McGregor Centennial, Days 1 and 2

I'm having a good time at McGregor, ND, a little town not far from the farm on which I grew up.  We're here for the town's centennial celebration, and we've seen lots of friends and relatives who returned for the event.

Friday
Our family had agreed to provide music for programs in McGregor on Saturday and Sunday, so we spent Friday afternoon at Dad's house finalizing our selection of songs and practicing them (we were a little "down to the wire" preparation-wise!).

Friday evening we went to McGregor to pick up our registration packets and eat a picnic (served by the Zion Lutheran Church Sunday school kids for a freewill offering) at tables beneath a large tent set up downtown.  People could go to the town hall to look at old photos and memorabilia or buy raffle tickets or participate in a silent auction, but we just hung out at the tent, visiting with all the people whom we hadn't seen in so long.  It was fun to "catch up"!

Saturday
We ate breakfast at the church and then went shopping at the flea market.  (McGregor for years has held a town-wide flea market annually on this weekend of August.  People sign up for a spot along one of the streets and then set up tables to display their goods for sale; our family, too, used to participate when I was growing up.  People come from miles away to check out the flea market.)  We went back to the church for a late-morning slice of homemade pie.  For dinner we bought "tacos in a bag" from a vendor who had a concessions trailer in town for the weekend.

Then it was time for the program under the tent.  Various musicians performed (including my cousin Brenda and her children), and our family was among them.

My sister Cathy played guitar, my dad accordion, and my sister Sandy keyboard for two songs.  Susan, I, and our daughters joined Cathy to sing "Dear Hearts and Gentle People" while Sandy accompanied on the piano (no photo of that--we were on stage at the time!).  At the end of the program, all the musicians who had performed gathered on stage to sing "North Dakota Is the Place for You and Me."

Here Brenda, Sandy, I, and Cathy read aloud a poem about McGregor.  It was written by Ed Svendsbye and published in the booklet for the town's 70th birthday in 1980, and it tells about life in McGregor through the years.

It was hot and sunny; and by mid-afternoon, we were ready to go back to the farm for a little nap in the air conditioning.  Then it was time to return to McGregor for supper, catered by The Royal Fork from Minot, ND.  We visited with more friends and relatives and enjoyed some music by Jeff Nelson's Music Machine from Williston, ND until it was time to head to the farm to get the girls showered and into bed (we've got church in the morning).

There was a "classic vehicle show on Main" all day long, and Dad brought in his 1929 International Six-Speed Special to put on display.  He got it from his grandpa August, who bought it new.

Suzanna, Abigail, and Hillary pose in Grandpa's truck.  The classic vehicles were parked across from several huge inflatable attractions that the girls enjoyed: a jumping castle, a boxing ring (with oversized, padded gloves), and a climbing wall with a slide.  They also took several rides on a "train" made from empty plastic barrels turned sideways, cut open, put onto wheels, and pulled by a lawn tractor.  The girls were troopers despite the heat . . . and despite their not really having much of a connection to McGregor themselves.  Good sports!