The days until Warroad October Festival are dwindling, but the excitement is mounting! Along with the Live Entertainment, Beer Tent Activities, and Children’s Activities planned, there will be a variety of contests and competitions for the whole family to participate in. 

The Steinholding Competition was outlined in a previous article, but there is still time to register. If you think you can raise your glass and keep it there the longest, register to participate by clicking “shop now” in the MN Store on lowbrewco.com. There will be a couple of beers with your name on them just for participating!

Saturday morning will begin with a 5K Walk/Run at 9:00 am presented by Try It Up North and Dream Big. This family friendly event will begin and end at the October Festival site, Allison Park. All participants will receive a finisher medal with the top 3 finishers in each male and female age group winning an additional prize.  The entry fee to participate in this event is $15 and registration is available online at www.warroadportal.com.

An Adult Cornhole Tournament for those 21 and up will take place in the beer tent on Saturday, October 5, beginning at 2 pm. The fee to participate is $20 and prizes will be 100% payout. There is a limit of 16 teams, so grab your partner and pre-register to reserve your space! Contact Sarah Homme at 218-242-2655 or hommesarah@gmail.com to enter.

October Festival wouldn’t be complete without pumpkins and scarecrows, so we have designed two competitions to showcase your creative prowess. Local individuals, families, businesses, or other groups are invited to participate. In both competitions, the theme is SUPERHEROES, and participants will bring their finished product to the event.

In the Pumpkin Carving Competition, submissions must be hand-carved (no stencils) and be in line with the theme. Judging will take place at the end of the evening and all the superhero pumpkins will be displayed outside the Gazebo on Saturday. 

The Scarecrow Contest rules are simple: Participants must create a unique, self-supported, Superhero-themed scarecrow and the final product must contain at least some straw. The winners will be announced from the Amphitheater Stage during the 12:00 show, so make sure you submit your finished scarecrow on Saturday by 11 am at the Grand Gazebo. 

These works of art will remain on display through the rest of the festival, creating our very own October Festival Museum of Harvest Art.

Visit our places to stay page or request lodging availability by clicking here.

View or order your visitors guide by clicking here.

To stay up to date on everything October Festival related, follow @warroadoctoberfestival on Instagram and Facebook.

October Festival will be an event that offers something for the whole family. And the best part is, all kids’ activities are free of charge!

A Touch-a-Truck event will kick off Friday night’s festivities. Vehicles from local law enforcement and emergency services will park alongside big rigs, farm machinery, construction vehicles, and a Wahl Brothers Racing race car! Curious children will be able to look at and hop behind the wheel of all these vehicles. We are still seeking vehicles and machinery for this event, so please contact Sarah Homme to learn more about how you or your business can participate.

A Children’s Tent will be set up and is scheduled to be open at different times during the festival. To keep the interest of October Festival attendees who make a weekend of it and stay for the whole event, each time window will have a different theme. Whether it’s trucks, acorns and corn, apples, or pumpkins – children will be sure to enjoy the variety of crafts, projects, and activities offered.  There will even be Bingo!

On Saturday, Comedy Magician Jeffrey Salveson will provide two separate one-hour magic shows along with an hour each of balloon twisting and up close strolling magic tricks. Between the magic shows, there will be a variety show of sorts on the Amphitheater Stage featuring local talent.

If your kiddos have participated in the kid’s races on the 4th of July, they will enjoy the seasonal twist that Warroad Community Church has put on the kid’s races for October Festival! There will also be horse-drawn wagon rides available and kids with a competitive bone can participate in the Kid’s Cornhole Tournament. This tournament is free of charge, but pre-registration is recommended as the number of teams is limited.

Would you like to enjoy the activities for ages 21+ at the event on Saturday night sans children? A separate offsite childcare option is being offered from 6-10pm! There is a limited number of spaces available, so act quickly claim your spot under the Events tab at www.warroadportal.com.

Visit our places to stay page or request lodging availability by clicking here.

