Jun 6, 2008 11:10 pm US/Central
'Hugo Neighbor Days' Brightens Tornado Recovery
HUGO, Minn. (WCCO) ―
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Its annual fair is held the first weekend in June. This year, that falls two weeks after a destructive tornado tore through the town.
CBS
The town of Hugo expects its most successful Good Neighbor Days in history, if the weather holds.
Its annual fair is held the first weekend in June. This year, that falls two weeks after a destructive tornado tore through the town.
"The reality hit everyone that there's just so much clean-up, and so much to do," said resident Kari Sheridan. Her neighbors' homes were destroyed. She lost the siding to her house.
Sheridan brought her mom and kids to Good Neighbor Days for a little break from salvaging what she could of her belongings.
"It's kind of to the point right now where it's like, stuff that we really can't do," she said.
In the hardest hit neighborhoods, most families have already gone through their stuff. Now, contractors have moved in to start rebuilding. There were several bulldozers along 159th Street on Friday afternoon.
Jim Gondek of the Hugo Lions expects to see a big crowd at tomorrow's Good Neighbor Days parade.
"There's this whole feeling of strong community sense and I believe that that's going to continue on for some time," he said.
He was at the fair Friday evening handing out vouchers to families who homes were damaged or destroyed by the storms.
"Many of them tell us that 'There's people worse off than us, we don't really need these," he said, calling the name "Good Neighbor" perfect for the town of Hugo.
A booth was set up for a contractor, but no one seemed to go there. Another neighbor set up a t-shirt booth to raise money for victims. She designed the t-shirt to read "Hugo Still Strong 2008."
The kids took part in the games and food as the sun peaked through the clouds.
"Unfortunately, it's a little sad to be here," said Sheridan, adding, "We want to stick together and be proud of Hugo and what it stands for."
The annual Good Neighbor Days Parade will start Saturday at 11a.m.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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