February 19th, 2020
Last week North Dakota made national news again and it wasn’t anything for us to be proud of… again. Our friend, collaborator and fellow artist Shane Balkowitsch proposed a 7’ photo mural of Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg to the city of Bismarck. It was to be funded by Balkowitsch and to be installed on the side of a privately owned building in which a privately run mom and pop business was operating. A local TV station caught wind and all hell broke loose. The…
February 12th, 2020
Thanks to Disney Plus and bouts of insomnia, I’ve been revisiting old Disney movies from my childhood to see if they withstood the test of time.The older I get the more I realize, too, that talking and making friends with gentle forest creatures is more realistic than a handsome prince coming out of the woodwork and probably a lot less trouble in the long run. I’ve never tried online dating but the consensus I’ve gotten from my friends who do has affirmed that there’re more…
February 5th, 2020
Art by Sabrina Hornung
There’s something to be said about a halftime show that overshadows the big game itself, and that absolutely warms my heart -- mainly because full disclosure: I honestly don’t care about football.
Apparently the show was seen as inappropriate to the “Concerned Carols” of the world. The controversy behind Jenifer Lopez and Shakira’s performance elicits the world’s biggest eye roll from yours truly. Why? If you happen to remember the state of pop music in…
January 22nd, 2020
by Erin Thostenson
photo by Erin Thostenson, Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne.
ErinAT@far.midco.net
I've lived most of my life in Fargo, but I attended La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia last year to finish my degree in writing and literature. Australia is a very dear country to me and I care for the people, both the friends that I have made and the regular honest folks who make up the nation, earnestly. It is acutely painful seeing the bushfire and climate disaster they are…
January 15th, 2020
by Gary Olson
olsong@moravian.edu
On New Year’s Day, I was sporadically listening to Sirius Radio Channel 5 as they did their annual countdown of top songs from the 1950s and cringing at my fading aural memories. This prompted me to look back on specific years and I noted that in 1954, the list of number one Billboard singles included cloying songs by the likes of Eddie Fisher, Doris Day, Perry Como, Pattie Page, Jo Stafford and Rosemary Clooney, the kind of stuff my parents watched…
December 23rd, 2019
The holiday season is upon us and we are still always surprised just how quickly time flies. That said, it goes without saying how grateful we at HPR are for ALL OF YOU. You see, the High Plains Reader is your paper. Our advertisers are your advertisers. Our mission is to be relevant in your lives.
For those who don’t already know, HPR hits the streets this week on Thursday, Dec. 26, and then we take a two-week vacation. No HPR Jan. 2 and 9. We are back and out in force Jan 16.
The…
December 18th, 2019
As we fall into the full swing of the holiday season, I keep hearing sentiments of shop local, keep it local, etc., etc. A sentiment that we fully support but it’s so much more than just the shopping and supporting your local eateries and watering holes. Don’t get us wrong, these are all very important parts of our community, but we’re forgetting something.
In a world oversaturated with media, how much do you think about the local media you consume? Sure at any given time we’ll…
December 11th, 2019
When I was knee-high to a grasshopper, I met Sam Walton. My father’s hand dwarfed mine as he and the Walmart founder talked from inside a convenience store in Rogers, Arkansas. My memories are vague, but I remember an elderly and kind man who bought me a 25 cent Reece’s peanut butter cup.
In those days, Walmart had just hit its billion-dollar sales mark with 276 stores. Today, there are nearly 12,000 across the world, and current executives make more money in the time it takes to…
December 4th, 2019
For a number of years, Fargo and Grand Forks have ranked within the top tiers of “Drunkest city in America.” According to worldpopulationreview.com we came in fifth this year, and the other four cities were all in Wisconsin ironically enough. Though according to an article entitled, “Is Fargo among the ‘drunkest cities’ in the US? Police Sergeants don’t think so” The headline says it all.
According to the aforementioned article, “For Fargo, No. 5 on the list, the study…
November 26th, 2019
I might be stating the obvious when I say the Internet is a weird dark place. One would think we’d be advancing as a society by having a world of information at our fingertips, but unfortunately, it seems to have quite the opposite effect. Instead, it’s more of a Pandora’s box of BS, where facts are treated as fiction, fools are idolized and we become so engrossed with our screens that we’re giving Narcissus and his pool a run for their money.
Narcissus was the namesake of…
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By Alicia Underlee NelsonLocal groups will speak out against current and projected federal budget cuts in downtown Fargo this Saturday, April 26. The Red River Valley chapters of Fearless and Indivisible will lead a protest from…
By Prairie Rose Seminolems.prairierose@gmail.com I was a child who walked behind my parents into classrooms and kitchens, spaces of song and prayer, where teachings lived in the air and settled on my shoulders. I didn’t yet have…
Saturday, April 26, 1:30-3:30 p.m.Rourke Art Gallery + Museum, 521 Main Ave., MoorheadThings are coming up rosy at the Rourke in a true feast of the senses during the third annual “Gallery in Bloom” exhibit. The pop-up…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com I feel like reading a newspaper is the equivalent of listening to music on vinyl. Not only is it analog, it’s an experience. I might be a little biased, but there's something about the rustling…
By Ed Raymondfargogadly@gmail.comThe wizards and kleagles in whites now wear blue suits and red tiesA hundred years ago, more than 30,000 members of the Ku Klux Klan from virtually every state in the Union wearing their white…
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 After a very inspiring conversation with Kayla Houchin of Sonder Bakehouse a few weeks ago, I decided that it’s an appropriate time to write a column about some of the sweet people who are involved…
Mooncats and Pert Near Sandstone play Empire TheatreBy Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comThe MoonCats describe themselves as “Americonscious Campfire Folk.” They have a clear acoustic folk sound with a sense of whimsy — think…
By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.comRyan Coogler goes big and bold with “Sinners,” a sweaty, bloody vampire movie set in 1932. The filmmaker stuffs this universe with enough ideas to serve a limited-series season of episodic…
By Raul Gomez Modern Man was a gentle soul. If you were down or just wanted a friend, he’d be there for you. I remember the first day I met Modern Man. It was Jeremiah Fuglseth and me. He wanted to write about this legendary…
By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comHigh Plains Reader had the opportunity to interview two mysterious new game show hosts named Milt and Bradley Barker about an upcoming event they will be putting on at Brewhalla. What…
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 Josette Ciceronunapologeticallyanxiousme@gmail.com What does it mean to truly live in a community —or should I say, among community? It’s a question I have been wrestling with since I moved to Fargo-Moorhead in February 2022.…
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 Faye Seidlerfayeseidler@gmail.com In 2023, the Superintendent of Fargo Public Schools, Rupak Ghandi, gave a passionate plea to the Fargo School Board to follow federal law, because a recently passed state law would increase…
