A sudsy rivalry

It’s people that live in town versus people who live in the country — and we play softball. Whoever lost last year gets to bring the keg this year. So it’s quite a rivalry.”

Bruce Community Club organizer Pennie Lutz

BRUCE — The little town of Bruce invites folks to “Buzz on Over to the County Fair” — that’s the theme of this year’s Honey Days.

“We have a lot of our regular traditional Honey Days things,” Pennie Lutz, organizer with the Bruce Community Club, said. “The theme a lot of times helps us with the theme for the parade. And so, we’re anticipating a lot of the floats will somehow relate to the county fair.”

Lutz said they get a crowd of about 2000 visitors each year. Events kick off July 26 with the K-Country Cookout and a 3-on-3 kids basketball tournament. The first Honey Days was held in 1991 to raise money for a basketball court.  Lutz said the kids basketball tournament has been so popular, they hope to expand that court someday.

“The 3-on-3 basketball tourney — we started this just three years ago, maybe? And the last two years, it’s just kind of exploded. It kind of becomes its own little city,” Lutz said. 

Friday also features a bean bag tournament. Lutz said last year, 125 teams competed. 

Saturday starts off with a 5K at 7:30 a.m., a craft show at 9 a.m., and the parade at 10 a.m.

“We usually have between 70 and 80 entries, so it usually lasts about an hour,” Lutz said. “And as soon as people get done with the parade, they start lining up for the burger feed at the museum park. Last year, I think we served 850 burgers.”

They’ll also sell homemade honey fudge to serve on ice cream during the burger feed.

“It’s made with honey, butter, cocoa, and marshmallows,” Lutz said. “If you pair that with some sunflower seeds on ice cream — it’s really good.” 

The band Them Guys will perform during the burger feed, while automobile enthusiasts take over main street and put on a car show. A coed volleyball tournament also starts Saturday afternoon and runs through Sunday.

“We typically have 35 to 40 teams playing down at the ball diamond — and that becomes its own little city as well,” Lutz said. “The first day is kind of, you know, figuring out where you’re at. And then they do the brackets overnight, and you get paired up for your next games on Sunday.”

A pork barbecue with live music performed by Kristina Gindo starts Saturday at 5 p.m., followed by the firemen’s street dance.

“It’s $15 per person or $25 for two,” Lutz said. “And the last couple of years, we’ve donated the proceeds to the firemen — to Bruce Fire and Rescue — so it has truly become a fireman’s street dance with that. And we have the band Undercover — they’ve been coming here for quite a few years — but everybody loves them so much, that we always invite them to come back.” 

Sunday features a pancake breakfast at the American Legion at 8 a.m., a church service in the park at 11 a.m., and a kids' carnival at the ball diamond at 2 p.m. That will be followed by the annual Dale Benz Memorial Horseshoe Tournament, a game of chicken poo bingo, a kids’ barrel train ride, and a town and country softball game.

“It’s people that live in town versus people who live in the country — and we play softball,” Lutz said. “Whoever lost last year gets to bring the keg this year. So it’s quite a rivalry.”

A community clean up event is also planned.

“One of our teenagers is organizing a little competition to see who can clean up and get the most garbage. So we’ll have gloves and some bags available for kids that want to participate,” Lutz said. “We’ll get that stuff handed out behind the concession stand, and they can do some clean up around town, and then have a little competition for that.”

There’ll also be an opportunity for bargain hunters. 

“Grace Free Lutheran Church is also having a rummage sale this year as a fundraiser during Honey Days, because we typically don’t have like a citywide rummage sale,” Lutz said. “This year, they’re going to do that.”

A complete schedule — along with contact information for events requiring pre-registration — is posted at the Bruce Honey Days page on Facebook. Many events are free and require no advance sign up. 

“I think my favorite part is seeing everybody in our little town. If I’m on the parade float, and we come around the corner to come down our main street — which is called Jay Street — it’s usually just lined … it’s just lined with kids and people,” Lutz said. “It’s just showing that our little towns are still here and strong, and it takes us back maybe a little bit in time to just a simple, fun day.”

Email Jay Roe at jroe@brookingsregister.com.