Fargo Moorhead Should Be Abbreviated as Far More

By Lauri Winterfeldt
Contributing Writer

I love this place.  I grew up in a smaller town about an hour away, so Fargo-Moorhead used to have a mystique for my friends and me. My family would plan visits to the big city weeks ahead of time, and my plans would be filled with visions of the latest fashions to be found in the stores, or the movies I’d see in a theater that had more than one screen. Now, having lived here for more than 30 years, Fargo-Moorhead is just my home. So sometimes I take this place for granted. That’s wrong. This is a rare and beautiful community that should make other places green with envy.

What gives me such an appreciation for my adopted community? My experiences on a recent Saturday evening out with friends illustrated it so well.
Four of us decided to attend the Great Crow Show at the Spirit Room in downtown Fargo. We found a free place to park within a reasonable two blocks of our destination. We walked on well-lit, safe sidewalks. When we arrived, the venue was full of people of all ages with similar interests. The energy was contagious. We looked at magnificent works produced by local artists, enjoyed locally prepared treats, and watched dancers, poets and musicians perform. The cost for this heady combination? Whatever you cared to donate.

Of course there were other options for a great evening in the Downtown area. Elsewhere in Fargo, we could have enjoyed the Roller Derby. These new, red-hot events have consistently sold out. The energy, enthusiasm and fun factor generated by the young athletes who compete is another indication of the diversity and wealth of this community. Elsewhere, the Fargo Theatre was hosting their annual film festival. No one has an excuse for boredom here.

After a few hours of the arts, my friends and I made our way to Teaberry, a cute little shop that produces a variety of smoothies, teas and coffees. For the price of a beverage, we sat at a table for awhile as we talked, laughed and marveled at the exceptionally well-behaved teenagers playing board games and cards at the tables nearby. We picked up a copy of the High Plains Reader and commented on the quality of a free, locally produced paper, developed and written by people we knew.

On the way back to our homes in Moorhead, we passed the downtown Dairy Queen, which recently opened for the season. Say what you will about robins, for me, the surest sign that warmer days are ahead is the lines of people around the downtown landmark. In other communities, people might get a little nasty standing outside in 37 degree weather. Not in our town. Everyone waiting is visiting with everyone else, sharing their hopes that the warmer days and cold nights will continue and help keep the flood waters at bay.

As we drove, we talked about the Women’s Perspective events planned for the next day at the Hjemkomst Center. More art, more culture, more socializing was less than 24 hours away.

I’m glad I was with friends who all noticed the qualities that make this place so special. It’s easy to overlook the good stuff. Too often, it’s tempting to focus on the negative and complain about our home town. Yes, we have floods and potholes in the spring, mosquitoes and heat in the summer, autumns that are too short, winters that are too long and trains that go on forever.

But I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. And on that recent Saturday night I again remembered why. We still have the great shopping and access to multi-screen cinemas that I recall from my visits as a child. What I didn’t appreciate until I lived here was the abundant art and culture, respectful young people, reasonable traffic patterns, minimal fear of crime, and time well spent with fellow residents who are intelligent, interesting and full of good will. I love this place.

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