MOUNTAIN IRON—Leonidas Merritt discovered iron ore in 1891, and the village of Mountain Iron was founded. A hundred years later, in the early 1990s, the city celebrated its centennial.
And soon after, Merritt Days came to be, thanks to the late Larry Nanti, longtime Mountain Iron recreation director. And interestingly to Johnny Tillotson, 1960s top-10 singer with such hits “Poetry in Motion” and “It Keeps Right On a-Hurtin’.”
Merritt Days starts Tuesday, August 6, and runs through Saturday, August 10. This year marks the 16th annual Larry Nanti Memorial 5K and 10K races, so named in his honor.
Mayor Peggy Anderson told the Tillotson tale in a phone interview Thursday. Nanti, the mayor’s late husband Rick Anderson (longtime public works director) and she met the rock star Tillotson when he was in the area on tour. He was friendly and very personable, she said, and put on a hit concert in Mountain Iron. She remembers Nanti saying, “You know, we should do something like this every year.” She said, “So that’s how it all started. Because we had that concert and people enjoyed it.”
Here is the Merritt Days schedule:
Tuesday, August 6:
• 4-7 p.m. Citywide kickoff of National Night Out.
• Locomotive Park community gathering.
• Mesabi Fit open house at former YMCA.
• East Range Academy of Technology and Science parking lot.
Wednesday, August 7
• 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Minnesota State Arts Board—creative interactive painting with artist Willow Gentile, library, kids coloring station.
Thursday, August 8
• Noon to 2 p.m. Tie Dye Day at the library. Bring a t-shirt. Ice Cream Truck will be there.
• 7 to 11 p.m. BG’s patio Swamp Donkey.
Friday, August 9
• 5 to 11 p.m. Food trucks/beer garden open on main street.
• 5 to 7 p.m. Larry Nanti race registration/packet pickup at library. Register at rangeevents.org.
• 6 p.m. Beanbag tourney at Legion. Register at 5.
• 8 to 11 p.m. Street dance with Jason Waldron
Saturday, August 10
• 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Last chance race registration.
• 8 to 8:40 a.m. Yoga by Maco.
• 9 a.m. Nanti race.
• 9 to noon Virginia Elks pancake breakfast at senior center.
• 10 a.m. BG’s Greg Peterson Memorial wooden bat softball tourney at South Grove. Peterson was a beloved business owner and ardent supporter of Merritt Days.
• 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. Sound Bowels by Northwoods Sound Bath.
• 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Open house at library.
• 12 to 1 p.m. Megan Marsnik book signing.
• 12 to 4 Kids corner at Locomotive Park.
• 12 noon to 11 p.m. Food trucks beer garden.
• 12 Pickleball South Grove.
• 12 to 4 Classic car show.
• 1 to 3 p.m. Bingo senior center.
• 4 p.m. Parade lineup.
• 4:30 p.m. Parade.
12 noon to 11 p.m. The following groups will entertain:
• Hutter Bunch, Samuel John Band, The Six 9’s and Ranger Things.
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