4th of July weekend will be big in Warroad

In the summer of 1995, I worked a three month internship at The Warroad Pioneer, which I'm sorry to say has since ceased operation. This was the first professional newspaper that I worked for in my career, and it turned out to be a wonderful experience. I had only worked at Bemidji State University's newspaper for about a year and half before landing the internship. At The Pioneer I gained experience in sports, feature, beat and government reporting. I designed pages, took and developed photographs and was responsible for community relations. The best part is that I remain friends with the owners nearly 30 years later.

June 13, 1995

By Devlyn Brooks

The Chamber of Commerce recently completed their plans for the 4th of July weekend celebration. There will be one major change: They will not be hosting the "Shakin' the Lake" concert like they did last year.

Bob Marvin, chairman of the Chamber, said one of the reasons there will not be a concert this year is that "Our attendance goals did not meet expectations."

Celeste LaValla, chair of the Chamber's Fourth of July committee, said that "because of the Fourth being on a Tuesday, we decided to go against the concert." Monday won't be a holiday for many people. The Chamber had wondered if the concert would work. The Chamber wondered if the people would come since it wasn't a long weekend, she said.

LaValla said that the Chamber of Commerce would probably schedule another concert "when the Fourth gets closer to a long weekend." Marvin also said that there were a few members who still wanted to look into booking a concert again.

"We haven't ruled it out for next year," he said.

However, LaValla said that they had scheduled a "weekend filled with activities to do

"I think we've covered something for all enthusiasts," she said. Marvin added that, "We have every bit as much as last year, except the concert. Maybe even a few more things."

"We certainly hope we draw as many people as last year," Marvin said. "I hope we draw people to Warroad even though we don't have a concert."