2023 DICKINSON PRESS PROGRESS EDITION

RESILIENCE RESILIENCE

THE STUFF THAT PROGRESS IS MADE OF

By James B. Miller, Jr.

The Dickinson Press

In the northern plains of the United States lies a land of extreme weather and rugged terrain. This is a land where smiling faced people know how to survive and thrive against all odds, where they have weathered blizzards and droughts, floods and wildfires, and have emerged stronger than ever. This is southwest North Dakota, a land of resilience.

Throughout its history, the southwest of North Dakota has faced many challenges. In the early days of settlement, pioneers had to contend with harsh winters and scorching summers. Yet, they persevered and built a thriving agricultural economy that continues to this day.

In the 20th century, towns like Dickinson, Belfield, Richardton, Taylor, New England, Killdeer and countless others dotting the countryside faced new challenges as the state’s economy shifted from its mainstay of agriculture to the burgeoning booming energy of the Bakken. The oil boom brought an influx of new people, new ideas, new wealth and new hopes, but also brought with it a host of challenges. From overcrowded schools and housing shortages to environmental concerns and social issues. Once again, the people of southwest North Dakota rose to the challenge, finding innovative solutions and working together to build a foundation that has led to this brighter future.

Today, our little corner of the world faces new challenges as it confronts record-setting inflation, supply chain issues, workforce shortages and an increasingly

polarized populace who are driven by social media and are losing their connection to their local community. But once again, the people of southwest North Dakota have risen to the challenge, demonstrating their resilience and strength in the face of adversity — finding commonality where others seek differences.

From healthcare workers on the front lines to farmers battling the rotating door of drought and unusually wet summers; from small business owners struggling to stay afloat to educators working tirelessly to ensure that students continue to excel, southwest North Dakotans are showing their true colors in these difficult times.

That is truly something!

Southwest North Dakota is a land of resilience, where its people have faced and overcome numerous challenges throughout history, and continue to do so today with innovation, strength and perseverance, as showcased in this year’s Progress Edition. Dickinson

This year’s Progress Edition is a celebration of that resilience, a tribute to the strength and perseverance of our neighbors. In the coming weeks, we will feature stories of innovation and progress, of ordinary people doing extraordinary things to make their communities a better place. We invite you to join us in sharing these stories of resilience with others, to help spread the message of hope and positivity that shines brightly in southwest North Dakota. Whether you’re sharing our articles on social media, picking up a printed copy at a local convenience store or discussing them with friends and family at

an area cafe, we encourage you to take part in celebrating the accomplishments of our communities.

As we reflect on the past and look forward to the future, we are reminded of the immense potential that exists within each of us who call southwest North Dakota our home. Together, we can continue to build upon the foundation of resilience and progress that has been established by those who came before us.

You can see this in your city commission meetings, community relation programs by police and fire departments, in extracurricular sports activities in our schools, in the warm and welcoming face of the people you pass in the streets of downtown’s square.

Thank you for joining us in this journey of discovery and celebration. We hope that you will continue to seek out the stories of resilience that exist all around us and that you will be inspired by the strength and determination of our fellow Western Edge residents.

James B. Miller, Jr. is the editor of The Dickinson Press

Meet YOUR staff

By Press Sta� The Dickinson Press

Since 1883, in the heart of southwest North Dakota, a team of dedicated professionals have worked diligently at The Dickinson Press. Today is no different as a staff of consummate professionals work tirelessly to deliver the news and advertising that fuels the region’s growth and success.

From the experienced leadership of our Publisher, to the tireless efforts of the Advertising Department, to the exceptional journalistic skills of our news and sports desks, this team strives to bring the news, views and advertising acumen to your area communities.

Through their passion, dedication and unwavering commitment to excellence, they are shaping the future of journalism and advertising in the region, one story and one advert at a time.

PUBLISHER

Joy Schoch is a respected and accomplished publisher who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her role at The Dickinson Press. As a multi-time North Dakota Newspaper Association Award winner, she is dedicated to upholding the highest standards of journalism and community engagement. Schoch is deeply committed to serving the people of the region and is an active member of several philanthropic organizations. She also sits on the Badlands Crime Stoppers civilian Board of Directors, demonstrating her commitment to public safety and community well-being.

Schoch is a strong proponent of newspapers and their vital role in informing and empowering communities. She has been a vocal advocate for the first amendment freedoms enshrined in the constitution and has served on the Forum Communications Editorial Board in the past.

Despite the challenges facing the newspaper industry today, Schoch

remains steadfast in her belief that local journalism is essential to the health and vibrancy of our communities. Through her leadership and dedication, she has earned the respect and admiration of her colleagues and peers, and continues to inspire others with her unwavering commitment to excellence.

Readers can reach Schoch at (701) 456-1203 or jschoch@ thedickinsonpress.com.

ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT

Jenn Binstock is the Advertising Sales Director of The Dickinson Press in Dickinson, North Dakota. A well-known and respected figure in the North Dakota newspaper industry, having worked for The Dickinson Press for nearly two decades, she is a proud graduate of Belfield High School and has dedicated her career to helping businesses grow through the power of advertising.

In 2013, she was honored as the Badlands Board of Realtors Affiliate of the Year, recognizing her contributions to the real estate industry. Binstock is also a multitime North Dakota Newspaper Association award winner, demonstrating her commitment to excellence in journalism and advertising.

Readers can reach Binstock at (701) 456-1222 or jbinstock@ thedickinsonpress.com.

Cindi Wallner is a seasoned professional in the newspaper advertising business, with over 40 years of experience. She is a MultiMedia Sales Consultant with The Dickinson Press, where she previously worked from 1987 through 1997 before returning for another stint in 2018.

Wallner is a proud graduate of Steele, North Dakota, and has dedicated her career to helping area businesses grow their footprint and name recognition through effective advertising. She is a multi-time North Dakota

Newspaper Association award winner, which is a testament to her commitment to excellence in the industry. She continues to strive to bring the best possible solutions to her clients, helping them to achieve their goals and thrive in an ever-changing marketplace.

Readers can reach Wallner at (701) 456-1218 or cwallner@ thedickinsonpress.com.

Rebecca Ferderer is a born and raised North Dakotan who brings a unique perspective to her role as a Multi-Media Sales Consultant. Her passion for politics and international travel has given her a deep understanding of the complex issues facing businesses in today’s global marketplace. With experience living in Japan and traveling extensively throughout the world, Ferderer brings a wealth of knowledge and cultural awareness to her work at The Dickinson Press. As a MultiMedia Sales Consultant, she is dedicated to helping businesses grow and thrive through effective advertising strategies. Readers can reach Ferderer at (701) 456-1236 or rferderer@ thedickinsonpress.com.

EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT

James B. Miller, Jr. is the Editor of The Dickinson Press in Dickinson, North Dakota. He strives to bring community-driven, professional and hyperlocal focused news coverage of southwest North Dakota.

An investigative journalist by trade, Miller is a multiple-time North Dakota Newspaper Association Award winner and Texas Newspaper Association Award winner. Miller’s on-the-scene coverage of a fatal mass shooting at the church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, garnered him a nomination for the 2017 National Ancil Payne Award for Ethics in Journalism.

Prior to journalism, Miller was a radio operator in the United

Community-driven, professional and hyper-local since 1883

States Marine Corps. His more than a decade of decorated service witnessed him serve multiple combat tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq, among other locations.

Readers can reach Miller at 701-456-1206 or jmiller@ thedickinsonpress.com.

Languages: English, French, Spanish and Modern Standard

Arabic

Jason O’Day is a University of Iowa graduate, with Bachelor’s Degrees in Journalism and Political Science. Before moving to Dickinson in September of 2021, he was a general news reporter at the Creston News Advertiser in rural southwest Iowa. He was born and raised in Davenport, Iowa. With a passion for the outdoors and his Catholic faith, he’s loving life on the Western Edge. His primary areas of coverage include agriculture, municipal government and education among other matters in Belfield, Killdeer, Richardton, New England and surrounding communities. He also covers court proceedings in the Southwest Judicial District. O’Day can be reached at 701-456-1212 or joday@thedickinsonpress.com.

