Loonfoot Falls Ready for River Revel

Loonfoot Falls' annual summer festival has been called a lot of things over the years, but the idea's always been the same: having fun, lionizing Loonfoot Falls, and getting together with others who love their town.

"A lot of families get together at River Revel," said event organizer and Chamber of Commerce head Sonia Johnson. "Folks come home for the celebration. for them, it's a family reunion and city-wide block party rolled into one."

Loonfoot Falls' River Revel started yesterday with the Miss Loonfoot Pageant, in which Jill Nygaard became this year's Loon Princess.

The big event tonight will be a karaoke contest at the fairgrounds.

The River Revel's Saturday night activities have followed pop culture through the years. "We used to have pie-eating contests," Johnson said. One year there was even a contest to see who could say 'River Revel' the most times without tripping. These days, it's karaoke."

One of the high points this weekend will be tomorrow's River Revel Parade down Main Street. This year's theme for the 100-unit parade is "Weekend on the Lake."

"We've usually tied the parade's theme in with the Loonfoot River," Johnson recalled. "This year, with the town growing out toward Loonfoot Lake, we decided to break new ground. It looks like we'll be seeing folks in beach gear and floats rigged out with beach lounges."

Tomorrow the River Revel wraps up with music by Høy Musikk and The Starlings, then a fireworks show will light up the fairgrounds at dusk.