Good times at Good Neighbor Days
The annual Good Neighbor Days festival is full of small town charm, providing fun activities for people of all ages.
The 2012 Good Neighbor Days will take place Thursday through Sunday, June 21-24.
The many volunteers who make the event possible typically start planning in early January.
Kicking off the fun-filled weekend is the Queen’s Tea Thursday afternoon, followed by a banquet in the evening, which is catered by a local restaurant.
Friday’s fun usually includes a kiddie parade, root beer floats, and the beginning of the Pee Wee Reese Baseball Tournament at Yager Field.
An Orphans Baseball Tournament also takes place at Memorial Park following pee wee tournament games.
Fresh strawberries and ice cream are served Friday in honor of the Strawberry Festival, which took place in Howard Lake in the 1940s and early 1950s.
During the weekend events, onlookers and participants enjoy eating burgers and fries, which can be purchased at a stand near the fire station.
Friday evening, the fire station has a beer garden, and KRWC has a road show with music, games, and prizes.
A fireworks show takes place Friday evening at dusk over Howard Lake, as onlookers watch from the shore. The fireworks are moved to Saturday night if it rains Friday.
A pancake breakfast at Lions Park is a delicious start to Saturday morning, after which the fishing contest starts.
The annual one-block run and Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted National Honor Society car wash fundraiser are other events that take place Saturday.
Throughout the day, craft, flea, and country markets attract crowds, and books and food are sold at the community room above the Howard Lake Library.
Last year was the first-ever Good Neighbor Days bean bag tournament, which took place Saturday morning and into the afternoon.
Children’s activities Saturday include a paper airplane toss, dunk tanks, bingo, turtle races, and fire truck rides, as well as carnival games sponsored by the Good Neighbor Days Royalty Committee. In the evening, there is a pork chop dinner at the fire station.
Sunday’s events include a community church service at the high school gymnasium and a 5k run/walk on the northeast side of Howard Lake.
The finale of the weekend is the grande day parade, starting at the Wright County Fairgrounds. Raffle drawings, coronation, and live music are among the attractions.
For more information about Good Neighbor Days, go to www.howardlakegoodneighbordays.webs.com.
Who’s involved
It takes many dedicated volunteers to plan a successful Good Neighbor Days weekend. Here are some of the people involved:
• Marilyn Ringold
• Jeanne Brose
• Randy & Laura Heuer
• Aggie Schmitz
• Dennis Decker
• Mike Main
• Glen Hofer
• Cindy Zitzloff
• Addie Mucha
• Darlene Mader
Royalty committee:
• Jodi Utne
• Marianne Bobrowske
• Jacklin Hubbell
• Jenna Jones
• Morgan Kleve
• Julie Kleve
Groups:
• Howard Lake Fire Department and Howard Lake Lions (The “Fired-Up Lions”)
• Orphans Baseball Club
• City of Howard Lake
• Howard Lake Business Association, and many others.
