HEROES

Who: Nola Helm

What: Art in the Park Presented by Chevrolet of Mandan and Your West Dakota Chevy Dealers

Why: Nola Helm was involved with Art in the Park right at its conception 50 years ago. She had an uncle who made wool rugs and chairs who wanted to sell them. He had heard about a gathering of artists in Dykshoorn Park and enlisted Nola’s help getting his products there. Once there, Nola and her uncle met three or four people there who had set up there without forming anything official, just hoping word of mouth would spread the news. After speaking with these artists, Nola was asked to run a committee that would organize the event and turn it into something official. So, Nola got to work, first getting permission to use Dykshoorn Park, which at the time was in the process of being turned into a parking lot. She also had to convince artists and vendors to join such a new venture. “It was an unknown. Most of the artists just took a chance. How could they or anybody know if they’d make any money,” says Nola. But, thankfully for all involved, “It was a smashing success,” says Nola, saving Dykshoorn Park and starting a beloved Mandan tradition.

Nola Helm is proud to be from Mandan and proud of what her community has done over the past 50 years: “I feel pride in that this community supports the arts because being an artist is not an easy life. Also, pride in that all the volunteers and I helped get it going and that there are people that benefit, both the vendors and the people that stop by.”

As always, this year there will be art and crafts booths, food vendors, and live entertainment. Come and visit the newly redone Dykshoorn park, hear music from the band shell once again, and support the local arts.

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VisitMandan.com

Heroes

Who: Phillip Schultz

What: Midwest Flavor Fest and Mandan Mondays

Why: Phillip Schultz, the person behind the popular Facebook page BisMan Food, has started another food passion project, Midwest Flavor Fest. Last year was its first year, and Phil is already looking to double the size of the event, bringing in 12 food vendors, 12-16 artisanal vendors, and 20-25 hours of live local music. The event is free entry and takes place at Dykshoorn Park and is open to anyone who loves food. “It will be a fantastic way to meet other foodies in the community, try some new foods that you haven’t experienced, maybe find old favorites that you haven’t seen in a while and enjoy some yard games with your family,” says Phil. The event will always be the weekend before Labor Day as a way to close out the season which this year is August 25th, noon to 11 pm, and 26th, 10 am to 11 pm. There are a wide range of sponsorship opportunities available. You can reach out to Phil if you’re interested at phil@bismaneatslocal.com.

Another food project Phil has recently taken on is Mandan Mondays which is going into its fifth month. The series features different local restaurants in Mandan. “It’s a fantastic series that allows us to see behind-the-scenes at Mandan, and not just learn about the business, but about the people, and also see the food and have the whole experience from afar,” describes Phil. Mandan Mondays runs underneath the umbrella of Bisman Eats’ website and Facebook and posts once or twice per week. The series will run 12 months, and then from there will hopefully change and grow. Phil hopes the series will bring awareness to surrounding communities of how much Mandan has to offer the food world. “I’ve lived in Bismarck and Mandan for most of my life, and I still did not know places as much as I do actually having dove in here,” says Phil. Mandan has over 50 restaurants that were started right here in North Dakota. “It’s worth celebrating,” says Phil.

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bismaneats.com | bismaneats.com/midwest-flavor-fest | www.facebook.com/BisManEats/ | www.facebook.com/ groups/bismaneats www.facebook.com/MidwestFlavorFest

Midwest Flavor Fest: 1600-1800 Attendees in 2022 | Food Trucks, Artisanal Vendors, Live Music | Free Entry | August 25th, 12-11pm & August 26th, 10am-11pm

Mandan Mondays: Posts 1-2/Week | Only Features Local Restaurants | 12 Month Series