2023 Rapids River Days

Thursday, June 22

Medallion Hunt begins

Rock the Riverside Concert

The Clearing

5:30 p.m. Todd Michael Jameson

7 p.m. Arena

Miss Sauk Rapids Pageant

7 p.m. • Sauk Rapids-Rice High School

Friday, June 23

Rapids River Days Parade

6 p.m. • Sixth Avenue

Saturday, June 24

Disc Golf Charity Event

9 a.m. • Mayhew Creek Park

Rapids River Food Fest

11 a.m. to 8 p.m. • Municipal Park

11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sawyer’s Dream

1:30-4 p.m. The Receders 4:30-7:30 p.m. Honeybadgers

Farewell to Miss Sauk Rapids Maggie Fernholz and Sauk Rapids princesses Saige Moliga (left) and Maycee Britz.

Shriners

BY TIM HENNAGIR | STAFF WRITER

Osman Shrine Go-Kart captain Chris Chopp has a passion for the Rapids River Days parade.

That is understandable. The annual parade in central Minnesota typically features more than 85 units. This year, the parade will include 16 marching bands.

“The Sauk Rapids parade is long, but I really like that,” said Chopp, a member of the St. Cloud Area Shrine Club. “That means more people watching.”

Chopp and his fellow Shriners entertain, but their presence also provides important enlightenment.

Shrine clubs and units aid handicapped children through Shriners Children’s, a network of hospitals and burn institutes.

Financial assistance is provided regardless of a family’s ability to pay or insurance status.

“I became a Mason and then a Shriner because I wanted to join a fraternal organization that does positive things and good works around the community,” Chopp said.

Chopp has been a Shriner for 10 years. He has been involved with the Osman Shrine Go-Karts the last six.

Shriners page 3C

PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER

The Osman Shrine Go-Kart patrol unit makes its way down Sixth Avenue North during the 2017 Rapids River Days parade in Sauk Rapids. The Shriners formations are a crowd favorite for children and adults alike.

Shriners from page 2C

The unit’s schedule varies from year to year, with the annual event calendar being filled with 15 to 20 parades, many of them on weekends.

“We enjoy performing, but a lot of what we do involves creating camaraderie among ourselves,” he said.

Chopp retired this year after working 33 years in St. Cloud Area School District 742 as a social studies teacher. He last worked at McKinley Alternative Learning Center, which serves surrounding school districts.

The St. Cloud Go-Kart unit was organized in 1964 with 15 charter members.

Each member contributed $100

toward the purchase of the nimble little vehicles, which are powered by a small gasoline engine.

“We found one of those checkyour-speed stations along the side of the road and did a test,” Chopp said.

“We reached a top speed of 18 mph.”

Chopp said that speed seems a lot faster because the cart drivers are really close to the ground and are making tight turns during their scripted parade routines.

A new Shriner who joins the unit gets a copy of the parade playbook before the parade season begins, he said.

Shriners page 5C

PHOTOS BY TIM HENNAGIR

(Above) Captain Chris Chopp’s phone rests near the distinctive and official headgear worn by all Shriners, the fez. St. Cloud Area Shrine Club go-cart drivers use scripted routines during parade performances, and Chopp stores the routines on a cell phone for quick reference.

(Left) Chris Chopp is the captain of the Osman Shrine Go-Kart division of the St. Cloud Area Shrine Club. Each summer, he leads a group of motorized philanthropists during the Rapids River Days parade.

Rapids River Days Parade

6

Rapids River Food Fest

serves up taste-filled variety

Betty’s Shrimp Bucket among this year’s new concessionaires

BY TIM HENNAGIR | STAFF WRITER

There is plenty of tasty and fried fare to tickle almost every taste bud at this year’s Rapids River Food Fest.

“Right now, we have 21 food vendors registered,” said Kathy Phenow, one of the event’s eight organizers.

The food festival is celebrating its 34th year. Phenow said she has been involved with the event 24 years.

“We are all volunteers,” she said. “After expenses, everything we make goes back into the community.”

For example, this year, event organizers provided scholarships to Sauk Rapids-Rice High School seniors.

“Any volunteer group or community organization that helps us the day of the Food Fest receives a percentage of proceeds,” Phenow said. “We give back to them depending on how well the day goes.” Rapids River Food Fest Inc. is a non-profit organization.