Allison Engstrom was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. After college, she spent time in education as a middle school writing teacher in the valley. Her passion for reading, writing, and storytelling began as a child but has luckily followed her into a career doing what she enjoys most. Craving a change in scenery, she made the drive across the U.S. from Arizona to Minnesota, eventually landing here in Dickinson. Having spent some time moving between different states, she is eager to begin her journalism career here in our community. Her field of coverage includes education, public safety, government, lifestyle, and community news for the

city of Dickinson. Readers can reach Allison at 701-456-1211 or Aengstrom@ thedickinsonpress.com.

Josiah C. Cuellar was born in San Angelo, Texas, a small rural community in the western part of the state known for its farming, ranching and beautiful Concho River. A Texas A&M San Antonio graduate specializing in multimedia reporting, Cuellar is an award winning photographer and reporter whose work focuses on community news and sports.

Cuellar takes pride in the honor and privilege he has to capture the beautiful reflections of Stark County communities while recording the continued rich history of South Western North Dakota. His field of coverage includes collegiate and prep sports for all of southwest North Dakota. Readers can reach Cuellar at 701-456-1241 or jcuellar@ thedickinsonpress.com.

Gaylon Wm. Parker was born in Steubenville, Ohio, but grew up in Jensen Beach, Fla., where his mother, Karen, still resides (and in the same house). While he might come from The Sunshine State, Gaylon has lived all over the world, including Japan and England. He served in the U.S. Air Force at K.I. Sawyer AFB in the Upper Peninsula, and has two children: Megan, who is 31, and Logan, who is 28. Growing up with an athletic background gave him a love of sports that led to a journalism career in such places as Enid, Okla., Alamogordo, N.M., Pascagoula, Miss. and Viera, Fla. since he started writing in 1998. His main passion is small-town community sports, particularly baseball and soccer. His field of coverage includes youth, collegiate and prep sports for all of southwest North Dakota. Readers can reach Gaylon at 701-456-1213 or gparker@ thedickinsonpress.com.

The untouched beauty of southwest North Dakota

Binstock

O’Day

Engstrom

Cuellar

Parker

Ferderer

Wallner

Miller, Jr.

Schoch

Photos by Josiah C. Cuellar / The Dickinson Press

Discover the gateway to the BADLANDS

The untouched beauty of southwest North Dakota

By James B. Miller, Jr.

The Dickinson Press

Nestled in the heartland of the United States, there is a place where ruggedness and tranquility collide to create a unique beauty that is hard to find anywhere else in the world. Southwest North Dakota is a hidden gem that sparkles with the raw beauty of the oil wells and the wildlife that roam freely across the vast prairies.

Driving through the winding highways and interstates that stretch through the sprawling grasslands is like traversing through the veins of the earth. The landscape is mesmerizing, with rolling hills and endless plains that seem to go on forever. The sight of wild animals like bison and deer grazing in the distance only adds to the charm of this captivating place.

But what truly sets this region apart is its simplicity and unpretentiousness. There is no need for lavishness or

grandeur here. Instead, what you see is what you get. The people here are honest, hardworking, and proud of their heritage. They are happy to share their way of life with anyone who is willing to stop and take a moment to appreciate the beauty that surrounds them.

It is this authenticity that makes the landscape so endearing. The Western Edge, as it is affectionately called, may not have the glitz and glamour of big cities or popular tourist destinations, but it has something much more precious: the charm of an untouched wilderness.

The scenery in this part of the world is so breathtaking that a picture truly is worth a thousand words. But even a thousand words could not do justice to the beauty of The Western Edge. It is a place that must be experienced to be fully appreciated.

So, come and see for yourself what makes Southwest North Dakota so special. Walk through the prairies, breathe in the fresh air, and let the beauty of this magical place fill your soul. The Western Edge is waiting for you, and it promises to take your breath away.

Photos by Josiah C. Cuellar / The Dickinson Press

“There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.”

- Margaret J. Wheatley

Whether you’re a long time resident or whether you’re discovering Dickinson for the first time, one thing we can usually all agree upon is that our community is a welcoming town with a strong sense of values. Our focus on family, our support for local business, our workforce availability, and our recreational offerings make Dickinson a first choice vfor families and great choice for opportunity!

The History

In 2012, a plan for the revitalization of Downtown Dickinson began. An official version of this plan was formed which outlined the phased approach for development of the city core. At this time, the town square was identified as a major component of a downtown revitalization strategy.

In early 2018, The City of Dickinson and the former Downtown Dickinson Association, with JLG Architects, re-engaged the community to envision a design

for the town square that would enhance the vibrancy of our downtown and provide a community gathering space for people to share in events and to enjoy being outside. Through a series of public forums and stakeholder meetings, the project team identified community priorities and developed the concept design for the town square and fundraising efforts for the construction of the town square began. The intent of creating a town square was to provide a downtown living space for the city.

A town square is a major component of our downtown revitalization strategy…a downtown living room for our community.” – State of ND Deputy Commerce Commissioner/ Former City of Dickinson Administrator, Shawn Kessel. (“Town Square Dawns: Public forum inspires conversation,” The Dickinson Press, March 29, 2018, p1)

Like a living room, a town square should be flexible for daily use as well as for large gatherings and special events. It should be built for comfort and convenience, with varied seating options, lighting and comfort features. The town square should aim to

activate the downtown year-round with space and activities where everyone in the community can enjoy music, entertainment, dining, and recreation in the heart of our community.

The Project

In 2018, the project team for the town square engaged active citizens of Dickinson with information and discussion about what the town square could become and what it could offer the city. By the attendance and response, the public forum re-established that a town square

is an important and desired community project. Fundraising has continued to bring in donations and pledges of support from generous businesses and individuals who share the priority of revitalizing our downtown. Under the leadership of the Downtown Improvement District team in partnership with the City of Dickinson and the former Downtown Dickinson Association, these fundraising efforts led the project to the construction phase.

“We look forward to publicly recognizing all of our generous donors at our grand opening event this summer. Without them this project wouldn’t be possible.” said Kristi Schwartz, Downtown Improvement District, Board President.

“Our fundraising efforts have been underway for a little over a year with approximately 2.2 million dollars donated and pledged. We hope to continue our fundraising work in the near future to ensure that we can provide an ice-skating rink in the square this next year.”

As work continues under the ownership of the City of Dickinson, the square is anticipated to open to the public in the spring of 2023! At the direction of the project’s major donors, the town square has been named Dickinson Legacy Square. The city has hired a marketing and events director to manage and schedule the annual programming of the new square.

“I’m very excited for the opportunities and possibilities that the Dickinson Legacy Square will bring to our community and, specifically, to our downtown.” said Joel Walters, Marketing & Events Director, City of Dickinson.

We are building a legacy for our community with this venue and a space where we can continue to focus on the quality of life for our residents and our visitors.”

Walters stated that he is working with regional and national booking agencies to secure a variety of

performers for the 2023 summer season and that he is optimistic about the first season of programming in the square.

“We are in the discovery phase this first year.” said Walters. “We plan to fill out our summer schedule with family friendly events as thoroughly as we can, and allow room for growth and for change as we learn what works best and what we can do better in years to come.”

known as First on First. Additional community programming will be included in the square throughout the week days to accommodate community requests and needs. Walters said he hopes that the downtown community will see this space as a relaxing and welcoming place to spend an afternoon or to potentially host an event. He equated this to other community parks

The Venue

The architectural design includes a stage space to host performances equipped with a large digital screen, pergolas for shade, a covered pavilion with retractable walls, a dinosaur themed play space and a splash pad for children; a perfect place to cool down on a hot seasonal day. With ample seating and space for performance, for recreation, and for meeting, this outdoor venue will quickly become a favorite centralized location for community members and travelers.

The Programming

With a renewed focus on a family friendly environment and accessible programming for our community, the city will launch the summer concert series LIVE at Legacy Square. Major programming is anticipated to continue on select Thursday evenings in place of what was formerly

where the public is welcome to spend time.

“Legacy Square will be an important civic space located in the heart of our community. This space will serve as a catalyst for future development in the downtown area while serving as a vibrant hub for community events, a place where friends and family gather and the community celebrates.”

