Today in History revisits the July 5, 2001 edition of the Grand Forks Herald and highlights a story about Fourth of July celebrations in 2001. Continue reading for more details.
Thousands celebrate in University Park; GF woman wins car in Duck Derby
Marianita Laduceur and her children, Robert, 10, Cristabelle, 9, Sharlyn, 8, and Mark, 6, sat for much of Wednesday afternoon listening to local rock bands Fire and Deliverance in University Park.
They planned to watch the fireworks later at Ulland Park south of town.
The Fourth of July is special for her, Laduceur said. She came to America only a few years ago from the Philippines and still is looking forward to becoming a U.S. citizen.
“It’s important to me, Independence Day, because I live and work here,” she said. Earlier, they watched the parade, which was very good, said Cristabelle. “There’s still poop over there from the horses,” she added.
The Laduceurs were among thousands who flocked to University Park Wednesday to celebrate the nation’s 225th birthday.
It was the ninth annual Fourth of July celebration organized by the local Sertoma service club.
$45,000 price tag
The whole shebang, including $13,000 worth of fireworks scheduled to be displayed late Wednesday night, cost nearly $45,000, said Ken Black, chairman of the event.
More than 10,000 people attended, perhaps 13,000, the Sertoma people estimated; 9,100 ducks were “adopted” for the derby, with 11 prizes awarded. “Our goal was to sell 10,000 ducks,” Black said. Still, it was up 1,500 over last year’s Duck Derby, he said.
Disbelief
The grand prize, a red 2001 Chevy Cavalier with a list price of $15,999 on its window from Rydell Chevrolet Oldsmobile Cadillac, was won by Julie Erickson of Grand Forks.
“I’m ecstatic,” said Erickson, who went home before the Duck race/drawing was held. “This is the first time I’ve won anything since bingo in first grade.” She and husband R.J. are expecting their first baby in about 10 days.
“We didn’t believe the guy when he called,” she said. “I told him, ‘If you’re joking with me, you are going to put me into labor.’” She had to borrow the $5 from her girlfriend to “adopt” a duck.
“I paid her back when we got home,” she said, smiling. They already own a Chevy Blazer, so the new one will be the brand she said she now prefers.
The weather was about perfect, warm, breezy and bright. Duane Straight was making lemonade in the shade Saturday.
He brought from Minneapolis his brand-new, old-fashioned looking Coney-Island hotdog wagon, offering “Colossal Corn Dogs.” He parked it under trees in the park and was crushing lemons in back while his employees sold dogs and sausages out front.
Straight, a Minot native, has been working concession across the region for decades.
He’ll move over to the Greater Grand Forks Fair & Exhibition today.
“The Sertoma Club deserves congratulations,” Straight said. “I do a lot of these, and this is a well-run festival.”
Rachel Jeffers, staff photographer
Caption under image:
A Sam Swalley (left) and Terry Carpenter, members of the Society for Creative Anachronism, battle each other Wednesday in University Park. The organization recreates life in the Middle Ages.
DUCK DERBY WINNERS (2001)
- First prize, a 51-inch big-screen TV from Team Electronics, went to Mary Ann Devig, Grand Forks.
- Second prize, a “California adventure” trip for two, from Thompson Insurance and Bon Voyage Travel, went to Lisa Gullap, Grand Forks.
- Third prize, a home entertainment package — TV, DVD player, etc. — from Blockbuster, went to Lori Latur-nus, Grand Forks.
- Fourth prize, a $1,000 gift certificate from Home of Economy, went to Randall Ossowski, East Grand Forks.
- Fifth prize, two round-trip tickets from Northwest Airlines worth $1,000, went to Angie Seibert, Navarre, Fla.
- Sixth prize, a $1,000 savings bond from Toastmasters Associates, went to Jeanette, Derek and Taylor Jansch, Grand Forks. (They were the only winners who claimed their prize on-site.)
- Seventh prize, an $800 gift certificate for a heating and air conditioning package from B&D Heating and Sheet Metal, went to Gary Anderson, Grand Forks.
- Eighth prize, a his-and-her pair of Schwinn mountain bikes from Scheel’s All Sports, went to Paulette Roseno, East Grand Forks.
- Ninth prize, a family portrait package valued at $250 from Bina’s Photography, went to Tom Shockman of Fargo.
- Tenth prize, a ticket package to local theaters and entertainment, including the Chester Fritz Auditorium and the Firehall Theatre; the winner went to Marvelyn Johnson, Grand Forks.
Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.
