Woodworth marks 100 years

Talk about it

Thursday in Woodworth was a day of preparation that involved pretty much everyone in town. After all, the town’s centennial kicks off on Friday evening.

“We’re already frying chicken,” said Candyce Wick, member of the centennial steering committee. “The church usually has a fall chicken supper but we are holding this one special for the centennial.”

The chicken supper starts at 5 p.m. Friday and is sponsored by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Woodworth.

Many were hard at work with lawn mowers and other yard tools this week.

“We had some people come back for the centennial from Colorado,” Wick said. “They asked to borrow some tools so we put them to work trimming trees. There may be some spots in lots we can’t mow because of standing water but everything else will be trimmed up and looking good.”

Some of the events are traditional to every small-town celebration. The community will hold a parade at 10 a.m. Saturday, a street dance Saturday evening with the band Midlife Crisis playing followed by a community worship service Sunday morning.

And there is a little time for talking and visiting.

“That’s a big part of these celebrations,” said Delmer Leopoldt, centennial steering committee chairman. “People who grew up around each other but may not have seen each other for many years.”

But some of the events are purely Woodworth.

“If you drive in on Highway 36 from Pingree the road loops around Woodworth,” Wick said. “That has always been called the ‘horn.’”

Saturday morning at about 6:30 you can walk or run the horn.

“You can walk, run, bike, roller skate or skateboard,” Wick said. “It’s 3.4 miles long and you can get around however you want the morning of the celebration.”

Woodworth is also known for its truck and tractor pull, which will be at 2 p.m. Saturday. Other events include the Painted Chair Auction and Trash to Treasure Auction.

The Painted Chair Auction involves the sale of chairs specially decorated by community members. The proceeds of the auction help defray the costs of the centennial.

The Trash to Treasure Auction allows individuals to sell items of interest in an auction setting.

Events Saturday are topped off with a fireworks display starting at about 10:30 p.m.

“We’ll have a nice display of fireworks put on by a professional from Bismarck,” Wick said.

Wick doesn’t know what kind of crowd to expect.

“We didn’t have any sort of preregistration,” she said. We’d be totally guessing.”

“I’d be disappointed if we had less than 1,000,” Leopold said. “Not bad for a little town.”

For a complete schedule of events, go online to www.woodworthnd.com.

Sun reporter Keith Norman can be reached at (701) 952-8452 or by e-mail at knorman@jamestownsun.com

Tags: local news, news, woodworth, anniversary