Manitou Days student writing contest winning submissions

A Century of Community

BY HANNAH WOERNLE

5TH GRADE, LIBERTY CLASSICAL ACADEMY

It’s been a century since our beloved Armory in downtown White Bear Lake took off. The amazing Armory was first founded in 1922. We celebrated with a grand ceremony including some important speakers by the names of Mayor Earl and Mayor Jackson. We also added the WBL chamber in 1923. The Armory was used for much more than sending out soldiers for war. It was also used for many different types of events like coronations and dances. This Armory has been with our community through a cyclone and a very devastating fire and we as a community rebuilt the Armory. This Armory has been the center of our community for a century, so in the 1980s when the building was decommissioned, the city of White Bear Lake bought the property. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. So as for now the building of a very important history to our community still stands strong and is used for the WBL historical Society and nonprofit events and fundraisers. We still today have this very important building which is a symbol of our community still here standing strong together and united.

The Mark of a Century

BY NATALIE PERRY

6TH GRADE, SUNRISE PARK MIDDLE SCHOOL

A lot of things can happen in a century. Small towns upgrade to big towns, and community is made.

People come together for the common good, And whether the problem big or small, We all stand as one.

The mark of a century is not just time passed by, But the chance to become even greater than before.

Community

Community

A feeling of fellowship with others. We have the common interest

Of making our community a better place. Moving from summer to winter, As a united community, anything can be done. With our neighbors, Our fellowship binds us together.

Ten Fingers

Ten fingers, ten decades, a century. Each finger – different and unique. So many changes in 36,500 days. From summer resorts and farms to year-round living and new homes.

Hairstyles, fashion, and house styles.

Changes in people, thoughts, and beliefs. Through it all,

Small businesses have helped change us for the better.

Communities have grown as one, Building a foundation for the next ten fingers.

A Century of Community

BY STORY EISELE

4TH GRADE, VADNAIS HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY

It all started in 1921, when White bear lake became a town. I’m Mary, and this is a book about how White bear lake and I grew up together. On July 16, 1923, I was born in a small house in White bear lake. At the time, we didn’t have cool gadgets like phones, or iPads or computers. We would play outside or with old fashion toys. As I grew up, the town got more and more advanced. Suddenly, new chances slowly started to appear. In 1953, when I was 20, Lakeshore Players Theater opened.

I auditioned for one of the many plays there, Peter pan, and got one of the main characters, Wendy. It was an amazing, once in a lifetime opportunity. After the play, I noticed I really loved acting. In 1983, after 30 more years of dedicated preforming, the White Bear Lake High School opened. I visited it one day and thought it was amazing. Later that year, the school called me. They asked if I could be the new acting teacher and agreed. After that, I spent most of my time teaching high school students to act, and preforming in plays. Then one day, in 2009, I went to Acqua, the new restaurant at the heart White Bear Lake. The food was so good, and I could tell White Bear was getting better and better, but there was more to come.

Nowadays, I like to watch plays instead of doing them. Lakeshore Players are still preforming, but now it is known as the Hanifl theater. I like to sit around at home right next to an elementary school called Vadnais Heights. Now there are phones, iPads, and Computers. I just finished reading a book about White bear, so I closed it, then silently walked inside. I watched as the students at the school run around and play merrily as I thought. My book had reminded me that I may be 100 years old, but I’m still here, and even though I can’t predict the future, I can tell White bear has some good times ahead of it.

History of the Bear

BY FINN CHEESEBROW

6TH GRADE, SUNRISE PARK MIDDLE SCHOOL

The history of the name of White Bear Lake originates from a native legend; a Sioux hunter killed an arctic polar bear and the bear took the man’s life with him. It was said that their spirits live on in the afterlife, residing in the lake, hence the name. In 1862, the Dakota people were forced into the prison camp Fort Snelling, and the land was redistributed.

As the industrial revolution began to thrive, so did White Bear Lake and its population. Our technology and agriculture were accelerating; and in 1921 the Sioux-village-turned-industrialmonument colony became a legal city under the commission of the 1st mayor, Earl Jackson, having a population of 2000. People celebrated their richsoiled land that was now officially its own entity. This newly found community morale was the catalyst for improvement that sparked the White Bear Lake Chamber of Commerce: a central area department for business and industry, an updated Department for Fire Prevention: to stop major accidents before they even happen, and in September 27th, 1921, they opened the White Bear Lake Armory: centered on a National Guard Militia; some could see as military ran police department, not just trained for the art of war, but to serve the people of White Bear Lake and enforce law. This area was not just the barracks for the Guard, but a hall to host entertainment, music, and fundraising missions for city improvement.

When looking at the history of our great town, we must look at the good and at the ugly, this was a grand city in the overlook of Minnesota, but we also took the land from the natives that lived here. We must remember the past, live the present and look towards the future.