Fun, food, and festivities at Lewis and Clark Days
By Matt Hopper
Considering all the activities, entertainment and beautiful weekend weather, Washburn residents would be hard pressed to find any flaws about this year’s’ Lewis and Clark Days. Festivities kicked off Friday evening and lasted until Sunday, which also happened to be Father’s Day this year. Farmers Security bank fired up their grills and employees donned their best Hawaiian t-shirts for a luau of sorts. A sizable crowd filled the parking lot benches during the afternoon, while across the street, the "three Larrys" of the Knights of Columbus served up brownies and ice cream. Cool desserts were just the cure for the 80-degree weather felt by the Washburn area that day. Evening signaled playtime for area children with both the soapbox races and water rodeo. Kids of various ages lined up at the corner of 5th Ave and 6th St eager to ride the steep slope before them. At 5:30 a shorter distance was made for younger children who started off the races, and as the evening zipped by, the track was extended to the top of 6th St. Ribbons and ice pops were awarded to the competitors. If popsicles weren’t enough to fight the heat, the Washburn Fire Department hosted their chili feed and water rodeo. Donations were taken in hopes of the station breaking even for the four events they planned to volunteer at in the coming days. "The community’s been really good to us and it’s a fun thing for us to do, to give back to the community," said local volunteer fireman, Geremy Olson. "Whenever we can do something for the community it’s a success for us." Childhood dreams of playing real life firemen came to fruition for excited kids in attendance. After getting into their gear they stepped out onto Main Street where a ball was hoisted on a high wire to play tug-of-war the fireman’s way, with high-pressure hoses. Geremy Olson and John Moberg were among the firefighters assisting the children throughout the games. Only a few "slips" of the hose resulted in wet participants as the night wore on.
