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Friendship Wagon Train for Camp Winnebago will depart June 20
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The teamsters and riders of the Friendship Wagon Train are gearing up for their annual week-long trek to raise funds for children and adults with developmental disabilities who attend Camp Winnebago. Camp Winnebago, located near Caledonia, runs several one-week camps for these special people to share in outdoor activities that most of us take for granted.
Many of the volunteers of the 2009 Friendship Wagon Train will be traveling across the countryside in wagons pulled by horses or mules, while others will be riding in a saddle. The public is invited to come out to see and visit with them during the week of June 20 – June 27, 2009. This year the group will be assembling at Camp Winnebago on Friday, June 19. The wagon train will leave on its journey at 8 a.m. Saturday, June 20. The wagon train will follow the route below:
• Saturday, June 20—Camp Winnebago to Eitzen (lunch) to Spring Grove (camping along Hwy 44 in the field in front of Kraus Oil Company).
•Sunday, June 21—Spring Grove to the Paul Vickerman farm (just outside Mabel) for overnight camp.
•Monday, June 22—Vickerman farm to Lenora (lunch) to rural Canton (camping in field along Fillmore Count Road 30 southwest of Canton).
•Tuesday, June 23— Rural Canton to Granger (lunch) to the Mike and Juliann Mueller farm.
•Wednesday, June 24—Mueller farm to Etna (lunch) to Ostrander (camping in field behind old school).
•Thursday, June 25—Ostrander to the Jim Bustad farm (lunch) to Adams (camping in field along Hwy 56 across from swimming pool).
•Friday, June 26—Adams to Rose Creek (lunch) to Austin (camping at Mower County Fairgrounds).
•Saturday, June 27—Final ceremony at the Mower County Fairgrounds to present all donations to Rande Gustafson, director of Camp Winnebago.
Meals along the route will be prepared by several organizations in the communities the Wagon Train is passing through—Lions Clubs, American Legions, churches, 4H clubs, local individuals and businesses.
On Wednesday, June 24, at the overnight camp in Ostrander, the Friendship Wagon Train will be holding an auction, with all proceeds being donated to Camp Winnebago. The public is invited.
100% of the funds raised by the Friendship Wagon Train will be donated to Camp Winnebago on June 27. Last year the group raised over $30,000 during the week’s journey. They hope to have a successful fundraiser again this year. Individual, business, and group donations are accepted all along the route.
Area residents are asked to take time to come out to meet the Wagon Train participants when they pass through your area. Souvenir T-shirts, hats, bandanas, pins, and more will be available from the Wagon Train’s Peddler Wagon. For more information, contact John Davis, Wagon Master, at 507-365-8064 before June 17.
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