Crookston Ox Cart Days is back with the theme “Lots To Do In ’22!” and true to its name, there are many events to do throughout Crookston next week. For each day of this week leading up to the Ox Cart Days, we will have the events scheduled on each day of Ox Cart Days.
Friday, August 19
Friday will begin with the early morning pancake breakfast at the Crookston Fire Department on Main Street from 6:00 to 10:00 a.m., where people can start the day with freshly cooked pancakes, French Toast, sausages, milk, orange juice, and water, all for free! “That has been a beloved, long-held tradition. I’m not sure how many years they’ve done it, but they’ve done it for a long time, and people love it. They were even able to do it during COVID, as a drive-up event which still brought people out in droves,” said Ox Cart Days Director Libby Boucher. “I think my husband and son came up in their pajamas and just drove up and got their stuff. That starts at 6:00 a.m. on Friday and goes to 10:00 a.m. I love the Pancake breakfast. I think it’s a super fun start to the weekend.” While the event is free, the Fire Department will accept free-will donations that will benefit the Department. During that time, registration for the Blue Line Golf Scramble at the Minakwa Golf Course will begin at 8:00 a.m., and the Kids Lemonade Stands competition will come to a close by the end of the day. Many events that had begun in the Downtown Square on Thursday will also be returning at the same times from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m., such as the Bounce Houses, Misting Station, Axe Throwing by Bearded Axe, the Beer Gardens, and the $1 deal for Matinee Movies at the Grand Theatre. Events added in the Downtown Square for Friday include the Duck Drop Fundraiser by the Crookston Rotary Club at 4:30 p.m., Water Wars with the Fire Department & Outdoor Solutions, a performance by the Downtown Horns, and Community S’mores at 5:00 p.m., and a Hawaiian Shirt Contest at 6:00 p.m.
Meanwhile, at the Crookston High School, the Miss Crookston Scholarship Pageant will begin at 7:00 p.m. Tickets for the pageant will start being sold on Tuesday, August 16, and can be picked up at the Crookston High School on the nights leading up to the day between 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., at the door on Friday, or by emailing Director Jean Ann Bienek. Tickets are $10, with all funds raised going towards the girl’s scholarships. We will have more about the contestants and the pageant in the near future and will have the contestants on Valley Talk on Tuesday, August 16, with more information about them and what they’ll be doing for the pageant. Meanwhile, the Mr. GQ Pageant fundraiser will begin at the Crookston Eagles Club at 8:00 p.m. To end the night, the Crookston Inn will have Terry Mackner perform an Acoustic Concert from 9:00 p.m. to midnight. But for all the teens looking to have a massive night of fun on Friday night, the Teen Dance will return at the Downtown Square and go from 9:00 p.m. to midnight. Both the dance and the concert require Ox Cart Day buttons to enter, which will be picked up at various areas around Crookston or at the entrances to these events.
Saturday, August 20
The weekend for Ox Cart Days begins with many events to get you running early in the morning. “The 5k/Little Tykes Run that’s run by Altru and Biermaier Chiropractic Clinic, starting on Ash Street at 8:30 a.m. We’ve got the Pickleball Tournament at Schuster Park at 9:00 a.m. and the Kiddie Parade at the Benedictine Living Community at 10:00 a.m. with Kim Dans from Wish Upon a Star running that,” Director Boucher explained. “That’s been a really fun hit throughout the year. Bounce houses will be back, the National Guard is coming back with their rock-climbing wall, and we have seven Strolling Street Performers, everything from a juggler to a hula-hoop dancer artist to a strolling accordion player, and they’ll be wandering around all day on Saturday.”
Along with the events in the Downtown Square returning again from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., there will also be a Tae Kwon Do Demonstration by the Crookston Championship Tae Kwon Do at 12:30 p.m., a performance by Just for Kix at 1:00 p.m., and a performance by the River City Rhythm Drumline at 3:00 p.m. on the Downtown Square Stage. To begin the celebration into the night, the Torchlight Parade that goes through West 7th Street, Central Avenue, and Barrette Street starts at 7:00 p.m. with Brost Chevrolet holding a SKOL Themed Parade Yard Party Contest for all of the biggest Minnesota Vikings fans in town. The first-place winner gets two lower bowl seats for the Vikings-Lions game on September 25 at noon. To finish off the day, there will be the Viva Knievel Street Dance at the Downtown Square from 9:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m., which has a $10 entrance fee at the gate and requires a button, and the Fireworks Show on the Red Lake Riverbank at 10:00 p.m.
Sunday, August 21
Things seem to simmer down again on the final day of Ox Cart Days, with a shorter list of events for the last day. “Sunday is nice and mellow. There’s a Brunch and Bake Sale up at the Crookston Eagles at 9:00 a.m., Video Games on the Big Screen at the Grand Theatre from noon to 3:00 p.m., and Grocery Bingo will be from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the Downtown Square Red Barn, where we’re giving away $800 worth of groceries in gift card this year,” Libby Boucher explained. The Days end with woodfire pizza being sold at the Wesley United Methodist Church from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
To get a button or a pocket schedule for Ox Cart Days, they can be picked up at Hugo’s Family Marketplace, Happy Joe’s Pizza & Ice Cream, Crookston City Hall, the Erickson Embroidery, and Crookston True Value. The Ox Cart Days committee is also looking for volunteers to assist with some events throughout the week in two-hour increments. To see the full schedule of Crookston Ox Cart Days, as well as any registration links for events or maps to find some events or sign up to volunteer for an event, you can find them all at www.crookstonoxcartdays.com.
Sign-up forms for the Pickleball Tournament and the Torchlight parade can be found below. A link to register for the 5k/Little Tykes Run can be found here: www.raceentry.com/ox-cart-days-5k-and-little-tykes-race/race-information.
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