Festivals coming fast and furiously

It's peak community festival season right now, with three Carlton County communities throwing hometown celebrations over the next nine days. On Saturday, Brickyard Days will bring the small town of Wrenshall together for a parade and fun in the park and at Bricks Pub and Grub. Esko Fun Days runs Tuesday through Saturday next week, and Ma and Pa Kettle Days returns next weekend in Kettle River.

While all three events include food and community gatherings, Kettle River is the only community to also offer the always-popular mud bog, revived this year after a three-year hiatus.

Ma & Pa Kettle Days

For those who aren't familiar with mudding sports, there's more than one type of mud bog, although they all involve vehicles driving into a giant mud pit.

"This particular mud bog is more of a 'bounty hole' style. You're not really supposed to make it through," explained mud bog committee member Eric Senarighi.

A mud bog is very different from a mud run, he said.

"When you do a mud run, it's maybe only a foot to 18-inches of mud, and it's how fast you can do it. Everybody's timed," he said. "In a mud bog or bounty hole, you just shoot in as far as you can and you're marked on distance."

Senarighi said the mud will probably get as deep as 8 feet toward the end.

"Some of these trucks have 6-foot tracking tires on them," he said. "So it's not that deep for them."

They won't know how many trucks, rock crawlers, mudders and other mud-loving vehicles will enter until the day of the mud bog.

Senarighi raced in the mud bog from 2005 to 2018 and said it's really fun for the people who do it, and a spectacle for observers. He'll be back this year.

"It's an adrenaline rush," he said. You go up to the line and you're looking at all your gauges, watching your flagger and, of course, there's 350 people cheering you on."

The mud bog event begins at 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10 in downtown Kettle River, with signup from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and a drivers' meeting at 11:30 a.m.

Of course, there's much more than a mud bog at Ma & Pa Kettle Days. The fun kicks off Friday night with a steak fry at the firehall starting at 4 p.m.

Saturday starts early with a pancake breakfast starting at 8 a.m. at the Senior Center, and the midway - with various businesses, vendors, food and organizations lined up along the main drag - from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. An ice cream and homemade pie social runs 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Senior Center and a bean bag tournament starts at noon.

The 1 p.m. mud bog will be followed by bingo at the Senior Center. There's music at Park Lake Grill & Saloon starting at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights.

Brickyard Days comes first

Wrenshall will celebrate Brickyard Days on Saturday, Aug. 3, with a range of family-friendly activities and a nod to the Olympics.

The day kicks off with a pancake breakfast at the town hall 7-10 a.m. The parade starts at 11 a.m. Activities in the park after the parade include kids' games, face painting, crazy hair, bingo and vendors. Sign up at noon in the park for 3-point shooting at 1 p.m. and "crazy Olympic partner" games at 2 p.m.

Five days of fun in Esko

The annual celebration of Esko - aka Thomson Township - kicks off next week.

Enjoy five days of fun, starting with the National Night Out gathering 5:30-7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 6 at the athletic complex, where the fire department headlines an event that includes free hot dogs, a bubble show and face painting.

On Wednesday, the medallion hunt begins at 10 a.m. Clues will be released at eskocommunitypartnership.com and ECP's Facebook Page. The Davis

Helberg Community Impact Award will be presented at the town hall at 2:30 p.m., where refreshments will be served. Davis Helberg spent much of his time improving his community through his work on various boards and committees. He also edited and contributed to the definitive history book on his beloved hometown, "Esko's Corner: An Illustrated History of Thomson Township." The award remembers Helberg and is given to an Esko community member who shows "​stoic determination, tenacity of purpose, grit, bravery, resilience, and hardiness and has shown exceptional dedication to the community of Esko."

Thursday is a good day to chill out. Enjoy bingo and ice cream treats 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Esko High School.

On Friday, a 3-on-3 basketball tournament will mark the grand opening of the new Esko Sport Court behind the school starting at 11 a.m.

Saturday is the pinnacle of Esko Fun Days, starting with the Kristin Burkholder 5K at 7 a.m. at the athletic complex, and the grand parade beginning at 11 a.m. Spectators line up all the way down past Northridge park. There will be games and a barbecue at Northridge Park 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. following the parade, with a spike ball tournament starting at 2 p.m. Esko Sports Alliance will hold its Hall of Fame induction at 3 p.m. at Buffalo House, with a reception at 5 p.m. Events wrap up Saturday night with a 21-plus street dance 8 p.m. to midnight, featuring the Esko-based band Schlock, food trucks and bar. Admission is $10, cash only, and the proceeds benefit Esko baseball.

Find out more at https://www.eskocommunitypartnership.com/esko-fun-days.

Christian music festival returns to Cloquet

The Wood City Worship Festival returns to Veterans Park on Saturday, Aug. 10. Presented by Kingdom Builders Ministries, the day starts at 11 a.m. and includes worship, various Christian music acts, a kids' fun zone, food trucks and more. There will be an all-city Sunday service on August 11, the day after the festival, starting at 11 a.m. Bring your own lawn chair.

Still to come

Carlton County Fair, Aug. 15-18

There's too much to list here, but think 4-H exhibits, farm animals, flower and photography displays, horse racing, car races and so much delicious food. Find out more at carltoncountyfairmn.com or just head to the fairgrounds in Barnum because there's plenty going on.

Lakehead Harvest Show, Aug. 23-25

Bring the whole family to the Lakehead Harvest Show at 70 E. St. Louis River Road and get ready for a trip into the past on this old-school working farm. There's lots to see and do. Volunteers demonstrate all kinds of farm activities using old-school equipment to thresh, plow, crush rocks, plane wood and even make shingles. There's also food, blacksmithing, tractor pulls and a petting barn.

Cloquet Labor Day, Sept. 2

The Cloquet Labor Day parade starts at 11 a.m. and makes its way down Cloquet Avenue, mixing a local flavor with lots of statewide politicians each election year. Find your favorite car at the car show held 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the NorthEastern Hotel & Saloon.

Cromwell Harvest Festival, Sept. 6-8

Enjoy three days of food, fun and music, centered around the pavilion, starting with a steak fry on Friday. Saturday is the big day, with a kiddie parade, vendors, cornhole, a beer garden, live music and much more.

Cloquet's West End Flourish, Sept. 14

Celebrate Cloquet's historic West End with family-friendly fun, a car show, sales, exhibits and food available from noon to 5 p.m., perhaps longer.

Look for more detailed and updated information in the Pine Knot News the week before each celebration.