Whorehouse Days cancelled

[Viking12]

Whorehouse Days in Gilbert get the hook

July 7, 2005

When a group of business owners in a tiny Iron Range town decided to call their new summer festival Whorehouse Days, they figured the name alone would guarantee publicity that no amount of money could buy.

It did just that, attracting attention for Gilbert, Minn., from as far away as Scotland. But the name, a nod to Gilbert's notorious early years as a red-light district, also turned out to be the festival's undoing.

-snip-

The name also is historically accurate. In the early years of the 20th century, Gilbert was known far and wide among lumberjacks and miners as a hotbed of saloons and prostitution.

Whorehouse Days was supposed to include a four-poster bed race, a best-dressed madam contest, competitive beer-mug sliding along an outdoor bar and a performance of "The Best Little Whorehouse in Gilbert." All of the activities would have been rated G or PG, organizers vowed.


http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/5494025.html