It was the calm before the storm. As the previous year's royalty gave their farewell speeches on stage, the conversation among this year's Miss Lakeville pageant contestants in the makeup room fell silent. "Four minutes, ladies," warned stage manager Judy Norman to the contestants. "Healy's gotta win something," said one of the contestants, as the chatter slowly became more lively again.  This year's scholarship pageant started off with a dance performed by last year's royalty and this year's contestants. Contestants were then introduced, followed by the "All About Me" competition, where each…

Editor's note: This is a column by editor Derrick Williams. ... sigh ... That's a contented sigh if you're curious. Why? Because I love Pan-O-Prog. Seriously, this is the seventh Panorama of Progress I've covered as an editor and it's my favorite week of the year. That's probably well evidenced by the crazy-over-the-top coverage I personally devote to Lakeville's annual summer festival with the goofy name. I mean, where else can you find 25-plus photo galleries of the myriad different events and goings-on that make Pan-O-Prog the wonderful community spectacle it is? I mean it when I say it: I…

Local kids had the opportunity to build a birdhouse from 12-2 p.m. on Saturday at the Pan-O-Prog Birdhouse Building Project. The event was open to children ages 4-12. Supplies were provided for free. The build took place on the lawn of the Lakeville Area Arts Center. Be sure to follow all Lakeville Patch's 2012 Pan-O-Prog coverage.

The Pan-O-Prog Flower & Foliage Show took place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday at the Lakeville Area Arts Center. The event was sponsored by the Lakeville Area Garden Club. Community members were invited to enter their favorite flora in the show. Throughout the day, visitors lingered to smell the flowers and to vote for their favorites. Be sure to follow all Lakeville Patch's 2012 Pan-O-Prog coverage.

The Lakeville VFW hosted a Pan-O-Prog Tug Of War Tournament Saturday afternoon, pitting friend against friend, neighbor against neighbor and even Iowan against Minnesotan. Two Tug Of War teams from Iowa, DJ's and Power Train, took part in the exhibition, as did squads made up of locals and residents. Be sure to follow all Lakeville Patch's 2012 Pan-O-Prog coverage.

The South Forty Archery Range at Ritter Farm Park paid host to local bow and arrow enthusiasts during the Pan-O-Prog Archery Shoot and 3D Shoot on Saturday and Sunday. Be sure to follow all Lakeville Patch's 2012 Pan-O-Prog coverage.

Pan-O-Prog Saturday kicked off with three running races and a fishing competition at Casperson Park, with weather conditions running nearly 40 degrees cooler than 12 hours earlier. Boats hit the water prior to 6 a.m. for a tranquil fishing tournament before hundreds descended upon the park for road runs of distances varying from 1/2 mile to four miles. Be sure to follow all Lakeville Patch's 2012 Pan-O-Prog coverage.

The Rising Stars competition dance team performed at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Pan-O-Prog's Market Plaza Stage. The team, which trains at Lakeville's DanceWorks Performing Arts Center, performed both tap and jazz routines. This year's team are national competition finalists. The Rising Stars are an audition-only dance team for girls in grades 2-5. Be sure to follow all Lakeville Patch's 2012 Pan-O-Prog coverage.

Holyoke Avenue was packed on Saturday afternoon for the annual Pan-O-Prog Parade. The parade, which started at 5:30 p.m., traveled northbound through the downtown area of Lakeville.  Children scrambled after candy, marching bands and drum and bugle corps from as far away as Sioux Falls played uptempo songs, princesses from various pageants waved to the crowds and Brett Anderson from the Renaissance Fair even brought a snake to show (or frighten) people along the parade route. And in an election year, every type of politician and candidate was on hand; U.S. Senator, State Senator, U.S. …

The Pan-O-Prog Kiddie Parade took place on Saturday morning in historic downtown Lakeville. Children aged 2-11 dressed in their best barnyard duds, as this year's costume theme was "farm animals." The parade kicked off at 10:45 a.m. Participants tackled the parade route on foot, as well as via bicycle, scooter and wagon. The route started at Holyoke Avenue and 207th Street and ended outside the Lakeville Area Arts Center. Be sure to follow all Lakeville Patch's 2012 Pan-O-Prog coverage.

Hundreds of locals got themselves a good start to the day at the Lakeville Fire Department on Saturday morning as part of the annual Belgian Waffle Breakfast fundraiser. Breakfast-goers waited in line for their crack at the all-you-can-eat waffle feed, which included all the trimmings, before partaking in the day's events at Pan-O-Prog. Be sure to follow all Lakeville Patch's 2012 Pan-O-Prog coverage.

