Best Lighted entry - The Jolanda Anderson Home on Central Avenue (Picture by the Chamber)

TO SEE MORE PARADE AND HOUSE PARTY PICTURES CLICK HERE

LITTLE MISS AND JUNIOR MISS CROOKSTON CROWNED ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON

The Little Miss and Junior Miss Crookston's were crowned at the Crookston High School Auditorium on Saturday afternoon.
The Junior Miss Crookston is Kennedy Brandner.  First runner up is Thea Oman and the second runner up is Emma Boerger.
The Little Miss Crookston is Madison Armstrong.  First runner up is Enily Shea and the second runner up is Brianna Kelly.

The Junior and Little Miss Crookston contestants with 2011 Little Miss Crookston Chloe Brule (Picture by Leann Kawlewski)


Junior Miss contestants with 2nd runner up Emma Boerger, Junior Miss Kennedy Brandner, 1st runner up Thea Oman. (Picture by Leann Kawlewski)

Little Miss contestants.  1st runner up Emily Shea, Little Miss Madison Armstrong, 2nd runner up Brianna Kelly (Picture by Leann Kawlewski)

A NEW YORKER WINS THE HAPPY JOES PIZZA EATING CONTEST

Andrew Brolsma, back in Crookston visiting from New York, won the Happy Joes Pizza eating contest by beating defending champ Dan Mykleseth.  Brolsma said he eats Happy Joes pizza once a year when we comes back to visit.

     Andrew Brolsma with the trophy                               The three contestants in the Happy Joes Pizza eating contest

AIRBOAT RIDES WERE A BIG HIT DURING OX CART DAYS

Kenny Vilhauer, from South Dakota, had his air boat here for rides.  It is powered by a 502 Chevy engine and can attain speeds of 45 to 60 MPH depending on wind.  The tour of the Red Lake River included going over a sandbar east of town, and a 35 MPH “blast” as you go past the starting point, just before going under the Highway 2 bridge.  They normally take six people per tour on a ride lasted about 15 minutes.

A group of air boat riders gets ready to take off from Central Park in Crookston (Picture submitted by Rand Hughes)

      A cool cloud formation taken by Rand Hughes while on the air boat ride

SATURDAY - AUGUST 18,  2012

MIKAYLA HENSRUD CROWNED MISS CROOKSTON 2012

Mikayla Hensrud is crowned Miss Crookston                   The video of the crowning of Miss Crookston 2012

The Miss Crookston Scholarship Pageant was held Friday night at the Crookston High School with the theme, “Island Time.”  2011 Miss Crookston, Kelsey Kaml, crowned the new 2012 Miss Crookston and winner of the talent competition, Mikayla Hensrud, daughter of Scott and Andrea.  The first runner-up and personal interview winner was Natalie Koch, daughter of Dennis and Rose. The second place runner-up was McKaela Larson, daughter of Wendy Sturm. Third runner-up and evening gown winner was Kaylee Desrosier, daughter of Al and Sandy. Miss Congeniality was Emma Dufault, daughter of Tim and Marlene. The winner of the Kari Thompson Community Service Essay Award was Cyrina Ostgaard, daughter of Kent and Natalie.  The American Legion Volunteerism Award went to McKaylee Klamm, daughter of Dennis and Sharon.  “On Stage Presence” had two winners, Natalie Koch and Mikayla Hensrud.  Other Miss Crookston participants were:  Alexis Hanson, daughter of Heath Hanson and Nikole Thompson,  Sydney Luckow, daughter of Chris and Kathy, Alina Noyes, daughter of Dan and Ileanna and Paige Sanders, daughter of Nick and Rebecca. 2002 Miss Crookston, Bethany Meier Tollefson was the Mistress of Ceremonies. Ann Graham is the Miss Crookston Pageant Director and committee members include Marilee Hanson, Dawn Johnston, Brenda Kaiser, Kristy Morris Leas, Dawn Skjei and Adrianne Winger.  Hollie Luckow Edlund choreographed the production number. Steve Krueger was in charge of the lights and sounds and Steven Noyes was the videographer. Over three thousand dollars in educational scholarships were awarded. And two-thousand-two-hundred and fifty dollars in U.M.C. scholarships were
awarded.

