McKenzie County ND

Relaxed and candid, Brian Kalk campaigned for the N.D. Public Service Commission before a small crowd in Arnegard’s Old School Bed & Breakfast auditorium (no public address system necessary!)

Experience and education: Kalk considers himself the “perfect fit!” for the office as he performed very similar duties as a U.S. Marine Logistics officer. Retired as a major after 20 years of service that included Desert Storm duty, he uses his doctorate in natural resource management to enhance his professorship at North Dakota State University.

But it is his desire to accelerate economic growth through common sense resource management and development, leading to energy independence that underscores his “perfect fit” campaign motto.

Pictured to the left of Kalk is Cameron Arnegard, who arranged the meeting.

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.

Our bloggers posted many stories in a “Shoot for the Stars” competition and won big! Now who will tend this sweet machine we have as reward?

We bloggers of McKenzie County won the blog incentive and the Dell 1125 multi-purpose black and white laser printer that scan, copies, faxes and prints comes with “choice” of Dell Desktop (slim-line design) dual-core 2.4 GHz processor, Vista, Home Premium, 2 GB memory, 500 GB hard drive, 20-inch widescreen flat panel display

OR

the Dell Laptop-dual-core 1.7 GHz processor, Vista Home Premium, 2GB memory, 250 GB hard drive, wireless, 17-inch wide screen display.

Either machine comes with software to include Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.

By June 25 Dale A. Swenson must fill in these blanks:

1. Community name:_____________________

2. _______Desktop OR ______Laptop

3. Where will it be kept in our community_________________________

Since Wednesday, June 18, I have been around Alexander looking for a Main Street area for the public access computer prize package. After several “No, thank yous, ” tonight, it is Jennifer Morton’s turn to think about providing space and monitoring it in her Country Cafe. I’ll call her Monday morning to see if we can set it up there, and if she will be responsible as the public location that can be monitored during the day-time hours and locked during non-business hours, like the city office or public library. While this prize is free to be used by our citizens, someone must assume the maintenance and liability for any/all of these items that are received.

I have also left a message for Dave Farver, Lions president, requesting assistance with this project. The Alexander Lions know all about Horizons-Leadership to Reduce Poverty in McKenzie County since Tim and I did a presentation to the group in February. See it on this blog posted Feb. 25.

Update June 24:

The Lions said, No.

Dorothy Reil suggested one last try with the local branch bank of First International Bank & Trust. I sent Steve Stenehjem an email message last night.

Update June 25:

At 1 p.m. today I’ll know if the public computer access can reside in the bank at Alexander.

Saturday, May 31st at the Watford City Fishing Pond would have been the place to be with your youngster, grandchild or young friend! The US Forest Service, the City of Watford City and the ND Game and Fish led the charge in sponsoring a Kids Fishing Day at the Watford City Fishing Pond. It was great fun to be had by all with the big catch of the day being a turtle! 122 kids registered for the event plus parents! All kids earned a prize by participation and all involved enjoyed a free lunch thanks to the generous donations.

I am quoting a friend of mine from Fargo who responded to the WC Fishing Day with some great philosophy that I want to pass on: “Fishing has really shaped who I am. Weird to think of it that way, but the millions of hours that I have spent in a boat talking and learning from friends and family while watching the world pass by is priceless. There are so many lessons to be learned by osmosis when you fish. To me it’s a sign that a community cares about its future when they put effort into a park and activity like that, Go Watford!”-Jon Scraper

Sometimes the most simple act of kindness, whether it be in contributions towards an event or actual “time” spent with our youth can have monumental and positive consequences! Keep up the great work and thank you, everyone!

View the linked website to join in with all the smiles!

http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/dakotaprairie/recreation/fishing_derby/08_fishing_derby_files/frame.htm

Journalist Dale had announced in a June 4 blog entry that a training and informational meeting on upcoming Compliance Checks would be held during Chamber Coffee.

An informational session is scheduled in conjunction with Chamber Coffee on June 25 at the Multipurpose Building on the McKenzie County Fairgrounds. Watford City Police Chief Daryl Vance will be explaining the checks of businesses selling tobacco and alcohol.

