We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
This view from Chet Fouts man lift looks north along Turner's main street toward the airport. On both sides of the street about 90 vehicles were on display (cars, motorcycles, pickups, semi-tractors, farm tractors and dragsters). The lunch line is in the middle of the photo, just south of the huge shade frame (bought with funds raised by prior Appreciation Days). Under the shade frame diners were enjoying the new tables and chairs purchased with, you guessed it, funds from the Turner summer one day event. The top of one of the bouncy water slides is just visible to the left of the photo, above the Big Flat (co-op) Grocery.
Organizers of the car show registered 72 vehicles and estimated about 20 more were there but did not register. The car show has no judging or competition. It's a time for folks to bring their vehicles and visit about their favorite topic, most likely vehicles. It was not unusual throughout the day to see a group huddled up and peering under the hood of a car or leaning on the sides of a pickup bed discussing, well, vehicles.
Turner Appreciation Day had three bouncy inflatables, two were water slides. Despite a moderating breeze and a bit of an overcast, it was pretty obvious the kids enjoyed the excitement of climbing up the slide and then gliding down to hit the water. I'm guessing some youngsters slept soundly that night. The cost for the bouncy inflatables was donated by several local and regional businesses.
A somewhat overcast day, a slight breeze off the prairie and Turner's giant shade structure frame across main street helped make the 2024 Turner Appreciation Day another successful day. The day drew residents, nearby neighbors and international guests to the mid-summer outdoor event. Activities varied from the early morning fly-in and Lions Club's breakfast through the all-day car show, a grilled lunch at noon, the silent auction, play time on bouncy houses for the kids and lots of visiting by everyone. Organizers described it as another "win" for the town's fourth event of its kind.
Mid-day I sat down with a few of the event's organizers to learn some of the history of the event. (Note: a number of other Appreciation Day organizers were out directing parking for the car show, starting lunch, cooling down drinks, making pancakes and assuring all the guests were having a good time). Sitting around one of the tables in the Big Flat Grocery Store (a co-op created a few years ago by local residents) store manager Linda Hutton, her husband, Miles, and Shannon VanVoast shared a bit of the history of Appreciation Day. Linda said, "After COVID we were looking for something to get the community together again. And we also needed a way to raise some money to take care of some needs of the community." Turner is not an incorporated town so there is no local taxing source for many of the town's needs.
The group said they decided a car show would draw people since there are a lot of car enthusiasts in and around Turner and in surrounding communities in Canada. Linda added, "Car shows have always been popular in Turner. In earlier years local bar owners would organize a show and folks would show up." Other segments of the community supported this new event. The Lions Club would offer a breakfast. Local pilots would promote a fly-n. Sourcing to pay for some bouncy houses to keep the kids occupied would be sought. And organizers knew a softball tournament would attract another group of folks. Shannon VanVoast added, "Appreciation Day was also a way to give locals an event they didn't have to drive fifty or a hundred miles to attend. We do enough long drives already."
I asked the group how the event is financially supported. Turns out local businesses provide gifts for the silent auction which is a major source of the funds raised by the event. The Lions breakfast and organizers noon-time BBQ is supported by freewill donations which help with needs on the list. Many regional businesses also provide support for the bouncy house and inflatable water slides brought in for the day. (The water slides are very popular with the younger set).
The group then shared some of the things the income from Appreciation Day has already provided for the community. The first year the community's co-op grocery was able to buy a new cooler for perishables and the second year's income allowed improvements to the softball field. Always challenged to find and transport tables and chairs for Turner's group events, last year 12 new folding banquet tables and 96 chairs were purchased (the grocery story and the Lions Club bought a cargo container, sitting next to the store, to store the tables and chairs, the town's Christmas decorations. the much-appreciated shade frame and other equipment that helps things around town and the area). This year's proceeds will be used to make some needed repairs on the Legion Hall, a building on the main street that provides meeting space for the community's gatherings and club meetings throughout the year.
The group representing the organizers for Appreciation Day also shared some of the less obvious challenges to putting on the event. There are many Canadian enthusiasts who want to come to the car show. That requires a border crossing on a weekend. Currently the Turner/Climax port is open on the Canadian side on weekends but not the American side. A member of the Appreciation Day guiding group worked to solve that problem and got the port open under a 'special event' provision that allows for a variation in the port's schedule. This was the second year the port modified its schedule to accommodate weekend border crossings from both countries.
I was also impressed, driving north from Harlem, that the road to Turner had recently been chip sealed. I commented to Max Cederberg, also a committee member of the Appreciation Day group, "You all must have some political clout to get 30 miles of highway chipped for a one-day event." He laughed and said, "It was close. I kept reminding the guys doing the work that we had a big event coming up. It all worked out just fine."
This year's Appreciation Day was another successful event...and the town's Legion Hall will be one of the benefactors. It's also refreshing to see how a group of volunteers can pull off a major event with international issues involved. Perhaps our national/international leaders could take a lesson from Turner's Appreciation Day's successes.
