Culture

​Four men, three horses

August 15th, 2024

America’s first extreme sport live at Chippewa Downs

By Sabrina Hornung

sabrina@hpr1.com

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…

Read more...


Your 2024 Fall Event Calendar

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.)

September

Dakota Nights Astronomy…

Read more...


​The rhythm of the ride

July 18th, 2024

The life of a jockey straight from the horse's mouth

By Sabrina Hornung

sabrina@hpr1.com

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…

Read more...


​The Deuce abides

July 18th, 2024

Deuce of August festival celebrates 125 years and many more

By Sabrina Hornung

sabrina@hpr1.com

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…

Read more...


Life in the ‘Promised Land’:

July 8th, 2024

Homesteading stories shared by late local historian

By Michael M. Miller

michael.miller@ndsu.edu

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…

Read more...


May June 2024: Summer Events Calendar

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.)

May

Spring Crows

Now - June 28, Spirit Room, Fargo

Forty artists display works centered around a crow theme. Opening reception on May 17.

https://www.spiritroom.org/


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.

Read more...


​Fern Welk remembers childhood in North Dakota

April 18th, 2024

By Michael M. Miller

michael.miller@ndsu.edu

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…

Read more...


Peltz, shawls and aprons: traditional dress of the Black Sea Germans

April 18th, 2024

By Michael M. Miller

michael.miller@ndsu.edu

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…

Read more...


​The Allure of Asian and American Super Market

March 21st, 2024

By Annie Prafcke

annieprafcke@gmail.com

As an elementary school kid in the early 2000s, Kristy Tran didn’t start her day the way most kids do. Instead of rolling out of bed to go straight to school, Tran and her parents went grocery shopping.

Nearly every morning — or sometimes after school — the Tran family got in the car to drive to Asian and American Market. At the store, Tran’s dad waited in the driver's seat with a cigarette or a cup of coffee, while her mom made the grocery…

Read more...


North Dakotan begins new journey as family historian in Norway

March 21st, 2024

By Maddie Robinson

maddierobi.mr@gmail.com

Johan Stenslie has always been immersed in Norwegian culture. His mother, originally from Norway, and his father, from small-town North Dakota, met at Concordia College and were strong proponents of keeping their children connected with their Norwegian heritage.

Growing up, Stenslie was only allowed to read and speak Norwegian at home. He also kept a Norwegian journal, visited Norway every other summer and performed Norwegian folk dance with his…

Read more...


Tracker Pixel for Entry FilmFest2 Tracker Pixel for Entry Empire Tracker Pixel for Entry FPL Tracker Pixel for Entry Hjemkomst Tracker Pixel for Entry FilmFest1 Tracker Pixel for Entry 7Clans

Recently in:

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…

February 28, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.March 1, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.1883 Stutsman County Courthouse State Historic Site504 3rd Ave. S.E., Jamestown, NDThe 1883 Stutsman County Courthouse and the 164th Infantry Remembrance Association are joining…

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…

By Rick GionSince the much-dreaded Covid years, there has been much ebb and flow in the Fargo-Moorhead restaurant scene. In 2025, that trend continued with some major additions and closings. Let’s start the New Year on a positive…

Saturday, January 17, doors at 7:30 p.m.The Aquarium above Dempsey’s, 226 N. Broadway, FargoThe Slow Death is a punk supergroup led by Jesse Thorson, with members and collaborators that include members of The Ergs!, Dillinger…

By Sabrina Hornung There's a certain kind of magic to the Fargo Theatre. It’s a place to escape to for the small fee of the price of admission. It's a place of shared communal joy (or any other kind of shared emotion for that…

By Jacinta ZensIt may sound cliché, but the 90s in Minneapolis were pretty magical. Underground punk and hip-hop shows occurred weekly, zines were all the rage, colorful, exquisitely executed graffiti started popping up everywhere…

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…