Temperatures rose this past weekend, as if to make up for the cooler May and June. Along with the temperatures rose the bounce houses and booths for Bay Days. Held July 12-14, Bay Days brought Silver Bay community members and visitors together to enjoy some family fun for the weekend.
Starting Bay Days was the grill-out at Carefree Living. Attendees could enjoy food, games, and facility tours.
Beginning at noon on Friday the 12th, craft and food vendors set up outside City Hall. As people arrived, they were greeted by a cacophony of smells radiating from the various food vendors – Asian cuisine, tacos, barbeque, sweet treats, and many different beverages. The sun shone brightly overhead, making everything gleam. The din of numerous conversations and excited children, and the normal patterns set by a mob of people milling about added to the hum of hive-like activity.
In the field adjoining the vendor area, things quieted down momentarily as visitors approached the axe throwing cage, where the steady thunk of axes hitting the wall behind the target dominated the auditory senses. Axe throwing was one of two events requiring the purchase of tickets, the second being the trampoline jump. Beyond the axe throwing, a crowd watched the highly enthusiastic members of the BMX bike show.
Moving down the field towards the lake was the land of the bounce houses and the trampoline jump, where children shrieked in happiness as they ran through the loudly colored giant plastic inflatables.
At 2 p.m., the Mariner Golf Scramble was held at the golf course, and beginning at 3:30 p.m., North Shore Area Partners held a bake sale and a sneak peek at their upcoming silent auction.
Finally, the anticipated parade came at 6 p.m.. This year’s theme was “Decades”, a theme shown by the floats belonging to alumni classes of William Kelley, and also memorably showcased by a truck representing the 1980s decorated to look like a Pac-Man game. Other parade members included local law enforcement and fire department, the Eveleth Clown Band, local business, and a political float sponsored by the DFL, as well as one by the Republicans. Much candy was thrown to children, who balanced on the edge of the curb and occasionally dashed into the street, racing to gather sweet treats before the next float passed by .
Friday night concluded with a concert by Timmy Haus and a fireworks show.
Saturday began at 7 a.m. with the Silver Bay Fire Department’s Pancake Breakfast. Attendees packed out Potter Hall and the adjacent parking lot.
At 9 a.m., the 17th Annual Bay to Bay Road and Trail Run/ Walk began at Rukavina Arena. The champion for the men’s running division was Josh Cerra, and for walking it was Greg Rogers.
For women, the running champion was April Wahlstrom and the walking champion was Janelle Janezich. At the same time, the Zupancich Memorial Family Golf Scramble was held.
9 a.m. also saw the opening of the Friends of the Silver Bay Public Library Book Sale and the North Shore Area Partners Fundraiser (Silent Bidding and Ticket Auction). At the book sale, readers sorted through fiction, nonfiction, children’s books, puzzles, and movies, looking for treasures, and when the bag sale began at 2 p.m., many took advantage of the amazing deal by filling bags to add to their book collections .
Gavin LeBlanc and Friends took the stage at 11 a.m., and the vendor area opened at noon. At 2 p.m., the bean bag tournament sponsored by the fire department was held.
Saturday evening concluded with two street dances. The first dance featured Show Me Your Hits. Pop Rocks was there for the late night crowd to close out the night. Both bands gave nod to the parade the night before by featuring songs from both yesteryear and a variety of genres.
Sunday began with a pancake breakfast at Potter Hall, sponsored by the SBFD. Once fueled for another day of family fun, attendees had until noon to check out their favorite vendors and kids games.
The gleam of chrome off the quickly rising sun drew car and motorcycle enthusiasts to the Shopping Center parking lot for the Classic Car and Motorcycle Show.
Ecumenical Service was held at Reunion Hall at 10:30 a.m..
For many, the 2024 Bay Days drew to a close with the raffle drawings. Winning first place was Deb Johnson, and the AmericInn Swim Pass Giveaway winner was Raylee Murphy. Diehard attendees closed out the day with one last look at the classic cars and children got in one more bounce out of the bounce houses.
Thank you to all who made this year’s Bay Days a success: planners, sponsors, city workers, vendors, law enforcement, participants, and attendees. Without you, Bay Days would be impossible. See you in 2025!