                       All 11 Miss Crookston Pageant participants - Picture by We Click Photography

FOR OPENING NUMBER, TALENT AND EVENING GOWN PICTURES OF ALL THE GIRLS CLICK HERE

PAST MISS CROOKSTON'S
2011 Kelsey Kaml               1998    Sara Brorson         1966    Constance Broden
2010 Michelle Stahlecker   1997    Ann Gregg             1965    Leann Juve
2009  Kristen Remick         1996    Alyson Gilbert       1964    Sue Bakke
2008  Danie Wavra             1995    Michelle Larson     1963    Lolly Dewar
2007  Taylor Davis              1994    Jessica Sayler         1962    Ruby Mathies
2006  Alex Thompson         1993    Paula Olson            1954    Jacqueline Schipper
2005  Taushia Brooks         1992    Carmen Kriebech  19??    Kelsey Homvik
2004    Alex Dorman           1991    Myra Odom            1948    Rosita Ellingson
2003    Katie Bakken          1990    Heather Williams    1947    Frances Ristau
2002    Bethany Meier        1985    Kristi Nelson            1946    Audrey Neff
2001    Katie Proulx            1984    Kristi Palmer           1938    Loretta Burgess
2000    Andrea Martin        1967    Georgia Rude          1936    Marie Olson
1999    Therese Noel

First runner up - Natalie Koch, Miss Crookston - Mikayla Hensrud, 2nd runner up - McKaela Larson, 3rd runner up Kaylee Desrosier

OX CART DAYS ACTIVITIES ATTENDED BY MANY ON SATURDAY

The last day of the Ox Cart Days Festivities was attended by many on a perfect Saturday morning.  The Dodgeball tournament had 18 teams competing in a youth and adult division.  For a second year in a row, "Clear Channel Rockpile" was the winner of the Crookston National Bank/Altru Clinic Dodgeball Tournament.  Members of the team are Ryan Edevold, Dylan Klatt, Cam Leas, Kyle Proulx, Wyatt Hanson and Ryan Schear.


Clear Channel Rockpile (Crookston Pirate athletes) - 
Back Row - Dylan Klatt, Cam Leas, Ryan Schear
Front Row - Alex Edevold and Kyle Proulx   (Picture submitted by the Crookston Chamber)


The youth division winners were the Scubadodgers. Team members are Luke Meier, Jake Anderson, Dylan Haller, Carter Winand, Cody Solheim, Trey Christopherson and Mason Wang.

The Youth Division Champion Scubadodgers-
Back Row - Dylan Haller, Carter Winand, Lucas Meier and Jake Anderson
Front row (standing) - Cody Solheim, Trey Christopherson and Mason Wang

FOR MORE DODGEBALL PICTURES CLICK HERE

The University of Minnesota Crookston hosted the Kids Parade on Ash Street with several kids participating and you can see pictures from the parade below.


Kaylie Clauson was rocking and rolling in the kids parade

FOR MORE KIDS PARADE PICTURES CLICK HERE
 

FOUR VETERANS HONORED IN THE SECOND ANNUAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE VETERANS CEREMONY

The Crookston Chamber of Commerce held the 2nd Annual Veterans Ceremony in Kiehle Auditorium on the University of Minnesota-Crookston campus and honored four veterans.  The four veterans honored were Bernie Lieder, Louie Gelen, Donald G. Peterson and Robert Altringer.  The guest speaker was Major General Retired Larry Shellito, Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs.
 Information of the four honorees and a picture is below.

