Town and Country Days starts June 16

The Miss Paynesville pageant will not be able to be held in the new school auditorium as hoped. Instead, the crowning of Miss Paynesville will take place on the stage of the elementary school gym.

Below is the schedule as of Wednesday, June 6:

Saturday, June 16
Three races will be held, a 5K run, a 10K run, and a two-mile walk/run, on the roads by Lake Koronis.

New this year is a pump and run which will take place before the race starts. An optional event, entrants will have the opportunity to cut time from their run if they can lift their body weight.

Registration for all the racers will be held from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at the Veteran's Memorial Park. The races start at 9 a.m. The 5K and 10K runners will be transported to starting points on the south and west sides of Lake Koronis. All races will end at Veteran's Memorial Park. Trophies will be awarded to the top finishers in each race, and other prizes will be awarded for each race by gender in five age divisions.
Interested runners can contact Jay Thompson at 320-243-3887. Registration fees are $8 per person.

Sunday, June 17
The Paynesville R.O.S.E. Center will be hosting a casual social and light dinner from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Paynesville Area Center on the west edge of Paynesville. Greenwood Tree will be performing Irish and folk music. The dinner is free to the public.

Monday, June 18
The annual queen pageant to select Miss Paynesville 2001-2002 will be held at 7 p.m. in the Paynesville Area Elementary School gymnasium.

Five girls will vie for the honor of Miss Paynesville. They are Melissa Bachman, Wendy Bennett, Naomi Bork, Kelly Fenske, and Erin O'Fallon.

Tuesday, June 19
The annual Pet Show will be held at 10 a.m. on the lawn of the Good Samaritan Care Center. Pet owners should have a leash or rope on larger animals and carriers for smaller pets.

At 2:30 p.m. the annual Kiddie Parade will line up at the Good Samaritan Care Center. The parade will start at 3 p.m. and head down Washburne Avenue to the Gazebo Park. All entrants receive tickets to the carnival.

The festival will have a new carnival this year - Premier Shows - a family-owned operation, which will begin at noon Tuesday on James Street in downtown Paynesville and run through Wednesday night. The carnival has numerous rides and games, in addition to four eateries.

A family and business chalk contest will be held from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on the downtown sidewalks and a children's painting booth from 4 to 7:30 p.m. at the public library. Both events are being sponsored by the Consortium of Creative Arts. Cost of the family chalk contest is $3, and each family gets to keep a bucket of chalk. Registration forms will be available at Pianos Plus and at the kiddie parade and pet show on Tuesday. Contest categories are: nature/animal, family portrait, town and country days depiction, and most unique.

The pedal tractor pull will be held at 7 p.m. on James Street. Registration starts at 6:30 p.m. The tractor pull is open to youth ages 4 to 11 and is sponsored by the Paynesville Community Club.

Several community groups will be selling food on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Paynesville Lions Club will be selling hamburgers between the Community First National Bank and the post office. The Paynesville Community Club will be selling cheese curds at the corner of Washburne Avenue and James Street. The Paynesville Area Transit will be selling fry bread by the H.F. Paul Insurance building.

On Tuesday only, the Rebekahs and Odd Fellows Lodge will be selling pie and ice cream near the corner of Washburne and James Street.

Wednesday, June 20
The grand parade is at 7 p.m. Parade grand marshals this year are Harry and Nettie Paul. Six bands and more than 100 parade units have committed to the parade. Bands coming are: Albany, Benson, Cold Spring Junior Band, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg, Montevideo, and Paynesville.

The parade, using the same route as last year, will start at the Industrial Park and head south on Washburne Avenue. It will turn west on Mill Street by the elementary school and then turn south on Maple Street. The parade will end at the St. Louis Catholic Church. An awards ceremony for the bands and floats will take place near the church. Anyone interested in entering a float should contact Mark Leverington at 320-243-3618.

Sunday, June 24
The 13th Annual Peeper's Family Picnic will be held at noon at the Gazebo Park. The only requirement for the picnic is to bring an item for the food shelf. During the afternoon, children's games, balloons, and clowns will be at the park.

At 2 p.m. the Little Miss Dairy Queen and Dennis the Menace Look-a-Like pageant will be held at the Gazebo Park. This event is sponsored by the Dairy Queen. The pageant is open to boys and girls who have completed kindergarten this year. For more information, call 320-243-4675. Registration forms can be picked up at the Dairy Queen.