Bay Days 2012 is a hit

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Featured volunteers Carol Youngberg and Betty Josephson.
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Horses in the parade.
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Melissa Varpness, 21, of Minneapolis, won the women's race and set a course record.
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The oldest runner was Arnold Overby, 78, pictured on the right.
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Face painting isn't her only specialty.
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Quilting ladies
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The All-American Lumberjack Show in Silver Bay
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The William Kelley High School football team showed off their skills during the parade.
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The winning parade float, where brave parade watchers could get a free hair cut from the North Shore Barber Shop.
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The Finland Fire Department in the parade.
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The William Kelley High School class of 1987 in the parade.
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Tractors in the Bay Days parade
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The True Value float.
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The highlight of any parade: free candy.
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Biking during Bay Days.

Talk about it

Bay Days was again a success with warm weather bringing out young and old to enjoy perennial favorites such as the Bay to Bay run, the street dance and the parade.

Spotlight on volunteers:

Betty Josephson and Carol Youngberg moved into Silver Bay in the same year, 1956. But it was when they were both helping organize Bay Days that they became friends.

“We got to know each other through Bay Days,” Youngberg said. “We help each other out all the time—even if it’s just an ear to listen.”

Youngberg has helped organize celebrations in Silver Bay for 40 years, from Fourth of July festivities in the 1960s to the Golden Jubilee in 2006. She’s been involved in Bay Days since the beginning, served as parade director in the past and is now treasurer of the Bay Days committee.

Josephson is the driving force behind the Bay Days raffle. This year she ensured that all 3,000 tickets were sold. The profits from the raffle help fund future Bay Days events.

“Each year, I try to sell a little more,” Josephson said. She put in over 70 hours selling tickets at Zup’s Foods in Silver Bay this year.

They agreed that the toughest part about organizing Bay Days is the amount of time it requires. “Sometimes you have to miss other stuff, work around family things or time with friends,” Youngberg said.

But seeing the end result—the dozens of crafters, parade floats, and graduates returning to the North Shore for reunions—is always worth it.

“I love celebrations, and I love parades,” Youngberg said. She said she enjoys seeing kids return to the celebration year after year, going from being pushed in strollers and watching the parade from the sidelines to marching in it themselves.

“It brings back lots of kids who have grown up and moved away,” Josephson said.

Tags: bay days, life