The coffee will start at the usual time of 10 am.

I’ve received three new resources for our box of resources available at the McKenzie County Library. Check out these:

Impacting Community Vitality: Software for Demonstrating
Economic Impacts of Customers CD
The “How To”: Grants Manual
See Poverty…Be The Difference! Discover Missing Pieces for Helping People Move Out of Poverty Book

Thanks to the Center for Community Vitality with the NDSU Extension Service for purchasing all these wonderful resource materials for us!

We see 5000 “yes” messages everyday and that has a lot to do with why parents today have more difficulty telling their children “no” compared to previous generations, according to Michael Mann of the National Institute on Media and the Family in Minneapolis. Dr. Mann was in Williston on May 6 for the Region 1 Partners in Prevention Conference.

Whether it’s through print, radio, TV, movies or video games, the media is after us making us feel like we need more.

Our kids spend an average of 44.5 hours of their time per week in front of a screen (television, computer, handheld game, etc) compared to 28 hours per week 15 years ago.

Today 25% of our babies under the age of two years have a television in their room and 27% of school aged kids have internet in their bedroom. Our children spend twice this amount of time on the internet and go to more place we don’t want them to go than places we would like them to go.

“Children are bored in the classroom because teachers cannot entertain them like electronic media,” according to Dr. Mann.

Children and youth are growing up in a culture of impatience, a need for instant gratification and unrealistic expectations.

Self-discipline is the single most predictor for success of our children. We need to learn to say “no” to ourselves.

Teachers today spend 75 to 80% of their time and energy managing behavior.

Parents need to step up to the plate!

There are 500,000 predators on the internet at anytime.
The video game industry is bigger than Hollywood. Games with rock stars, Man Hunt, shooting, killing robots are common. Kids learn through observation and imitiation.

Video Game Addiction symptoms:
* Choosing games over most other activities
* Repeatedly breaking family rules about when and how much game playing is allowed
* Throwing temper tantrums when limits are imposed
* Falling asleep in school
* Not keeping up with assignments

Ten Steps to “Say Yes to No.”
1. Read the book–available for sale at:www.mediawise.org and learn to say no.
2. Support, don’t rescue.
3. Encourage, don’t coddle.
4. Get kids what they need not everything they want.
5. Back up teachers and schools.
6. Become a MediaWise Parent by visiting www.mediawise.org
7. Set clear and high expectations.
8. Expect kids to do chores.
9. Set and enforce clear limits and consequences.
10. Expect kids to volunteer and help others.

The Partners in Prevention Conference was sponsored by the Region 1 Prevention Program and Watford City Community Coalition.

Museum Reports Fence Exhibition Huge Success

Please read the attachment for the post report on the Smithsonian Exhibit Bewteen Fences.

Woof! Woof! I’ve recently had the pleasure of attending another giveaway of registered border collie pups to area 4-H’ers. Norstog Border Collies, that is Konrad and Sharon Norstog of Watford City, awarded “Booker” to Haley Brodhead Voll and “Turk” to Thadd Hall. Hayley is the 15 year old daughter of Pam Voll of Watford City and Thadd is the 12 year old son of Todd and Pattie Hall of Killdeer.

Norstogs have awarded six Border Collie pups to 4-H youth in the past four years.

Youth interested in receiving a dog complete an application. Those awarded a pup must actively agree to train and use the pup as a stock dog. These dogs come from a long and impressive line of working Border Collies in Scotland and Wales.

The Norstogs breed, train and show Border Collies at their farm a couple miles south and west of Watford City. They will host the “Best of the Badlands” Dog Trials at their farm May 25 to 28. The trials will include dogs moving sheep around obstacles on command. Sharon says “it’s poetry in action!”

Dog handlers will attend from across the United States and Canada including the states of Washington, Florida, Virginia, Mississippi, New Hampshire and California. About 50 people and over 100 dogs are expected to visit our area for this event.

The public is invited to the “Best of the Badlands.”

A Dog Trial will also be hosted by Norstogs during the McKenzie County Fair on June 26. This will be a timed event in the Rodeo Arena of the McKenzie County Fairgrounds.