The Independence Day weekend brings with it a lot of leisure opportunities, including a number of sports-related activities.
Deciding what to do and where to go would include an option to travel nearly 300 miles one way in a southerly direction to the Twin Cities to attend this weekend’s interleague series at Target Field between the Minnesota Twins and Milwaukee Brewers, the two Major League Baseball teams that also had a series scheduled the previous weekend at Miller Park.
While the two teams don’t play each other as much as they used to before the Brewers jumped from the American to National League, that isn’t enough for me to go on a long journey southward this weekend when I’m favoring staying in the Falls.
Broadcast technology will once again have to do for me to follow the two teams in action, as was the case the previous weekend. I plan to be around to shoot photos Saturday when the Bronco 5K Run/Walk gets going at 9 a.m., followed by the Kids Fun Run on the track at around 10 a.m.
Shortly afterwards on Saturday, something that may or may not meet a person’s definition of a sport, an international tug-of-war competition, is slated to take place across the Rainy River at 11 a.m.
Though several participants in the celebrity pull have played in a recognized sport in the past, such as NFL players of the Minnesota Vikings, the event has shamelessly been promoted along the lines of professional wrestling.
For instance, a lack of female celebrity pullers on Team Canada has been hyped in a press release from the International Falls Area Chamber of Commerce as if to be an international incident, namely “‘War’ breaks out on U.S./Canada border.”
The press release further asserted, “Fort Frances and International Falls are ‘sister cities’ and yet Celebrity Team Canada has only one female listed on its roster. Where are the sisters?”
Despite all the hoopla surrounding the tug of war, the celebrity pull, and the one afterwards involving community members for the coveted traveling trophy, should be worth showing up for to see along the river.
With all the things that will be going on in the International Falls area this coming weekend, about the only thing that might overshadow that is the departure of one of The Journal’s staff writers, Katie Kolt Hall, who is leaving to join her husband in Pennsylvania.
Upon my arrival at The Journal in late March, I greatly appreciated Katie’s assistance with operating the page layout controls before I started “flying solo.” Her ability to shoot sports photos has also been a big help to me. I don’t believe it would be much of an overstatement to say replacing Katie at The Journal will be like trying to replace Vince Lombardi as head coach of the Green Bay Packers.
In addition to wishing Katie a fond farewell, I hope everyone has an enjoyable Independence Day weekend in the Falls.
Boneske may be reach via e-mail at kevin@ifallsjournal.com
