By Nick Longworth
nlongworth@parkrapidsenterprise.com
Beginning your day by running or walking a 5K would seem like a crazy idea to many.
It’s only fitting that such an event would be the official kick-off to the annual Crazy Days in downtown Park Rapids.
At 8 a.m. Thursday morning around 30 or so runners gathered on the corner of 2nd Street and Main Avenue to officially begin Crazy Days by getting their hearts pumping from exercise, not the thrill of a great deal.
“We’re actually from Missouri, visiting family members. They said we should do it and we thought it would be fun,” said Rebecca Tritz who was running with two others. “We’re getting our cardio in today and coffee at the end. It’s a fun thing to do with a group of friends or family, and a great way to start off the morning.”
“In conjunction with Crazy Days it brings a lot of people to town, and is just great,” said Park Rapids Police Chief Terry Eilers, who was present to ensure the safety of all runners. Eilers said everything with the event went smoothly.
Thursday’s events then began to rise along with the sun, with numerous shops along Main extending racks out into the street and setting up additional tables.
At 10:30 a.m. and again at 1 p.m. puppeteer Margo McCreary and her “On-time Circus” taught onlookers the value of time, how to manage it, and how to not let it control you.
“In our culture people are very concerned about their watches and time,” said McCreary, who went on to express gratitude for the successful performance.
“It went fantastic. We had around 80 kids and 40 adults, which is our biggest audience so far! It was a fun family event.”
McCreary traveled from Minneapolis for the show through the use of Legacy funds. Her stage was a trailer that she built herself from leftover building materials.
Then it was shop until you drop, with hundreds of people flooding the Main in the hopes of finding a steal.
Many looked through racks of clothing, swimsuits, antiques and shoes in the hopes of finding something suitable to their tastes.
“We’re finding lots of good things,” said Sara Becker, who is from Nevis, but stopped by with her daughter Katie to do some shopping.
With an inflatable castle also present to keep kids entertained, Arvig Communications served pulled pork sandwiches along with sides and drinks – free of charge to those who waited in line – as a showing of gratitude to their customer base from 4-8 p.m.
“We want our customers to be appreciated, and we want to be a part of the community,” said Arvig employee Rachel Laudenbach who was working the food truck at the time.
Thursday night came to a close with the 2nd Street Stage showcasing Minneapolis-based The Limns. Hundreds of people stuck around the beautiful night to hear their music.
Friday saw sales induced again by people flooding the streets for the second day in a row.
