By Nancy Dashwood
Staff Writer

HOWARD LAKE – Howard Lake’s favorite Good Neighbor Days (GND) activities will be back for this year’s celebration, which takes place Thursday, June 21 through Sunday, June 24.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Good Neighbor Days, and a couple of “new” events are actually good old classics.

One such vintage event is a cake walk, which will take place Sunday, June 24 at 11:30 a.m. by the big tent.

It’ll be a cake walk

The expression might be familiar, but what a cake walk is may not be as well known. Good Neighbor Days participants will have a chance to learn for themselves.

One of GND’s volunteers, Cindy Mitchell Zitzloff said GND tried a cake walk years ago, and remembers participants had a good time. GND volunteers decided to add it back to the schedule of events.

For the uninitiated, a cake walk is similar to a game of musical chairs – but with the potential of winning a cake.

As contestants enter the cake walk area, cake prizes will be displayed for them to see.

When it is a participant’s turn, they join others on a circular numbered path on the ground. As the music plays, contestants walk around the numbered circle.

When the music stops, a number is picked from a container, and the person standing closest to that number on the circle wins a cake.

Adults, and children accompanied by an adult, are welcome to try the cake walk. Each turn costs the contestant $1 to play.

Zitzloff said the music will be operated by a GND volunteer, and will include a variety of different tunes. “This will be a fun event,” Zitzloff said. “Come check it out.”

Bakers needed

GND committee members are looking for donated cakes from the community. Those wishing to contribute a tasty donation may contact Zitzloff at (320) 543-2209 prior to baking.

Zitzloff said alternative prizes (in lieu of cakes) will be available for anyone who might have a food allergy.

Walking cake, and pulling wine?

It’s true. Also new this year is an event called a wine pull. The wine pull will take place under the large tent Sunday, June 24 from 3 p.m. until all the wine is purchased.

A silent auction takes place at the same location and time.

GND volunteer Jamie Wiech helped explain what to expect at the wine pull.

“There are multiple bottles of wrapped wine on display,” he said.

“A customer pays to participate, and picks a wrapped bottle of wine, They can either get a less expensive bottle or a more expensive bottle. The fun is, you don’t know what you are going to get.”

The bottles included in the wine pull will be donated, so it will be a surprise for the event organizers, too.

At this time, Wiech says a price for a pull hasn’t been totally pinned down, but will be in the $10 area.

“People should come to the silent auction,” Wiech said. “The wine pull is a good opportunity to get some great wine from area vineyards.”

For the young ones: a bubbles and chalk station

Zitzloff and her fellow volunteers will be setting up an artistic and exploratory area for little ones.

Saturday, June 23 from 3 to 6 p.m., children toddler-age and up may meet at the MAWSECO (old middle school) parking lot, and enjoy blowing bubbles in different ways, and making chalk masterpieces on paper or directly on the parking lot. Adults are asked to accompany children in this area.

A full schedule of Good Neighbors Days events may be viewed at http://howardlakegoodneighbordays.webs.com.