The best thing about summer in a small town is the traditional gatherings. Here in Annandale the Fourth of July is celebrated over five days with a carnival, parade and great music (thank you to the Fabulous Armadillos).
It’s basically the same in Cook County only in Grand Marais the traditional gathering is Fisherman’s Picnic, which is also celebrated over several days the first full weekend in August. I am so lucky to have these gatherings to attend each year. It’s being invited to two great parties without an actual invitation!
When I was a kid nothing beat the Fisherman’s Picnic. It was a great opportunity to see all the school friends I couldn’t see the rest of the summer because we lived 36 miles out of town. (Trust me, that distance killed a lot of classroom romances over the long summer break.) It was also a chance to spend some of that baby sitting money on rides, sidewalk sales and of course food! The Fisherman’s Picnic is famous for its herring fish sandwich. I prefer a slice of Sven and Ole’s pizza when I go with my family.
The best thing about the Fisherman’s Picnic is that all the Cook County High class reunions are scheduled for this weekend. It doesn’t matter what year you graduated, your class reunion will always be the first weekend in August. No excuses, you know when to come and the paper tells you where to go. My class reunion is this year and sadly will be the first one I have missed; I have to work. As class vice president, I have planned a couple of these gatherings. They are so much fun. The best part is every class makes a float for the parade on Sunday and there is a competition. My aunt graduated 10 years ahead of me so this year we would be in competition with one another. (My mom was 21 years ahead of me so her class reunion was last year.) Five years ago our class won when we decorated a boat as our float.
I just enjoy summer gatherings so much. It’s good to keep family traditions that our kids can grow up and value as well.
“This is the power of gathering: it inspires us, delightfully, to be more hopeful, more joyful, more thoughtful: in a word, more alive.”
~ Alice Waters
Taste of Home columnist Sandy (Anderson) Holthaus lives on a farm in South Haven, MN with her husband, Michael, and their children Zoe, Jack and Ben. Her heart remains on the North Shore where she grew up with her parents, Art and LaVonne Anderson of Schroeder. She enjoys writing about her childhood and mixes memories with delicious helpings of home-style recipes.
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