Each year, Phenow and other committee members seek new vendors for the popular event, which brings large and hungry crowds to Municipal Park, 1001 River Ave., Sauk Rapids.

This year’s event is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, June 24.

The family friendly and free event also features live bands, craft vendors and activities.

Teamwork is essential to the event’s annual success, Phenow said.

Betty’s Food Truck page 7C

PHOTO BY TIM HENNAGIR

Tanya Ludivig owns Betty’s Shrimp Bucket, a food truck that is making its first Rapids River Food Fest appearance. This year’s event in Sauk Rapids Municipal Park is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, June 24, the final day of the city’s big summer celebration.

Betty’s Food Truck

from page 6C

“Everybody has certain jobs,” she said. “That’s what helps the event come together. If somebody is overwhelmed, somebody steps in and takes care of the task or need.”

Phenow said the Rapids River Food Fest committee is always looking for younger people to help.

“We need them because the majority of us have been doing it for more than 20 years,” she said.

Tanya Ludivig owns Betty’s Shrimp Bucket, a food truck making its first Rapids River Food Fest appearance.

Other new vendors include Pit Stop BBQ, Cloud 9 Energy Bowls, Waldo’s Pizza, Ashley’s Yummy Rollz and Anejos Fine Mexican Cuisine.

Phenow said a standing rule at the event involves allowing only two food vendors with the same fare.

Ludivig is no stranger to the cen-

tral Minnesota food scene and Rapids River Food Fest.

She has been in the industry almost 40 years and worked at the St. Cloud Red Lobster for 16 years. Ludivig is based out of St. Augusta.

“I worked at a previous Rapid River Days Food Fest when I worked at Red Lobster,” she said. “That was many, many years ago. This is my first full year running the food truck. I have about 95 events booked.”

Prospective customers might be wondering why Ludivig named her business Betty’s Shrimp Bucket.

“It’s kind of a campfire joke,” she said. “A high school girlfriend of mine called me Betty Crocker one day because I do a lot of home baking and canning. She’s called me by that name ever since.”

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Betty’s Food Truck page 11C

PHOTO BY TIM HENNAGIR

Tanya Ludivig, owner and operation of Betty’s Food Truck prepares shrimp tacos May 17 in St. Cloud. The item is one of two signature items Rapids River Food Fest attendees may try at the festival.

Tanner’s Team Foundation

sponsors new festival event

BY TIM HENNAGIR | STAFF

Tanner’s Team Foundation will host a new Rapids River Days event this year – a disc golf tournament.

All proceeds will benefit central Minnesota families who have children with life-threatening illnesses.

The new disc golf event check-in is set for 7 a.m. Saturday, June 24, at Mayhew Creek Park, near Sauk Rapids-Rice High School in Sauk Rapids.

WRITER of reasons, 5K events are kind of phasing out, and we were looking to change things up. None of us on the board were familiar with disc golf, so we reached out for help.”

The plastic discs will start flying after a shotgun start that is scheduled for 9 a.m.

Tanner’s Team Foundation was created in 2011 in memory of Tanner Fuls, who was diagnosed at age 11 with myelodysplastic syndrome, a form of preleukemia.

Tanner passed away Nov. 27, 2010.

Since its inception, the foundation has helped more than 400 families in 45 counties by providing grant assistance totaling more than $580,000, said Jodi Johnson, board of directors member.

“The first fundraising event that was held for Tanner was a 5K,” Johnson said. “That was back in 2011. For a variety

Disc golf will replace former run, walk

Enter Adam Gorres, a member of the Professional Disc Golf Association and Innova Champion Disc Ambassador.

Gorres has been a disc golfer since 1992 and has played since he was a junior at Tech High School in St. Cloud. He is an event manager for the Granite City Classic and St. Cloud Ice Bowl disc golf events.

“Jodi found out about the St. Cloud Disc Golf Club and came out to one of our events,” Gorres said. “The person she contacted told her I would be a good fit for running their event. She wanted to tap into the huge local disc golf scene. We hope to tap into the fundraising generosity from our past events.”

The Tanner’s Team Foundation Disc Golf Charity Event is not going to be a competitive tournament, Gorres said. Participants will not be shooting for the lowest score.