- Dustin Dassinger, City Administrator

“The Dickinson Legacy Square will be an allseason product that enhances our visitor attraction. With a new center of vibrancy being created downtown, the cultural activities, entertainment, and gathering space that the Dickinson Legacy Square will offer is a great opportunity for travelers to experience unique local while in Dickinson. Dining, beverages, and shopping surrounding the Dickinson Legacy Square will complement the downtown experience and keep visitors in Dickinson longer while on their travels. This project will

be a positive economic and visitor lift for the community.”

- Terri Thiel, Executive Director, Dickinson Convention & Visitors Bureau

The Brand

As the City of Dickinson continues with a phased implementation of their new brand focused on the celebration of our community and our region, design elements of the local brand specific to the Dickinson Legacy Square will be included. The city marketing director

will continue to focus efforts on building a cohesive brand that combines and promotes the Dickinson Legacy Square and the downtown, and that tells the story of the entire city of Dickinson.

“It’s important to celebrate who we are as a community.” said Walters. “We are defined by our sense of values as a community, but also by our industry, by our recreation, by our education, by our history and so much more! It’s time for us to tell that story and that will be the goal of our main marketing campaign over the duration of this year: to tell the story of who we are as a community.” The city is excited to use the evolving brand as a platform to promote and to position the community for continued growth.

Dickinson Legacy square To open 2023 in DownTown Dickinson by Joel Walters, Marketing & Events Director, City of Dickinson

To Donate to the Dickinson Legacy Square Project, contact Kristi Schwartz klschwa@hotmail.com

By James B. Miller, Jr.

The Dickinson Press

In the heart of Stark County, a spirit of excellence burns bright, embodied by individuals who go above and beyond to serve their community. Their stories are the stuff of legend, tales of heroic rescues, tireless volunteerism, and unwavering acts of kindness that uplift and inspire those around them.

Created by Julie Obrigewitsch, the Stark County Spirit of Excellence Award is a prestigious honor that recognizes outstanding contributions in leadership, customer service, innovation, stewardship and acts of kindness.

Obrigewitsch as the remarkable woman who saw a need in her community stepped up to make a positive change. Her creation is a testament to her compassion, empathy and dedication to honoring what makes southwest North Dakota a great place to live. In a time where our society is so often divided, the program she created highlights the good in people and emphasizes the importance of coming together to support one another. Her selflessness and commitment to making a difference in the lives of those around her is an inspiration to us all. Through the project, Julie has shown that small acts of kindness can have a significant

impact on the wellbeing of individuals and communities, and her efforts serve as a reminder that there is still so much good in the world. Each quarter, the Stark County Mayors sift through countless nominations, searching for those exceptional few who exemplify the values that make Stark County great. As we take a closer look at some of the exceptional individuals who have received this award, we see how their impact extends far beyond their community and touches the lives of people everywhere.

JACK SCHAFF AND TOM TESSIER

February 2021

Jack and Tom’s heroic actions led to the rescue of a trapped mother and her baby after a rollover accident.

JAYNE KETTERLING

April 2021

Within two days, she arranged a pre-Christmas food drive in 2020. In less than a week, she was able to collect over 11,000 pounds of food, toiletries, cash and gift cards just in time for Christmas for the AMEN Food Pantry.

ANIKA SAYLER

June 2021

At 17-years old, Anika performed CPR to save a man’s life after a rollover accident in brutal winter weather conditions. Her bravery and selflessness did not go unnoticed by the Stark County Mayors, as they selected her as June’s

award recipient out of 34 submitted nominations.

RUTHIE JOHNSON

August 2021

Ruthie has given tirelessly of her time and talents for many years on her own and through numerous volunteer organizations and activities. She is positive, giving, and has touched the lives of so many within our county and beyond.

ART WANNER

October 2021

Art is a charter member and Vice President of the Stark County Veterans Memorial Association, overseeing the planning, fundraising, and completion of the memorial. Art is the leader of American Legion Post 3 Honor Guard, thus performing military rites at Veterans funerals. He supervises the Legion’s food pantry for local Veterans in need. Art has also nominated Veterans for ND Honor Flights to Washington, DC.

KRISTIN SEAKS

December 2021

Kristin Seaks recognized the need for the Dickinson BackPack Program in our area. She not only was instrumental in getting the program started, but she also has served as the volunteer director for the program since its inception in 2013. Since the start of the program, tens of thousands of food packs have been given to youth in need in Stark County. Ten years ago, Kristin Seaks had an idea and started a program called 25 Days of Giving, which encourages families to adopt the annual tradition of doing an act of service or making a donation to a charitable organization each day during the first twenty-five

days of December. Many families have joined this tradition and do many activities together. In 2020, service activities included delivering 30 ham and turkey meal baskets to Stark County families in need as well as outdoor caroling at area nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

MIKE KELLEY

February 2022

Mike was recognized for his Good Samaritan/ Random Acts of Kindness. His incredible service with McDonald’s, the Ronald McDonald House Charities, and the Cabin Fever Benefit made him an excellent candidate for the award.

COLLEEN RODAKOWSKI

May 2022

As the Executive Director of Elder Care in Dickinson, she has been instrumental to the success of Elder Care’s mission of giving the elderly the option of remaining in their own homes and helping them maintain a sense of independence and a better quality of life by providing nutrition and transit services.

Throughout the COVID19 pandemic, she has worked tirelessly to ensure that the services provided to our community by Elder Care have continued to be provided safely every day. Without our services, many elderly would be left without nutritious meals and many community members would lose their source of reliable transportation.

BRIAN BENESH

August 2022

Vietnam Veteran, Brian Benesh, is a man of duty, conviction, honor, and selflessness. For the past

27 years, Brian has taken on the task of placing an individual flag at every Veteran’s gravestone for Memorial Day. In a twoday span leading up to Memorial Day weekend, nearly 1,000 flags decorate the cemeteries throughout Dickinson. Brian has had the help of a few fellow Veterans over the years, all of whom take on this task with the utmost respect to honor every Veteran laid to rest.

Brian has also led the Veterans Day program in Dickinson for over 18 years, up until last year, as he felt it was his duty to pay tribute to all who have served, especially our POW/MIA.

AUDREY KUNTZ

November 2022

Audrey has dedicated

a large portion of her time in becoming an EMT to serve her community that she loves. She also became a teacher to follow her passion of teaching children. While doing all these things she also created RichardtonTaylor Ambulances Safety Tuesday program that focuses on teaching children how to be prepared not scared. She has donated her time and resources in making sure the program is not only informative but also includes other agencies such as fire, law enforcement and even game wardens. These agencies not only inform the kids but make sure they know that these are agencies and people the kids can trust.

1. Tax benefits. The U.S. Tax Code lets you deduct the interest you pay on your mortgage, your property taxes, and some of the costs involved in buying a home.

2. Appreciation. Historically, real estate has had a longterm, stable growth in value. In fact, median singlefamily existing-home sale prices have increased on average 5.2 percent each year from 1972 through 2014, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. The recent housing crisis has caused some to question the long-term value of real estate, but even in the most recent 10 years, which included quite a few very bad years for housing, values are still up 7.0 percent on a cumulative

basis. In addition, the number of U.S. households is expected to rise 10 to15 percent over the next decade, creating continued high demand for housing.

3. Equity. Money paid for rent is money that you’ll never see again, but mortgage payments let you build equity ownership interest in your home.

4. Savings. Building equity in your home is a ready-made savings plan. And when you sell, you can generally take up to $250,000 ($500,000 for a married couple) as gain without owing any federal income tax.

5. Predictability. Unlike rent, your fixed-rate mortgage

payments don’t rise over the years so your housing costs may actually decline as you own the home longer. However, keep in mind that property taxes and insurance

BUYING OR SELLING REAL ESTATE ?

WHAT IS A REALTOR ®?

