McKenzie County ND

North Dakota State University has an excellent program to bring out the Leaders in our great state of North Dakota. These leaders are common folk like you and me, come from all corners, and the ages range from grandparents to the twenty something. Most are interested in moving their communities and organizations into the future.

Rural Leadership North Dakota (RLND) is an intensive 2 year program that is the best investment one can make in themselves.

McKenzie County has the following graduates; Vickie Monson, Arnegard, Renae Johnson, Watford City, are from the class of 2005. Janel Lee, Grassy Butte and Peggy Hellandsaas, Watford City are from the class of 2007. Jan Dodge, Watford City is in the current class scheduled to graduate in 2009. 

Each student is required to choose a project that will better the community in which they live.

 For more information on RLND go to the following link www.ag.ndsu.edu/rlnd/

Bouyed by their success last year (they were the “People’s Choice” winners) at the “Soup Cook Off,” the residents of Horizons Assisted Living–part of the McKenzie County Healthcare System–went all out at this year’s second annual event.

Having cooked up a an aromatic and delicious pot of Chicken Corn Chowder, these hard-working participants came prepared. They were costumed–portraying ingredients from their chowder and its preparer. Their serving station well decorated and signed–complete with pot above a roaring fire.

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Doris Olson costumed as an “ear of corn” awaits her turn at the pot.

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Certainly some of the most entertaining folks of the evening, they were “shut out” from the winner’s circle. I guess the competition had really “heated up” after last year’s event. After all there were “wise guys” and “Poly and the Esters” and other hot items.

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Their fire blazed, their pot was hot, but so was the competition.

While one crew served up steaming portions of their Chowder, the ingredients wandered about engaging the crowd of about two hundred “soup-er” consumers milling around in the Veterans’ Memorial Building.

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The cook exhorts the crowd to “come and take a taste!”

They may not have won big but those Horizons’ residents joined with the rest of the soup-making crew and and soup-consuming community in order to a “pot” of fun and support the Relay for Life efforts as well.

What a great community!

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Mabel Norgard poses with “yours truly” as one hen who escaped the pot.

Some say work’s hard to find. Others say it’s there just waiting to be found.

Check out these links for job possibilities.

First International Bank

McKenzie County

A listing of businesses that serve the basin: Oil Patch Services Directory

Job Service North Dakota

Here’s a man who “got it from his kids.”

I conversed with David Drovdal of Arnegard, asking him what he’s doing now that he’s retired from city work at Arnegard. He replied that he’d “gone into the tax business.”

As our conversation progressed, this ND State Legislator from the District composed of McKenzie County and others conveyed how his desire to “try something new” led him to “study up” in order to take and pass the IRS exam to be a tax preparer. Once he had done that, he got to counting up all the family members who do taxes included his son in Fargo. Says Drovdal, “It runs in the family.”

His employer, Liberty Tax Service, one possible reason for his outlandish red, white and blue patriotic scarf, sends him to the Four Bears area of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation.

Now this legislator gets to see “taxes” from all three angles: enacting them into law, paying them as a citizen, and preparing tax returns for others.

Thanks to the 2nd Annual Homemade Soup Cook Off for providing a venue for interesting conversations!

Grandmother’s Cupboard and what it may conjure up in your mind and what is reminiscent of times gone by might very well be what is recreated in the Pioneer Museum with their very own Grandmother’s Cupboard and Book Corner Gift Shop. As we ponder what may have been stocked within our own grandmother’s or great grandmother’s cupboard we remember it always being something good to eat or a fragrance of fresh bread that tickled our senses.

The Pioneer Museum of McKenzie County has stocked their Grandmother’s Cupboard with many items created by the industrious people of North Dakota through the Pride of Dakota program. The museum helps promote locally and statewide produced products of North Dakotans whether it be jellies, jams, bread mixes, soup starters, lotions, wood carving, painting or needlework. Also, there are many good book reads you can purchase at their Book Corner. Many of these books are written biographies of colorful local individuals, poetry or historical accounts of the settling of North Dakota plus good informational and current reading about the area.

Pride of Dakota is a program filled with opportunities and benefits for companies and people that produce, process or manufacture a final product in North Dakota. Education plays a strong role in the Pride of Dakota program. During the year, they sponsor seminars and classes on a wide range of marketing topics, such as advertising, packaging, trademarks and logos, patents and labeling, as well as Internet marketing. Pride of Dakota was officially launched in 1985 with about 20 companies as members. Today more than 400 member companies ranging in size from large companies with more than 100 employees to “mom-and-pop” operations, participate in the program. Members include food companies, manufacturers, publishers, artisans, gift manufacturers and service providers. There are also associate members, commodity groups, government agencies, educational institutions, and retailers such as the Pioneer Museum of McKenzie County that support the program. You may read more about the possibilities of this great North Dakota program at http://www.prideofdakota.nd.gov.

The day’s thermometer had marked 20 below zero but inspite of the cold, about 200 people were ready to eat soup to their satisfaction! Choices came as Reuben, Chicken corn chowder, Beef Bulalo soup, Bean, Wisconsin Cheese, Minestrone, Homemade Chicken Noodle and more, more, and more! Even Chick pea and Potato soup, from an original recipe, were served with homemade bread from home grown and ground grains. (See photo of Lael and Don Reed of rural Alexander holding buns and pitchfork, respectively.)

“This is a great turn-out,” smiled Merle Daley of Watford City, as she assisted her husband, Floyd by fetching him another soup sample.

