September 19th, 2024
By Michael M. Miller
I was pleased to visit with many colleagues and at the Germans from Russia Heritage Society Convention in Mandan in July, and at the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia Convention in Oklahoma City in August. There were many excellent workshops, displays, and presentations.
In July, Leo Rung of Munich, Germany, visited the Germans from Russia Heritage Collection to research his Hopfauf family that settled near Fallon/Flasher,…
August 15th, 2024
By Michael Miller
As I reflect back on July, I want to share a USA Today article from July 3, 1986, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty. It has been 138 years since 1886 when immigrants, including the Germans from Russia, arrived at Ellis Island, New York. Allan Neuharth, a native of Eureka, South Dakota., was the founder of USA Today. His ancestors emigrated from the Glueckstal District villages in South Russia to South Dakota, in the…
August 15th, 2024
America’s first extreme sport live at Chippewa Downs
By Sabrina Hornung
Indian relay races have often been referred to as America’s first extreme sport. On the weekend of September 7 and 8, the relays are coming to Chippewa Downs in Belcourt, North Dakota, one of the two remaining horse tracks in North Dakota.
Though this is definitely not your standard horse race, the feats of horsemanship and athleticism is an artform in itself. It’s all done bareback —meaning no…
August 15th, 2024
The nights are getting cooler, the days are slowly shortening and school supplies and Halloween goodies are already on the shelves. Fall is coming — and it looks like fun.
Celebrate the season with harvest festivals, pumpkin patches, Oktoberfests, haunted houses, corn mazes, spooky bar crawls and paranormal events across North Dakota and western Minnesota. (Don’t worry, there are lots of non-haunted happenings, plays, concerts and vendor shows, too.)
Dakota Nights Astronomy…
July 18th, 2024
The life of a jockey straight from the horse's mouth
By Sabrina Hornung
For George Pineda, jockeying is a family tradition. But that legacy includes loss.
“My uncles, Alvaro and Robert Pineda — one got killed in a starting gate, the other one in Pimlico,” says Pineda. “They were the catalyst for all this.”
Originally from California, Pineda now hangs his hat in Florida. But he travels cross country to wherever the tracks take him. This July, Pineda (along with a…
July 18th, 2024
Deuce of August festival celebrates 125 years and many more
By Sabrina Hornung
According to the 2022 census, the population of Mountain, North Dakota is around 70, give or take a few. But this small, largely Icelandic community packs a mighty punch, drawing thousands during the annual Deuce of August festival, which is held August 1-4 this year.
What’s so special about “The Deuce,” one may ask?
It is the longest running ethnic festival in North Dakota (2024 is its…
July 8th, 2024
Homesteading stories shared by late local historian
By Michael M. Miller
The 53rd Germans from Russia Heritage Society Convention convenes July 17-20 at the Baymont Hotel in Mandan, North Dakota. For further information, contact GRHS at www.grhs.org.
The Germans from Russia Heritage Society Convention provides a chance to connect with others who are passionate about this group’s unique culture, art, and history. One such individual is historian and author Leona…
May 16th, 2024
Need more events? Check out our July 2024 and August 2024 calendars. (They're cleverly split up to save you some scrolling.)
Spring Crows
Now - June 28, Spirit Room, Fargo
Forty artists display works centered around a crow theme. Opening reception on May 17.
Women of the West Art Show
Now - June 29, Long X Arts Foundation Gallery, Watford City
Amanda Heimbuch's mixed media art is inspired by western women.
April 18th, 2024
By Michael M. Miller
On March 11, 2024, we celebrated the 121st birthday of bandleader Lawrence Welk. He was born March 11, 1903 in a sod house near Strasburg, North Dakota, and died on May 17,1992. The Lawrence Welk Collection was donated to the North Dakota State University Archives in Fargo.
In May 1994, I interviewed Fern (Renner) Welk, wife of Lawrence Welk, during the grand opening of the Lawrence Welk Champagne Theater in Branson, Missouri. Included in this…
April 18th, 2024
By Michael M. Miller
Nancy Martin and Connie Ulasewicz co-authored the article, “Ach, Gott, yes, I wish I was back in Russia: Heimat in the Dress of North Dakota’s Black Sea Germans.” It was published in the Journal of the Costume Society of America, Volume 46, 2020. Martin did extensive German-Russian textile and clothing research at the McIntosh County Heritage Center in Ashley, North Dakota, the State Historical Society of North Dakota in Bismarck and…
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By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comDairy Queen restaurants across the country will raise funds for Children’s Miracle Network hospitals during Miracle Treat Day on Thursday, July 31. At least one dollar from every Blizzard…
By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comFM 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…
August 28, 6-8 p.m.Plains Art Museum, 704 1st Ave. N., Fargo See this major exhibition firsthand and hear about Rimer Cardillo’s work from the artist himself at 7 p.m. Cardillo is an internationally renowned multidisciplinary…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com I’m going to go ahead and say it. I have trust issues with a lot of things and artificial intelligence (AI) is one of them. Yes, it’s a tool that can sit shotgun and make your everyday tasks…
By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comTrump: the new man for all seasonsFive hundred years ago, Lord Chancellor Sir Thomas More of England refused to write a letter to Pope Clement VII of the Roman Catholic Church asking that he annul…
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…
By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com There seems to be a renaissance in Italian restaurants in the Fargo-Moorhead metro area. It’s a welcome change from just sporting an Olive Garden as a lone option. No offense to Marilyn Hagerty’s…
By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.com Bluegrass is a genre of music that is often associated with the American South. Many people would express incredulity at being told there is a thriving bluegrass and folk music community…
By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com There are so many memorable moments in the short life of musician Jeff Buckley that filmmaker Amy J. Berg could easily have gotten lost in an endless highlight reel. The veteran documentarian,…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com 2025 marks three years of the Annual Vergas Area Backroads Art Crawl. The art crawl is sponsored by the Vergas Arts Club. The Arts Club also happens to be part of the Vegas Community Club and both…
Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comPenn & Teller are returning to their roots. The legendary magic and comedy duo will appear on the Crown Stage at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival in Shakopee, Minnesota, where they first…
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 Dr. Marc Sapir, MD, MPHjessica@pellienpublicrelations.com Across America, families are quietly struggling with a rising challenge: how to care for aging parents, siblings, grandparents, neighbors and friends. Most seniors want…
By Alicia Underlee NelsonProtests against President Trump’s policies and the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are planned across North Dakota and western Minnesota Friday, April 4 and…
By Vern Thompsonvern.thompson@rocketmail.com Working in the Bakken oil fields of the Williston Basin is so different from my home in Fargo. I'm not judging, because the people working and living in western North Dakota are very…
