The Roundabout

_{Newsletter Editor: Manali Shah}

45th Woodbury Days Celebration!

Woodbury Days, the city’s annual fun event, is this week, opening Friday, Aug. 23 at 4 p.m. and running through 4 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 25, at Ojibway Park.

There is no entry fee to access the grounds or to watch the fireworks on Saturday evening, sponsored this year by the City of Woodbury. There is a charge for carnival rides, and some events require a Woodbury Days button.

The Grande Parade is Sunday at 11 a.m., but this year’s route is different due to construction. It will start at Red Rock Elementary School and travel along Commonwealth Ave. and Sherwood Rd. to Woodlane Dr., ending at Woodbury High School.

The Farmer’s Market in Woodbury will not take place on Aug. 25 because the parade will gather at the elementary school parking lot, which also serves as the site for the market.

New for Woodbury Days 2024

•  Firefighter Challenge on Saturday from 1:30 p.m. - 3 p.m. A special one-of-a-kind event from the 1990s is returning to Woodbury Days thanks to Public Safety member Ben Quayle and the Firefighter Alumni Association. Hosted by Woodbury EMS Fire, the event will feature metro area fire department teams competing in a tug-of-war type of play using their fire hoses to move a barrel. Kid-sized challenges, cool EMS Fire swag, and the chance to meet and greet local Woodbury Firefighters will also be part of the fun. Water used for the event will be provided from an outside source without using any city water from Woodbury.

• Bike to Ojibway Park: The Woodbury Days Council is partnering with Woodbury Thrives to provide a new bike corral at the south entrance to Ojibway Park. This is intended to provide a safe, structured location for bikes.  Woodbury Thrives will have volunteers there to check bikes in and out on Saturday from 9 a.m. - 7 p.m., and Sunday from noon - 4 p.m. Existing bike racks at the other entrances to the park can also be used.

• Community Connections Booth: The Community Connections Booth will allow small groups or nonprofits, community groups, and government organizations an opportunity to be part of the Woodbury Days Business Fair without the need to purchase a Business Fair space or to be present for the whole weekend. Woodbury News Net will also be represented at the booth!

  Woodbury Days President Paul Huffman, said the booth’s goal is to unite the community. “The overarching objective of all of these efforts is to find ways that Woodbury Days can reflect and include more parts of the Woodbury community, while having a high-quality, fun and safe event for the whole community.”

Tips and Reminders!

The Open Door Community Theater will be featured on stage Saturday afternoon from 2:30 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. as part of the Woodbury Days Talent Showcase singing music from past ODCT shows, as well as some of their favorite pieces from the musical theater canon.

Live Music will be featured at the band shell throughout the weekend. Check out the schedule here.

The third annual Woodbury Days 3-on-3 youth basketball tournament is being expanded to three brackets, including a girls bracket for players in 7th - 12th grade. The tournament is being run by the YMCA in partnership with Woodbury Days.

The medallion hunt is on for another year! At stake is a $1,000 cash prize if the finder has a Woodbury Days button or a $500 prize without one. Clues for the hunt can be found on Woodbury Days’ YouTube channel or Facebook page.

Bingo Caller Loves Players’ Enthusiasm!

Audrey Sanislo started as a Woodbury Days Bingo caller 20 years ago. Her one goal: Make sure all the players have fun, even if they don’t win! She’ll be back this year. Here are a couple of her special memories:

“I always ask folks to give a loud shoutout when they win but few people do. Last year, I heard a super-loud, animated ‘Bingo!’ I looked up and it was a tiny girl yelling and dancing. Loved her spirit!

“One of my favorite ways to play is to have everyone start standing up and then ask them to sit as they cover a space on their card. The last person standing gets a special prize. One year, a man embraced his status and yelled, ‘I’m the biggest loser!’”

WNN Reader On What Makes Woodbury Days Special

Woodbury Days is a huge community celebration that draws people from other towns, but, for me, it has always been "my" party. I used to live right by Woodbury High School and seeing the big white tents going up, and the carnival rides being put together, always filled my heart with joy. I walked to Ojibway Park every day of the event to enjoy the business fair, music entertainment, delicious food, kids activities, petting zoo, and, of course, the best fireworks choreographed to music!

Woodbury Days is an event that reminds me how proud I am of being part of this community. I love seeing people I've met before, neighbors, and businesses. Woodbury Days is where we found the best school, Woodbury Leadership Academy, for my daughter. This is where I found a family chiropractor, dentist, orthodontist, and pet supply and food stores. This is where my daughter was inspired to perform with Aspire Music Academy and join the Woodbury Royal Ambassador candidacy program. We can't wait until this year's event and all the great people to see and activities to participate in!

Contributed by Elena Lindemann

Woodbury Days events include:

Woodbury Days Council members and families are working hard to put on a great event for you this weekend!

Photos: Roger Green and Manali Shah

Update on Woodbury News Net

See You at Woodbury Days!

Make sure you stop by and say hello to us if you’re attending Woodbury Days this weekend. Our fiscal sponsor, Woodbury Community Foundation, has invited us to be part of its booth, where we can spread the word about WNN and our mission of creating a fact-based news source!

Leadership Team

Our leadership team is composed of Paul Huffman, Susan Kent, Pat Mack, Rich Radke, Kathy Saltzman, and Manali Shah.

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