Not all real estate agents adhere to the same standards. Find our why it’s better to work with a member of the National Association of REALTORS®

7 REASONS TO WORK WITH A REALTOR ®

REALTORS® aren’t just agents. They’re professional members of the National Association of REALTORS® and subscribe to its strict code of ethics. This is the REALTOR® difference for home buyers:

1. Ethical treatment. Every REALTOR® must adhere to a strict code of ethics, which is based on professionalism and protection of the public. As a REALTOR®’s client, you can expect honest and ethical treatment in all transaction-related matters. The first obligation is to you, the client.

2. An expert guide. Buying a home usually requires dozens of forms, reports, disclosures, and other technical documents. A knowledgeable expert will help you prepare the best deal, and avoid delays or costly mistakes. Also, there’s a lot of jargon involved, so you want to work with a professional who can speak the language.

3. Objective information and opinions. REALTORS® can provide local information on utilities, zoning, schools, and more. They also have objective information about each property. REALTORs® can use that data to help you determine if the property has what you need. By understanding both your needs and search area, they can also point out neighborhoods you don’t know much about but that might suit your needs better than you’d thought.

4. Expanded search power. Sometimes properties are available but not actively advertised. A REALTOR® can help you find opportunities not listed on home search sites and can help you avoid out-of-date listings that might be showing up as available online but are no longer on the market.

5. Negotiation knowledge. There are many factors up for discussion in a deal.

A REALTOR® will look at every angle from your perspective, including crafting a purchase agreement that allows enough time for you to complete inspections and investigations of the property before you are bound to complete the purchase.

6. Up-to-date experience. Most people buy only a few homes in their lifetime, usually with quite a few years in between each purchase. Even if you’ve done it before,

laws and regulations change. REALTORS® handle hundreds of transactions over the course of their career.

7. Your rock during emotional moments. A home is so much more than four walls and a roof. And for most people, property represents the biggest purchase they’ll ever make. Having a concerned, but objective, third party helps you stay focused on the issues most important to you.

Photos by Josiah C. Cuellar/ The Dickinson Press

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Fisher Sand &GravelCo. General Steel&SupplyCo.

RESILIENCE : THE STUFF THAT PROGRESS IS

IN SEARCH OF HEALING

Cryotherapy was answer

By Cindy Peterson for The Dickinson Press

Emily Vernlund likes to call herself a nerd.

When you hear her story, you’re more likely to call her determined. Vernlund was diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune disease that occurs when a person’s body attacks their own organs and tissues. Inflammation caused from lupus can attack many different systems within the body.

Vernlund was on 12 different meds with nasty side effects that started leading to other health issues.

“I had so much joint pain. I would limp,” the 35-year-old said. “I needed to get rid of the inflammation. When I have a flare up, I can’t walk or move. I’m bedridden. Doctors wanted to keep putting me on steroid after steroid.”

That is when Vernlund went into nerd mode. She researched homeopathic therapies, such as cryotherapy. That led to starting her own business Midwest Cryo & Aesthetics, located in St. Joe’s Plaza. She ran the business out of her home about two years ago and for the past year she’s been operating out of the plaza.

“The cold from the cryotherapy gave me immediate relief,” said Vernlund, who grew up in Killdeer. “I became obsessed with homeopathic therapies. I love to learn ways of natural healing. I became submerged in it. I love to learn.”

While Vernlund started using cryotherapy for pain management, she also discoveredthrough her desire of gaining knowledge - that it can be used for freezing fat cells and taking away wrinkles.

She has expanded her business to include spray tanning, teeth whitening, light therapy, Electric Muscle Stimulation and thermal therapy.

“I researched other things and found it interesting,” Vernlund said. “I tried it all on myself and then offered it to clients. My overall mission at MCA is to promote self love, women empowerment and overall well being. Moms and single moms are my main audience. I love helping people feel good about themselves. It could be something as simple as getting a spray tan. Before I started this business, I was a teacher. I took a big leap of faith and started my business.”

Because of her lupus, Vernlund said working an 8 to 5 job would be difficult and challenging.

“It’s the most annoying disease,” Vernund said. “People say, you want to power through it, but that is tough to do when your entire body hurts. An autoimmune compromised person will tell you the fatigue we deal with is crippling. When you’re that tired, the last thing you can do is muster up going through a full day of work.

Cryotherapy has helped Vernlund get off all her medications, except two, which are for mental health purposes. Vernlund also writes a blog to advocate for mental health. But her cryotherapy has been a game-changer for her.

“I bought my first machine for selfish reasons,” Vernlund said. “I was in so much pain, I was willing to try anything. I felt so good afterward, I got annoying about it. I’d shove it in people’s faces when I started. Nobody knew what it was, and they’d called it voodoo.”

Vernlund offered clients a free session so they could experience how well the therapy worked.

“They knew it worked that well, and they’d come back,” she said. “It spread by word of mouth.”

Vernlund still marvels at how her business has grown, considering it ran out of her home the first year.

“God had a plan, and I’m grateful to Him every day,” she said. “It’s a dream come true. I still can’t believe this is real.”

Above: Business owner Emily Vernlund performs treatment to a client at Midwest Cryo & Aesthetics. Her focus has been to submerge herself in homeopathic therapies. Emily Vernlund walks with her son Theodore.

Left: Midwest Cryo & Aesthetics owner Emily Vernlund gives treatment to a client. Her business started in her home and has grown enough to move to St. Joe’s Plaza.

the HUNGRY

Pantry providing food

By Cindy Peterson for The Dickinson Press

The woman who started the Little Free Pantry in Dickinson wants to remain anonymous. Lead volunteer Jackie Ewoniuk totally respects those wishes. Ewoniuk, however, has no problem telling this person’s story. It’s something she believes others should know.

This woman was a single mother of two with no family to help her. She was struggling finding work and retaining jobs due to health issues. When she lost a job due to her health reasons, she also lost her food stamps.

This woman and her kids went hungry. The mom looked everywhere possible for loose change. She found money in a couch cushion of a thrift store and used it to feed her family that day.

This woman was once turned away from a local food bank because her 10-hour a week job exceeded the income limit. She found out about Little Free Pantries in

Bismarck and knew it was something Dickinson needed.

“She wanted to make sure that people have an option that doesn’t require proof that you’re not poor enough not to be able to eat,” Ewoniuk said. Little Free Pantries has been helping feed Dickinson since 2016 and is going strong. Anybody can volunteer and anybody can receive help.

“I guess you could consider anyone who fills the pantries a volunteer, “ Ewoniuk said. “Volunteering is pretty simple. All you have to do is fill a pantry, organize a food drive, etc. There are no paid positions. This is all done by me and other volunteers. I would like to see what I can do and what needs to be done to become a non-profit organization, so I could hire someone to help with the shopping and delivering to the pantries. It’s a 24/7 job.”

Because the pantries are always open, Ewoniuk doesn’t have an accurate count of how many people

are served each day, but she can tell you there is a need for the service.

“Once the pantries are stocked, they are usually emptied within the hour,” Ewoniuk said.

Any non-perishable food item is accepted as well as hygiene products. The pantry has a list of items needed in the summer and the winter. Items are donated by individuals or businesses in the community. Items can be dropped off at Ewoniuk’s office, and she will deliver them to the pantries.

Individuals or businesses can fill the pantries or make cash donations via Venmo to Ewoniuk, and she will do the shopping and fill the pantries.

Ewoniuk said there is no greater joy in seeing families be able to celebrate holidays together without going hungry.

“For the major holidays of the year, I organized food drives to supply meals to families in need,” Ewoniuk said. “I was totally overwhelmed by the generosity of our community. For Thanksgiving, we were able to provide meals to 15 families. The gratitude from the individuals could be seen in their eyes as they welled

up in tears because they knew they were going to be able to have a hot meal that night.”

Ewoniuk takes solace in knowing that nobody will have to go to bed hungry each night or worry about where their next meal will come from.

“Last year when I was approached multiple times a day and was able to rally the community for donations of food, etc., the look of gratitude and relief on the faces of those being helped got me in the feelers and made my eyes leak,” Ewoniuk said.

Ewoniuk couldn’t find a better community to help her feed the hungry.

“The Dickinson community is amazing,” she said. “Anytime I reached out for help to fill a specific need for an individual or familywhether it was the holiday food baskets, an individual request or filling the pantries - 99 percent of the time our community has stepped in and helped to make sure the needs were met.”