View or order your visitors guide by clicking here.

To participate in Touch-a-Truck or the Kid’s Cornhole Tournament, contact Sarah Homme at hommesarah@gmail.com or 218-242-2655. You can stay up to date on everything October Festival related by following @warroadoctoberfestival on Instagram and Facebook.

If you would like to be a vendor at future Warroad Market events, please go to www.visitwarroad.com/warroad-market/

Dear Local Businesses,

October Festival 2019 planning is already underway and this year’s event will be bigger, better, and hopefully warmer than last year’s! A variety of activities from horse-drawn wagon rides and kids’ activities, to live music and a magic show will be offered free of charge. Additional activities will be available at an affordable cover charge. Our goal is to make the Warroad October Festival a first-class, regional event that people will want to attend year after year. To do this requires a significant investment to bring in well-known talent, entertainment, and fun for all ages!  

We are seeking business sponsorships to bring our vision of October Festival to fruition. We have established a tiered program with an eye toward value and meaningful recognition for your business. Please click here to view the sponsorship tier form for details as you consider how your business might support this event.

Sponsorship pledges can be submitted to the Warroad Chamber of Commerce and must be received by Friday, September 20th.

You can support the festival in more ways than just financially!

• Get your employees excited about participating in the Pumpkin Carving and Scarecrow Competitions and submit entries from your business, or a department within your business!  
• Rally your coworkers to compete against one another in Cornhole or summon your collective strength for the Steinholding Competition.
• Don t-shirts emblazoned with your business logo and sign up as a group to volunteer for the children’s tent, concessions, or various other areas at the event or help with the setup/teardown prior to and following the event.

We also want to encourage you to take advantage of the excitement surrounding October Festival and promote your business. We are designing this event to be a regional draw, hopefully for both day-trippers and over-nighters! With more people out and about, we want you to be aware of the opportunity to market yourself!

Additional questions may be referred to Sarah Homme at 218-242-2655 or hommesarah@gmail.com.

Be on the lookout for more October Festival communications as we continue to find ways to promote our local businesses.  Thank you in advance for considering a sponsorship for the 2019 October Festival! 

Sincerely,

October Festival Planning Committee

Inviting all: food vendors, food trucks, growers, craft makers and unique merchants.

This event is an exciting way to engage with the community and to promote your business and creations.

Quick Facts on the Warroad Market:

• Warroad Market will take place the second Saturday in September.
• All Warroad Market events will be held in the green space north of Main Street Bar and Grill from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
• The cost to participate in the Warroad Market is $25 per event

Details: Warroad Market Invite, Application Form, Policies + Guidelines, ST19 Form

Reserve your space by completing the form below.

Thank you!

WARROAD, Minn. – July 16, 2019 – Register today for the 16th Annual Yellow Rose Race to be held
on Saturday, August 10th at The Point near the shore of beautiful Lake of the Woods in Warroad,
Minnesota. We’ve expanded our offering to include a pre-race pasta party and added a 10K race to
our long-standing 5K walk/run.

Festivities begin on Friday, August 9, from 5 to 7 p.m. with a NEW pasta party under the big tent on
the green space next to Mainstreet Bar & Grill. Race participants can pick up their race bags and enjoy
a meal and conversation with friends and family! The main events take place Saturday, August 10,
kicking off with the new 10K race in addition to the traditional 5K Walk/Run at 9 a.m. at The Point.
Proceeds raised from the race this year will go to H.E.L.P.P., where the funds will be put towards
easing financial burdens on community members experiencing hardships.

Following the race, walk/run participants and visitors are encouraged to stay in town for additional
events and activities, including the Warroad Market, where local vendors, food trucks, growers,
crafters and unique merchants will be gathered, showcasing their goods and services from 9 a.m. to 2
p.m. in the green space south of the library.

