Parade, car show, big hits at Ellendale Days

Ellendale Days 2026 began on Friday, June 26 with citywide rummage sales and the Kid Zone, a playground of sweets, miniature golf, and basketball that lasted through Saturday. Between the Ellendale Heritage Society's root beer floats, the porch chop supper at the Community Building, and various food vendors, there were plenty of delicious eatables available. There was music, too; the Dan Stursa Band played from 5 – 8 p.m. in front of the city mural, and from 8 – 11 p.m. Bring Your Mama played at the bar.

 

Car Show

The weather for Saturday's events at Ellendale Days could have been made to order: sunny and warm with enough breeze to keep everyone cool, even if it did knock down a few signs and plaques.

 

Saturday's events started out appropriately with Lion's Club members Kathy Wayne, Becky Larson, Cynthia Nelson, and Allie Larson serving coffee and sweet rolls to early birds who rolled up in their vintage cars for the Car Show in the United Methodist Church parking lot.

 

“We try to get all of our supplies locally,” said the volunteers. Groceries came from Lerberg's Foods, and the sweet rolls came from Casey's. Just as the Lion's Club supports the community as they set up their fundraiser, so all the proceeds earned by the Lion's Club also go back into supporting the community.

 

Jason and Jen Schreiber of 10,000 Custom Designs made the laser engraved plaques to award the victors at the Car Show: wooden tokens for the first 25 car owners to arrive, and engraved slate for the main awards.

 

Every vehicle on the church parking lot on Saturday had a story attached to it. 

 

Some of the owners have had their vehicles since their youth. Gary Johnson of rural Ellendale, whom readers might recognize as the owner of Johnson Oakside Orchard, has had his '58 Chevrolet Impala for 45 years. If it were a contest though, Ellendale resident Andy Lerberg might hold the trophy for longest retained vehicle; he's held onto his '35 Ford Coupe for 64 years. “I bought it in 1962,” said Lerberg. “It was one of those $150 investments.” Lerberg went to college in his Ford Coupe, and dated his wife in it, too. On the windshield of the vehicle is a photograph of him and his late wife, Mary, in the vintage vehicle. “So she still rides along,” Lerberg smiled. Does Lerberg have a favorite memory of riding in his Ford Coupe? “They're all good,” he said. “It'd be hard to pick a single one out.”

 

Albert Lea residents Dave and Lori Lembke have a forest green 1929 Ford Tudor with a story too. Dave Lembke had one like it when he was 17, but, when the car was stored for a while in someone else's garage, the owner of the garage gave it away without consulting Lembke. Nine years ago, Lembke decided to rebuild his old car from parts. “We've had it out for about four years now,” said Lembke.

 

Malia DeVriendt brought a '62 Corvette Classic clear from Arizona. The car was a Christmas present from her husband, Mike. Although she and her husband live in Arizona, DeVriendt grew up in Michigan and Mike is from Ellendale, so both are Midwesterners at heart; the couple loves to spend summers at their cabin on Beaver Lake.

 

Car Show Winners

Committee's Choice: Al Lee for his 1969 Plymouth GTX

 

People's Choice: Shelly Mendenhall for her 1976 Chevrolet Monte Carlo

 

Best in show Darren Stadheim for his 1955 Chevrolet 3100

 

Beanbag Tournament

While cars were displayed at United Methodist, there was a lot going on downtown as well.

Individuals also converged on Ellendale for the Cooper's Nation Beanbag Tournament. Contestants brought their skills and threw beanbags across 3rd Street South for hours. This is one event that puts Ellendale on the map; players are known to come from as far away as Rochester and Mankato.

 

Craft and Vendor Show 

Just in front of the city mural, Ellendale Heritage Society members Jo Lerberg, Lloyd Kaplan, and Dan Nelson sold bricks and root beer floats to raise funds for what the city calls the Gathering Place Plaza.

 

With the mural overhead and the city garden arranged by Cynthia Nelson on the opposite side, the Gathering Place Plaza already looks like an inviting spot. Sonic Concrete poured the concrete. Engraved bricks, which have already been ordered from Bricks R Us in Miami, Fla., will complete the sidewalk, and benches purchased from Barco Products in Wis., will welcome visitors to take a rest and enjoy the view.

 

The city made good use of the Gathering Place on Friday evening, as the Dan Stursa Band played there, while an enthusiastic crowd mingled and danced in the street.

 

At the Craft and Vendor Show, which took place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., there were some new faces, as well as some who have graced Ellendale with their wares before.

 

Carmen Christensen of Clarks Grove brought CC's Crafting Corner, a custom quilting business. Christensen sews quite a selection of quilted items, but one of her specialties is T-shirt quilts, a great way to preserve old T-shirts with too much nostalgia to part with. 

 

Christensen also filled in for Sally Walker of Geneva, whose She Shed made an appearance at Ellendale Days, even though she couldn't be there. Visitors enthused over Walker's She Shed, an adorably decorated trailer, built for Walker by her husband for the purpose of displaying and retailing the up-cycled items she has a genius for creating.

 

Maryanne Higgins and Amy Lowery came from Owatonna to represent the Steel County Historical Society with a display of leaflets that advertised upcoming history-related events.

