Photo by Clay Schuldt The corn mascot was escorted by Sleepy Eye 4-H members during the Summerfest Parade.

SLEEPY EYE — Summerfest was held all weekend throughout Sleepy Eye beginning Friday with class reunions and street dances and continuing Saturday and Sunday with a 5K run, parade and water show.

Early Saturday, Sleepy Eye Brewery Company held a special 5K race at Allison Park called the “Of Kolsch You Can” 5K. The name is a play on one of the brewery’s beers.

At the end of the 5K, all participants who were old enough got a free Crazy Aunt Kolsch beer.

Prizes were also awarded for the fastest time in age groups. The top runners for both men and women were given 85 lbs of pork products provided by Christiansen Farms and Schwartz Farms.

Sleepy Eye Brewery Company manager David Forster said they limited the number of runners to 228, but reached the maximum number of runners weeks before the run.

The 5K began a little after 8:30 a.m. Saturday, with a track around Sleepy Eye Lake. A heavy fog concealed most of the track, but the runners appreciated the cool weather.

The top three finishers were Noah Christensen of Sleepy Eye with a time of 18:30, Noah Krzmarzick of Sleepy Eye (19:12) and Leah Knowles of Sleepy Eye (19:33).

Christensen is a 15-year-old and runs track for St. Mary’s High School in Sleepy Eye. He said the conditions for this run were pretty good.

Following the 5K, a special 1919 Root Beer quarter-mile run was held for the kids, which had a high turnout. Forster said he was looking forward to the kids run, and it was a blast. The idea was to inspire kids to continue running and maybe compete in other races.

This was the first year of hosting a 5K for Summerfest. Based on the response they will likely do it again next year. Following the race, several food trucks opened in Allison Park for Pork and Pints in the Park.

Later Saturday evening, Sleepy Eye residents gathered along the parade route for the Summerfest Grand Parade. This year’s parade features more than 80 entries. One of the new additions was the Huey Helicopter, featured early in the parade.

Rock of Ages band played at the Sleepy Eye Brewing Co. following the parade.

The fun continued Sunday, with a special performance from the Little Crow Ski Show on Sleepy Eye Lake.

The performance featured dozens of water ski performers showing off their coordination, acrobatics and bravery.

The Little Crow Ski Show is from New London, Minnesota. The group puts on weekly shows every Friday during the summer. The team made a special visit to Sleepy Eye for Summerfest.

The audience was able to watch the nationally recognized team perform pyramids, jumping, ballet lines and barefoot skiing.