Good Neighbor Days
The annual Good Neighbor Days festival is full of small town charm, providing fun activities for people of all ages.
The 2013 Good Neighbor Days will take place Thursday through Sunday, June 20-23.
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 at Codger’s Cove, 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 throughout the weekend.
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.
Friday evening features live music, food, beverages, and a fireworks show at dusk over Howard Lake. 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. During weigh-in, the Howard Lake Lions serve hot dogs, and prizes are given away.
The annual one-block run also takes place Saturday, followed by the paper airplane toss and the children’s carnival at the fire barn. A turtle race takes place at 2 p.m., and a bean bag tournament has also taken place the last two years.
Throughout the day, there is a craft and flea market, and The Country Store usually hosts a petting zoo. A book sale takes place at the Howard Lake Library, and food is sold at the community room above the library.
In the evening, the Howard Lake Volunteer Fire Department hosts a pork chop dinner at the fire station, which is followed by live music.
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 and coronation take place following the parade.
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
• Cindy Zitzloff
• Addie Mucha
• Randy Heuer
• Laura Heuer
• Aggie Schmitz
• Dennis Decker
• Darlene Mader
• Tom Diers
• Mike Main
• Darren McAlpine
Royalty committee:
• Jodi Utne
• Marianne Bobrowske
• Natalie Langford
• Christine Bobrowske
• Brittney Utne
• Julie Kleve
Groups:
• Howard Lake Fire Department
• Howard Lake Lions
• Orphans Baseball Club
• City of Howard Lake
• Howard Lake Business Association
• HLWW After Prom Committee
• Howard Lake Library
• Good Samaritan Society-Howard Lake, and many others.
