Waterama Admiral Sara Stadtherr (right) raised the flag at the ceremony in City Park on the shores of Lake Minnewaska. Flanked by royalty, Brass and community members, the event kicked off the 66th Annual Waterama celebration in Glenwood.

Publisher’s Perspective

By Tim Douglass, Publisher of the Pope County Tribune

It’s Waterama week in Glenwood once again.    The town started getting very busy over the past few weeks, but will grow considerably this week as the 66th Annual Waterama celebration takes place.  

The flag-raising ceremony held Friday in conjunction with the chamber’s Rise-&-Shine event kicked off the annual celebration.  The Waterama Brass and Royalty raised the Glenwood Waterama Flag at the City Park.  It was well attended. This year’s Admiral Sara Stadtherr said it best when she addressed the crowd before raising the flag to kick off the weekend.

“Waterama is about family and about community,” she said.  She talked about how it takes many families coming together as well as the support of the entire community to put on Waterama and thanked the many who served now and in the past.  

“We do it because we love our community,” she added.

Waterama is one of the oldest continuously run summer celebrations in Minnesota and that doesn’t just happen year in and year out without community support.  Thank you to this year’s Admiral Sara Stadtherr, Commodore Terry Jones and Vice Commodore Angie VanZee for their leadership and dedication. Also thanks to all the Waterama board members for all the work they do year round on the celebration and, of course, thank you to the royalty for serving as such great ambassadors all year round.  (The board of directors is listed on Page 15A of this issue.)  

Congratulations to members of Glenwood & Beyond who were selected to be this year’s Grande Day Parade Marshals and to Tammie and Rick Ekstrand, this year’s Pontoon Parade Marshals.  

As Sara explained, Waterama is about families and about community.  Please check out the families of this year’s Brass and Royalty on Page 16A.

And finally, thank you to all those who visit this great community during Waterama and all the local families who participate in Waterama activities.  You all have a role in making Waterama what it has become in its 66-year history.

Enjoy Waterama, Glenwood and Lake Minnewaska!