Turtle Race Report – Wednesday, August 19, 2009, Longville, MN The last turtle race of the 2009 season was a whopper. First, it was the largest, last day crowd in recent years with 320 racers competing for top honors. Second, the weather was tenuous with rained filled clouds threatening to deposit their drops on the crowd. However, the rain held and the races and other events went on without a flaw. The two racers that emerged as grand winners were six-year-old Danny Bubalo of Anoka who had the fastest turtle and thirteen-year-old Aidan Anderson of Seattle, WA who had the slowest turtle. Pre-race activities were as popular as ever. The hula-hoop participants and dance participants jammed the center circle to compete as best in their group. Again the chicken dance singers were outstanding. They were Mackenzie Davis of Columbia Heights, Trent Mix of Longville, Taylor Sturgell of West St. Paul and Ryan Kennedy of Hackensack. The YMCA dance leaders were also very energetic. They were Megan Narog of Fergus Falls, Alivia Garbe of Maplewood, Triston Garbe of Maplewood and Austin Eckhoff of Eden Prairie. Thirteen resorts participated in the Resort Turtle Race. There were Broadwater Lodge Woman Lake, Sunset Bay Resort Baby Lake, Little Boy Resort Little Boy Lake , Trapper’s Landing Leech Lake, Evergreen Lodge Woman Lake , Maple Trails Resort Boy Lake, Pine Haven Resort Blackwater Lake, Pine Ridge Resort Girl Lake of Woman Lake Chain, Kee Nee Moo Sha, Woman Lake, Family Traditions Resort Boy Lake, Woman Lake Lodge Woman Lake, Girl Lake Resort Girl Lake of Woman Lake Chain, Minne Teepee Resort Woman Lake. The winner was seven-year-old Jordan Nord of Brooklyn Park who with her family was vacationing at Little Boy Resort Little Boy Lake. Three appreciative young people won tickets to Mall of American events and Valleyfair. The tickets were provided by BL Broadcasting of Brainerd. They have four radio stations with their flagship station WJJY 106.7 FM. The Valleyfair ticket winners were twelve-year-old Marissa Daninger of Woodbury and ten-year-old Austin Castro of Rochester.The winner of the $200 package of tickets to events at the Mall of America was nine-year-old Riley Sundeen of Roseville. A group of wonderful and weary volunteers made for a great afternoon of family entertainment. Marisa and Ryan Skajewski and Chrissy Stagnaro helped Pat Boen with judging. Anne Broshar, Stan Johnson, and Dodee Colberg registered racers. Sue Meyer and Jim Felegy sold tickets and souvenirs. Marge McDonald and Diane Kutschied handed out prizes. Game operators were Gracie Gilsrud, Terry Felegy, Kam Kammueller, Jordan Loren, Chuck Colberg. Gary Kobi, Dillon Loren, Caitlin Stagnaro, Elsie Hagen, and Debbie and Laura Oates. Set-up and teardown was handled by a great crew from Camp Olson, Gerry Broshar, Tony Ozark and the volunteers. Gordon Atzen popped up a lot of popcorn and Dave Wodrich and Stan Johnson were street monitors. John and Sandy Weins and Gerry Broshar handled the announcing duties. Businesses that provided some of these volunteers were Keller Williams Realty, Frosty’s, North Pines Interiors, Red Bird Café, Longville Inn, and Little Boy Resort. The Chamber wishes to thank the many Longville area businesses that contributed prizes this summer for the racers and racing participants. The Chamber also wishes to express gratitude to the many volunteers that devoted their time and energy so that nearly 4000 racers and over, an estimated, 15,000 guests who came to Longville could have a wonderful afternoon of family fun each Wednesday this summer. After a summer of racing, all the turtles headed for the closest hot tubs and beaches to soothe their tender feet and rest up for next summer. Longville Turtle Races, August 19, 2009 (Story to Follow) Turtle Race Winners Grand Winner - Danny Bubalo, Anoka, MN; Age 6 Grand Slowpoke Winner - Aidan Anderson, Seattle, WA; Age 13 John Weins, Announcer Ryan Skajewski, Judge Pat Boen, Chief Judge Marisa Skajewski, Judge