Boat races, parade to highlight day

Photo by Chad Koenen
The annual Boatville Drags will take place on Friday afternoon in downtown New York Mills. The drag races feature pedal Lund boats that are raced by local residents. 

By Stella Strong

Reporter

The Lund Mania Summer Celebration is always an exciting event for the residents of New York Mills, and this year will be no different. The day is jam packed with tons of fun activities. It’s set to take place Friday, July 8 with everything from a fishing tournament to a parade.

With COVID-19 the past couple of years, this years summer celebration will be more like years past. 

Latham Hetland the NY Mills C&C President is excited about having the celebration in the heart of NY Mills once again. 

“It’s really fun for everyone,” said Hetland.

The New York Mills Marching Eagles will once again highlight the Summer Celebration Parade on Friday night in town. The parage is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

The Lund Mania fishing tournament will begin early morning with prizes from Lund Boats. 

The Great Boat Hunt marks the start of the Summer Celebration. At noon, the NY Mills C&C will release a clue on their Facebook page. Whoever can find a little boat hidden in the town will win Mills Marks. 

After that, the NY Mills Legried Community Pool has free swim from 1-5 p.m. for anyone that needs a break from the heat. During 1-4 p.m. there are a number of events going on at Main Avenue, so be sure to stop by and check out all of the fun activities and games. 

Go to Central Park for the annual Coin Scramble. From 4-7 p.m. there are inflatables for kids, a fish fry and other food vendors.

Perhaps one of the most anticipated events is the Boatville Drags. At 4:30, p.m. local teams will compete pedaling miniature Lund Boats in front of a cheering crowd. Hetland said that this is one of his favorite events to watch.

“It’s a unique atmosphere seeing everyone cheering on their team,” said Hetland. “You don’t see anything quite like it here.”

At 5:30 p.m., the fishing tournament results will come out, and an hour later the fish house raffle and live auction will begin. The parade is set to start at 7 p.m. and will wrap up before 9 p.m. when the street dance featuring a live band called the American Dream will start.