 

Aubree Nienoord works just down the street in Ellendale at Americana Insurance. She brought a table to the Craft and Vendor Show to get in on the fun and advertise the insurance company.

 

Tim and Ashley Boehme are newcomers to Ellendale as well as to the Craft and Vendor scene; Ashley Boehme started making treats for their now 8-month-old puppy Izzy only a few months ago because she thought she'd rather make than purchase puppy treats. It didn't take Boehme long to decide she'd like to make the treats available to others. Thus, Izzy's Treats was born, with a variety of dog treats to delight our four legged friends.

 

Stewartville's Jennifer and Zach Dulek of Dulek Designs displayed their handmade earrings and crafts, and even had a display of earrings made from jewelry salvaged from a wedding dress.

 

Rachel Ingalls introduced the community to Red Aspen, a company started in Boise, Idaho that specializes in fingernail care and decoration.

 

Besides being a pre-school school teacher, Sheila Steele of Albert Lea has been an Avon representative for eight years. She says it's challenging to keep up with Avon during the school year, but this is what she does during the summers.

 

Abby Smith, originally from Owatonna and now living in Austin, is a newcomer to the Ellendale Days Craft and Vendor Show. She came with her own Barleyberry Boutique, a selection of hand-selected clothing items that she buys wholesale and then sells at events. Smith started her business, a dream come true for her, in September of last year.

 

Abby Urschitz of Albert Lea brought Abby and Kay's Treats to Ellendale with her cake pops, chocolate chip cookies and other baked goods. This was her second show to date.

 

Tina Gilbert of Freeborn has been to the Ellendale Craft and Vendor Show before with T's Sweet Treats and More, for which she makes canned foods, soup mixes, and baked goods. With all of the handmade items Gilbert makes, it's a full-time job.

 

Christi Hill of Ellendale and Vicki Kress of Geneva are sisters who decided only just before Ellendale Days to set up a table with their elegant planted arrangements. Their business is so new, they haven't thought of a title yet. Their enthusiasm for their products shows in their thriving plants.

 

Another newcomer to the Craft and Vendor scene was an Owatonna resident who created the franchise Made by a Witch: Spiritual Creations of Owatonna, and who makes sun catchers, plaques, pendulums, witch wall décor, and “crow bags,” a popular grab bag item that features shiny trinkets.

 

Matt and Jenny King from near the Twin Cities brought King Creations, a business that presents Jenny King's handmade jewelry to local communities.

 

Abbie Victors was there with Blooms PermaLinx, a business that provides permanent bracelets and anklets.

 

Among the food vendors at Ellendale Days was the Steele County Dairy Association, which sold cooling malts to the masses. Chloe Garten of Medford was their representing this year's dairy princesses. Currently working at Birchwood Cottages in Owatonna, Garten plans to use her Dairy Princess scholarship to become a pediatric nurse. Also helping with the malt stand were Bob and Linda Noble, both of whom have served as bus drivers for over 50 years.

Kids Zone

 

There were, of course, treats for the kids too. At the Kids Zone this year was The Sugar Shack. If the kids ran out of energy playing, they could always fuel up again with cotton candy at The Sugar Shack, brought to the community by Juan and Alicia Lazaro of Albert Lea.

 

Nearby, the kids could burn off all that energy playing basketball, navigating bounce houses, or trying their luck at miniature golf, brought by Scott Limberg of Limberg Productions in Owatonna.

 

Parade

At 4 p.m. the Ellendale Parade brought the community out en masse. This year's parade was comprised mostly of area emergency services vehicles and personnel. It's debatable whether it was more fun to watch the parade, or to watch the kids diving for the candy that was thrown onto the street.

 

Kiddie Tractor Pull

At 5 p.m. was the Kiddie Tractor Pull. Quite a crowd gathered on 2nd Street to watch the 4 – 11 year olds compete. Among the winners were:

 

4-year-olds

3rd place Addie Wagner

2nd place Kayleigh Peters

1st place Harper Mongeau

 

5-year-olds

3rd place Raegan Bartness

2nd place Henry Riskedahl

1st place Judson Partlow

 

6-year-olds

3rd place Graham LeBlanc

2nd place Wyatt Morgan

1st place Landon Filley

 

7-year-olds

3rd place Briella McCouan

2nd place Liam Peters

1st place Brynlee Clawson

 

8-year-olds

3rd place Collin Hullopeter

2nd place Colson Bartsch

1st place Lola Partlow

 

9-year-olds

3rd place Makayla Louks

2nd place Dekker Thompson

1st place Avin Wolters

 

10-year-olds

3rd place Domingo Huerta

2nd place Jackson Buenger

1st place Olivia Kurth

 

11-year-olds

3rd place Olivia Johnson

2nd place Adam Davis

1st place Lydia Louks

 

The Kiddie Tractor Pull was sponsored by the Ellendale Fire Department, represented on Saturday evening by Kyle Powers, Rick Johnson, and David Modder. 

