Rustic Lore promises fun and celebration for returning Hilltoppers

By Cara L. Dempski

GLENWOOD CITY — The 2017 Rustic Lore Days will feature plenty of ways to connect with old friends, and maybe make some new ones, as part of the “Hilltopper Celebration.”

The event, held September 8, 9 and 10 in Glenwood City, coincides with an all-school reunion nearly two years in the making. The festival will feature weekend-long window displays of Glenwood City High School memorabilia, and the History Center will be open all weekend with more school items on display, DVDs of yearbooks from 1908-2014 for sale, and copies of the book “Echoes of the Past” available for purchase.

Anyone who purchases a Rustic Lore button should listen all weekend for the number on the back of it to be announced. Lucky button holders will receive prizes. 

The Rustic Lore buttons are also useful in the Golden Wheel Hunt. Buttons can be pre-registered at City Hall, or button holders can call MaryPatt Weeks at 715-265-4347 to register. The lucky hunter who finds the wheel will receive $100 Chamber Dollars.

Clues for the hunt will be posted daily starting Wednesday at Countryside Cooperative, Hiawatha State Bank, Nilssen’s Foods, Glenwood City Hall, and online at www.rusticlore.com.

The fun kicks off Friday morning when the city-wide garage sales open at 8 a.m.. Sale information sheets can be found at Nilssen’s Foods and Countryside Cooperative.

Things get rolling the evening of September 8 with the Rustic Lore dinner from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Hiawatha State Bank parking lot. The Glen Hills Lions’ Club is sponsoring the softball tournament scheduled to start at the City Ball Field at 6 p.m., and the Sawdust Prize Search and Activities will be open from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Main Street.

Football fans may want to leave the festivities for a while to catch the Hilltoppers on the road against the Colfax Vikings at 7 p.m. Those opting to stay in town can check out the seventh-annual FFA Alumni Tractor Pull at the fairgrounds at 7 p.m. for on $8 admission.

The band “Just Those Guys,” comprised of GCHS alumni, will play under the Rustic Lore tent on Main Street from 8 p.m. until Midnight.

The youth of Holy Cross Lutheran Church will be the first ones up Saturday morning, as they are holding a pancake breakfast from 7 a.m. until 10 a.m. at the Community Center. The event will raise money for upcoming mission trips.

The garage sales will open at 8 a.m. for a second day, and the Softball Tournament will continue at City Ball Field at 8. A kickball tournament will also begin at 8 a.m. at Hinman Park.

Glenhaven is holding an open house for tours, treats and coffee from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. At the same time, the kids’ carnival will be raising money for the library’s children’s programs under the Rustic Lore Tent. 

A craft and vendor sale, silent auction and lunch are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, while the Rods and Rides Car show will be downtown on Main Street during the same span.

There will be a GCHS Alumni-staff Music Jam Session at Glenhaven from 10 a.m. until noon. The Glenwood City Schools will be open for tours at noon, with a reunion program starting at 3 p.m. 

Alumni band “The Weekenders” will be playing a show downtown at 3 p.m., and Leaker’s Place is hosting a beanbag tournament starting at the same time.

There will be a reunion for past Glenwood City royalty at the high school from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., with the Queen’s Pageant and Coronation at 7 p.m. 

One more GCHS alumni band, “Section 8,” will take the stage downtown at 8:30 p.m. and close out the Saturday festivities at 12:30 a.m.

Sunday, September 10 will bring a Barbecue Chicken Dinner from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Community Center, while the Glenhaven Auxiliary hosts a Pie and Ice Cream social under the Main Street tent from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Grand marshals Edwin and Ardyce James will lead off the Grand Parade down Main Street at 1 p.m. The award ceremony for the marching bands competing at the parade will be held immediately afterward at the fairgrounds, and Raffle Prizes will be announced on Main Street.

This year’s first place raffle winner will get $500 cash, second will be awarded $250, third will receive $150, and fourth will get $100.

Also following the parade will be the kids’ pedal tractor pull on Main Street, followed by the “Battle of the Businesses” for pedal tractor supremacy among local establishments.

“County Line” will be playing at M&M Bar from 2:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m.

Those needing more information are encouraged to contact the Rustic Lore committee at 715-265-4011, or check the celebration’s website at www.rusticlore.com.