pub-style bistro set - web.jpgAugust 3, 2021

The Farmers Bowl Silent Auction and Comet Athletic Club Sportsmen’s Raffle event are teaming up once again in support of Mayville State University and its students. The event will be the grand finale to Farmers Bowl 2021, which is planned for Saturday, Sept. 18. While the Farmers Bowl is always a highly awaited event, anticipation is even greater in 2021 as Small Town Big Deal hosts Rodney Miller and Jann Carl will be joining in the activities of the day and their show’s crew will be recording highlights to be featured in a future episode. Small Town Big Deal, America’s show, is viewed on more than 268 local stations across America.

The Farmers Bowl Silent Auction and Sportsmen’s Raffle event will take place at Norsemen Hall in Portland, N.D. The fun starts at 5 p.m. Socializing and bidding on the silent auction will begin at that time. Dinner will be served at 5:30 p.m. Drawings on the Sportsmen’s Raffle 50-gun giveaway will begin at 7 p.m. Throughout the evening there will be opportunities to participate in drawings for prizes, cash, and more. Event attendees must be 21 years of age or older.

A great selection of auction items that have wide appeal for shoppers with a variety of interests has been collected for the Sept. 18 silent auction. Among the items that will be sold is a pub-style bistro set with a table handcrafted from wood from the Mayville State Old Gymnasium playing floor, a Mayville State theme picnic table for kids, a baby quilt, original artwork, and much more. A handful of auction items will be sold as part of a live auction activity.

First State Bank has stepped up to sponsor the Farmers Bowl Silent Auction. Organizers are grateful to them and all Farmers Bowl event sponsors for their generous support for Mayville State University.

Those who wish to attend the auction event, but not participate in the Sportsmen’s Raffle 50-gun giveaway may purchase a meal-only ticket for $25. Tickets are available at the MSU Bookstore and the MSU Foundation office. Everyone who purchases a meal ticket will be eligible for a drawing for a $250 Scheels gift card.

Admission to the auction and raffle event is included for those who purchase a ticket for the 50-gun giveaway raffle, which gives them a one-in-ten chance of winning. See more at www.mayvillestate.edu/sportsmensraffle.

“This will be a fantastic finale for the much-anticipated annual Farmers Bowl celebration,” said Beth Swenson, Director of the Alumni Affairs at Mayville State. “Everyone is invited to come out and enjoy a great meal, socializing, and spirited bidding, all for a great cause.”

Proceeds of the Farmers Bowl silent auction will benefit the students of Mayville State University through the work of the Comet Athletic Club, the MSU Alumni Association, and the MSU Foundation. Proceeds of the Sportsmen’s Raffle will provide scholarship assistance to Mayville State’s student athletes.

Farmers Bowl 2021 festivities will kick off at 7:30 a.m. Sept. 18 with the Farmers Bowl 5K Fun Run. Participants are encouraged to dress up like farmers and bring the whole family. The first 100 participants to register will receive a free T-shirt. The Mayville State Staff Senate is organizing the run.

A special edition of the Ceremony of Remembrance at Mayville State’s Military Honor Garden will begin at 9 a.m. The public is invited to honor Mayville State alumni and friends who have served their country that we may live in freedom and that again there may be “peace on earth, good will toward men.” The names of all who have been honored with plaques in the Military Honor Garden will be read. The beauty of the garden will be enhanced by the Mayville American Legion Post’s Avenue of Flags.

The Farmers Bowl Parade will make its way through town beginning at 10 a.m. The parade will form up west of the intersection of the Goose River Bank and MayPort Hardware Hank and head east down Main Street, making a turn to the north on Fourth Avenue. After moving through the Mayville State campus, the parade will end near MSU’s Jerome Berg Field. Parade organizers have set a goal to make this the best Farmers Bowl parade ever! Those who have something that would be of interest to parade-watchers are encouraged to enter the parade. To register, call 701-788-4864 or email stacy.buchl@mayvillestate.edu. Nilson Brand Law is sponsoring the parade.

The legendary Farmers Bowl Corn on the Cob and Hot Dog Feed will begin immediately following the parade on the lawn outside of Jerome Berg Field. Mayville State athletes and coaches are taking charge of the feed which is open to the public. Freewill donations will be accepted. The event is being sponsored by Brudvik Law Office.

There will be plenty of family fun to be had at the Farmers Bowl Family Festival and Farmers Market. Activities will include inflatable games, face painting, a dunk tank, obstacle course, and more. MayPort Farmers Market vendors will be set up with their homegrown and fresh-made products for sale. The fun begins at 11 a.m. and will continue until 1:30 p.m. There is no charge to participate in the festival, thanks to a sponsorship from Valley Land Investments.

The Mayville State Bookstore will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Comets will host Dickinson State University in the Farmers Bowl football game. Kickoff is at 1:30 p.m. at Jerome Berg Field. The Comets will be wearing their commemorative Farmers Bowl helmets, which feature a wheat motif.

Celebrate the end of an extra-special down home day. Put your dancing shoes on and enjoy old time music at a Mayville-Portland favorite, the Lindaas Barn Dance. The Cathy Erickson Band and local musicians will be providing the tunes. There is no admission charge, but freewill donations will be taken to help defray expenses.

See all the details about Farmers Bowl 2021 at www.mayvillestate.edu/farmersbowl. Details about the Comet Athletic Club Sportsmen’s Raffle can be found at www.mayvillestate.edu/sportsmensraffle. For more information, contact the MSU Foundation at 701-788-4864 or alumni.mail@mayvillestate.edu.

Photo caption: Mayville State graduate Dianna Krogstad has donated this pub-style bistro set for the Farmers Bowl Silent Auction. The table was handcrafted from pieces of the playing floor of Mayville State’s historic Old Gymnasium which was razed several years ago.