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…
March 21st, 2024
By Annie Prafcke
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…
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By Bryce Vincent HaugenOn Palm Sunday two thousand years ago, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a donkey to directly take on the authoritarian Roman rulers of the region, according to Christian scripture. It was an overtly political…
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…
Wednesday, March 25, Group lesson 7 p.m., Dance 9 p.m.Sons of Norway, 722 2nd Avenue North, FargoCare to dance? If you don’t already know how to dance, the Northern Lights Dance Club can show you a thing or two about social…
By John StrandDisclaimer: This editorial is the work of someone who’s spent most of his adult life working in the media — most of those years co-owning this very entity, the High Plains Reader, since 1996. The notion that folks…
By Ed RaymondWhat if eight billion people looked and acted like Adam and Eve?So, we have different fingerprints and DNA. We can transfuse people’s blood and implant organs with some limitations. With facial recognition equipment,…
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 Sabrina Hornung There’s a Bosnian saying that states simply, “It’s a sin to throw away bread,” which really resonates with me — especially growing up with grandparents who lived through the Second World War and the Great…
The Slow Death at The AquariumSaturday, March 21, 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…
By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com Filmmaker Julia Ducournau’s third feature, a mashup of body horror, family melodrama and AIDS allegory set in a grim and gray dystopia, fails to live up to the promise of her wild debut…
By Jacinta TensI have been a fan of graffiti since I first saw it as a child. As a kid who was always into some sort of creative endeavor, the movement, colors and intricate details of pieces I would see on trains always fascinated…
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 November 2025, the FDA initiated the removal of the “black box” warning from Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). The “black box” warning is a FAD safety warning for healthcare providers and patients…
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 HPR StaffI'm a Gen Xer who landed in Fargo in the late '90s, a small town kid who didn't know a soul. By sheer dumb luck I ended up at Ralph's, and that place gave me my people. Lifelong friends, the kind you don't find twice.…