Tanner’s

Foundation

the memory of Tanner Fuls, who was diagnosed at age 11 with myelodysplastic syndrome, a form of pre-leukemia. Since its 2011 inception, the foundation has helped more than 400 families in 45 counties by providing grant assistance totaling more than $580,000.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TANNER’S TEAM FOUNDATION

Team

honors

PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER

Cody Parsons throws a disc during a tournament June 25, 2016, at Mayhew Creek Park in Sauk Rapids. Tanner’s Team Foundation has transitioned to a disc golf tournament after hosting its run walk for over a decade.

Tanner’s Team page 11C

FOOD FEST!

Betty’s Food Truck from page 7C

Ludivig started running a food truck last August. After business really took off and the season ended, she stored the truck from November to March.

“St. Patrick’s Day was my first event this year,” she said.

Rapids River Food Fest attendees in search of seafood can try two of Betty’s Shrimp Bucket’s signature items as recommended by Ludivig.

Those menu items include a shrimp po’boy and perfectly cooked shrimp tacos, she said.

“Shrimp only takes seconds to cook,” she said. “Many people cook it too long, and that makes it tough.

When people come to our window, we tell them a bucket only takes a minuteand-a-half.”

One Betty’s Shrimp Bucket customer used an innovative approach after getting her order of shrimp.

“She wanted to take it home and put it in her Alfredo for lunch,” Ludivig said. “I have an add-on shrimp skewer for $5. She ordered three or four seasoned grilled shrimp skewers with garlic butter sauce.”

Ludivig said she is looking forward to coming to Sauk Rapids and the Sat-

Tanner’s Team

from

page 10C

The event will be closest-to-pin.

“Mayhew Lake is a really unique championship-level course,” Gorres said. “That’s why we are going to play modified short tee pads. We are not playing the long tees. We’ll be doing a modified short course.”

Johnson and Gorres worked with St. Joseph artist Morgan Philippi to complete artwork for event commemorative discs.

Everyone who pays the entry fee and registers will get a disc, Gorres said.

urday food event.

“Come down and get some shrimp,” she said. “We love it when the food truck gets busy, because it provides a super adrenaline rush while we are working. We love to see smiles and happy faces.”

Getting a piece of the Rapids River Food Fest action is a simple task after arriving at Municipal Park.

Phenow said blue tokens need to be purchased for all event food, beverages and games. Yellow tokens are used at the beer garden.

Every year, Phenow said she goes home with tokens in her pockets. That is a testament to the Food Fest’s popularity.

In the long run, the token approach saves time and running by committee members, she said.

“We’ve talked about paper tickets, but tokens are the most efficient way to handle transactions,” Phenow said. “We put the tokens in baggies prior to the event.”

When food sales get going, members of the Sauk Rapids Lions Club count the tokens and are responsible for returning them for distribution.

“Our area has about 15 different disc golf courses between Albany, Clearwater, Becker and St. Augusta,” he said. “We are in a hotbed of play here in central Minnesota. There are new courses popping up all of the time.”

Gorres applauds Tanner’s Team Foundation for reaching out and making an effort to tap disc golfers.

“There are hundreds of rounds of disc golf played every day,” he said. “If there is someone in need, we can get the disc golf community behind this event. We are going to have something great happen.”

The Tanner’s Team Foundation Disc Golf Charity Event will be hosted by Granite City Disc Golf.

To register, click on the disc golf link at www. saukrapidsriverdays.com and look for the yellow sign-up button box.

Online registration will close at 8 p.m. Thursday, June 22.

GRAPHIC COURTESY TANNER’S TEAM FOUNDATION

St. Joseph artist Morgan Philippi’s artwork is featured on commemorative discs for the Saturday, June 24, inaugural Tanner’s Team Foundation Disc Golf Charity Event. The new Rapids River Days fundraiser will take place at Mayhew Creek Park near Sauk Rapids-Rice High School in Sauk Rapids.

Rapids River Days updates parade unit decorating contest

SRRHS students get involved via class project

BY TIM HENNAGIR STAFF WRITER

Rapids River Days parade organizers have updated its parade unit decorating contest.

A class project involving Sauk Rapids-Rice High School played a key role in developing three new entry categories.

Storm Green & Gold, We Love Sauk Rapids and Top Truck are new categories this year.

Entrants in the truck category must be fully decorated. Each category will have a $200 cash award for best float design.

The Best Business and Best Non-Profit categories will be retained, said Marla Elness, parade director.

Kayla Kahl is a business and marketing teacher at Sauk RapidsRice High School and one of its DECA advisers.

garding effective design techniques for promotional materials, she said.

