One Last Hurrah – Timber Day, 1961

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly tribute to the workers who have contributed to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. In Warroad, Labor Day also meant the return of Timber Day! This was a day originally intended as a fundraising event, but it grew into a hometown celebration of Warroad, community, and the logging industry. The last Timber Day took place in 1961, sixty years ago!

Plans for the 1961 Timber Day began forming in late July of that year. Seven former chairmen of the annual fall celebration met together to plan the event. The community was still reeling from the tragic fire of the Marvin lumber plant early that year, and a dry summer spelled disaster for many farmers in the area. Residents were desperate for a little cheer.

Cal Marvin, then the president of the arena association, named Marv Braaten as the chairman for the 1961 planning committee. Braaten appointed several others to key positions; Ed Christian and sons were placed in charge of the stands, Cal was in charge of programming and publicity, Jack Marvin was charged with overseeing the timber contests, and Bill Landby was selected to oversee the public address (PA) system. Braaten noted that all hands were needed to make Timber Day a success. "We need everyone to make this year's the biggest yet, and can't trim it down. People come to Warroad on Timber Day because its the biggest fall celebration in the North," (Warroad Pioneer 07/21/1961). This being the 14th annual celebration, Braaten had a lot of expectations to meet.

You may have seen those infamous Timber Day buttons? The 1961 buttons went on sale in mid-August. Morris Taylor, placed in charge of said buttons, announced on August 10th that 1,500 were crafted for the occasion. Along with the purchase of a button, folks could enter a drawing to win $100 for their contribution. The buttons were not the only selling point. Numerous women stepped in to provide meals, cakes, and pies for the various booths. 

Skip Dingledein was placed in charge of the flapjack banquet. Skip had been a cook in the marines, and his Northwest Angle Flapjacks were expected to be a massive hit with the locals. Along with Skip, George Cole was brought on board to oversee the gun stand. Jim Jaros was placed in charge of organizing the parade while Jack Marvin accepted responsibility for organizing a community baseball game. The Warroad Muskies would face off against the team from Drayton, ND.

On Sunday night, September 3, three different entertainment acts took the stage at the local ballpark. The first was Wayne Sondreal, a popular folk singer. Second were the Bridgeman Half Pints Drum and Bugle Corps of Thief River Falls, a group of thirty-five girls ranging in age from 9-16. Finally, the Warroad High School marching band gave a phenomenal performance to the community. The American Legion hosted a dance for the entire community and intended to do so the following night, as well. 

On Monday, the weather did its best to be as uncooperative as possible. It dawned cool and windy, but this didn't stop the festivities. The Kiddie Parade began on Lake Street with Mrs. Don Hanson presiding. Children were judged in three separate categories including "appropriate, original, and humorous." Hundreds reportedly gathered to watch the kids marching. The winners of each category were as follows: Most Appropriate 1) Milton Naylor 2) Clyde Berry 3) Sandra Prelvitz; Most Original 1) Paul and Jennifer Green 2) Mary Ramsey 3) Yvette Nash; Most Humorous 1) Patrick Poole 2) Lizabeth Marvin 3) David and Debbie Christian. It was reported that the top three of each category were awarded with an unknown prize, and all subsequent entries received ten cents for their participation. 

After the kid's parade, the regular Timber Day Parade began. Prizes for the floats were awarded in multiple categories Warroad veterans marched as well, with men from the two World Wars and Korea participating along with other reserve troops from the area. They would be accompanied by the Air Force Drum and Bugle Corps of Duluth and followed by the miscellaneous parade floats. 

The parade was led by the high school band, with bands from neighboring communities joining in. The parade also featured the candidates for Timber Day Queen, with participants from northern Minnesota and southern Manitoba. Among them was reigning queen Louise House of International Falls who would crown the 14th Timber Day Queen later in the evening.

Like the children's parade, the regular parade saw winners in four categories. Most appropriate was given to the Wing's float; most beautiful went to the Security State Bank float; most original went to Cal Marvin for his motel's float; and last was the most humorous float, won by the Williams Potato Day Association. Their float featured a German band playing tunes from the back of a truck. 

After a break for lunch and various activities, the celebrations continued in the afternoon over at the grandstand. Here, the Timber Contests began in earnest, with local men competing in a timed race to saw and cut down a tree. The contest was won by Art Manske of Bigfork, who "chopped down a tree and sawed it in two in a time beating that of a half a dozen other contestants," (WP 09/07/1961). Second and third place were taken by Hank and John Hebel, respectively, both from Sprague. Following this display was an award ceremony where Master of Ceremonies Bill Landby gave a plaque in memory of local forestry agent and founder of Timber Day, Dick Willems. Con Larson, a member of the forestry department, accepted the award on behalf of Mrs. Willems who could not be present at the event. 

Art Manske showing his prowess at the Timber Day event

The crowd then moved to the baseball park where the Muskies lost 3-1 against Drayton. From the ball game, they then recongregated back at the grandstands to enjoy the evenings festivities. These included performances by Jack Edward, a comedian called the "Kid From Kansas." Also performing was Glenn Martin & Co., an acrobatics team that featured comedy routines and work on horizontal bars and trampolines. Also entertaining was Allen Montan on his harmonophone and Beverly Sondheim (of Robbinsdale, MN) who played the accordion and sang.

At the end of the evening, Miss Ethelyn Brandli was named Timber Day Queen for the 14th Annual Timber Day celebration. She was only the third Warroad girl to win the crown since Timber Day had begun in 1947. Her "attendants," runners-up for the crown, were Sandra Tone of International Falls, and Kathy Delmore of Roseau. 

Left to right: Sandra Tone, Ethelyn Brandli, Kathy Delmore, MC Jack Edward

Ethelyn Brandli

Despite the weather, it was reported that thousands of people experienced the 1961 Timber Day activities. Chairman Marv Braaten explained that "the day would be a financial success for the Warroad Memorial Recreation Association." Below is the Timber Day expense report provided by the arena association. 

In 1962, it was decided that Timber Day celebrations would become an every-two-years celebration rather than an annual one. Cal Marvin stated that he and the arena association hoped "to interest younger people in taking an active part in managing the celebration," (WP, 08/15/1962). This did not occur, unfortunately, and so the 1961 celebration was the final year the Warroad community celebrated this wonderful event.

We hope your Labor Day Weekend is fun and safe! 

~ Erin Thompson, Museum Manager