Old Timers have a ball at Corn Daze

By KURT NESBITT

Journal Staff Writer

SLEEPY EYE -- A sunny, clear, breezy and slightly cool afternoon was perfect for a baseball game in Eagles Park.

The grandstand behind home plate had a few spectators in it while the grass on the other side of cage was host to a semi-circle of onlookers in foldable blue chairs.

Two girls dressed in period costumes sold bags of sunflower seeds, peanuts and soft drinks from the park's concession stand.

The St. Paul Quicksteps played the Sleepy Eye WideAwakes at the ball field Saturday afternoon in Sleepy Eye.

The Quicksteps would've had themselves a shut-out had it not been for a run that Sleepy Eye scored at the bottom of the seventh inning. The Wide Awakes scored again one inning later, but it was too late to save the game. The Quicksteps won 7-2.

At the end of the game, the Quicksteps' manager, Bob Tholkes, gathered the two teams together behind home plate for a farewell address, thanking everyone for coming out to watch the match and giving three cheers ('Hip hip huzzah' in those days) to the Wide Awakes, whose manager, Randy Krzmarzick, apologized to his hometown fans for the loss.

"Give us another 130 years or so," he smiled. "I think there might be a couple state championships."

He and the Wide Awakes returned the Quicksteps' salute with three tips of the hat and three 'What's up's.

"Preacher" Paul Siefkes of Calvary Baptist Church in Sleepy Eye came out to play with the WideAwakes simply because Krzmarzick asked him to. The Garden City native recalled playing baseball beginning in second grade, realizing, of course that the 1860s-style game is different than the one he knew in childhood.

"Hitting the ball is different. You don't have to hit it as hard," he said. "The ball bounces differently. It's softer."

Krzmarzick said the game is usually played at Ft. Ridgely. As it turned out, his team of locals met the Quicksteps in Sleepy Eye since most of the players wanted to play there or in New Ulm, since the area has a rich history of baseball teams, Krzmarzick said.

The day also saw co-ed volleyball, beer gardens food vendors, crafters and a farmers market in Allison Park, an ice cream social at the United Methodist Church and a Corn Daze run.

On Friday, Corn Daze held its largest and most well-known event, where people came from miles around to the free corn feed, hauling away buckets and tubs and full stomachs. That evening saw the bulk of the musical entertainment with bands playing from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday morning.

As Saturday afternoon became Saturday evening, many people in Sleepy Eye lined the parade route for Corn Days' finale. The corner of Maple St. SW and 1st Ave. S. was certainly not exception as neighbor brought their lawn chairs out into the street to watch the parade.

The parade started with a color guard, which practically everyone stood to recognize.

Music was well-represented as four polka bands rode on the backs of flatbed trucks. The Minnesota Over-60 Band from Gaylord played some old standards, the Governaires marching band from St. Peter showed their drill team-like discipline and a rock band representing Freedom Value Centers, complete with the blue polyester employee vests and a dancing milk carton, gave its rendition of The Doors' 'Break On Through'.

Corn Days also featured queens and royalty galore from Amanda Spaeth, the former Miss Sleepy Eye and currenty Queen of The Lakes to representatives from New Ulm, Springfield and Mountain Lake, as well as Brown County's beef, pork and dairy representatives.

Out in front swarmed several small kids, who raced out into the street to pick up all the tossed candy they could carry. One family even brought an empty ice cream bucket, which was mostly full by parade's end. Many of the people on the floats threw candy, which translated into several opportunities to satisfy a youngster's sweet tooth.

The Corn Days parade also featured a few vintage automobiles, from a 1966 Pontiac GTO to Chuck Spaeth's 1929 Ford Model A to Christy Hengel's 1914 Model T to the Lincoln that the parade's organizers rode towards the end. ATVs and gas-powered minicars were also well-represented in the event.

Agriculture was certainly a feature of Corn Days, since AMPI was well-represented along with the vintage tractors of the Prarieland Flywheelers Eight-Cylinder Club and several local farm implement dealerships.

The Sleepy Eye Fire Department hauled out every rig it could muster to bring up the rear of the parade.

And at the end of it all, Sleepy Eye Police Cheif Don Mikkelson followed the last unit, stopping to pick up the traffic cones that blocked off the parade route as paradegoers folded up their chairs and walked back to their cars.