also provides 20 campsites with 10 electric/water sites. There are various outdoor shelters and picnic areas as well as a larger indoor shelter with showers and bathrooms for park patrons.
- North Star Park: North Star Park is located in southwest Roseau. This is a neighborhood park providing extensive playground climbing equipment and swings appropriate for both younger and older children. This park also hosts a soccer field with nets.
- West Side Park: West side park is located on the west side of Roseau near the West Side Trailer Park. This one acre park provides a small basketball court, baseball diamond and miscellaneous playground equipment including a large zip line feature in the West Side Neighborhood.
- Mother's Memory Garden: This park area is adjacent to the Roseau City Center featuring a large garden space filled with perennial plantings handed down from mothers to daughters. The park hosts benches for picnicing or just admiring the beautiful plantings. Across the highway from Mother's Memory Garden on the City Center grounds with walking paths gardens and a large steel sculpture depicting the history of Roseau County. The artwork produced by Sue Suess and Joel Miller depicts various elements in steel representative of the history of Roseau's past.
- Downtown Pocket Park: This small enclave in downtown Roseau features beautiful plantings and an outdoor eating and resting area.
- Gilbertson Ball Field: Home of Roseau Rams High School Baseball team and the Roseau Royals American Legion team, Gilbertson Field provides a top-notch facility for players and spectators alike.
- Riverview Park/Roseau County Veterans Memorial/Emergency Service Personnel Memorial: This park, located on the east side of the Center Street Bridge, was dedicated on June 30, 1990 and stands as a testament to all of the County residents that have fought in four wars as defenders of peace and freedom, and in doing so made the supreme sacrifice. In 2004 the city acquired addtional land adjacent to the Roseau Country Veterans Memorial and has expanded this park to include an Emergency Service Personnel Memorial along with the construction of a new riverside gazebo for community functions, featuring live concerts each Thursday night throughout the summer.
- South Riverview Park: This park, located south of the Roseau City Center, provides a central gathering area for the community with various summer and winter activities. The park is home to the Roseau splash pad. The splash pad water deck provides various water features for young and old to beat the summer heat. In 2018 the City will also add a 2,500 SF skate concrete park with various ramps, jumps and features for skateboarders, rollerbladers and bxm bikers. The park also provides a central shelter/restroom facility. The park is also home to a small half court basketball play area. In the winter South Riverview Park provides a small recreational skating rink and sledding hill. The shelter serves as a winter warming house.
- East Diverson Greenway/ATV Terrain Park/Single Track Mountain Bike Trails: The city of Roseau maintains nearly 1,000 acres of greenway along the Roseau River Flood Diversion project. This area provides a natural area for plants and wildlife as well as recreation. One feature of the greenway is a 4.5 mile paved non-motorized recreational trail running the full length of the Diversion, starting as Roseau City Park. Additionally there are designated ATV trails and an ATV terrain park incorporated into the greenway space. Another feature constructed by a local bike club is nearly 13 miles of single track mountain bike trails in and around large spoils piles from the diversion construction, dubbed Mt. Roseau.
The Oak Crest Golf Course is a publicly owned golf club located along the Roseau River. The course is an 18-hole championship layout designed by golf course architect Joel Goldstrand. Amenities at the course include club house, pro shop, cart rental, driving range, and putting green. The course also provides free golf for students under the age of 16.
Four Seasons Senior Center
The Four Seasons Senior Center provides a place for senior citizens of Roseau and the surrounding areas to enjoy educational, social and recreational activities. The center also provides opportunities for seniors and volunteer their talents at various activities; to provide nutritional meal preparation site for congregate and home-delivered meals for seniors and the disabled, and to provide meeting room facilities for community groups and family gatherings on a rental basis. For more information contact the Four Seasons Director at (218) 463-1331.
Community Activities
There is always something going on in Roseau. It won't take long to fill up your schedule with activities when you come to Roseau. Outdoor sporting activities, both summer and winter, are extremely popular. These activities include baseball and softball leagues, sand and indoor volleyball leagues, bowling leagues, hockey leagues, snowmobile clubs, gun clubs, hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, etc.
Other activities include various clubs like bridge and card playing clubs, garden clubs, quilter's guild, 4H clubs, church youth groups and adult groups, theater, dance, craft clubs and classes et cetera.
Cultural Activities
The Roseau Area Arts Association's Art in the Park in July, summer theater productions, and children's arts opportunities held throughout the summer; the Roseau Area Writer's Workshop where monthly workshops include author readings, book launch events and publications; the Northern Lights Concert Series which brings professional musical and dance groups from across the country to perform periodically during the winter months; the Warroad Summer Theater which holds theatrical productions throughout the summer. In addition, there are many special events scheduled throughout the year including various cultural festivals, car shows, walk/runs and many more.
The largest event in Roseau is the 100+ year-old Roseau County Fair which gets bigger and better every year. Each year Grandstand entertainment headline the fair which boasts a large midway, regional entertainment, motocross racing, demolition derby, concession stands, livestock shows, 4-H exhibits, and other shows and exhibits. Best of all, the county fair still has a free gate, as it has been since 1950. Past entertainment has included major recording artists including: Blackhawk, Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Tracy Lawrance, Toby Keith, Neal McCoy, The Wilkensons, Diamond Rio, Suzy Bogass, Billy Dean, James Barry among others. The annual county fair is held the third week of July.