Summer of 2017 marked the return of Warroad, Minnesota’s wildly popular hockey fundraiser — Warroad Celebrity Golf. At its peak during the 1980s, this low-key annual tournament routinely featured a cavalcade of former and current NHLers, Olympic medalists, big name college types, and legendary coaches who, on a hot July day, would trade their hockey sticks for golf clubs in support of youth hockey.

Following a long hiatus, the tourney was suddenly back, inspired by the popularity of a new generation of Hockeytown USA® standouts, including TJ Oshie, Gigi Marvin, and Brock Nelson. To help gain momentum for this massive endeavor, the mostly volunteer planning committee invited Ad Monkeys to its inner circle. Our job: Assist with publicity, encourage early registration, and document the day’s high points which included a free public autograph session with thirty-some hockey celebrities.

Ad Monkeys quickly produced a golfer registration website and a social media campaign that linked to the signup page and blasted the news each time a famous name was added to the celebrity lineup. Our behind-the-scenes work also included negotiating with regional media outlets to tease the upcoming event, coordinating live on-air radio interviews with Celebrity Golf representatives, and directing foot traffic when hockey fans and news cameras poured onto the golf course the morning of the tournament. To everyone’s delight, the day rolled out perfectly as whispers of a repeat for next year began to circulate. Featured here are some of our favorite shots from 2017 and 2018. Enjoy!