Be sure to join us on Sunday, October 5, 2025, rain or shine for the 40th and last Uffda Day in Rutland, North Dakota!!!

The temps rose to the upper 90s making it a hot day to be out and about, but the strong, cool winds helped the vendors and kids in the bounce houses to cool off slightly as the day progressed. The streets were full of people, approximately 3,000, by some estimates, and every face had a smile. Thousands of lefse, many roasters of scalloped potatoes with ham, more roasters full of rice pudding, gallons of rommegrot, hundreds of Krumkakke, sandbakkels & abelskievers, Uffda tacos, hot dogs and bratwursts had been consumed by the time activities started to wind down.

The American Legion Color guard composed of Ted Lee, Larry Christensen, Andy Hoflen, Andy Harris & Calvin Jacobson led the Uffda Day Parade through town, and the now permanently reopened Lariat Bar, under new ownership and new management, supplied refreshments to patrons throughout the afternoon and evening hours.  Arts & craft vendors, more than 30 of them, reported a great day, and the nickel scramble, once again sponsored by Joe’s Ag Supply and the Kenny & Tanya Hamilton family, had enthusiastic participation by kids of all ages.

Among the highlights of this year’s event were the 2023 car show organized by David & Pat Bladow, and members of their family, that included 112 antique, classic, restored & modified automobiles from throughout North Dakota, South Dakota & Minnesota, the sawmill – operated by Dale McLaen, Alan Olstad, Joel Susag, and Sod Buster volunteers from Fort Ransom – powered by David Susag’s 70 Oliver tractor, and musical performances by local talent at the Seniors’ Center and Town Hall throughout the day.

Thanks to Tony Banish, there are now several color drone photographs and a video or two, that show the vibrancy of Uffda Day and of the city of Rutland at its finest on Uffda Day 2023.

Sunday, October 2, 2022, Uffda Day, was a great day although it started out as questionable, with an overcast sky and sputtering rain showers as the 5k Run/Walk got underway at 8:00 a.m., but it just got nicer all day long, with increasing sunshine and just enough of a breeze to keep the flies grounded. More than 3,000 lefse, 18 roasters of scalloped potatoes with ham, more roasters full of rice pudding, gallons of rommegrot, hundreds of krumkake, sandbakkels & abelskievers, Uffda tacos, hot dogs and bratwursts had been consumed by the time activities started to wind down. All that was left was the aroma of good cooking.

The American Legion Color guard composed of Ted Lee, Roger McLaen, Andy Hoflen, Andy Harris & Calvin Jacobson led the Uff-Da Day Parade through town; and, the temporarily reopened Lariat Bar, now under new ownership and management, supplied refreshments to patrons throughout the afternoon and evening hours.

Arts & craft vendors, 41 of them, reported a great day and local youngsters with their wagon loads of pumpkins, squash and other garden produce did a land office business. The Nickel Scramble, once again sponsored by Joe’s Ag Supply and the Kenny & Tanya Hamilton family, had enthusiastic participation by kids of all ages. The one room country school exhibit in which Val Pherson and a group of 32 youngsters, dressed in period garb demonstrated what school was like back in “the good old days.”

The car show included 104 antique, classic, restored & modified automobiles from throughout North and South Dakota and Minnesota.

It was a bright and beautiful day on October 3, just what the doctor ordered since Uffda Day 2020 was canceled due to COVID. More than 3,000 lefse and 18 roasters of scalloped potatoes had been prepared along with gallons of rommegrot and hundreds of krumkake and sandbakkels to feed the massive crowd on hand. The American Legion Color guard once again led the parade through town with several units including a Norse Mythology unit in which members of the Nelson and Pederson families portrayed characters from the Scandinavian folklore, along with many old favorites like the Viking ship, tractors, and the classic cars.

The 2021 car show included 83 antique, classic, restored and modified automobiles from throughout North and South Dakota and Minnesota. There was also a sawmill operated by Sod Buster volunteers from Fort Ransom. Arts and craft vendors reported a great day and local youngsters with their pumpkins, squash, gourds and more had a great sale day. The nickel scramble and the pedal tractor pull had an enthusiastic participation by kids of all ages.

A new activity was the “One Room School Day” event with 35 children participating in two sessions, complete with period costumes. School began with the kids lining up outside the school to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, and then lessons began inside the school house using slates and chalk. Recitations and group songs could be heard by those outside. Seven former Rutland students who attended school in this fashion were on hand in the morning for donuts and lemonade and to tell stories to the kids about the “good old days.”

The afternoon concluded with the dedication of a park bench to honor the late Ronald Narum, Rutland’s Mayor from 1972 until his death in 2020.

The rain came pouring down by 9 a.m. for Uffda Day 2017 but a few brave souls participated in the 5K run/walk in the downpour. Luckily the rain tapered off by 10 a.m. and was out of town by 10:30 a.m.

The cool damp weather diminished enthusiasm as little but as the temperature rose the crowd size grew. By the 1 p.m. parade time, a large crowd of happy onlookers lined the streets. The parade included firefighters, first responders, the Vikings and several classic cars and antique tractors.

The car show once again featured a magnificent display of antique, classic and modern autos. The crowd kept craft vendors and food stands jumping throughout the day. There was also a Turn of the Century photograph exhibition at the Old Parsonage which was a collection featuring local photographers and history photographs from Sargent County.

The Finnish wife carrying race drew another crowd to end another successful event in Rutland.

The weekend forecast for October 6, 2013, looked pretty dim but by the time runners and walkers were toeing the mark for the 4th annual Uffda Day 5K event, it was obvious that sun would soon be shining on Rutland. More than 30 participants, some as far away as Hawaii, competed in the event. By the time the last of the participants crossed the finish line at Gay and Bagley Streets, arts and craft vendors were opening for the day.

Lefse, live music, scalloped potatoes, rommegrot, rice pudding, sandbakkels, krumkake, rosettes, Uffda tacos and other goods were all available at the Rutland Town Hall, Senior Center, the American Legion Hall and the Rutland Fire Hall. By the time the American Legion Color Guard, Bergman-Evenson Post #215, led the Uffda Day parade down the main street at 1 p.m., another large crowd, estimated to be more than 3,000 , was on hand for the fun. Lowell Wyum had set up his PA system at the corner of First and Arthur Streets to announce the parade entries as they passed by.

Wine tasting, set up by the ND Grape & wine Association, continued to be popular with attendees. Steffes’ Prairiewood Winery of Elliot, ND, had a booth set up on the south porch of The Old Parsonage and reported a very successful day. Several vendors and demonstrators also reported a good day. Wolfie the clown provided activities for kids of all ages. Doug Spieker and Roy Hildebrand had their high stepping Percheron-Belgian draft horses and a wagon on hand to provide recreational rides and transportation around top. Gay Street was blocked off for the car show and the antique tractors.

The afternoon had the new, first ever, pig races put on by Gary Dauer and family of Leader, Minn., and their stable of thoroughbred racing pigs. Several adults got in on the fun and games with races of their own. It was a fun way for the crowd to end their day at the Uffda Day event.