shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com August 14, 2018 • Page 13 Cliff and Donna Madson Set To Serve As Captain And Belle and messages from cards in the mail. “We’re not used to people paying lots of attention to us because we stay in the background,” Donna said. “But I’m really enjoying it.” The Madsons have been Yankton residents since 1963. They reside a short distance outside of Yankton where Cliff plants corns and beans, as well as runs C&C Hauling and Construction. Donna works part-time at the Contact Center. n addition to volunteering with Riverboat Days, the couple helps organize Yankton’s annual Holiday Feast. They remain close with their four children and their families, two of which reside right next door to them. Donna said having this close connection to family and community has squelched any interest she and Cliff may have in moving elsewhere. “We went to Texas one time for a week in the winter and I could never do that (again)” she said. “My car is kept in our garage, the guys shovel the snow around our property and I don’t have to work in the cold. I have no desire to live anywhere else.” While they won’t be taking part in their usual Riverboat Days-related duties this summer, Cliff wants people to know and appreciate how much work goes into putting on an available-to-all festival. “So many people don’t realize what Riverboat Days has (done), and continues to do, for Yankton,” he said. “(The Riverboat Days committee) has spent a considerable amount of money in the park in the last 20 years. “It’s a community project and it works because everybody helps. That’s what makes it a good celebration.” By Reilly Biel Cliff and Donna Madson are no strangers to Riverboat Days. Cliff was among those involved in first starting the annual festival 35 years ago. He served on its board of directors for 25 years, with Donna currently going on her 15th year on the board. Both have also volunteered with the event for many years, with Cliff using forklifts and semis to haul equipment, with Donna selling tickets for the purchase of beer. This year, however, both will be seen in very different places — namely, on floats in parades — as the couple makes the rounds as this year’s Riverboat Days Captain and Belle. In addition to the parades, the Madsons will pay visits to the Human Services Center and Majestic Bluffs. According to Donna, the couple had been asked in previous years if they’d be interested in assuming the Captain and Belle roles, but they turned it down each time. This year, however, “I thought it’d be fun to have a year where I didn’t work during Riverboat Days because we’re going to be doing other things,” she said. Setting up Riverside Park for the event and then taking everything down each year is exhausting, she added. “Even the younger (volunteers) are tired afterwards because its’s so many hours (of preparation),” Donna said. “Most people don’t understand what it takes to put this thing on,” Cliff added. “It’s a real big commitment for somebody that doesn’t have the time.” He explained that Riverboat Days volunteers spend most of the week of the event getting the park ready right up until it starts, then spend all day Monday after the festival restoring the park back to normal. “The night it’s over, notes are taken of what went right and wrong, and we start then and there getting ready for next year,” he said. The Madsons are both looking forward to assuming new roles for the event, which has already brought them positive feedback in the form of in-person congratulations reilly.biel@yankton.net Yankton’s Transit Buses will run from Friday 6pm-Midnight, Saturday 9am-Midnight and Sunday Noon-6pm. Rides between, The Center (900 Whiting Drive), Yankton Mall East parking lot, Summit Activity Center, the Avera Rehabilitation and Wellness Center at ASHH parking lot (southeast of the hospital emergency room) and Riverside Park. Buses leave approximately every 15-20 minutes. www.missourivalleyshopper.com Start Your Back-To-School Shopping Now! NOT ALLOWED: NO animals/pets, NO bikes, NO rollerblades, NO coolers, NO swimming in river (per city ordinance), NO riverside area boat access during the weekend. For Kids & Ladies Of All Sizes SERVICES AVAILABLE: Emergency medical, first aid, ATM, bike racks, wireless internet, and shuttle service. COUPON 6 OFF Family Meal $ 8 Pc. Chicken, 2 Lg. 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