  
          Bernie Lieder, Robert Altringer, Louis Gelen and Donald Peterson                    Larry Shellito speaking

Louis Gelen was inducted into the U.S. Army on April 13, 1943 at Fort Snelling.  He volunteered for service as a paratrooper and was assigned to the 517th Parachute Combat Team and left the United States on May 17, 1944 and arrived in Naples, Italy on May 31, 1944.  The Combat Team was later assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division and participated with the 82nd in the Battle of the Bulge and remained attached to the 82nd until its arrival in Berlin.  Gelen participated in five major battles and returned from Berlin in December of 1945 and was discharged in January 1946.
Louis has been a resident of Crookston and member of Trinity Lutheran Church for 60 years.  He was a volunteer fireman with the Crookston Fire Department for 25 years and has been a member of the American Legion for 66 years and is a lifetime member of the Crookston VFW.  Louis has been married to Vera for 63 years and has a son, David, a daughter, Lori and a grandson, Jonathon.

Donald G. Peterson was drafted into the U.S. Navy in July 21, 1943 and completed Basic Training at Farragut, Idaho.  He served on the USS Honolulu as fire control 3rd Class.  It was one of the biggest cruisers in the war, measuring 608 feet long and 60 feet wide, and had the nickname "Blue Goose."  It shelled the beaches with six inch shells so Marines could land.  The Honolulu was torpedoed three times and bombed once.  One of the torpedoes made a hole 25 feet wide and 29 feet high in the cruiser.  The crew was able to save the ship by counter flooding the other side and kept it afloat.  Eventually, the heavily damaged Honolulu was raised on a floating dock to be repaired.  All told, there were 16 sailors buried at sea and 54 more were buried at Mannis Island in the Pacific.  At the end of the war, Don was transferred to the USS Houston.   He was discharged on February 25, 1946. 
Don is a member of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #1902.  Don and his wife were married for 61 years and had three sons, Craig, Aaron and Todd.  Sadly, Pat passed away in 2011.  Don was a teacher for 31 years teaching shop, coaching and refereeing.  Don also built houses throughout Crookston for many years.

Robert Altringer was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1966.  He completed Basic and AIT at Fort Hood, Texas.  He arrived in Vietnam in August 1967.  Bob served in Vietnam as part of the Americal Division, 1st Armor Division and 1st Infantry Division (Big Red 1) from August 1967 to August 1968.  While in Vietnam, Bob's unit was involved in fighting during the Tet Offensive in January 1968 and other campaigns.  His units were involved with the Northern part of Vietnam and then performed duties in the area of Saigon and Tan Son Nhut Air Base. 
Bob joined the Army National Guard in 1971 and served in a variety of leadership positions until his retirement as a Sergeant First Class in September 2005 when he received his honorable discharge.  He served on the state ESNR committee after being discharged from the National Guard. 
Bob is a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and is also a member of the American Legion.  Bob served four terms on the Crookston School Board and was recognized as the Crookston Volunteer of the Year in the 1980's.
Bob was born in Devils Lake, ND and moved to Crookston in 1969.  He met his wife Kathy in Crookston and has been married for over 40 years and they have two children, Tracy and Brian.

Bernie Lieder hails from Greenwood, Minnesota.  He attended ASTP University of Illinois, Champaign and Purdue University, graduating with an engineering degree.
Bernie was drafted into the U.S. Army on March 12, 1943.  He was part of the Anti-Tank Company, 407 Infantry, 102nd Division.  He was sent to Coast Artillery in Camp McQuaid, CA and also was at Camp Swift, Texas and Camp Dix in New Jersey.  He had a rank of Sergeant.  Bernie started out as a gunner and was sent to France in September 1943 and his unit was the first troops to relieve those of the 29th Infantry Division at Cherbourg on the Normandy Peninsula.  He was in combat in France, Holland, Belgium and Germany until the end of the war.  Bernie spoke German so he was an unofficial translator called upon to translate for the Army during interrogations of German soldiers.  Bernie was in the Battle of the Bulge on December 16, 1944.  His unit was the first American unit to make contact with Russian troops south of Berlin after the war.  He was honorably discharged from the service on March 20, 1946 at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin.
Bernie married Shirley Black in 1952 and she passed away in 2000.  They have three daughters: Sue Dundas (Mark) of Wells, MN; Heidi Rahe (John) of Rensselaer, IN; and Jane Whitter (Ken) Coquitlam, BC.  Bernie has 10 grandchildren.  Bernie was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1984 and served 26 years.  Throughout the term, he was Chair of the Transportation Committee.  He is a member of the American Legion Post #20 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #1902.

