Friends, Food, Football, and Fund-Raising Highlight Farmers Bowl 2009
Good friends, good food, Comets football, and a fantastic fund-raiser highlighted the 15th annual Mayville State University Farmers Bowl celebration on Saturday, September 26. The Farmers Bowl, sponsored by the MSU Foundation, teams Mayville State University with the community in a festival celebrating the area’s agricultural way of life. Yearly activities include a parade, corn on the cob and hot dog feed, Mayville State Comets football game, and a fund-raising auction. This year, a home Mayville State volleyball game was also a part of the activities.
General chairpersons for Farmers Bowl 2009 were Tim and Sue Strand, Mayville. The Strands have organized the annual celebration each year since 2000.
“We are grateful to Tim and Sue for their invaluable contributions as Farmers Bowl chairs over the years. Pulling off an event such as this requires organization and lots of hard work from many volunteers. The Strands do a superb job of keeping the operation moving along like a well-oiled machine,” said Mayville State University President Dr. Gary Hagen. “We appreciate the efforts of the Strands and all volunteers and participants who have helped to make the Farmers Bowl a success every year for the last 15 years.”
The local military color guard and May-Port CG High School marching band led the way as antique farm equipment and other vehicles, along with modern-day floats and other entries paraded through town beginning at 10:00 a.m. on September 26. Young and old alike paid tribute to farmers and the agricultural way of life in the Mayville-Portland area. Lori Nelson, Portland, N.D., organized the parade. She was assisted by a number of volunteers.
The parade ended at Jerome Berg Field on the campus of Mayville State University, where the Comet Athletic Club had cooked up a corn on the cob and hot dog feed that was open to all. Earlier in the day, the Mayville State men’s basketball team had helped to husk the corn. They also helped to set up the tables where feed-goers dined. Tim Strand, Jeremy Strand, Matt Strand, and Corey McGillis organized the feed. They were assisted by Comet Athletic Club volunteers.
The Mayville State Comets football team put up a good fight against the Hardrockers of South Dakota Tech in the Farmers Bowl football game held at Jerome Berg Field. South Dakota Tech hung on to win, 48-28, in a game that featured more than 1,000 yards of total offense and individuals who stood out on both sides. MSU quarterback Jake McLain finished the game with 451 passing yards and four touchdown passes, two of them to wide receiver Chris Williams. Williams caught 12 passes for 202 yards in the game. The Comets did a great job of controlling the clock for much of the day, but the Hardrockers were able to throw in some quick strikes through the air and on the ground to put up points quickly. MSU had 571 yards of total offense compared to Tech’s 493.
Mayville State University came up short in a highly contested DAC volleyball match against Dickinson State on Saturday evening. DSU edged out the Comets in five games with scores of 25-18, 24-26, 25-17, 23-25, and 15-8. Alyssa Clancy had a great night, with 22 kills. Brianne Gebeke added 12 kills to lead the Comets’ offensive attack. Kacie Fortmann had eight kills and Ashley Haines added seven. Betsy Winkler finished the match with a total of 50 assists.
Activities for the day ended at the Mayville State Campus Center Luckasen Room where the 13th annual Farmers Bowl Auction was held. The auction is held to generate funds for Mayville State University and its students. Preliminary figures show that approximately $50,000 was taken in through all Farmers Bowl auction activities. After expenses, funds are disbursed through the Comet Athletic Club for athletic scholarships, the MSU Alumni Association, and the MSU Foundation for academic scholarships.
The evening began with bidding on 96 items in the silent auction and an hors d’oeuvres buffet meal that was open to the some 220 individuals who attended. The excitement continued with the live auction. Auctioneer Wayne Trottier, Northwood, N.D., worked the crowd to find the highest bidders on 65 items that had been donated by generous Mayville State alumni and friends. Auction items ranged from homemade potato salad, pickles, rømme grøt, and lefse to week-long stays at time-shares in Florida and Branson, Mo., to hand-made quilts and afghans, to theme dinner parties that will be hosted by individuals in their homes. Members of the Mayville State women’s softball team and men’s basketball team helped in showing the items for sale in the live auction.
“The Farmers Bowl Auction is an extremely important fund-raiser for Mayville State University,” said Gary Hagen. “We truly appreciate the efforts of the hundreds of donors, purchasers, and volunteers who work together to make this possible each year. All of these people should take great pride in knowing that they are playing an integral part in the success of Mayville State University and its students.”
Members of the 2009 Farmers Bowl Auction Committee were Doug Anderson, Cavalier, N.D.; Cheryl Angen, Mayville, N.D.; Connie Kaldor, Hillsboro, N.D.; Lois Karlstad, Mayville, N.D.; Kelli Odden, Mayville, N.D.; Dennis Peterson, Mayville, N.D.; Sheri Peterson, Mayville, N.D.; Lisa Rakowski, Mayville, N.D.; Ann Sorteberg, Mayville, N.D.; Sue Strand, Mayville, N.D.; Tim Strand, Mayville, N.D.; and Beth Swenson, Hatton, N.D. Peggy Schultz, Mayville, N.D., had beautifully decorated the tables in a fall theme.
In addition to silent and live auction bidding, a number of other activities that added to the total raised through the Farmers Bowl. One such activity was a balloon raffle held at the auction event. The Mayville State’s women’s basketball team filled helium balloons, each with a chance to win a prize, and then sold them at the event for $5.00 each.
Mayville native Geri Karlstad Johnson, Hutchinson, Minn., was the winner of an original piece of artwork in a raffle drawing. Doug Anderson, Cavalier, N.D., 1974 Mayville State graduate, created and donated the watercolor with pen and ink technique that was the grand prize in the raffle. The piece, entitled “Pride … Then and Now” was framed with mopboards rescued for the former Mayville High School building. Mayville State alumni and former faculty members Merwin and Myrna Lyng donated the cost of framing. Shirley Rux, Portland, N.D., coordinated the raffle activity.
Pat Woods, Hillsboro, N.D., was the winner of a $1,000 cash prize in another raffle drawing held in honor of Farmers Bowl 2009. Mayville State University alumni and friends from far and wide participated. Alumni and friends from 25 states across the country contributed to the success of this fund-raiser.
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