Below is a letter to the editor from 2025 Ox Cart Days Committee chair James Pogatshnik to the community.
Dear Crookston,
As Chair of the 2025 Ox Cart Days Committee, I would like to sincerely thank everyone who attended our events last month. We were delighted to see so many community members in the downtown square, at the CSC, during the parade, dodgeball, and at various other events. The buttons were visible throughout town and were a welcome sight wherever we went. We are grateful for your support.
A special thank you to our volunteers, vendors, patrons, and our sixty-nine sponsors whose contributions made the 2025 festival possible. Your support is deeply appreciated.
We also wish to acknowledge the hardworking city employees who worked diligently behind the scenes to ensure the success of the event. Our gratitude extends to Scott Butt, Ashley Rystad, Keenan Devier, Jeff Shoobridge, the City Council, Mayor Dale Stainbrook, as well as the Parks and Recreation and Public Works teams. Additionally, we sincerely appreciate the ongoing support of our local police, fire, and sheriff’s departments.
Our executive board this year consisted of Dan Erdman, Jess Bengtson, and Mark Ecklund. A special thank you to Jana Hodgson, Rae St. Oro and family, Melanie Lessard, Bo Brorby, Brian Frisk, Tiffany Biermaier, Steve Krueger, Jasmine Melsa, Libby Boucher, Stacey Bruggeman, and Fred Parnow of Get Kids Outdoors.
Events like this take months of planning, fundraising, and fortunate weather conditions. Overall, everything came together well, with only a damp Saturday morning affecting vendors, 5k participants, and the home run derby. We are very pleased with the outcome and grateful for the positive feedback we have received.
We have also received wonderful reviews regarding Pop Rocks, our band for Saturday evening. We invested a little more in the band this year, and we are pleased to hear that it was well worth it. Our ability to do this was made possible by the success of the 2024 festival, which allowed us to allocate additional funds toward this year’s entertainment. We hope to continue bringing larger bands and more diverse entertainment in the future, which will require additional sponsorship support. Please keep this in mind when sponsorship letters are sent out in March. Our goal is to deliver a festival that reflects the community’s expectations and spirit.
Next year will be my final year serving as the face of the festival. I am proud of what we have accomplished over the past three years and plan to remain involved to help ensure the continued success of Ox Cart Days. We will be implementing some changes for 2026, and I look forward to sharing more details in the coming weeks. We’ve already begun looking at acts and entertainment for 2026 as well as new locations for some old favorites.
We look forward to seeing you next year August 10th through 16th. Don’t forget your buttons!
James Pogatshnik
2025 Ox Cart Days Committee Chair