Looney Days calls all loons for family fun

By Barbie Porter

Editor

People from the Fargo-Moorhead area, Twin Cities and beyond blended with local faces as hundreds of people visited the village of Vergas this past weekend.

Looney Days offered plenty of things to do for the entire family and for all ages. 

The event organizers could see by Friday evening they had a busy weekend on their hands. Parking at Long Lake Beach filled up well before the kids fishing contest, and as the evening got closer to the first water ski show of the weekend, the overflow parking lot along Pelican Avenue filled up, as did the streets. 

The warm weather made the beach a great place to spend the afternoon, as a cool dip in the sandy-bottom lake provided refreshment and revitalization for all ages.

The temperatures remained warm for the weekend, but as the parade began marching and rolling down Main Street, a kind and gentle breeze blew in to keep those attending cool and the kids sharp as they darted about for candy treats.

Looney Egg finder Kyle Theisen recognized it is the volunteers who provide entertianment for the city residents and its guests, and they deserve a round of applause.

“Thank you volunteers,” he said. 

Photos by Barbie Porter
Skiers during the water ski show make skiing backwards look easy.
  • Ruby Maki, 9, of Moorhead climbed to the top of the bouncy house to see what she could see. She saw her father Chad waiving her to the wiener dog races.
  • Jan Stetz, Marcene Sonnek, Louis Stetz and Keith Stetz were dressed to the nines for the dog races.
  • The Vergas Fire Department hosted a dunk tank, which featured a fire or rescue volunteer.
  • Patti Smith of Loon Lake in Vergas, and her granddaughter Fiona Catlin, 3, of Horace, N.D. visited the fire department to see the engines.
  • The Vergas Lions sold out of their famous Looney Days breakfast sandwhiches. 
  • Some runners in the Looney Days 5K were all smiles as they headed into the primitive path of the Long Lake Scenic Trail.
  • The Looney Days street fair drew a  crowd of hundreds.
  • Colton Sayer, 5, gives it his all during the kid’s tractor pull. He is the son of Kari and Ben of Frazee.
  • Katie Halverson waves to the crowd after performing one of many tricks during a water ski show.
  • Waterskiers wowed the crowd with tricks and waves.
  • Lee Ard, 2, and his older brother Wesley pet an alligator brought to the petting zoo by Trowbridge Creek Zoo.