Divide Days
Every August, the two halves of Xvaren meet on Main Street to settle, in a friendly way, which half is better. It has not been settled yet.
Why there are two sides
Xvaren sits on a line. West of Main Street is the Driftless Area: steep bluffs, deep coulees, cold springs, and roads that double back on themselves. The glaciers missed it entirely. East of Main Street is the sand plain, the flat bed of an old glacial lake: potato fields, cranberry marsh, jack pine, and a horizon you can check your level against.
People from the west side are called Bluffers. People from the east side are called Sanders. Families with a house on Main Street itself are called “it depends,” and are permitted to choose a side each year at the pancake breakfast.
The contests
- Tug-of-war across the line. Held on the painted centerline of Main Street. The rope is 120 feet long. Each side insists the other is pulling downhill.
- The Uphill Both Ways. A Bluffer footrace on Ridge Road which is, as certified by the county surveyor, uphill in both directions. The surveyor would rather not discuss it.
- The Flat Mile. The Sanders’ answer. One mile, perfectly level, perfectly straight. Bluffers call it dull. Sanders call it honest.
- The Levelness Exhibition. A Sander places a marble on a table. It does not roll. Applause. Then a Bluffer places a marble on a table and everyone watches where it goes.
- Hotdish Showdown. One entry per household. Judged blind. Tater tot topping is traditional on the Sand side, on account of the potatoes. The Bluff side tops theirs with cheese, on account of the cows.
- Curd Squeak-Off. Fresh curds only. Judged by ear, in silence, in the library.
- Pie table. Cranberry from the Sand side, apple from the Bluff side orchards. Both sides lose this one every year to a rhubarb pie that no one enters.
- Tractor parade. Not a contest, officially. Combines are welcome if accompanied.
The scoreboard
The winning side takes home the Traveling Plumb Bob, a brass surveyor’s weight on a walnut stand, and displays it for the year. On the Bluff side it hangs slightly off true, which the Bluffers say is the point.
Scores have been kept on the same chalkboard since 1923. After 103 festivals, the standing is Bluffers 52, Sanders 52. The Historical Society has checked the arithmetic and has asked for more time.
The rules, such as they are
- All contests are friendly. Anyone caught taking it seriously will be asked to help with dishes.
- You compete for the side you live on, the side you were born on, or the side whose hotdish you prefer.
- Everyone eats together afterward, at one long table set down the middle of Main Street, half of it on each side.
Next festival
Divide Days returns Friday through Sunday, August 13 to 15, 2027. Pancake breakfast Saturday at 7:00, contests from 9:00, tug-of-war at 3:00, long table at 5:30. Volunteers are needed to carry the table. It is longer every year, though no one has added to it.