Tracker Pixel for Entry

​What Fargo-Moorhead Still Needs, part 2

Editorial | November 27th, 2013

Thank you, readers, for your excellent feedback on our “What Fargo-Moorhead Needs” list from a few weeks ago. This is absolutely worth following up on.

Your response to a list about brunch, music, dancing, gayness and recycling really shows you care about the community’s growth. It shows we have faith that Fargo actually can grow into a place that’s much more cultured, hip, fashionable, diverse and groovy.

Let’s start by saying Fargo-Moorhead is getting there. We’ve got some incredible art museums, music venues, fine dining restaurants, rock bands, athletic teams, themed events and parties, clubs and activist groups that continually spin our wheels.

All we are asking is that we don’t settle or step backward. God forbid, FM settles for becoming square and dumpy. Boohoo to that.

We read your comments. Here’s our feedback.

More than anything, it seems people are jazzed (or should we say anxious) about getting a downtown grocery story. Fargo City Commission has already implemented a plan to rejuvenate downtown with improved and more beautified corridors. Why not add even a small grocery store somewhere along Broadway, similar to one you’d find in a city?

My goodness, all we need is a space about double the size of the Pita Pit (RIP). It could carry all the essentials so we wouldn’t need to drive 10 minutes out of downtown to just to buy carrots or baking soda.

Perhaps this grocery store could be an organic co-op per request of many health and economically conscious locals. Downtown is the perfect place for it. Somewhere on Broadway or NP could work. Or how about where that abandoned Taco Bell is on 10th Street?

An arcade seems to be desired by a lot of folks as well. But let’s be real, retro pinball, old school Pac-Man or any kind of game found at Space Aliens wouldn’t cut it. We’d need an arcade that has some real thrills. We need games with PlayStation 4-quality graphics, Call of Duty-type action and Rock Band-type teamwork. We want to forget about our troubles and lose our minds in the action of a competition. And we want our friends by our sides.

Word has spread that The Beefsteak has great brunch. The Radisson and Granite City do as well. Though we still say we need a place specifically dedicated to brunch everyday – weekends especially. The buckwheat blueberry pancakes with real maple syrup are calling. The mimosas and Bloody Marys are, too.

I’d also like to acknowledge Andrew Hardy’s Facebook comment that mentioned the Sidestreet also features a lot of original local music. On weekends, patrons may hear anything from bluegrass, reggae, blues or acoustic singer/songwriters. Not to mention, the bar’s selection of tap beers is quite superior to nearly every other bar downtown.

Speaking of original music, much support remains for a Fargo Music Festival. How about we block all of downtown off, similar to how we will be doing so for this year’s Fargo Marathon. We could get bands that are just big enough so that we could set up a stage in the middle of Broadway. How about POS, Animal Collective, Wild Flag, The Chalice or Bon Iver? Further up the road we could have smaller stages for more up and coming bands. We could have loads of food and music vendors in the Gate City Bank parking lot.

What else are we asking for? An H&M, Trader Joes, a poetry slam, a soul food restaurant, a “legitimate hipster bar,” “METAL FEST,” etc., etc., etc.

Recently in:

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comNorth Dakotans will take part in a nationwide civil rights rally on Thursday, July 17. Protests, marches, rallies and acts of service are scheduled in Bismarck, Bottineau, Devils Lake,…

Back-to-school season is on the horizon, but there's still plenty of summer left. Check out our favorite August attractions and events in North Dakota and western Minnesota. And if if you missed them, here are a few excellent May…

July 18-19, 25-26 and August 2-3North Dakota Horse Park, 5180 19th Ave. N., FargoLadies and gentlemen, prepare to place your bets — racing season is upon us! Not just horses will be racing this year; word on the street suggests…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com On July fourth, Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest took place at Coney Island. The winners, Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo, reigned victorious. Chestnut earned his 17th title by…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comWhy doesn’t the world require politicians to leave office at 60?Most of the leaders of countries, whether gods, fascists, democrats or socialists, are not doing very well these days. David Van…

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 Gion and Simone Wairickgion@gmail.com The Red River Market returned to downtown Fargo on Saturday, July 12. The event will take place every Saturday except July 19. (That date will be moved to Sunday, July 20, due to the…

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comThe Moorhead Public Library will offer three free, all-ages outdoor concerts featuring regional bands this summer. The series begins on June 12 with the Meat Rabbits, a group that blends…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comPhoto by Sabrina Hornung Wing, North Dakota is a town of 132 located about an hour northwest of Bismarck on Highway 36. There’s a shiny new Cenex on the intersection of the highway and the high…

By Deb Wallworkdwallwork@icloud.comI first met Catherine Mulligan at a party at her house. It was a small gathering, spontaneous, just a few people over for dinner. Directed toward a stack of plates and bowls and a big pot warming…

By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comPhoto by Yvonne Denault There is something intimate and personal about plays. Even in our age of multimillion dollar Hollywood productions and droves of streaming services, watching actors…

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…

The drug that keeps re-purposing itselfBy Ellie Liveranieli.liverani.ra@gmail.com There is a drug that is getting a lot of attention nowadays all over the world. It has various commercial names (Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus), but…

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…