 

Luke Kurth of Utica, Minn., although not a newcomer to the Kiddie Tractor Pull, is new to owning the business. He bought all the equipment this year for what he titles LS Pedal Pulls. He says his son, Shawn, who was helping on Saturday evening, is really excited about the new venture. Kurth's daughter, Olivia, was also a big help; she handed out all the awards.

 

The last event to wrap up the evening was the Fireman's Street Dance featuring the Travis Thamert Band.

 

Sunday's Events

Sunday's events at Ellendale Days were somewhat complicated by bad weather. A thunderstorm darkened the skies early in the morning, threatening to put a damper on the day's events, but Ellendale must have been born under a lucky star. By 10 a.m. the wind had dried out the park enough that the area churches were still able to have their community church service in the park and serve lunch.

 

Lion's Club Pancake Breakfast

Between the Car Show and the Lion's Club Pancake Breakfast, United Methodist Church in Ellendale was quite the hub of activity over the weekend. On Sunday, volunteers Brenda Dokken and Becky Lassahn accepted the $12 entry fee for adults (Children 5 and under ate for free.), while several more Lion's Club members were busy in the kitchen. According to his fellow volunteers, Pete Paulson had poured at least 640 pancakes onto the griddle since 8 a.m., which, if not an exact number, is at least a reflection of the popularity of this year's event. Jeff Wayne referred to himself as Paulson's “assistant and chief dish washer.” Between the mountains of dishes and serving guests, Cynthia Nelson, Becky Larson, and Theresa Pederson also stayed busy behind counter, while Dan Nelson manned the beverage counter as guests stopped by for coffee. Several tables in the large dining room were still well filled with attendees as the clock neared closing time at 1 p.m. 

 

Big Boys Tractor Pull

The Big Boys Tractor Pull pulled a late and a little bit muddy start at 11 a.m. at the community bus garage. Tony Foster and hie fiancee Megin Bell organized the event, as they have for the last three years. Some of the equipment Foster rented from a provider in Milaca, Minn. The rest was donated locally. Lokken Excavating & Drainage donated the use of a rolling packer tractor and skid loader. Volunteers Joe Louks and Derek Lee ran the equipment to level the path after each tractor run. Father and son, John and Johnny Kraling, helped with paperwork or anything that needed doing, and as usual, Jerry Victora of Power 96 fame announced for the event, assisted by Allison Mullenberg and Amy Louks.

 

Mullenberg opened the event singing the National Anthem as enthusiasts came from a wide swath to attend the event, bringing tractors from Cannon Falls, Clairont, Glenville, Kenyon, Manorville, Montgomery, Medford, Rockville, Waseca, etc.

 

One intrepid individual even came from the Netherlands and took an exhibition ride on a John Deere 730. Peter Holland arrived in the U.S. on Monday to celebrate his uncle Bill Holland's 90th birthday. The report is that he'd never driven a tractor before. Asked what he thought of it, his response was an enthusiastic, “It was great!” Holland flies back to the Netherlands on Friday.

 

There were four jackpot categories during the event, but only three winners, as Thad Sonsdahl went home with the two $500 wins. He also won a third category: the 6500 Farm Stock.

 

Jackpot Winners

Farm Stock 5500 3 MPH $500 – Thad Sonsdahl, Medford

Open 5500 15 MPH $300 – Chad Vlasak, Montgomery

Sportsman 6500 7 MPH $300 – Karl Larish, Kenyon

Farm Stock 7500 3 MPH $500 – Thad Sonsdahl, Medford 

 

While the game was afoot, the ever-present Lion's Club volunteers served food and beverages in the bus garage. Hot dogs, bratwursts, and sloppy joes were available, as well as chips, doughnuts from Casey's, and sweet rolls made by members of the Lion's Club. Kathy Wayne and Mayor Scott Groth manned the booth. They were busy for a long time, still serving food by 5 p.m.

 

It takes the hard work and dedication of many individuals to organize and launch Ellendale Days each year and to see that everything runs smoothly. Doing much of the proverbial heavy lifting among these volunteer individuals are members of the Ellendale Days Committee. Allison Mullenberg is the Ellendale Days coordinator, along with fellow committee members Courtney McGowan and Kaitlyn McGowan. For the Tractor Pull alone, the Ellendale Days Committee donated $1,600 more than competitors paid to participate. Per Mullenberg, the committee chose to foot the bill for certain events this year from its own fund, because they felt that area businesses and donors had been tapped out for the community's 125th anniversary the year before; they didn't want to exhaust the community's good will. The Ellendale Days Committee also sees to it that the City of Ellendale isn't burdened with the cost of Ellendale Days, as any money garnered from participants in the Craft and Vendor Show is donated back to the City to pay for electricity needed for the events.

 

Ellendale Days wouldn't happen without the Ellendale Lion's Club, whose volunteers were everywhere this weekend. And it's not only that they seem to have an inexhaustible willingness to serve food to the hungry masses. The Lion's Club also provides the insurance necessary for each event, without which Ellendale Days would be a considerably more costly event for the community.

 

Although the Star Eagle is certain there were many volunteers not mentioned in this article, we extend a special thank you to them as no summer would be complete without the heartfelt feeling for community represented in Ellendale Days.