Country House volunteers (left to right) Lori Glass, Marilyn Olson, MaryAnn Paluck, Raymond Payne and Elsie Dvorak helped fill the pantry.

Left: Kaylynn Pender is a young volunteer for the Little Free Pantry.

Right: Jackie Ewoniuk is the lead volunteer for the Little Free Pantry.

Heartview expanding to Dickinson

By Cindy Peterson for The Dickinson Press

Many North Dakotans are crying out for help when it comes to substance abuse. A lack of facilities makes it challenging for those who are seeking treatment to receive it in a timely fashion.

The Heartview Foundation saw a major need in Western North Dakota. Heartview has made the decision to open up a 16-bed residential treatment facility with 24-hour care for adults with substance abuse disorders. The new location will be located at St. Joe’s Plaza and will open some time in early June.

The facility is currently in the middle of construction.

“We’ve been thinking of Dickinson for quite a long time,” Heartview Executive Director

Kurt Snyder said. “Throughout the oil boom it was tough to watch. Western North Dakota had a lack of behavioral health services. At our facility in Bismarck, a lot of our patient population was from Dickinson.”

Heartview received a grant set aside by the North Dakota legislatures to serve in a rural or an underserved area. Heartview served 37 of 53 North Dakota counties last year.

Heartview’s location in Bismarck, which employs 100 people, has a long waiting list

for people needing treatment.

“We have people incredibly desperate to get in and get help,” Snyder said. “Williston and Dickinson have minimal services. When they are ready for services, they have to travel great distances. We have a group of people in trouble with their job, school or even their health is at risk, and they can’t get the help they need when they are ready to receive it.”

Snyder said one in 10 Amercians suffer from substance abuse. If your

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child was in a classroom with 20 people, it’s likely at least two parents are struggling. Let’s say a company employs 100 people, it’s likely at least 10 of those workers have some sort of substance abuse issue.

Snyder has a big

vision for the Dickinson facility. Heartview has been running a 16-bed facility in Cando, which employs about 25 people. The Cando facility is always full.

“Cando is a town of about 1,100 people,” Snyder said. “It will never grow to be more

than that. Dickinson has a real population base. We’re starting with a similar program to Cando. We really plan to grow that program and to grow it to have deeper and richer services. We have to start somewhere. The biggest challenge is the work force.”

Snyder said interviews have been in process for finding the chief operating officer. Once that person is brought on, then the remaining staff will be hired.

“We will make sure people know as we get closer to opening,” Snyder said. “We will have an open house and will advertise the date of opening. We want people to see the space and how to access it. We are looking forward to helping out in Dickinson. We are offering services that are desperately needed.”

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The Heartview Foundation will start with a 16-bed facility in Dickinson.

Left: Heartview Foundation plans to open up a treatment facility in St. Joe’s Plaza. The facility will be open in June. Right: Heartview Foundation served people from 37 of 53 counties in North Dakota.

Heartview Foundation is bringing its services to Western North Dakota.

Almost 40 years in practice

dentist isn’t slowing down

By Cindy Peterson for The Dickinson Press

D

The Richardton dentist enjoys his work so much that he’s been doing it for almost 40 years and doesn’t want to discuss retirement. To make matters more sweet, he gets the pleasure of looking to the north at a bluff when he works. He gets satisfaction from viewing the North Dakota landscape and wildlife - deer turkeys, blue jays, squirrels, pheasants and other birds. His patients love it just as much.

“This environment takes a lot of work out of what I do and makes it seem like home,” said Johnson, who opened up his practice in 1983. “The day I can’t do that anymore will be sad. I hope it is very far off. In 2013, we moved down to the ground level in our building with six treatment rooms and the beautiful view. I joke that I’ll need to spend another 30 years here as well. Probably a tall order to fill but who knows?”

Johnson will celebrate his 40th anniversary of dental practice on Oct. 10. Early in his career, he maintained a

satellite practice in Beulah and Glen Ullin. He also spent a few years doing orthodontics work in Garrison. He still gets patients who travel from Beulah and Glen Ullin for his services. But he’s always serviced Richardton

“I knew early on that maintaining a practice in a town of 700 would be an uphill endeavor,” Johnson said. “Patients gravitate to larger communities. Drawing patients in would require some uniqueness. I put out the motto ‘Dedicated to excellence in Dentistry’ to keep me focused on that task. I have spent many hours over the years traveling and learning all I could to put pieces of the mouth to body connection together. I became amazed in my discoveries how important the mouth is to the health

of the rest of the body. That discovery has led to some very interesting cases over the years. These create word of mouth referrals that can be very widespread.”

Richardton has served Johnson well, and through the years he’s learned to roll with the changes.

“I have to admit that I wish the commerce of Richardton still included businesses that were here when I came,” he said. “Many of the businesses that were in Richardton have closed. Many of the businesses supported parishioners of the church I attend. I wish our pews were as full as they used to be. In my youth I either lived out of town or in a small town. Early on I decided I wanted to live out of town but living in Richardton on the edge of town two blocks

from my practice has worked out nicely. I walk to work and walk home for lunch and a short nap. I’d say that is a pretty good lifestyle.”

While Johnson enjoys his patients, he credited his staff as the most special part.

“To me, we seem like family and we keep holding each other up during life’s bumps,” Johnson said. “I will be very sad the day I can no longer work with them and have that interaction. Apparently I look older than I feel because I get asked about retirement a lot. In my travels, I have met some amazing doctors that I look up to. Many of them are 10 years older than I am and still practicing because they have a passion for what they can do

SANFORD ADDS TWO DOCTORS

By Cindy Peterson for The Dickinson Press

S

Sanford brought on two specialty physicians to service Southwest North Dakota. Dr.

Yesenia Perez joined as a new speech therapist, working with children and adults, and Dr. Angela Stephens specializes in maternal-fetal medicine, giving expert care in complicated pregnancies. Both have served Dickinson for less than a year and are enjoying the community.

Perez, who can work with patients in both Spanish and English, got her Master of Arts in communication

COMMUNITY

sciences and disorders from Wichita State. She obtained her certificate of Clinical lCompetence from the American Speech Language Hearing Association.

anford Health is making the way to provide a broader area of expertise to the Dickinson area.“It’s a big change coming to a small town,” said Perez, whose husband got a job in Dickinson, which brought her to North Dakota. “I like Sanford being patient centered. I hadn’t worked in a big enterprise. I wasn’t sure how it would be working with other providers, to communicate with them and how much information I am able to get regarding patient history.”

Perez’s areas of expertise include: Speech disorders, language disorder, social communication disorders, cognitivecommunication disorders, swallowing disorders, congenital

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and acquired disorders and diseases and provide augmentative and alternative communication.

“Being here has helped me expand on my skills,” Perez said. “A lot of the time it’s not focusing on speech and language skills, but how to set up a patient for success in their home. It’s helping them find resources to be successful with their plans of care.”

Perez enjoys working with children and adults. This is the first time she has worked closely with adults. “It’s so fun to have conversations and focus on what these patients want to focus on,” she said. “A lot of time when I see kids, they have limited language, and we work on that foundation. With adults, they had their language. Through a stroke or maybe disease they

lost it. We can get the communication systems they need. It’s working with the families in helping set them up for success. Sometimes families feel they need to take on the burden and do everything for them. A lot of times the patient wants to take it on themselves.”

Stephens went to medical school at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. She did her residency at Augusta University in Georgia. She did her fellowship at University of Texas in Houston. She’s board certified with the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Stephens, whose husband is from Williston, grew up in a small town in Georgia. Aside from the cold weather and snowfall, the environment in Dickinson is similar.

Dr. Angela Stephens specializes in maternal-fetal medicine.

and quest to learn more.” Through the years, Johnson has improved his skills in orthodontics, TMJ, root canals and oral surgery because at one time not a lot of those specialists existed in the area.

“I believe many of my patient’s appreciate that they don’t have to travel to different specialists to get their treatment plan completed,” Johnson said. “For my patients, I’d need to use the term ‘rewarding’ because the most rewarding cases I’ve had are when I get the ‘Thank you, you gave my life back.’ These are usually diagnostically challenging. Maybe that is enjoyable because my staff comments that I love a challenge.”

