McKenzie County ND

Meet the Candidates Forums have been scheduled for Thurs., Sept. 18 in Alexander City Hall at 6:00 p.m. and Thurs., Oct. 16 in Watford City Civic Center at 6 p.m.

Each forum begins formally at 6:30 p.m., following coffee and light goodies served by area’s respective American Legion auxiliaries. The panel consists of incumbent county commissioners Dale Patten, Ron Anderson and Richard Cayko and challenger Michon Sax.

Sponsors of the events is a partnership of Watford City Community Coalition with local American Legion auxiliaries.

Do you want to stay close to home and beat the high gas prices but also enjoy a quality vacation? Do you want to learn about the historical and cultural gems that are in our own region? Well, you are in luck!

Museums of the Mondak region of western North Dakota and eastern Montana have collaborated to bring you the Mondak Region Historical and Cultural Passport. This special Passport points the way to the special historical and cultural sites within this historically and culturally rich area. For over 10,000 years, from the earliest American Indians to the latest immigrants, a unique history and culture has blossomed in this beautiful region. To help you better enjoy and learn about this unique Mondak Region, the region’s historic and cultural sites have collaborated to bring you this special Passport. The Passport is designed to deliver you to a number of key locations in the region and make you aware of the riches that surround you.

So what is so special about this Passport?

The free passport is available at seven participating museums and cultural centers in the Mondak Region. These seven sites are:

Fort Buford State Historic Site and the Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center (Williston, ND)

Mondak Heritage Center (Sidney, MT)

James Memorial Art Center (Williston, ND)

The Long X Trading Post and Visitor Center and the Pioneer Museum of McKenzie County (Watford City, ND)

Glendive Frontier Gateway Museum (Glendive, MT)

Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site (Williston, ND)

Lewis and Clark Trail Museum (Alexander, ND)

Visit any of these sites to pick up your free passport. Once you have your passport in hand, simply bring the Passport to each of the six remaining sites. After touring each site, request the site to stamp your Passport.

You have until December 31, 2008 to visit each of the seven sites and have your Passport stamped. If you complete the Passport (by having each of the seven sites stamp your Passport) you will be entered into a drawing for one of seven gifts (valued at $20-30, these gifts are donated by each of the seven sites).

So, not only do you get to visit seven unique and interesting historic and cultural sites in the Mondak Region but you also get the opportunity to become eligible to win a wonderful gift from one of the seven museums. And, you get to do all of this while staying in and learning about your own backyard.

If you have questions, or would like additional information, call Fort Buford State Historic Site Supervisor Mark Sundlov at (701) 572-9034.

The final celebration for completing the Horizons Poverty Study Project was held at the RamKota in Bismarck on July 9, 2008. Attending from McKenzie County were Marcia Hellandsaas, Dale Swenson, and Dorothy Reil.

I liked Anita Rohde’s comment that the length of this program is about equal to the gestation period of an elephant. I would like to add that Mom Elephant’s milk nourishes the calf for 3 to 4 years. That means our work has just begun and we have four more years to devote to the nourishment of our goals. Change may not happen overnight, but it will happen.

Nolan Swenson, who will be a Senior at Watford City High School, organized a revitalization of a tall playhouse in Arnegard’s park, one in which he used to play. For the Eagle Scout honor, he has put materials, supplies, tools and local carpentry talent together to remake the structure, in addition to staining it a dark brown, inside and out.

The “small fry” of Independence Day play found the restored playhouse in the trees plagued by chalk graffiti and set to work scrubbing the writing off the dark boards.

“We want the playhouse to look nice and not be all marked up,” said one young boy with a wet eraser in his hand.

Nolan is pictured near the doorway of the plain board building standing high on six or seven foot footings.

Children played and Nolan smiled. More play was to be had on the large air-filled “inflatable games” just across the roped-off street.

Arnegard Boosters threw another marvelous party for the 4th of July Celebration. The parade was lead by Old Glory in the care of Watford City’s American Legion Color Guard. Remarkable in length, with horses, cars and fire trucks, its end meant the beginning of the dinner line. The plate of baked beans and tender roast beef was served by the Arnegard Lions and the ice cream dessert cups came from the McKenzie County Bank in Watford City.

The Family that provided the beef for the meal presented song and history of the Oluf and Annie Hovde family, whose homestead celebrates its centennial this year in the early afternoon. All veterans were honored near the dedicated memorial under the flag prior to the program.

Games continued for the children all afternoon, while adults visited in the picnic shelters, enjoying music provided first by Ordean Tweden and his wife, then by Jeff Nelson. Suppertime found the Lions serving up their usual Friday evening ‘Burgers in the Park’ and the line was long in the 94-degree sun.

Wilmington Lutheran Church’s cool basement provided education and entertainment with a DVD virtual walking tour of Washington, D.C. Newt Gingritch’s record of God in the Founding Father’s manuscripts and nation’s buildings ended at Arlington National Cemetery. Most amazing was the cameo of Martin Luther, whose work made possible the settlement of North America with Protestant Christian ethics.

The fire alarm went off around 9 p.m. and a grass fire on the northeast edge of town was quickly put down by the local fire department.

The Arnegard fireworks started around 10:30 and went on to around midnight, with boom, bang and “ahhhhhes……” Arnegard once again put on a marvelous 4th of July celebration.