“Twelve posters were selected as finalists to send off to Marla and her parade committee,” Kahl said. “They reviewed the ideas presented with the hopes of selecting a theme and adding a parade category.”

Even if their design was not chosen, Kahl said her students took pride in the fact they were involved in the planning, interacting with Elness to develop problemsolving skills and other community connections.

Sixty-eight students in Kahl’s sports and entertainment marketing classes participated in a poster activity after Elness visited them and talked about her experience coordinating details associated with the parade.

Sixty-eight students in Kahl’s sports and entertainment marketing classes participated in a poster activity after Elness visited them and talked about her experience coordinating details associated with the parade.

“In all of our business classes at the high school, we love to bring in community speakers to talk about class topics,” Kahl said. “It’s a great way to bring real world insights and industry expertise to students.”

Elness provided instruction re-

Junior Megan Hillmer said she liked Elness’ class presentation.

“She spoke about all of the things that she needs to do before the parade,” Hillmer said. “She also talked about how she actually does things like calling companies, setting up routes and designing posters.”

Freshman Landon Hurst loves graphic design. He was excited about sharing work related to a town event and the important opportunity of potentially inspiring a professional designer’s efforts and work.

Freshman Ethan Haddy said he has always liked the fun and creativity of making his own designs.

“When the chance came to be involved, I wanted to make this opportunity the best I possibility could,” he said.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Landon Hurst (from left), Luke Scheeler and Ethan Haddy display Rapids River Days promotional poster designs prepared in Kayla Kahl’s Sauk Rapids-Rice High School sports and entertainment marketing class. Rapids River Days parade organizers have added a float decorating contest as a competitive element.

Parade contest from page 12C

Junior Lilly Ackerman and sophomore Riley Zierden participated in the parade poster activity because they were able to be involved with an event that has been part of the community for 20 years.

“It was really interesting to see how many different things go into just making a poster,” Ackerman said.

Zierden agreed.

“I would definitely do it again if I had the chance,” Zierden said.

Kahl said she selected posters based upon how well students used the design elements taught by Elness.

“We had a few theme ideas overlap, but it was fun to see each group’s design and how they worked to communicate their themes,” Kahl said. “Marla was excited about the effort because she hoped it would encourage more participation from businesses and organizations as well as provide a fun experience.”

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Sauk Rapids-Rice High School sports and entertainment marketing class students – Lilly Ackerman (front, from left) Melena Haekenkamp, Mia Staton, Riley Zierden, Kaitlyn Lindberg and Nevaeh Rademacher; (back, from left) Andrew Arseneau, Jackson Ackerman, Sean Swanson, Ben Rothstein, Brandon Goebel and Ally Lucas – show off their Rapids River Days poster designs. Sixty-eight students in Kayla Kahl’s classes participated in the activity after parade director Marla Elness visited and talked about coordinating details associated with the event.

Medallion hunt commemorates 20 YEARS of Rapids River Days

First clue provided Thursday, June 22

BY TIM HENNAGIR STAFF WRITER

Rapids River Days will celebrate 20 years of summer celebration fun with its fi ever medallion hunt.

Festival coordinator

Marla Elness is a graphic designer by profession.

She provided the design for the 20th anniversary celebration logo that is prominently featured on this year’s disc-shaped medallion.

“The suggestion to have a medallion hunt during Rapids River Days came from a volunteer,” Elness said. “The event will continue depending on the event’s popularity.”

Look for the commemorative logo on all advertising mediums including the website, Facebook page, street banners, T-shirts and on printed materials.

The medallion hunt officially begins at 9 a.m. Thursday, June 22. That is when the first medallion hunt clue will be posted online at www.SaukRapidsRiverDays.com, the official festival website, Elness said.

Around the same time, the first medallion clue will be posted on the Rapids River Days Facebook page and announced on local radio stations, Elness said.

That day, the second clue will be provided at 4 p.m. to media outlets. The third clue will be given at 9 a.m. Friday, June 23, and the fourth clue at 4 p.m. that day.

On Saturday, June 24, the fifth clue will be given at 9 a.m. and the sixth clue at 4 p.m.

If the medallion has not been found after June 24, the clues will continue at the same times each day until the disc is found.

“The main rule about finding the medallion is that it will not be buried in the ground,” Elness said. “There is no need to dig for it. The medallion will be hidden within Sauk Rapids city limits.”

