Guard Ceremony, Farmers Market to Highlight Summerfest 2017 | Mayville - Portland, North Dakota

Guard Ceremony, Farmers Market to Highlight Summerfest 2017

Volunteers are lined up, highschool classes will reunite, and there will be a few added attractions to the 2017 May-Port Summerfest, which runs June 21-25. See the full calendar of events at mavyilleportland.com/summerfest

The five-day event begins at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 21 with an art party in Rainbow Garden and Sculpture Walk. A memorial arch will be dedicated at 6:30 p.m. in memory of Jo Ewen, the garden’s tireless caretaker and volunteer organizer, who passed away June 26 of last year.

The new arch will be installed on the west side of Rainbow Garden, so visitors will walk under it as they enter.

‘Final Formation’
There will be a “Final Formation” ceremony at 11:30 a.m. Friday, June 23 at the Mayville Armory to recognize military veterans, especially those who have served at the armory as members of the North Dakota National Guard. The 191st Military Police Company moved the last of its military equipment out of the armory in March. The headquarters and first platoon transferred to Fargo and the second and third platoons to Grand Forks.

The City of Mayville encourages all veterans to attend and has invited Gov. Doug Burgum, North Dakota’s congressional delegation, state senators and representatives, as well as local World War II veterans.

“There’s a lot of history here with the Guard,” Mayville Mayor Don Moen told the Tribune. “It’ll be a day to reflect on a little bit of history and celebrate accomplishments.”

The Mayville Honor Guard will present the colors, a group from Mayville State will sing “The Star- Spangled Banner,” and a prayer will be offered by a National Guard chaplain. Dignitaries will have a chance to speak before veterans will be invited “to assemble one final military formation in the armory,” Moen said, to formally deactivate the Guard and decommission the armory.

There’s no charge to attend and the Guard will serve a light lunch after.

Band of bicyclists

The third annual Change Makers Bike Ride will pedal east from Sharon, N.D., to Portland, then north to Buxton and south to Hillsboro with a fundraising goal of $5,000 for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America’s World Hunger Support.

The two-day ride, June 23-24, will sandwich around a family bicycling event Saturday morning at Mayville Lutheran Church and a ride/walk in the Summerfest parade. See the accompanying Tribune story.

Farmers market until October

Summerfest will serve as a kickoff for the MayPort Community Club Farmers Market, an opportunity to purchase homegrown vegetables and fruits, farm-raised eggs and honey, plus baked goods.

“Anything homemade,” Sarah Sletten, of the MPCC, told the Tribune. “The club put out a survey last year and we asked, ‘What are you interested in seeing us do?’ We had a lot of responses for a farmers market.”

Farmers markets have appeared seasonally in Hatton and started last year in Hillsboro. The Mayville-Portland farmers market will be open from 9 a.m. to noon in Mayville’s Island Park every Saturday from June 24 through mid-October.

“It’s going to be pretty relaxed,” Sletten said. “There’s no fee to set up a table.” For more information on the farmers market, e-mail sarahraesletten@ gmail.com.

Traditional events continue

It wouldn’t be Summerfest without many familiar happenings.

Thursday, June 22: Miller’s Fresh Foods will flip French toast for its customer appreciation breakfast, starting a 7 a.m. Evening will bring the Sanford-Mayville 5K/10K/senior route, beginning in front of the hospital at 6:45 p.m.

Friday, June 23 includes Jacobson Studio’s Kid and Pet Parade along Main Street at 10 a.m.; Floyd’s Golf Tournament at 11 a.m. at Mayville Golf Club; and Goose River Bank’s hot dog feed from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.. First Community Credit Union of Portland will have inflatable games and refreshments for kids in the afternoon.

There will be guided tours at Mayville State University, including an ice cream social at the Larson Alumni Leadership Center and a tour of the remodeled Birkelo Hall. The MSU Alumni Association will honor and award distinguished service recipients. The reception begins at 3:30 p.m. and the dinner is at 6 p.m.

Saturday, June 24: Along with the farmers market and Change Makers Bike Ride, the Summerfest parade lines up at the Whistle Stop and marches west down Main Street, beginning at 10 a.m. The Kiddie Tractor Pull follows at 11 a.m. in Island Park, which will later be filled with inflatable games and food vendors. The antique tractor pull starts at noon in the Mayville Bowl. The big tractors will be pulling early.

Silverado will provide music for the street dance at 9 p.m. in Portland on the east side of Floyd’s Bar, where safety barricades will block off that part of County Road 16.

Sunday, June 25 features a community-wide church service at 11 a.m. in Island Park and a new event for Elementary age kids, a Track & Field Meet at 1pm at the High School track.

Keep up with all of the events as the schedule changes frequently. https://www.mayvilleportland.com/summerfest

A special thanks to the Traill County Tribune for the use of this article.

701-788-2166
Mayville City Auditor

701-788-2463
Portland City Auditor