Lund Mania to feature 60 boats in annual fishing tournament

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

Do you want to see 60 boats go from 0 to 60 mph in the blink of an eye? How about watch members of local businesses and organizations act like kids with a pedal Lund boat? Or perhaps best of all, watch your first parade roll through the streets of New York Mills for the first time in two years?

If you answered yes to any of the questions above then the NY Mills Civic and Commerce organization has just the ticket for you. The annual Lund Mania and Summer Celebration will get underway on Friday with a myriad of events for people of all ages. 

“The goal is just to get people out and about and have downtown Mills do something fun,” said NY Mills C&C President Latham Hetland. “(The goal is) to get something out there and do something. Especially since it has been two years since we had LundMania.”

Summer Celebration and LundMania actually begins on Wednesday when the NY Mills Lions Club will host its annual golf tournament at Bahlhepburn Golf Course in rural NY Mills. Tee times are at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. and can be made by contacting Eric Weber at (218) 371-9335. 

On Friday, Summer Celebration and LundMania will underway when 60 boats push off from the shores of Otter Tail Lake near Beach Bums on Friday morning.

Back in NY Mills, the Great Boat Hunt will begin at 12 p.m. when the first clue is officially released on the NY Mills Civic and Commerce Facebook page. There will be a free swim at the Legried Community Pool from 1-5 p.m., while a variety of family and kids’ activigies will be held from 1-4 p.m. The activities include everything from live music, sidewalk chalk art, games, food, as well as “Art in Your Park” arts and crafts for kids at the Cultural Center. 

The annual coin scramble will be held at the east end of Central Park beginning at 4 p.m., while inflatables will be set up from 4-7 p.m. near Central Park.

Beginning at 4:30 p.m. the streets of NY Mills will come alive with businesses and adults racing miniature Lund boats in a race to see who is the fastest boat on wheels, or perhaps more appropriately, who can navagate the course the quickest without tipping over the mini boat. 

Following the Boatville Drags, the Lund Mania results ceremony will get underway at 5:30 p.m., before the fish house raffle and live auction of decoys gets underway at 6:30 p.m.

Beginning at 7 p.m. the streets of NY Mills will be lined with area residents who will get a glipse of their first aprade in two years as the annual Summer Celebration parade rolls through town. The parade line up will start at 6 p.m. on Centennial 84 Driveon the south side of the Lund Boat favtory. 

To register for the parade, or for more information, contact Greg Esala at gesala@nymills.k12.mn.us

Summer Celebration will come to a close at 9 p.m. when the band American Dream takes to the streets for the annual street dance.