All ages may participate in the medallion hunt. Parental supervision is suggested for young children.

The medallion’s back is engraved with instructions that state it must be delivered in person to the Sauk Rapids Government Center, 250 Summit Ave. N.

Elness said the winner will be verified and a follow-up date and time scheduled to present a $500 cash award. A photo and media interviews will be scheduled.

Upon the winner being verified, Elness said respective media outlets will be notified to announce the winner.

Additional details regarding the medallion’s location and where it was found will be revealed.

Benton Trophy & Awards Inc. produced the medallion after consulting

A rendering shows the Rapids River Days medallion which will be hidden in Sauk Rapids for a person to find during the festival. People can listen and watch local radio, social media and the festival’s website for clues that can be used to locate the hidden medallion that has a $500 cash prize for its finder.

with Elness, said co-owner Ron Edelbrock.

The family-owned business has been located in Sauk Rapids since its founding in 1973.

“We’ve handed the medallion over to the city of Sauk Rapids,” Edelbrock said. “We did that a couple of weeks ago. It’s customized just for the city. Marla came up with the design. We took it and ran with it.”

Edelbrock said Benton Trophy & Awards has made medallions for area cities and celebrations.

“Sauk Centre just had a pretty expensive one coined,” he said.

The Sauk Rapids medallion was printed with a process called sublimation and heat-pressed into an aluminum disc inside the medallion.

Edelbrock said he has high hopes a child ends up finding the first-ever Rapids River Days medallion.

“They really have a youthful innocence and joy,” he said. “That’s not to say that adults don’t, but when a kid finds it, they are just over the moon. The younger the child who finds the festival medallion, the better.”

The Rapids River Days festival has come a long way during its 20-year community history, Edelbrock said.

“When it started, the city of St. Cloud had the big festival in the area with its Wheels, Wings and Water celebration, but Sauk Rapids has really taken over that crown with its Rapids River Days,” Edelbrock said.

GRAPHIC COURTESY OF RAPIDS RIVER DAYS

Thank

The following women have served the Sauk Rapids community as queens, princesses or ambassadors during the last 57 years.

1966 Sandra Skeate; 1967 Donna Braun; 1968 Pat Riedeman; 1969 Susan Ackerman; 1970 Barb Nelson; 1971 Rosealine Franto; 1972 Vicki Mattson; 1973 Sue Zwick, Virginia Braun and Patricia Hommerding; 1974 Sharyn Thompson, Kris Stueve and Roberta Hommerding; 1975 Patricia Maier, Kay Ribich and Terree Keehr; 1976 Kathy Stromwall; 1977 Bonnie Jones, Becky Rhode and Penny Yozamp; 1978 Robin Rhode, Sherri Trushenski and Robin Johnson; 1979 Jean Braun, Colleen Reinert and Kim Maroney; 1980 Randi Claasen, Terri Kosloske and Marion Borgert. (No pageant took place from 1981 through 2003.) 2004-05 Candace Leyk, Megan Meyer and Emily Becker; 2005-06 Susan Meinz, Kelsey Moehle and Randi Carlson; 2006-07 Cassie Martin, Rachel Brewster and Kaelynn Kampa;

2007-08 Brittany Tischmak, Krista Corrigan and Ashley Bueckers;

2008-09 Jana Prow, Jenny Deering and Jessica Dingmann; 2009-10 Megan Gustafson, Shyla Inderieden and Kelsey Miller; 2010-11 Abby Fleck, Marie Pflipsen and Morgan Muehlbauer; 2011-12 Candyce Thompson, Ashley Bukowski and Kelly Elness; 2012-13 Tiffany Smith, Bethany Zwilling and Carissa Gaffy; 2013-14 Alisha Houdek, Ali Mohr and Lindsay Massman; 2014-15 Kayla Keller, Kaitlin Janson and Chelsey Haffner; 2015-16 Nikki Bukowski, Kelsey Christensen and Tana Hendrickson; 2016-17 Sydney Burk, Clo Meyer and Allyson Walz; 201718 Brooklyn Harren; 2018-19 Jenna Bukowski, Morgan Weinand and Anna Walz; 2019-20 and 2020-21 Morgan Thomson, Kaeleigh Rainer and Anna Lucas; 2021-22 Taylor Sidla, Addison Bemboom and Chelsey Vogel; and 2022-23 Maggie Fernoholz, Maycee Britz and Saige Moliga.