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Stephens saw the need for her services in Dickinson. Stephens said per capita, North Dakota has the largest need for maternal fetal medicine (MFM).

“North Dakota isn’t a super populous state,” she said. “I thought it would take some time for people to get to know me and to get referrals sent to me. I’m quite busy. There was a line of referrals sent in. There is a need for what I do in North Dakota.”

Stephens originally studied psychology in school and aspired to be a psychiatrist.

“I saved my OB rotation for last,” she said. “I didn’t want to do that. On day 1 of medical school I went to work

with an MFM. It was a serious case. I was so struck by the uniqueness of the interaction. The doctor gave objective medical information, yet was compassionate. That never left me.” Stephens rearranged her schedule to work with all MFMs. She became entrenched in learning about the specialty and decided that area was meant for her.

“It’s an honor to take care of people during the best and worst moments of their lives,” she said. “I am relationship oriented. That translates to how I interact with my patients as a provider. I feel like I’m providing a service that is needed.”

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Dr. Yesenia Perez deals with speech and communication disorders.

Perez, Stephens provide needed services

Richardton

r. Gregory Johnson is living what he considers the best life.Richardton dentist Dr. Gregory Johnson credited his staff as the most enjoyable part of going to work.

Dr. Gregory Johnson works on patient Ruth Sprenger.

Vaagen strives to make Taylor better community

By Cindy Peterson for The Dickinson Press

Like father, like son.

Emory Vaagen didn’t realize the wealth of information he was absorbing when he watched his dad as a child. Gordon

Vaagen served as a Taylor city councilman and was involved in community activities. The younger Vaagen paid attention and became involved with community commitments in different areas for the 20 years he spent away from Taylor.

Emory Vaagen and his family moved back to Taylor

about a decade ago because his parents were in failing health. Gordon passed away in November, 2020.

Emory’s leadership skills followed him back to Taylor.

Vaagen was elected mayor and has served in that role for almost three years. Prior to that, he was asked to serve on the city council.

“My dad was always active in the community,” said Emory, an airplane mechanic for Sanford in Dickinson.

“When there was a councilman position that was open, a couple guys from the city council, guys I’ve known my whole life, asked if I’d be

interested in serving. I said, ‘absolutely not.” Then I said ‘I’ll help you out for a while.’ When the mayor retired, he asked if I’d run. I told him no, and of course I ran.”

Vaagen easily had a change of heart to serve his hometown and his intentions were pure.

“I had just come back to Taylor, and I didn’t know if I wanted to give away my free time,” said Vaagen, who graduated high school from Richardton-Taylor in 1987. “But Taylor is worth it. There were a few things I wanted to get accomplished in making the community a better place. I said, ‘Let’s do it.’”

Vaagen is pleased to see Taylor get a watertown put up, which means nobody will have to deal with the electric pumps at the well house.

“When something went down at the sewer lagoon or the pump house, I was dad’s shadow,” Vaagen said. “I think that’s why they wanted me to be on the city council. I had some idea of what it takes to make a community on the public works side.”

Even though Taylor carries a population of approximately 220, being the town mayor is more work than one would think.

“The big part of it is running a meeting for a city council,” Vaagen said. “It seems like there is something every week that needs some kind of attention. It’s more than you think, for sure. One of the things we deal with is snow removal.

I’ve been coordinating with the company that does snow removal, after getting it cleared and making sure they’ve served the community and everybody can function as soon as possible. I definitely get phone calls.”

Luckily, Vaagen hasn’t butted heads with the Taylor residents.

“Everybody knows who I am and where I live,” Vaagen said. “When they do have a concern, they call and say what is going on. It’s probably different from being the mayor of Dickinson and Bismarck. I go to work at the sewer lagoon, too.”

Vaagen is proud of what Taylor offers its residence. The Taylor Opera House has been renovated and was finished a few weeks before COVID broke out. Now, the Opera House is being utilized for family and business functions. Taylor also started up a youth trapshooting team to offer activity for

the younger residents. The Taylor fire department has put on some fun events for the community, including fireworks on New Years Eve.

“What is most enjoyable is when we do something and the city people come up and say “That is cool. You guys are doing a great job,’” Vaagen said. “The best part is when people notice the things you do to make a community better.”

Will Vaagen seek office again once his four-year term is up?

“I haven’t thought about it,” he said. “I’m not sure what the future has in store. If I feel I have something I can accomplish, I definitely will.”

Emory Vaagen is pictured with his daughter Olivia. Vaagen stays busy with family life, work and is the mayor of Taylor.

Emory Vaagen and his wife Deb moved back to Taylor about a decade ago.

GETTING LOTS OF DOWNLOADS

investigating and then started a podcast about this case.

By Cindy Peterson for The Press

The idea started in a bar in Hebron while having a few drinks with the locals. It turned into so much more.

James Wolner was discussing the death of a Glen Ullin man from 2014 with some of the area folks. All kinds of theories were being talked about.

“This was when fake news got to be more prevalent,” Wolner said. “People were into conspiracy theories.”

The case being talked about was the death of Victor Newberry, who was found dead along a gravel road, outside of his vehicle in the winter.

“Locally, they were saying he was

Grandchildren of slain couple Wade and Ellen Zick speak at a 2021 memorial ceremony outside of Zeeland, in July of 2021. Dakota Spotlight podcast covered the tragic case in Season 2

murdered,” Wolen said. “They told stories that seemed pretty exaggerated. I knew there was some kind of truth out there.”

Wolner did some

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“I wanted to demonstrate to people that you can find out what happened,” Wolner said. “I almost did it to prove a point. They told me in the bar that I would never find out what really happened. It was also an opportunity to focus on something tangible I could do myself.”

Wolner’s podcastDakota Spotlight - was something he started doing in his free time. It took off, and Forum Communications contacted him and asked him if he wanted to collaborate. He focuses on North Dakota murders, missing people and cold cases. His documentary “The House On Sweet & 7th” won a regional Emmy about the murders of Gordon

and Barbara Erickstad of Bismarck who were killed by their son Brian Erickstad and his friend Robert Lawrence.

His podcast, which has run for about four years, has helped close the chapter of many cases and closed the chapter for many families looking for answers. His podcast has been downloaded more than 1.2 million times.

“Sharing my work with the Forum has helped immensely for people to discover my podcast,” Wolner said. “I didn’t expect it to take off. It’s the type of podcast I’d like to listen to. There are enough people out there like me who like this style.”

After the Newberry case, Wolner started researching newspaper archives and looked for homicides. He researched the 1976 homicides of

Wade and Ellen Zick of Zeeland, which was featured in Season 2. Even though the case had already been solved, Wolner developed a relationship with the Zick’s grandchildren, which helped them get closure.

“It was about them having an opportunity to say goodbye to their grandparents,” Wolner said. “They were 7 and 10 when their grandparents were murdered. Season 2 is the one closest to

my heart. I’m proud of the podcast itself. It felt like a meaningful thing to do.”

The podcast has turned into Wolner’s passion. “It does feel meaningful,” he said. “It’s a lot of hard work. It’s not easy. I do the research, the writing and the audio editing myself. It’s very gratifying.”

The Dakota Spotlight podcast can be found at: https://www.inforum. com/topics/dakotaspotlight

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Dakota Spotlight podcast takes off

James Wolner (foreground) and Derek Fletcher (cameraman) on site while filming the regional Emmy award winning documentary, The House on Sweet and Seventh.

By Cindy Peterson for The Dickinson Press

Dr. Dan Keith prides himself in being able to straighten out somebody’s smile, but to the orthodontist there’s so much more to it.

“We build confidence in youth and adults,” said Keith, the only board certified orthodontist in Western North Dakota. “We truly aren’t straightening teeth. We are building a foundation for a lifetime. The power of a beautiful smile can’t be underestimated at any age.”

