SPIRIT LAKE — If anyone asks Mike and Peggy Cutler why they're so dedicated to Timberlake High School, their response is unwavering: "It's about the kids."

"It's fun," Peggy Cutler said Tuesday, wearing a Timberlake T-shirt beneath an apron bearing the school's Tiger mascot.

Kernels burst in a popcorn machine and filled the concession building with that familiar buttery aroma as Peggy prepared goodies for varsity baseball and softball games that would be played later that day.

Peggy hasn't missed a single outside event since the school opened in 1998, always working the concession stand and selling bites and beverages at affordable prices. She buys and stocks the inventory and gives all the proceeds back to the school, and keeps the concession stand clean and organized.

"People ask, 'Why are you still here?'" Peggy said. "I enjoy all the people here, and we've gotten to know so many people being involved in this and made lifelong friends.

"But it's still the kids. It's all about the kids."

The Cutlers, of Athol, love a busy sports day, when students and families can be found across the ball fields and the laughter and noise of student teams and cheering fans are heard throughout the school grounds.

Back in 1987, long before Timberlake opened, the Cutlers started volunteering at Athol Elementary School when their son, Mikie, was a student. Mike helped redo the playground in 1991, then later helped install a new playground. Peggy always made chili for the Little League players.

“Anything that needed done, we jumped in and did,” Peggy said.

When Timberlake opened its doors, it inherited two sets of helping hands. In 28 years, Principal Ryne Eberline estimated the Cutlers have volunteered at least 7,000 hours, not including projects that require heavy machinery such as installing flagpoles and scoreboards or digging up time capsules.

"When I ask Peggy and Mike for help, they say they will do anything for the kids," Eberline said. "From junior cheer programs, Junior Tackle, Little League to extracurricular activities at the high school, the Cutlers have helped thousands of people."

They were also some of the first to organize the Timberlake Booster Club, of which Kevin Miller is president.

“He called me in ’97 and said, ‘We need to start a booster club, will Mike be vice president?’” Peggy said. “I said, ‘Sure.’"

The Cutlers have been married for 50 years. They own Cutler Logging in Athol, which gives them flexibility with their schedule and access to equipment. They are not retired, but the company has grown smaller.

"We don’t have any more employees," Mike said. "We’re down to myself, my son and our two grandsons when they’re not in school."

Their son graduated in 2000; that's when Peggy first started matting and framing the senior pictures that hang in the hallways.

Everyone in the Timberlake community knows the Cutlers. Eberline fondly calls Peggy "Peg" and honored her and Mike by adding their name to a scoreboard to recognize their years of service.

"That was a surprise," Peggy said with a laugh.

Mike and Peggy even have their own special "Cutler Burger" that students and visitors order when the concession stand is open. Their son has followed in their footsteps and can often be found helping out his alma mater as well.

From burgers and beverages to scoreboards and soil, the Cutlers' compassionate fingerprints can be found across the Timberlake campus. Their grandsons are now students — one is in eighth grade, one is a Timberlake sophomore — but even after they've graduated, the Cutlers will undoubtedly continue to serve the students and their community as they have for nearly three decades.

"We're Timberlake through and through," Peggy said.

    Mike and Peggy Cutler serve up "Cutler Burgers" at a recent cheer competition for Regions 1 and 2 at Timberlake High School. The Cutlers are a well-known part of the Timberlake family, always lending a hand to volunteer where needed. Peggy hasn't missed one outside event since the school opened in 1998.
  

    Mike Cutler of Athol carries wood trim Tuesday while helping out at Timberlake High School in Spirit Lake.
  

    Peggy Cutler is seen among the sodas and snacks Tuesday in the Timberlake High School concession stand.
  

    Principal Ryne Eberline gives Peggy Cutler a big hug Tuesday at Timberlake High School. Peggy and her husband, Mike, left, have been dedicated volunteers since the school opened.