After a full day of fun down at The Point and downtown, put a cap on the day by enjoying a family-
friendly outdoor movie at the new Allison Park. Incredibles 3 is the featured showing, and it is
completely free to attend. Popcorn and treats will be available for sale. The movie event is hosted by
the Warroad Community Partners and sponsored by Lake Country Chevrolet.

Race registration forms can be picked up or may be done online at
www.yellowrose5k.com. For more information please call Brittany McGregor at 386-4222.

WARROAD, Minn. – June 24, 2019 –  The entire community is invited to the dedication of Allison Park on Wednesday, July 3rd.  The formal dedication will start at 12 o’clock noon, with food, fun and games to follow throughout the day. A community picnic begins at 3PM with brats, hotdogs, potato salad, and chips served until 5PM.

Located east of the Warroad downtown district along Lake Street NE, the park has been known as the Warroad Community Park.  The park has been made possible because of generous donors and the hard work of the volunteer-driven planning committee and the City of Warroad.

“It’s been an 8-year project, constructed in three phases and it’s very exciting to see it all come together and celebrate with the community,” said Brian Schaible, Park Committee Chair.  

The main features of the park include an outdoor amphitheater, indoor pavilion, a grand gazebo, picnic shelters and a kid-sized splash pad and playground.  Already, several groups have hosted community-wide events, weddings, reunions, and local families and tourists have enjoyed the park year-around.

John Marvin II reflected on Allison, to whom the park is dedicated, and shared, “Allison left us way too early.  Her fun-loving spirit impacted so many in a positive way and her passion for kids showed in all that she did. It’s my hope this park and Northern community will provide a safe, fun place to build strong and life-long friendships.”   

In preparation for the July 3rd celebration, the public will begin to see the installation of sculptures and signage at the park. Their stories will be told at the dedication.  Events for the day include pony cycle rides, water balloon toss, face painting, corn hole, chalk art, music, popcorn, ice cream and more!

Please join in the July 3 dedication of Allison Park at 12 o’clock noon and bring your family and friends for the day’s activities.  This is free and open to the public. All are welcome to attend!

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About Allison Marvin (1969-1992)
Every day was a celebration in the life of Allison Marvin – a celebration to be enjoyed to the fullest, to be shared with family and friends, and later to be remembered with delight.

A good all-around student and athlete, Allison especially enjoyed track, basketball, and softball, her 4-H activities, music, Tae Kwan Do, and, above all, training and riding horses.  Because of her love for people and her ever-enthusiastic desire to share, she naturally turned to teaching as a profession. As a recent graduate of Bemidji State University, she was at the threshold of this new and exciting phase of her life with a position in an Atlanta, Georgia school when that bright light that was Allison ceased to burn.  She had just turned twenty-three. 

– This excerpt was taken from the BSU Allison Marvin Scholarship application that was established by her dad, Jake W. Marvin and continues to be offered to Warroad High School seniors with plans to attend Bemidji State University.

About Allison Park

In 2011, The City of Warroad and a Warroad citizen-led volunteer planning committee embarked to create a family-friendly park in the center of Warroad on a land parcel where the first Warroad Hospital and later Senior Living Center stood. The work began with hiring an architect, Widseth Smith Nolting and Associates in Bemidji, Minnesota.  The next step was to seek community input through an online survey and a master plan was designed from that input. The park became known as the Warroad Community Park and was thoughtfully developed in three-phases with completion in the summer 2019.

On July 3, 2019 the park will be dedicated and renamed, Allison Park, a tribute to Allison Marvin and her lively, adventuresome spirit; and enjoyment of life that is also reflected in the children that live and play in Warroad today.  We are Northborn.

Past and Present Park Committee Members include:  Brian Schaible, Kathy Lovelace, Rod Kutter, Brad Baumann, Scott Borros, Jeff Parker, Mike Kvarnlov, James Jaros, Glenda Phillipe, Mark Marvin, Marg Marvin, Brenda Baumann.  

Architect:  Denise Koenigsberg, AIA, Widseth Smith Nolting & Associates

General Contractor:  Scott Johnson Companies – all three phases