The Dickinson area is flashing its pearly whites for more than one reason. Keith, who started DK Orthodontics six years ago in Bismarck, opened up a practice in Dickinson last year. He sees patients once a week. Keith expanded to Dickinson because a lot of his patients were

driving from the Dickinson area for his services. He originally came to Dickinson once every six weeks but saw a need to bring his services to town.

“The demand was so high out there,” said Keith, who is from Bismarck and graduated from Century High school and the University of Mary. “My patient base grew so quickly, I ended up going there weekly. I love going there and serving Dickinson. I have a great relationship with the dentists from Dickinson. They were asking for a couple years if I would please come to Dickinson because they had patients in need of orthodontic treatment. It’s not convenient for people to drive a couple hours to come to Bismarck. It’s been a great experience working with the dental offices and the people of Dickinson. We love our time there.”

Keith, whose wife is from Dickinson, has embraced the community. He has sponsored

many activities in supporting the schools and youth in Dickinson. He takes pride in more than straightening smiles.

“I’m passionate about the community and supporting kids,” said Keith, who graduated from the University of Colorado Dental School of Medicine. “In a few short years, I’ve had an opportunity to meet so many people in a great community. I feel like we’re a part of Dickinson.”

An orthodontist specializes in tooth and jaw alignment.

Braces and invisialign are two main areas somebody would visit Keith. The age of his patients range from 6 to 80.

“One of the misnomers for an orthodontist is that it’s all about straight teeth,” Keith said. “That is one part of the equation. We are ensuring great teeth and smiles for years to come. We get the teeth in a position so they are

easy to clean, to work around and to contain. Our speciality isn’t about treating one person. It evolves in treating families and relatives. It’s an honor and a privilege to work with so many families for a long time.”

Dr. Keith has a great vision for the city of Dickinson and wants to keep its residence smiling.

“We plan to be there for a long time,” he said. “As our patient base grows we will continue to add more time there. We want things to be convenient for the people in Dickinson.”

Treating Your Hearing LossAN UNSELFISH ACT

Hearing loss is not only tough on the person who has it, but also on those around them. Treatment could not only lead to better hearing for you, but ultimately improved relationships with your family and friends.

Dr. Krystal Mann, Audiologist and owner of Krystal Clear Hearing Center held a marketing campaign in February called “Love your hearing”. She was delighted by the number of spouses who booked their appointments together. “I think it was such a success because having a loved one to go with to an appointment makes the whole experience less intimidating,” she said. But what she was most pleased with was the responses from the couples once one or both were treated with the hearing aids at her office. “The couples didn’t speak of how their hearing was better. Instead, they spoke of how their relationship was better. So to those who think treating their hearing loss is a burden on their family, typically financially, I say it is one of the most unselfish act of love and care you can show them and your close friends”.

From having more meaningful conversations and being able to participate in daily activities together, hearing loss treatment can truly rejuvenate the overall well-being of both yourself and those that are dear to you. Don’t hesitate to think of hearing loss treatment as an unselfish act - it does make a difference in both your life and the lives of people that care about you.

Dr. Dan Keith is the only board certified orthodontist in Western North Dakota.

Many patients flash a big pretty smile because of Dr. Dan Keith.

Dr. Dan Keith comes to Dickinson from Bismarck once a week to serve his patients.

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RESILIENCE : THE STUFF THAT

THE HARDY

LEGACY

Farming been in Beach family since 1906

By Cindy Peterson for The Dickinson Press

F or several decades the Hardy family has lived with the philosophy that faith and family come on top of the list of how they conduct their life. Throw in community after that.

Those top three virtues give the Beach farmers a strong foundation not only for their family but also for their employees, friends and neighbors.

Farming has been part of the family for more than a century, and so have those same pillars, which has led to them expanding their farm and crop insurance business and being active in almost all facets of the community.

“It’s been ingrained in all of us that we have faith and family on the top of our list,” said Mark Hardy, who now operates Hardy Farms with his wife Tiffany.

“It’s how we make our decisions. It’s how we got to where we’re at.”

Hardy Farms started in 1906 when Mark Hardy’s great grandpa James Hardy began the small grain farm. Grandparents Charlie and Vicky Hardy took over and lived on the farm until 2006. Don and Jean, are in the process of turning the operation over to their son, Mark

and his wife Tiffany, but are still involved in operations. Don and Jean added the crop insurance end of the business in 1987.

“It’s an honor to keep things rolling for my generation,” Mark Hardy said. “I would like to carry it on to the next generation. I have two young boys. I want to get them involved just like how my parents got me involved. I’m in it to build a family tradition and legacy.”

Mark and Tiffany are the parents to Hayes, 2, and Porter, four months.

Don and Jean Hardy have three sons, but Mark was the one who wanted to stay and be groomed for farming. He also works with his cousin, Gary and Michelle Hardy, of Golva. Mark Hardy spent some time away from Beach, going to college at the University of Mary in Bismarck and living in Fargo for a few years, but he knew he’d return home. He moved back for good in 2010.

“It got to the point where dad had grown enough to where he was at the tipping point of needing stable help around the farm,” Mark Hardy said.

Mark Hardy said the whole family has been involved with operating the family business through the years, and that includes his grandma, mom and wife. The ladies have done

everything from bookkeeping to assisting in moving equipment to different fields to preparing meals.

“It’s fun to have dinner in the field with the kids and have the dogs out there,” Mark Hardy said. “Our cousins from the West Coast come and visit, and they are blown away by the organization of everything. They might not

remember much, but they always remember eating out in the field.”

While many businesses struggle to find help, the Hardys are fortunate they are able to operate with local employees and are always full staffed.

Included is Mark Hardy’s retired uncle, John Hardy, who comes to Beach from Washington every spring and fall to work.

“Our employees are not working for us, they are working with us,” Mark Hardy said. “They enjoy working with us. They feel valued. They feel what they do matters and that they are working toward something.”

The Hardys also work with local ranchers to do rotational crops and 98 percent of their land is tillable ground. The Hardys raise winter wheat, spring wheat, durum, corn, sunflowers, green peas, lentils, alfalfa and cover cropping in their rotation.

PART 3

Beach farmers Mark and Tiffany Hardy are pictured with their oldest son, Hayes.

Mark Hardy is pictured with his parents Don and Jean, who are still active in operating Hardy Farms.

Mark Hardy is blowing out planter boxes.

Mark and Tiffany Hardy are shown in the field during planting season.

Hardy Farms is busy in the fall threshing crops.

Hardy Farms is catching on the go during harvest season.

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ENTERTAINING MOTT

Playhouse theatre operating for almost 80 years

By Cindy Peterson for The

Dickinson Press

For almost 80 years, the Mott Playhouse Theatre has been a staple. The town folk want to make sure it survives even longer.

The community and volunteers have combined to make sure there is entertainment in town on the weekends. The theatre in Mott gets the latest releases and helps keep local dollars in town.

“I think we will be able to stay open for many more years,” theatre volunteer and board member Kayleen Meckle said. “The community wants this place to stay open for the foreseeable future.”

The Playhouse Theatre has been operating in Mott since the 1940s. While a lot of theatres have left small town North Dakota, Mott still operates and is able to keep going.

The building is owned by the city, and is operated as a non-profit by volunteers. The theatre board’s role is to keep track of expenses, give consent for special projects and give the managers support. The theatre is

managed by Jimmy Poucey and Steph Rokusek. The theatre is open Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.

The theatre pays all of the overhead costs. The board runs fundraisers if there is a need for updates, new equipment and other things. Volunteers receive free movie admission and concessions for helping, and a lot of volunteer couples schedule that as their “date night” while working.

“Our community is extremely generous,” Meckle said. “The biggest way we see our community embrace the theatre is through fundraising and movie sponsorship. If we need money for something, people are so generous and make sure we have above and beyond what we need. It costs several hundred dollars to get a movie and people have been quick to sponsor movies, which relieves the theatre from paying for the movie.”

That is what small town North Dakota does to keep entertainment at home.

“Small towns can struggle to provide entertainment, and we want to keep providing the cinema experience for our community,” Meckle said. “People are so busy and having a theatre in your town is great so you don’t have to drive an hour or two to see a movie. We get people from all over southwestern North Dakota at our movies. We do get people of all ages to attend our movies.”