THE CROOKSTON AMERICAN LEGION RIBFEST HAS ANOTHER BIG CROWD THIS YEAR

The Crookston American Legion hosted their annual Ribfest on Friday evening with several area businesses participating.  A link to pictures from ribfest are below.

The Melsa's of Drafts Sports Bar and Grill served up ribs at ribfest.  They are planning on breaking ground in September.

FOR MORE RIBFEST PICTURES CLICK HERE

TRACTOR PEDAL PULL BRINGS IN OVER 120 PARTICIPANTS THURSDAY AFTERNOON

The participants were many and the crowds were huge for the Ox Cart Festivities on Thursday afternoon and evening.  Over 120 people participated in the Tractor Pedal Pull with hundreds more in the crowd and then the big crowds filled in for the RiverView Bed Races. 

The winners of the Tractor Pedal Pull were:

For pictures from the Tractor Pedal Pull click here.  

RIVERVIEW BED RACE WON BY BINGHAM CONSTRUCTION

Eight teams competed in the RiverView Bed Races with the Bingham Construction team, of Brandon Lyczewski, Alex Edevold, Josh Baldock and Zach Mercil the champions.  Runaway Train was the runners up, consisting of Travis Oliver, Matt Sperling, Jimmy Perreault and Jesse Norheim.  The best dressed team was Beauty Rest and the Beasts, Derek Gustafson, Robert Staehnke, Ashley Johnson and Candace Brouse.

To see the ending of the championship race click on the video below.

The RiverView Bed Race champs - Bingham Construction - Alex Edevold, Zach Mercil, Josh Baldock and Brandon Lyczewski

The runners up - Runaway Train - Matt Sperling, Travis Oliver, Jesse Norheim and Jimmy Perreault

The Best Dressed - Beauty Rest and The Beasts - Robert Staehnke, Derek Gustafson, Ashley Johnson and Candace Brouse

For more pictures of the RiverView Bed Races click here. 

SIX BANDS COMPETE FOR THE OX CART DAYS BATTLE OF THE BANDS TITLE AND $1,000 CASH

After the RiverView Bed Races, the Battle of the Bands took over with six bands performing and a large crowd took in the entertainment.  There were six bands competing for the title, with Paramount taking the title.  The top three are listed below.

1. Paramount (Pictured above)
2. Alex Pond and the Lone Rangers
3. Old Vern

You can see pictures of all six bands by clicking here.

2011 PICTURE LINKS

THURSDAY - AUGUST 18

- Ox Cart Days Tractor Pedal Pull pictures - click here

- RiverView Health Bed Race pictures - click here

- Battle of the Bands pictures - click here

FRIDAY - AUGUST 19

- Miss Crookston 2011 pictures - click here

- Rib Fest and Cake Off pictures - click here

- Veterans Program pictures - click here

SATURDAY - AUGUST 20

- Ox Cart Run pictures - click here

- Children's Parade pictures - click here

- Dodgeball Tournament and Happy Joes pizza eating contest pictures - click here  (Updated 8-22)

- Ox Cart Days Torchlight Parade pictures - click here

FOR PICTURES FROM OX CART DAYS 2010 CLICK HERE

Since August 13, 2011