31st Annual Bemidji Lumberjack Scramble Reflective of Community, Alumni Support

It may have been held a week later than usual, but the Lumberjack Scramble, Bemidji High School’s activities fundraiser, was in full swing Friday at the Bemidji Town & Country Club. The event is in its 31st year and has raised over $1 million since its inception, raking in just shy of $66,000 in 2024, and has helped fund things like the video scoreboard in the Bemidji High School gymnasium.

There were plenty of current parents, coaches, and teachers playing in this year’s tournament, but lots of community members and alumni were present as well. Their donations are a reminder of the impact that Lumberjack activities has on the town of Bemidji.

“I hope that at some point when they were student-athletes going through [school], they felt people had invested in them, and it’s their turn to pay it back,” said Bemidji High School activities director Kristen McRae. “And they are stepping up and they’re doing just that. I have a friend who just met me for lunch and she is an alumni. And she said, ‘Coming back to the Lumberjack Scramble is like coming to a class reunion again.'”

“You run into people who—this is a part of their summer routine; it’s on the calendar,” she continued. “They come back and I’ve seen a lot of former students out there, former athletes. I mean, it’s fun. It just brings everybody back together.”