Three days of beautiful weather were extremely welcomed by the Emo Chamber of Commerce as the village celebrated the 40th anniversary of its annual “Spring Fever Days.”
Although officially a three-day celebration, Spring Fever Days did not get into full gear this year until the weekend.
Saturday began with another gorgeous sunrise. And the good weather brought a larger-than-usual crowd out to the pancake breakfast at the Christian Reformed Church.
By 9 a.m., the men were rolling out and setting up extra tables in the corner usually reserved for small children. One organizer reported more than 300 people were served Saturday morning.
Everyone seemed to enjoy the excellent meal of pancakes, sausages, juice, and coffee as they visited with friends from across the district and made plans for the rest of the day.
By 10 a.m., many activities were underway throughout the village.
“Crafts Galore,” at the Emo Legion, had a penny table as well as several other tables offering homemade crafts, baking, and a variety of goods for sale.
A light lunch also was available around noon.
The arena, meanwhile, was the centre for the Nestor Falls Marine boat show, Hagen Log Homes, the Lilac Hill Woodworks, and the book and hotdog sale sponsored by the Emo Public Library.
“There seemed to be a better than average crowd, especially on Saturday,” noted Cliff Hagen.
Don Foster of Nestor Falls Marine also seemed to be doing a brisk business.
The library book sale was extremely popular, with people hauling away mountains of books and video tapes. As well, the hotdogs and smokies being cooked up by library staff were appreciated by the hungry visitors who stopped by the arena.
A welcome addition to this year’s displays were a couple of Suzuki mini-trucks courtesy of Chad Jackson from Pro-Shine, which is located at the west edge of Fort Frances.
People were fascinated with the vehicles not only because of their unique size, but because the steering wheel is on the right side of the truck.
Meanwhile, children who visited the family fun centre at the curling rink were treated to some face-painting, games, and free hotdogs, all provided by the Emo rec council.
Everyone had a great time. One young fellow was seen leaving the building with his face painted with the Montreal Canadiens’ logo.
The poker walk began at 11 a.m. in the back of Tompkins Hardware. The small group that took part had a great time walking around Emo, getting their sheets stamped, and visiting with others along the way.
“It was a pretty steady crowd all day,” enthused Tom Jackson. “Sometimes the good weather can work against you and people find other things to do, but this year people really came out to support the 40th anniversary.”
Tompkins Hardware was the place to pick up great deals, but also to meet and visit with friends and relatives.
The “Emo Meals on Wheels Raffle” tickets, featuring more than $25,000 in prizes, were a hot item as people passed by on the sidewalk. The main prize is a 2009 G3 boat, motor, and trailer, but there are a lot of other great prizes up for grabs, too.
The draw will be made on May 31 at the arena, so there’s still a lot of time to pick up a ticket or two.
Norlund Oil, meanwhile, was the location of the Peterbilt truck and antique car display.
Many people took the time to check out the trucks and cars while others enjoyed watching the parade, which started at the west end of town, went around the back of the Golden Age Manor and the Emo hospital, and then continued down Front Street.
Front Street also was the location for the Rejuvenate Fitness Centre’s second-annual 5K run/walk. About 20 people took part in this non-competitive event.
A few serious runners were out to match or beat their personal best time, but most people just got out for some exercise in the beautiful spring-like weather.
Then at 12:30 p.m., the “Cuts for Cancer” began at The Hair & Body Care Shoppe. Only a handful of brave souls had their head shaved this year, but every penny raised means so much to the people struggling with cancer.
This year, two young people, in particular, showed how much kids care. Jillian Armstrong raised $900 while Avery Adrian raised $770.
Congratulations to everyone who took part in this worthwhile event.
The restaurants and other food vendors in Emo also were extremely busy for the duration of the 40th anniversary.
“All of our buffets were well-attended,” beamed Emo Inn owner Aaron Bisson. “The Chinese buffet was extremely well-received.”
The Circle D and Village Variety also were busy feeding the hungry visitors.
People also purchased meals and snacks from the Emo rec council, which sold chili and smokies on Front Street around noon on Saturday.
Marlene McQuaker, from the Village Variety, was really pleased with the turnout for the 40th anniversary—and for their store’s 13th anniversary.
“It was really, really busy for all three days,” she enthused. “But it was absolutely crazy on Saturday.”
The winners of the “Emo Bucks” were Clifford Waldner ($550, entered at Gillons’ Insurance), Gilbert Heyens ($275, entered at Visser Auto), and Jamie Veldhuisen ($275, entered at Kaemingh Fuels).
The prizes were a little larger this year due to the fact that the Emo Chamber of Commerce gained a couple of new members.
The Chamber would like to thank everyone for helping it make the 40th Spring Fever Days such a great success.
If you missed this year’s celebration, make sure you mark down next year’s 41st anniversary, which will take place in April.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
