Woodtick Races Pt.2: The Early Days
‘Wild’ Bill, ‘Mad’ Mike and Burgie era continues and includes the 2nd Annual 91981) thru 5th Annual (1984). The Woodtick Races were hosted by: ‘Wild’ Bill, ’Mad’ Mike and me, Burgie. The Race Referees, ‘Mad’ Mike and Burgie presided over the festivities while Bill ran the bar. After a successful 1980 run (see Blog #1 for details), we decided to kick it up a notch, and do some advertising. We had the bright (?) idea to enter the 4th of July Parade 1980 and we made a 3 to 3 ½ foot paper machete/chicken wire Woodtick in the back of Bill’s pickup and entered a parade float that advertised the 2nd annual woodtick races – June 6, 1981.
At the time, I was a student and member of the Vet’s club at St.Cloud State and hung a flier up at a St.Cloud area ‘biker’ bar.
1981 - Bikers from St.Cloud and area came rolling in for our attitude adjustment hour and the ‘Woodtick’ races. In the heat of the races with all the excitement, a Biker ‘Mama’ encouraged her ‘woodtick’ to run faster by hiking up her T-shirt, loudly yelling, “look what mama’s got for you if you win”. ‘Mad’ Mike and I (the referees) were distracted to the point neither of us saw which woodtick actually won.
We had a brush with fame when the weekend edition of the Minneapolis STAR/Tribune had a big half page article in the Sports Editorial by Doug Grow, about the Woodtick Races.
While tending bar the phone rang and ‘Wild’ Bill was interviewed over the phone for a radio station, our name and fame/infamy is out there.
1982 – races were still held indoors near the bar, but it was starting to get crowded and My Dad won 1st prize. The bikers were back again this year. It became an annual pilgrimage for this group of bikers.
1983 – A week before the races, the Star Tribune printed an article by Doug Grow about the upcoming races.
We could see the races attracted more and more people and was well known around the state so we moved the races outside to the empty lot next to the bar. One day this year when I was a substitute teacher at Crosby-Ironton High School, the Athletic Director/Basketball coach and I talked about the upcoming races, later he gave me a couple of the ‘zebra’ stripes referee shirts, one for ‘Mad’ Mike and one for me.
During the races, to stir up the crowd even more than they were, we held a grudge race between ‘Mad’ Mike and myself.
1984 – our 5th annual, we had the referee shirts now all that was missing was - “They’re at the Gates” bugle call at start of each .heat’ round. To do this we had made a recording of a HS band trumpet player blow the tune, it was not a canned perfect rendition but somehow fit the occasion. This year we made the big time, we were on Television - “On the Road” w/ Jason Davis. This was my last year as referee from now on I am just another participant, taking my chances with one of the Racing steeds from ‘Burgie’s Acres Woodtick Ranch.