Hot rods, classic cars and more filled the streets of Lakeville Friday night for one of Pan-O-Prog's marquis events. The annual event was expected to draw approximately 500 vehicles and up to 35,000 spectators. Lawn chairs and blankets started appearing along Holyoke Avenue sidewalks days before the highly-anticipated event as spectators claimed their preferred viewing locations in advance of the crowds. Vehicles ranged from modern newfangled rides to painstakingly-restored classics. Cars, trucks, boats, campers and more also came along for the ride through the city streets. And the rumbling …

Multiple sunglass booths attracted shoppers looking to beat the blistering sun at Lakeville's 2012 Pan-O-Prog Street Market on Thursday night. But those weren't the only products being offered by the dozens of tents that lined a downtown street. Unique crafts such as jewelry, scarves, re-purposed liquor bottles made into serving trays, and toys were also mixed into the ranks. The Street Market runs through Saturday in downtown Lakeville. Be sure to follow all Lakeville Patch's 2012 Pan-O-Prog coverage.

The Lakeville Senior Center was a bustling center of commerce and fellowship during the annual bake sale and bazaar on Friday during a two-day annual event held in conjunction with Pan-O-Prog. Vendors sold a number of wares, varying from rummage sale items to homemade apparel, to those both young and old, with residents also taking advantage of the event to meet and greet with their fellow locals. Be sure to follow all Lakeville Patch's 2012 Pan-O-Prog coverage.

Slide, surf, sling, climb, crawl and crash. You could do it all on Thursday night at Lakeville's 2012 Pan-O-Prog Fun Fair. And there was plenty of bouncing to be had as well. Featuring the 'World's Largest Water Slide', mechanical surfing, a climbing tower and more, the event attracted kids of all ages to the Lakeville Art Center parking lot. While the Battle of the Bands boomed in the background on center stage, the colorful activities that surrounded that event bustled with thrills and chills. 'E.T.' was shown on a giant inflatable movie screen on the Lakeville Art Center lawn after the sun…

Visitors to Lakeville's Airlake Airport were transported back in time at a small exhibit of World War II-era aircraft on display as part of Pan-o-Prog. A B25 Miss Mitchell was the highlight of the viewing. But the real highlight for those who ponied up the cash was a chance to fly in one of these historic planes—either a PT-22, BT-13 or the B25 Miss Mitchell. Be sure to follow all Lakeville Patch's 2012 Pan-O-Prog coverage.

It stands to reason that one of the state's premier summer festivals would be capped off with one of the state's premier parades. Lakeville's Pan-O-Prog Grand Parade—set to start at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 7 along Holyoke Avenue—caps off the city's week-long summer festival, and attracts more than 20,000 parade-watchers to downtown. "The parade is one of the largest and most renowned in the state—roughly two hours, with 120+ units," Pan-O-Prog President Sheri Stolp gushed. "We've been planning our parade entrants/line-up order for months and attempt to offer a real variety of units for …

Despite soaring temperatures, families filled Aronson Park on Friday afternoon for some Pan-O-Prog fun (don't worry, much of it took place in the shade). The Splatter Sisters music group started the entertainment, followed by a ping pong ball drop—from a lift truck for the younger kids, and from a plane for those a little older. Unfortunately, the wind made it a little difficult for the plane to get the balls to drop on target, so the Highview Hills senior living community and St. John's Lutheran Church might be finding some rogue ping pong wiffle balls laying around. But those who did find …

It's always been known as Lakeville's unofficial reunion party. But for three siblings separated by adoption, the 2012 Pan-O-Prog Beer, Brats and Bingo created the opportunity for a very special reunion. Lakeville resident Michael Schumacher first met his brother Kevin Honeycutt in 2001, but it took until July 4, 2012 to finally meet his sister Melinda. The three, separated by adoption decades earlier, reunited together at the popular annual event held at the Lakeville V.F.W. And true to it's name, there was also plenty of beer, brats and bingo to be found among the rest of the crowd of …

Pan-O-Prog cruise night. What else needs to be said? The event alone attracts nearly 30,000 people who line the streets in and around downtown Lakeville to watch more than 500 classic cars strut their stuff. Set to be held on Friday, July 6, cruise night, according to event president Sheri Stolp, is what Pan-O-Prog is all about. "I'm personally a huge fan of this event as my father, who is now retired, restores old T-birds and Lincolns as a hobby, so I grew up appreciating classic cars," Stolp said. "The fact is that when you mention Pan-O-Prog to someone outside of Lakeville, the first …