All We Want for our Birthday is a Cleaner Fargo

Today’s HPR carries a half-page ad announcing a Downtown Clean-up Event slated for Tuesday, June 30. We are thrilled this is happening. What began in an HPR editorial May 7, “Cleaner, Greener Fargo,”  has blossomed into a really exciting community event. We hope you’ll be part of it.

Norm Robinson of Advertising Marketing and head of the Downtown Neighborhood Association whole-heartedly embraced the concept of a clean-up. His group of folks who live downtown did the gum-out project last year, removing countless gobs of bubble gum off sidewalks. When he contacted HPR offering his assistance, we knew this idea could in fact become reality. After an initial brainstorm session, the date was set and Norm was off and running.

Norm and the DNA then joined forces with Dave Anderson and the Downtown Community Partnership (DCP). They have breathed new life into the concept. What was a mere concept has evolved into an actual event. Downtown Dave and Norm took the clean-up notion up several notches.

One of the first responses to HPR’s editorial came from Fargo glassblower artist Jon Offutt. “You pick the day and I (with some help from my friends) will clean the front and back of the 500 block of Broadway!” Offutt told HPR.

Thanks, Jon. The date is now set: June 30, from 5:30 p.m. until dark. “The Great Downtown Cleanup.”

It is conceivable local businesses could get involved in many ways with the downtown clean-up event. They could organize teams to do their own blocks, or they could provide prizes and food and tangible ways to thank the volunteers rolling up their sleeves to help clean things up downtown. Others could even adopt a block like Offutt and the Upfront Gallery artists will be doing.

While the original idea was for a Clean-A-Thon, which would raise money for something like public art, we look at the June 30 Ceanup as somewhat of a trial balloon. Down the road we can add lots to this effort in many ways, but this year it seemed more important to simply give it a try and get started.

Primary sponsors are HPR, DNA, DCP and AM1100 The Flag. The ad is on the back page of this week’s Reader. Pass the word and get ready to have fun sprucing up our downtown we all love so much. We are counting on a good turnout and hope you will show up for The Great Downtown Cleanup, a great and brand spanking new community event.

HPR Birthday Plans

While it seems a long ways down the road, before we know it we’ll be all abuzz about HPR’s 15th birthday celebration set for Friday, Sept. 18. With the help of key promoters the HPR routinely works with, we’ve partnered with Jade Nielsen of Jade Presents and Chris Hennen of DM Cooperative to include great music in HPR’s big birthday celebration. Jade Presents will feature Ani DiFranco live Sept. 18 at the Fargo Theatre. DM Cooperative has arranged for Jeremy Messersmith and his Band to be part of the HPR birthday part later that night at the Aquarium above Dempsey’s.

HPR’s 15th shindig starts at the Plains Art Museum, going then to the Fargo Theatre, and then to the Aquarium. so it will be three great venues with an incredible lineup of talent. You can find info on the Ani Difranco show in the Jade Presents ad on the back page in today’s Reader. We suggest you get your tickets early. They go on sale June 5.

Getting to 15 years is a huge accomplishment and one we look forward to celebrating. HPR has quite a huge extended family and our community of readers numbers in the thousands. The Sept. 18 event will be a combined HPR reunion and birthday bash. Set the date aside.

June Birthdays

Happy June birthdays to the following: Nancy Jordheim, Adam Miller, Karen Stoker, Glora Halliday, Kathryn Helgaas, Steve Tschida, Donny Renner, Marcia Stout, Teressa Tilock, Beth Powers, Johnny Miles, James Sergeant, Dan Fremling, Terry Johnson, Laurie McMerty, Warren Weise, Lori Twilight Jetter, Reid Conlon, Dawn Keeley, Elizabeth Goff, Denise Kolpack, Lauran Schwartz, Nicci Deconcini, Kathryn Dean, J. Earl Miller, Alexis Scholmeyer, Jerry Staton, Joe Ertelt, Evan Barnett, Aaron Peterson, Austin Roley, Jake Norris and Rob Morast.