News & Articles

SuZanne Risberg-Elliott and Gail Blackmer practicing their chops for the 26th annual Jug Band Boogie Contest to be held Sept. 7 at Deer Lake Charlie’s. Photo by Pam Dowell.

Give a toast and a nod to the late Rodney Wayne “Marshall” Oelmann (1950-2013) – the man with the mission to bring the Minneapolis Jug Band scene to Effie, in rural northern Minnesota.

The annual Jug Band Boogie Contest is heading into its 26th year, always held the Sunday afternoon on the weekend after Labor Day in September.

This year’s event will be held on Sept. 7, starting at 3 pm at Deer Lake Charlie’s, a rustic pub, located at 64051 County Rd 533 and Minnesota Hwy 1 between Effie and Togo.

Folks interested in forming a band and joining in the camaraderie and creativity are invited to call 218.743.3082 to sign up.

A bit o’history. What’s a jug band?

Harken back to the 19th century in the ole’ South of Kentucky and Tennessee and imagine a hot day, a front porch, some rocking chairs and a bit of moonshine in jugs. Out comes a harmonica, the foot stomping and hand clapping begin. Mom pulls out the washboard and starts plucking a percussion-like sound, while the children start clacking some spoons.

Everything on the front porch becomes an instrument of some sort – blocks of wood, washtubs and old brooms with a swish. A guest may arrive with a fiddle in hand but the show happens when granddad finishes the last swig of the moonshine and sets his lips to a buzz at the opening of that jug. Out barrels the sound of a makeshift trombone.

The sound resonates as the front porch jug band fills the neighborhood with the sounds of jazz, bluegrass, folk and ragtime in the blend. The energy is high and the moods are happy.

The sounds of a jug band bring laughter to music and music to life.

Minneapolis-area musicians resurrected the jug band movement in the late 1970s. The Minneapolis Battle of the Jug Bands continues to this day. Oelmann, an artist, actor, musician and entrepreneur, was part of the jug band movement during the mid-winter months on the West Bank of Minneapolis. The makeshift bands were created for the musicians to enjoy on Sunday afternoon – a day of rest built on the rustic sounds of roughed-out instruments played in a dark, moody bar where patrons delighted in area talent.

Oelmann met and married a girl from Effie and moved North, where he became a local community creator by his own right. Marshall’s wife, Gail Blackmer, hailed from the Blackmer-Carlson family, owners and operators of Deer Lake Charlies, a barn-shaped tavern and age-old dancing hall that was established in 1941.

Several hundred men came to the Effie area as part of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) movement as part of the New Deal job creation program. Gail’s uncle Myron Carlson took an old log cabin and turned it into a tavern for the hard-working corps of men.

Gail’s grandfather Charlie Blackmer Sr. joined the partnership as the barn-shaped dance hall took shape – so came the name: Deer Lake Charlie’s, and the barn-shaped dome building that stands today.

Marshall and Gail owned the Neighborhood Bar in downtown Effie from 1999 – 2012. This was the location where Marshall first invited his friends from the jug bands in Minneapolis to visit.

Olemann was heavily involved in building community radio and the arts in the area. He was instrumental in membership drives for Northern Community Radio (91.7 KAXE) and was a supporting player/actor with the Edge Center for Performing Arts in Bigfork and the Edge Wild Players.

Gail and her brother Charlie III took over the operation of Deer Lake Charlie’s in the early 1990s. As the annual “Up-North” jug band continued to grow – the location changed and moved out to the barn – a natural match for bands with a historical past.

Marshall Oelmann died in 2013, and unexpectedly, Gail’s brother Charlie III passed in 2015. Gail was alone as the sole proprietor – with a determined spirit and community support she paved the way forward.

Deer Lake Charlies and the Jug Band Boogie today.

Gail Blackmer, 74, has partnered with SuZanne Risberg-Elliott, 61, and continues to operate the one-of-a-kind rough-hewn jewel of the Northwoods that is operational from mid-May through September (think lake cabin season).

Deer Lake Charlie’s earned the June spot award as the best dive bar in Minnesota from the Facebook group: Best Dive Bars in Minnesota.

SuZanne, sun glistened and dressed in overalls, said that “dive bars” are trending and the term is not considered a negative any longer.

“Dive bars are authentic, neighborhood and community driven – whether the customers are local or seasonal – they create the atmosphere of welcome,” Risberg-Elliot said.

The annual Jug Band Boogie event is a neighborly favorite and has been drawing in curious fans for years.

“This is their summer spot,” echoed Gail, “we are multi-generational.”

A common theme among dive bars – cash is the currency, the beer is what the house has, and don’t expect a kitchen, when a pizza oven will suffice. Autograph a bill and make sure to leave it at the bar for the next visitor who arrives cash short, with a debit card alone.

At Deer Lake Charlie’s, from the moment you swing open that softly squeaking old screen door, a guest will know they have stepped into a pub where spirits of the past are still alive within the walls of the barn. The ghosts of robust men in their Pendleton’s dropping saws at the door while kicking off mud from their boots are nearly cast under the low-lights of the vintage bar.

The upstairs has become a picker’s paradise with locals leaving arts, antiques and interesting tchotchkes for patrons to shop. An old cobbler’s stool awaits the creative jug band player who could turn the piece into an ad hoc drum.

Gail and SuZanne encourage participants to be creative and “have no fear” – this is your time to have fun.

Gail winked, “The judges can be bribed.”

The winner of the Jug Band Boogie contest receives a vintage fish scaler that they are expected to engrave with their name and to return the next year.

Gail shared stories of past winners. A young local man known for his shyness took the stage, glancing down and uneasy; he then looked to the crowd and began to sing with his strong baritone voice rising.

“The crowd cheered,” Gail said, “and that singer with blush on his face took home the prize astonished by his win.”

Blackmer said he has gone on to form his own band (Jason Waldron Band) and is a recognized name in the upper North region.

Amateur to professional musicians – all are welcome to participate, innovate and create. There is no such thing as last-minute with a jug band. If you are standing next to a rake, figure out the strum and join in.

Marshall Oelmann encouraged his friends from the Minneapolis jug bands to travel the world to the edge, up North and to Effie. To this day, the metro musicians continue their annual trek as jug band music continues its tradition from the roots of old Southern front porches everywhere.

Dig out that cowbell – Sept. 7 in Effie – it’s the Jug Band Boogie at Deer Lake Charlie’s.
To learn more see: deerlakecharlies.com and follow them on Facebook.