100 years and counting...

All week, in preparation for the big weekend, the little town of Grygla was lively and full of action. Curbs were being painted, lawns were being mowed, benches and tables were being placed around the city, and people were coming together for a monumental celebration.

And it all kicked off last Friday evening. 

It’s 5 o’clock somewhere

When the clock struck 5pm, the beer gardens and food stands officially opened for business uptown while the school opened its doors to welcome the students back inside. Along with visiting amongst old classmates, a meet and greet took place at the school, along with tours of the building. “It looks so different in here! Really terrific,” said Sandy (Warne) Dunham, who attended the Grygla School through 8th grade and then graduated from Goodridge in 1968. “It’s so fun to be back inside and look around,” she added.

While the school was a hot spot that evening, and various classes were reuniting at homes around the area, current students of the Grygla High School were set up at St. Clement’s Catholic Church to kick off a Color Run. Student Council members hosted, while Northwest Grain sponsored the event attended by dozens. Kids and adults, runners and walkers alike, hit the pavement and were splashed with color along the way. 

With a variety of events to take in the entire weekend, a Bean Bag Toss Tournament was also happening on Main Avenue Friday evening with cash prizes going to the winning team. Lots of laughter and visiting filled the air, along with the delicious aroma from all of the food vendors that were set up for the weekend. It wasn’t long before the music of October Road started and people congregated under the big tent to enjoy the show and each other’s company. 

To celebrate the big 100, American State Bank sponsored a fireworks show at dusk, which illuminated the entire town and was a great way to start the weekend off with a bang.

Hip hip hooray, it’s Saturday

Saturday was a busy day, indeed! No matter what your preference, there was fun for everyone.

West of town, a mixed softball tournament was happening. Inside of the school, an impressive vendor show was set up. Main Avenue was booming with activities, which included steamroller printing, a trophy whitetail deer exhibit, a classic car/tractor/snowmobile show and MUCH MORE! Did everyone take a walk through the Community Center that day? A maze of beautiful quilts hung and demonstrations took place throughout the day. While adults enjoyed the many activities, food trucks and music by The Woodpicks, the youngsters were also enjoying their time. There were inflatable games set up on the football field, water wars near the school, a dunk stand, a kiddie tractor pull competition and a few demonstrations provided by the Headwaters Science Center.

At noon on Saturday, many people surrounded the Veterans Memorial Gazebo to watch American Legion Commander, Wayne Hanson, present Roy Nordby with a ’50 years of Service’ award. Family, friends and community members took the time to thank our local veterans and pay their respects.

While at the gazebo, one could notice a gorgeous Sensory Garden that was planted by the Grygla Garden Club. Such a garden is designed to engage one’s senses of sight, smell and touch. The plants were beautiful and made the perfect backdrop behind the gazebo.

Informational booths were also set up nearby, including one by the U of M Extension, which gave away free garden seed and other goodies! Kristina Kaml was at the booth; she was the head of the “One Vegetable, One Community” program that kicked off in Grygla this summer. Our community vegetable this year is green beans. Beans are planted in the community garden in the middle of town, and were also put in the back of the flower pots placed in various locations uptown.

At 1pm, State Street was lined with onlookers as the parade of nearly 100 entries made their way west. Every entry was special for its own reason, but a few standouts were chosen by a committee and awarded the following:

Best Theme: Seasons of Beauty Landscaping (Honorable Mention: Farmer’s Union Oil Ag)

Most Original: Saurdiff Trucking (Honorable Mention: Holthusen Construction)

Best Tractor: Gretchen Smeby (Honorable Mention: Grant Satre)

Best Car: Richard & Judy Miller (Honorable Mention: Marlyn Sistad)

Funniest: Goodridge Lions (Honorable Mention: Class of 1984)

Spirit Award: Otto Hagen family

Otto Hagen was the Grygla Centennial Parade’s Grand Marshal this year. He was presented with an American flag, which was flown over the United States Capitol on May 22nd, 2017! The certificate stated, “At the request of the Honorable Al Franken, United States Senator, this flag was flown in honor of Otto Hagen (WWII Veteran) on the occasion of his 100th birthday.” Otto’s descendants walked behind him in the parade, releasing balloons and honoring the patriarch of their family.

The afternoon was filled with just as much action as the morning! The Grygla Fire and Rescue held an Open House, while NorSweDane Dancers performed for the crowd under the big tent. A horseshoe tournament was underway near the tennis courts, while models were preparing for the ‘100 years of Fashion’ show.

The sound of demo cars crashing and roaring could be heard on one end of town, while the sounds of The Back Behind the Barn Boys and 32 Below could be heard on the other.

Grygla was the place to be all weekend, but Saturday was a real people pleaser with all it had to offer.

Come Sunday

It always seems like the grand finale to a great weekend when you can see and hear the planes in the skies above Grygla on the Sunday morning of Fall Fest.

This year’s Centennial celebration was no different.

The fly-in breakfast has been a great tradition for years and a great fundraiser for the Grygla Lions. This year, the Klamar family was presented with something extra special from the local Lion’s Club. 

The annual Fly-In breakfast has been officially renamed as the Roland Klamar Memorial Fly-In Breakfast.

Roland’s wife, Mildred, along with their family, was presented a special banner that morning to commemorate the annual event that so many attend.

The big tent was still standing after a weekend of gathering, dancing and celebrating. The Overtones led a Centennial Community Worship Service Sunday morning with cake being served afterwards in honor of Grygla’s birthday.

Kiddie games were going on, along with another softball tournament and the ever-popular sand volleyball tournament. 

Campsites were still full Sunday afternoon, but by evening, most attendees had left for home.

So as the town has quieted down and Grygla prepares for business as usual this week, let’s take a moment to appreciate what a great weekend it was.

A big thanks to our Centennial Committee members for all of their hard work, and to all of our businesses, organizations and individuals who helped make this weekend-long celebration such a great event. 

 

100 years and counting……

 

Remembering the Past, Celebrating the Present and Embracing the Future