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Saturday, July 24, 1999
By GUY PRIEL Journal Staff Writer NEW ULM -- Hundreds of children of all ages will descend on Flandrau State Park today to participate in a variety of activities in celebration of the 11th Annual Flandrau Fest, hosted by the Friends of Flandrau. "The event was started in 1988 when we held a small celebration in honor of the opening of the pool," Organizer Floyd Alwin said. "That celebration evolved into Flandrau Fest and it gets better every year." As the event grew, the organizers added one event per year in an attempt to make the festival more attractive to a larger group of people. This year, organizers have added arts and crafts as part of the festivities. There is no charge for the arts and crafts activities, he said. Registration for participants wanting to be involved in any of the activities will begin at 10 a.m. today at the swimming pool and picnic area, with all events beginning at 11 a.m., he said. Activities include a limbo dancing contest; hula hoop contest; rubber duck race; frisbee throwing contest; basketball shoot; dunk tank; water balloon cage; tug-of-war; and a medallion hunt. "These are considered contests and there will be prizes given to contestants in each age group," Alwin said. "There will also be a sand sculpture contest for children five and up and a beach ball hunt for children under five." Contestants will also be eligible for a $50 U.S. Savings Bond and there is a $2 charge for participants, he said. "One of the more popular events is river tubing," he said. "People will be able to float down the Cottonwood river, beginning at the beach next to the swimming pool, and they will be picked up at the Cottonwood Street Bridge and brought back to the park by bus." The event was introduced during last year's Flandrau Fest and was really popular, requiring additional inner tubes to be purchased for this year's event, he said. "The river levels are high this year, so it should be a really great activity," Alwin said. "There is a $3 charge for people wanting to participate." There will also be food and drink stands set up at the pool, with food items being provided by Burger King, which is another new feature this year, and Godfather's Pizza, he said. "Getting everything set up for this event each year is becoming quite a job, since we keep adding more," he said. Under state law, all vehicles entering the park for Flandrau Fest are required to have either an annual state park permit, which costs $20, or a two-day temporary pass, which costs $4. Both can be purchased at the gate. "The registration fee for participation in the events is not included in the fee charged by the park for the permit," Alwin said. All events will take place in the pool area and the picnic area, with the arts and crafts taking place inside the shelter, he said. All activities are arranged in a family beach atmosphere and will end at 4 p.m. There will also be varieties of musical entertainment throughout the afternoon at a make-shift outdoor stage near the pool.
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