The Second Annual Relay for Life Homemade Soup Cook-Off, sponsored by McKenzie County Healthcare Systems, attracted a warm-hearted and more numerous crowd than last year into the gymnasium of the Veterans Memorial Building Jan. 30, 2008.

Soup’s On winners were determined as follows:

All 16 booths had themes around their choice of soup to serve and some surprising costuming. One booth served two soups.

Three booths were selling items as their fund-raising effort, and among them was the eternal favorite, the Cake Walk. Refer to photo of Suzie Lundin, the last winner who happened to get the tray-sized cookie prize.

The seventh graders were ‘Eating up Cancer one bite at a time,’ and selling chocolate candies in support of their classmate, Reese Frick, who is an old hand at winning the battle against childhood cancer. (See classmates in orange t-shirts.)

Team Keene was there selling the pink ribbon ‘dog tags’ and magnetic car/fridge ribbons. Each purchase came with the option of decorating a commemorative bag to be displayed at a later Relay for Life event.

Malts were served up by the Soupranos, dressed like the Sopranos ‘Wise Guys’ of TV acclaim. But these ‘tough guy’ women turned their cheek to the splashes of malt while their white shirts caught splatters of dark chocolate.

As brave Soupranos faced down duals with chocolate, Ginny’s Restaurant was ‘Lookin Out Back for a Cancer Cure’ with lanterns, outhouse decorations and good ol’ fashioned Bean Soup. See below.

These fund-raisers encourage anyone and everyone to team up to fight Cancer and they do a variety of fund-raisers throughout the winter and spring.

The American Cancer Association’s Relay for Life provided the opportunity for 16 different organizations and individuals to come together as voluntary teams under their own form of structure and raise money as they wish in order to help with research as the battles against the ravages of Cancer continue. The Rugged West Relay for Life, which has a committee that guides the framework of the teams and plans the ultimate summer celebration for everyone, not just the fund-raisers, county-wide, will mark the end of the fund-raising efforts in June with an overnight celebration. But in the meantime, watch for more Relay for Life events across the county.

Daniel R. Kelly, CEO of McKenzie County Healthcare Systems, Inc. engaged two annual meeting assemblies Sunday, Jan. 20, 2008 in Alexander and Arnegard.

Kelly ended his short and sweet presentation with a list of three things we can do to assist the healthcare systems centered in Watford City.

“I ask that you continue to support the system through your election of delegates (from the member churches), that you support our fund-raising efforts and you use the system for your health care needs,” concluded Kelly, who has administrated facilities ranging in size from 67 beds to 230 beds, and worked under both profit and nonprofit systems. The CEO was born and reared in Iowa and moved here from South Kent, Conn.

“The McKenzie County Healthcare System contributes significantly to the overall stability and viability of the county and has a positive impact relating to financial, employment and patient care indicators,” adds Kelly, who is pursuing his doctorate in healthcare administration through the University of Phoenix. The economic impact is listed as $13,453,254 as the system employs 156 individuals.

Mr. Kelly shared his personal aspirations for the organization.

“I want to implement annual salary increases, improve wages and benefits, give heightened focus toward providing high-quality care and increase the types of outpatient programs we offer, especially (in) surgery,” Kelly says.

The healthcare system emerged following a vote for structural change at an annual meeting several years ago, allowing the merger of the Good Shepherd Home, a Lutheran-owned facility, to the McKenzie County Memorial Hospital, Clinic and Healthy Hearts Wellness Center.

Mr. Kelly is available for group presentations. Call him at 842-3000.

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Annie’s Project kicked off in Watford City last week (January 22). This is a six-week financial management course for farm/ranch women. There are 11 women from six communities in our county coming to this course (including those communities enrolled in Horizons.)

Annie’s will empower these ladies to be better business partners and professionals in the agriculture community. The program emphasizes management and decision-making and will help them find new ways to balance family and community.

“I want to learn more about marketing crops and livestock and to be more familar with financial statements,” says participant Patti Hovde of Alexander. She’s excited to share ideas and meet new women. Patti believes that communication is key to success!

McKenzie County’s Steering Committee voted to co-partner with the Community Coalition in the March 31 townhall meeting when they met Jan. 24, 2008.

Consideration was given to spending a healthy portion of the $4,000 which have been accumulated by the local Horizon’s group within the framework of the Horizon’s anti-poverty, pro-leadership development program carried on from Alexander, through Arnegard and Watford City, and into Keene. The additional funding from the $4,000 will help with the expenses of the community lasagne supper, arranging for child care expenses, publicity and printing costs.

Several of the organization’s strategies will be addressed in this town hall meeting: Teach life skills, Good police intervention is followed up with quality services to curtail the drug problem, Goal 3, which is to establish sufficient services for health, housing, transportation and job opportunities, and Goal 4, which is to establish quality intergenerational leadership opportunities to enhance the quality of life in our community.

The life skill of making good choices will be revealed during the meeting as one by one the panel members present their version of dealing with the problem of underage drinking, drug use and smoking. Good police intervention and quality services will be part of the panel discussion as presented by a member of the local police department and county social services. The county health nurse will inform us about services (Goal 3) and mentoring practices will become apparent as topics touch on Goal 4, the quality intergeneration leadership opportunities.

“The community has the opportunity to form new partnerships in order to advance the cause of ‘Mapping success for our children’ during this town hall meeting and afterward,” says Dale A. Swenson, steering committee member and member of the county coalition. “Poverty can be avoided and reduced by avoiding criminal behaviors and making good choices with regard to alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs.”