February 23rd, 2026
By Michael M. Miller
Rev. Salomon Joachim, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, Beulah, North Dakota., delivered an address to the Western Conference of the Dakota District of the American Lutheran Church in 1939. His presentation was called: “Toward an Understanding of the Russia Germans.”
Rev. Joachim pointed to the results of the United States Census of 1930. At that time, 103,532 Russian Germans lived in the country.
“The Russia German element is with us to stay,” he said.…
February 16th, 2026
February 28, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
March 1, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
1883 Stutsman County Courthouse State Historic Site
504 3rd Ave. S.E., Jamestown, ND
The 1883 Stutsman County Courthouse and the 164th Infantry Remembrance Association are joining forces to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the regiment’s participation in WWII. Re-enactors and historians will provide interactive experiences, adding to the ambience of the historic courthouse. Programming will center on military life, the sacrifices made…
February 13th, 2026
By Winona LaDuke
Napoleon LaDuke was my great uncle. I’ve always had a liking for that name. My great uncle was a brown man from the Northwoods who was in World War I and came back “shell shocked.” He wasn’t even a citizen of the U.S. at the time but nevertheless — like many Native people — went across the big water to combat fascism and more. Today, he is buried in a pauper’s grave at the former Fergus Falls mental hospital.
History teaches us if we pay attention. Napoleon…
January 15th, 2026
By Kooper Shagena
Just off of I-94 and Highway 83 on State Street in Bismarck, an abandoned Kmart sits behind an empty parking lot, watching the cars roll on and off the interstate exchange. It has been standing there quietly since it closed down in 2020, after providing the Bismarck area with 50 years of Christmas shopping and grocery runs. Then one day in 2023, it began to snow inside the old department store.
Canticle Productions, founded by Daniel Bielinski, the Chair of Dramatic…
January 15th, 2026
By Michael M. Miller
This month we join our colleagues in celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Glückstal Colonies Research Association (GCRA). It was founded in January 1986 by Margaret Freeman and Carolyn Wheeler, aided in consultation with Arthur Flegel and Gwen Pritzkau.
The purpose of the GCRA is two-fold. The first goal is to coordinate the efforts of individuals researching descendants of the Glückstal district colonies. The second goal is to locate, gather, organize and…
December 18th, 2025
By Michael Miller
As the holiday season approaches, I extend Yuletide Best Wishes and a special “Weihnachten” greeting to you and your family. I would like to share with you Christmas memories from our Germans from Russia community. Please email me your Christmas memories at michael.miller@ndsu.edu.
Fargo resident Sister Collette Werlinger, born in 1931 on a farm near Napoleon, North Dakota, writes, “I fondly remember Santa coming, but never before dark, the cows were milked, and…
October 20th, 2025
By Michael M. Miller
I would like to recognize some of the scholarly Germans from Russia from Canada and USA shared on the GRHC website. There are additional names not included here. If you have suggestions of other names, please contact me.
Monsignor George Aberle (1891-1981), Hague, North Dakota, was born in the Catholic Kutschurgan District villages (today near Odesa, Ukraine). He authored “Pioneers and Their Sons: One Hundred Sixty-Five Family Stories and…
October 15th, 2025
By Kooper Shagena
One night, Jane Linde Capistran, associate conductor of the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra, sat and drank wine with her friends: “Jennifer Tackling, the associate concertmaster, and Elise Buffett Nelson, who’s the principal cellist,” she recalls. “We thought, ‘It would be fun if the symphony could do a Halloween program to engage with the community.’”
They had done a Halloween show in the previous year with just the quartet,…
September 16th, 2025
By Michael M. Miller
The Northwest Blade, from Eureka, South Dakota, published a wonderful story in August 2020. It’s called “Granddaughter keeps Grandmother’s precious chamomile seeds,” by Cindy Schumacher. Cindy wrote about the experiences of Judy Hooff. Judy grew up in Eureka, founded in 1887, once called the “Breadbasket of the World” for its many wheat elevators and the trains that transported the grain to the rest of the country.
When she was a…
July 29th, 2025
By Alicia Underlee Nelson
FM Pride Week returns to the Fargo-Moorhead metro August 3-10. A snapshot of events are listed below. Discover event descriptions and locations as well as volunteer opportunities online at fmpride.com/event/fargo-moorhead-pride.
Sunday, August 3
Theater B, Stage Reading: "I Never Asked for a Gofundme"
Volunteer Kick-off Party
Family Movie Night
Monday, August 4
Family Skate Night
Tuesday, August 5
Celebrating Togetherness
Rainbow Kitten Surprise…
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By Bryce Vincent Haugen By his own account, Edwin Chinchilla is lucky to still be in the United States. As a 12-year-old Salvadoran, he and his brother were packed into a semi with a couple dozen other people and given fake…
By Michael M. Miller Rev. Salomon Joachim, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, Beulah, North Dakota., delivered an address to the Western Conference of the Dakota District of the American Lutheran Church in 1939. His presentation was…
February 21, 6-8 p.m.Turtle River State Park, Arvilla, NDEnjoy a self-guided hike in the picturesque woods of Turtle River State Park. The trails will be lit with luminary candles. After the hike, warm those bones by the fire at…
By Sabrina HornungThe quote, "The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command” from George Orwell’s iconic novel “1984” has come up in conversation more times than…
By Ed Raymond‘Dakota Attitude’ should be read by all North Dakota studentsI have been meaning to write about this book by James Puppe for several years, but the world has been in such a mess I thought I should write about …
By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…
Friday, March 13, 4-10 p.m.Brewhalla, Fargo, 1702 1st Ave. N., FargoPolish up those dancing shoes and come hungry for this ticketed event you won’t want to miss. Expect unlimited samples paired with wine and beer from 20+…
Saturday, March 7, 7:30 p.m.Fargo Theatre, 314 N. BroadwayFM Opera’s Artistic Director and tenor Joshua Kohl will be sharing the stage with internationally-renowned tenors Anthony Ciaramitaro and Luke Norvell to perform a variety…
By Greg Carlson The great documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras had to work diligently to convince Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh to be the subject of one of her films. Most accounts and reviews of “Cover-Up,”…
Saturday, March 7, 4-8 p.m.Swing Barrel Brewing, 814 Central Ave., MoorheadEmpty Bowls is a nationwide, grassroots, artist-led movement to support hunger related organizations in their communities. On March 7, prepare to fill your…
Saturday, January 31, 6:30-9 p.m.Transfiguration Fitness, 764 34th St. N., Unit P, FargoAn enchanting evening celebrating movement and creativity in a staff-student showcase. This is a family-friendly event showcasing pole, aerial…
By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…
By Ellie Liverani In January 2026, the 2026-2030 dietary guidelines for Americans were released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. They are supposed to be revolutionary and a “reset” from the previous ones.…
January 31, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.Viking Ship Park, 202 1st Ave. N., Moorhead2026 marks 10 years of frosty fun! Enjoy sauna sessions with Log the Sauna, try Snowga (yoga in the snow), take a guided snowshoe nature hike, listen to live…
By Vern Thompson Benjamin Franklin offered one of the most sobering warnings in American history. When asked what kind of government the framers had created in 1787, he replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.” Few words…
