Pioneer PINE CITY
THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016
VOL. 131 NO. 31 www.pinecitymn.com $1.00
WHERE IN THE WORLD: Pioneer readers travel everywhere from Animal Kingdom to Alaska . P19
Pine County Fair: 50th demo derby, much more BY MIKE GAINOR EDITOR@PINECITYMN.COM
Pine City residents are getting ready to celebrate five days of summer fun with family and friends at the 124th annual Pine County Fair – including the traditional parade through Pine City and the 50th running of the legendary Pine County Demolition Derby. FREE GATE FAIR With no charge for admission or parking, all are invited to roam the animal barns filled with 4-H competitors, check out the exhibit halls filled with artistic and agricultural items, and visit varied vendors offering information or
wares for sale. Check out a full list of the 4-H competitions at www.pinecountyfair.com. The fair has also developed a reputation for great music acts, and look to keep building on that legacy with a host of absolutely free bandshell performances. The famous Whitesidewalls will bring the music of the 1950s back to life on Wednesday from 4-7 p.m. and the music starts on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at noon with shows at 2:30 p.m., 5 p.m. and in the evening. Look for more music in the beer garden – especially the Jolly Zuks on Sunday afternoon starting at 2:30 p.m. Another free event – the All American Lumberjack Show –
returns on Friday and Saturday with shows at 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., which includes a chance for kids to test their lumberjack skills. On Saturday afternoon, many will head down to Main Street in Pine City to catch the big parade starting at 4 p.m. And on Sunday, the bandshell will host a worship service at 10 a.m, gospel music at noon, and the annual talent show and ArtsIn at 2:30 p.m. FOOD AND FUN Though anyone can make a full day of fun out of free Pine County Fair events, it’ll be hard not to be MIKE GAINOR | THE PIONEER
Drivers and fans get all the action they can handle at the derby.
SEE FAIR, PAGE 14
Moen pursues ghosts of Pine City BY MIKE GAINOR EDITOR@PINECITYMN.COM
JUDY WOLF | THE PIONEER
Mystery Mountain Boys cap off summer of song The bluegrass and gospel tunes of the Mystery Mountain Boys and a beautiful July 29 evening brought the Pine City Arts Council’s Art in the Park concert series to a glowing, golden end for the summer of 2016.
“My belief in ghosts finally solidified after visiting the tuberculosis sanatorium in Pine City,” said paranormal investigator Eric Moen. The Pokegama Sanatorium, just outside Pine City, opened in 1905 on the shores of Pokegama Lake to treat tuberculosis patients. The land consisted of 35 acres of rural lakeside. The doctor who operated it was Longstreet Taylor. He believed that hospitals were too cramped and urban. He wanted his tuberculosis patients to be isolated and have clean air and good quality foods. The sanatorium farm produced vegetables, meats and dairy. Patients paid thirty dollars per week, and the facilities accommodated 36 patients. The facility consisted of a large administration building and smaller cottages. The tuberculosis san-
PHOTO PROVIDED
Eric Moen has always been fascinated with the paranormal, and says he found reason to believe in ghosts in Pine City.
atorium was shut down in 1943. Afterward, the property was sold to the Redemptorist Fathers and used as a school for aspiring priests. Later, a chemical dependency treatment center operated there under the name of “Pine Manor.” In 1986, the cost of a 21 day chemical dependency SEE GHOSTS, PAGE 14
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