MSU President's column for Traill County Tribune

September 7, 2013

It’s time for Farmers Bowl!

 

Fall is here and that means it’s Farmers Bowl time! Farmers Bowl is an all-day celebration coordinated by the Mayville State University Foundation that honors our proud agricultural heritage. We are thrilled that Agassiz Drain Tile of Buxton, N.D. will be sponsoring Farmers Bowl again this year. Their financial support means even greater benefits to Mayville State University and its students via the funds raised. The generosity of Agassiz Drain Tile played a big part in the record amount of $63,000 generated through Farmers Bowl activities in 2012.

The university and community will celebrate Farmers Bowl on Saturday, September 21. For the 19th consecutive year, the Farmers Bowl will feature a great parade, a delicious corn on the cob and hot dog feed, a Comets football game, and spirited bidding at the auction.

For the third year, the excitement of Farmers Bowl will begin with the “Back Behind the Barn” 5K Run/Walk. The run/walk will leave from the front of Mayville State’s Old Main at 8:00 a.m. Proceeds of this event will go toward the purchase of new equipment at the MSU Wellness Center. For more information, contact the Wellness Center staff at 701-788-5200 or WellnessCenter@mayvillestate.edu.

If you’re hungry for a delicious breakfast, stop by the Mayville Fire Hall between 6:00 and 10:00 a.m. to enjoy the fire department’s annual breakfast. French toast, scrambled eggs, sausage, coffee, and juice will be served. Freewill donations will go to support the fire department.

At 10:00 a.m., Farmers Bowl parade chair Lori Nelson will give the official “okay” to begin. Farm equipment, bands, antique vehicles, and a variety of floats are featured each year. The parade starts one block north of the Goose River Bank & Polar Communications. Bring your favorite vehicle and enter the “forming up” area just north of the bank. You may begin lining up for the parade any time after 8:00 a.m. The parade will end at the MSU campus. To register your entry, call 701-788-4750.

When the parade is completed, head over to the free corn on the cob and hot dog feed which will be held near Jerome Berg Field on the MSU campus. The food will be delicious and the fellowship lively. The Comet Athletic Club is again hosting this annual event.  

Come out and support the football team in the Titan Machinery Farmers Bowl game! The Comets will face Cole College in the first home game of the season, beginning at 1:00 p.m. at Jerome Berg Field. Let’s cheer the Comets on to victory!

The auction, the grand finale for the day, begins at 5:00 p.m. Your $25 ticket entitles you to a social featuring an hors d’oeuvres buffet at the MSU Campus Center Luckasen Room. Bidding on the silent auction items will also begin at that time, and the excitement of the live auction will be unleashed at seven o’clock. Long-time Farmers Bowl volunteer auctioneers Butch Lovas of Blanchard and Wayne Trottier of Northwood will keep things moving.

Auction purchases are a very important part of the celebration because they create new opportunities for many deserving students through scholarships and other awards. We are grateful for every dollar raised, so I encourage all who attend to bid high and often!

On behalf of Mayville State University and our students, I say “thank you” to Ross Johnson, Derek Peterson, and Neal Johnson of Agassiz Drain Tile for their sponsorship of Farmers Bowl 2013. Through their generosity, they are making a difference not only for our university and its students, but also for our community. If you have an opportunity to thank them, please do.

Go to www.mayvillestate.edu to learn more about the Farmers Bowl, sponsored by Agassiz Drain Tile. While you are perusing the site, you will notice your opportunity to help support the fund-raising aspect of Farmers Bowl. Purchase raffle tickets for the chance to win original artwork by Doug Anderson. Send in your donation and participate in the Farmers Bowl Cash Drawing for a chance to win $1,000 cash. Check it out today and join us for the Farmers Bowl on September 21!