The supporters of the Mott theatre aren’t given older movies to view either. They get to enjoy the new releases.

“It is usually easier to get new releases now,” Meckle said. “We have a booking agent who books the movies with the studios and gets them sent to us. The studios sometimes have requirements for how many weekends we

A welcoming experience

Wagendorf eager for people to see museum

By Cindy Peterson for The Dickinson Press

When passing through Southwest North Dakota, make sure to stop at the Hettinger County Historical Society Museum and say hi to Don Wagendorf.

You’ll get a free trip through the museum - and you’ll get lots of conversation. He’ll educate you with what’s in the confines of the museum, and he’ll make you feel welcome. Be prepared to learn and to engage in friendly conversation.

Wagendorf’s title at the museum?

“I’m just a nice guy that likes to say hello to people,” Wagendorf said. “I’m just a young kid at 85 years old.”

Good enough!

Wagendorf said the museum operates as the weather allows and opens for the year when weather cooperates. He was hoping for an earlier opening date this year.

“Every time we think about an opening date, something else comes

up, like 10 inches of snow,” he said. “I think when it’s spring time, people will be wanting to get on it and take a trip. Hopefully the gas prices go down so people will want to travel.”

The more the merrier.

Wagendorf loves to welcome people.

Wagendorf isn’t sure how many people come to tour the museum, but he said one of the slowest years just saw 1,200. He’s glad every year isn’t like that.

Wagendorf has visited

The Hettinger County Historical Society Museum is lit up for its annual “Light Up The Museum” and has kept the lights up for Christmas In July.

with folks from every state and probably 20 different countries.

“I’ve talked to people of every religion, every color and every shape and size,” Wagendorf said. “All of them have been good, fun people to talk to. There are all kinds of people that come here. We just enjoy life.”

The museum consists of six buildingsPioneer, Native American and Children’s room along with Pioneer Village and Farm

Equipment, a country school, a country church, Doc Hill Medical Museum and Christy’s General Store.

Wagendorf will lead the way through, guiding people through life from the early 1870s to 1930. Admission is free, but donations are accepted.

“I love to be with people,” he said. “I do a little history for them all. We talk about life, the way things were and the way things are. I give them a glimpse. They can go back to life with their great great great great grandpas.”

One of Wagendorf’s favorite stories involves a couple in their 50s and their children.

Wagendorf was ready to show them the church, and they announced to him that they were pagans but agreed to continue.

“We were in there for about a half hour to an hour,” Wagendorf said. “They were amazed by the church and the way it was built. They made it easy for me and made it interesting. I swear, they were going to go to church the next Sunday. I love my God and He loves me. This is what we are short on in this

need to keep the movie. If they require a longer hold we may wait to get a new movie for a couple weeks. We only have one screen, so it’s hard to keep the same movie for more than a couple weeks. Sometimes we are able to get a movie opening weekend, which is great.”

Concessions at the Playhouse Theatre will not break a person’s bank account either.

“The Playhouse Theatre makes most of its money from concession sales,” Meckle said. “We are able to turn a small profit so we can pay the bills and keep the theatre in business. Our concessions are cheaper than larger towns, but we are still able to make a profit.” The playhouse theatre shows no signs of slowing down because people are still coming through the doors.

world. We’ve got to get back to some prayers and some friendliness. It doesn’t cost much to be friendly. You’d be surprised what you can do with people sometimes.”

Wagendorf always enjoys the children and when school field trips come in to visit.

“Sometimes kids

will come in, and they are scared of me,” Wagendorf said. “When they leave they want me to hold them. They want to give me a hug. I don’t have to give anybody treats. I just need to be a friend.”

Wagendorf is waiting for the people to come in, so he can visit and be their pal.

Don Wagendorf, middle, is pictured with a couple from Belgium. Wagendorf is the curator for the Hettinger County Historical Society Museum.

Concessions at the Mott Playhouse Theatre are cheaper than a larger city movie theatre.

The Mott Playhouse Theatre has been operating for almost 80 years.

The Mott Playhouse Theatre seats approximately 160 people.

Meeting customer demand

By Cindy Peterson for The Dickinson Press

Richardton producer

Ambrose Hoff didn’t lay down and play possum when a serious drought hit the area in the late 1980s.

Hoff turned a negative into a positive with his forward-thinking mentality. While the ground was dry and the crops were burning up, Hoff thought outside of the box. We went to California and brought back garbanzo beans, a crop that could withstand a drought. Garbanzo beans were not common in Southwest North Dakota. Nobody knew how to process or clean them. Hoff found a way to do it himself.

Hoff’s ability to adapt to a not-so-good situation has resulted in a big vision and even bigger results. The family operates Stone Mill, which has become an industry leader in purifying organic and non-GMO agricultural commodities for food and pet products. Its state-of-the-art FSMAcompliant distribution center ensures that specialty grains, such as garbanzo beans and flax, are the fines available.

The business has stayed family-run with his daughter Daneen Dressler being an active partner after she returned home from college in 2002.

“As a small business you have to change with the markets, or you will never make it,” Dressler said. “It was done out of necessity. It’s a volatile

market. There can be a drought, or things could go wrong with supply and demand. We try to be as diverse as we can. With a small business, you really have to be flexible. We’ve had our ups and downs over the years. We’ve had to negotiate those turns.”

Stone Mill works with more than 100 producers

each year. It employs 17 people. Stone Mill processes anywhere from 10 to 20 different grains each year. Some are rare, like black or red lentils, which have been in the processing center only a couple of times.

“We have all these little hopper tanks and rows and rows of bins,” Dressler said. “That’s why we have so many tanks. We have to keep each farmer separate.”

Expanding past garbanzo beans started after the historical 9-1-1 attack on the Pentagon and Twin Towers. Trading to countries like Afghanistan, India and the UAE wasn’t allowed. Once again, Stone Mill was forward thinking and expanded to other grains, like flax seed, etc.

“We built a new facility, and now we are running more things,” Dressler said. “We added more processors. We expanded to meet customer demand.”

While Stone Mill’s products stay in North Dakota and the region, the bulk goes to the West Coast, especially California.

Stone Mill uses machines from a company called Rev Tech, which is used for roasting and stabilizing grains. Several food companies will bring grain to Stone Mill for roasting, including garbanzo beans, mung beans, lentils, peas and other pulse crops.

“The reason to roast these pulse crops is to improve the flavor profile and enhance the functionality of the proteins,” Dressler said. “Beans often have ‘beany’ notes of flavor that can render them unusable unless they are roasted first.”

Other applications for the Rev Tech process would be pasteurization of grains to achieve a reduction in salmonella.

“We have a validated process for pasteurizing flaxseed using this technology, it’s an organic approved process that uses zero chemicals – only heat and steam technology is used to pasteurize grains and leave them as close to raw as possible while still achieving the reduction in salmonella and other pathogens,” Dressler said.

“Stabilizing oat groats is the third method that is utilized with the Rev Tech. When oats are dehulled, the process induces an enzyme to be active, which begins a process of that destabilizes,” Dressler said. “The oat can make it go rancid in just a few weeks if left untreated. So we send the oats through this heat and steam process to deactivate that enzyme and stabilize the oat for a longer shelf life. That oat will then go on to be made into flour or oatmeal/flakes or steel cut oat groats.”

The forward-thinking mindset has certainly paid off for Stone Mill.

Ambrose Hoff, Charlotte Hoff, Daneen Dressler and Ty Dressler all team together to operate Stone Mill.

Flaxseed is a common processed grain at Stone Mill.

Stone Mill has several different tanks to keep each producer’s grain separate to avoid contamination.

Pictured is Stone Mill near Richardton. The farm processes conventional and organic grains.

Stone

Relations in industry continue

By Cindy Peterson for The Dickinson Press

Carter Fong recognizes the value of building a rapport with the farming community. After all, agriculture has and always will be one of the top industries in Southwest North Dakota.

Fong, who is the executive director of the Dickinson Area Chamber of Commerce, likes to make sure the organization extends outside the city limits.

The chamber holds more than 30 events each year and three of the bigger events focus on the farm community

- Banquet In A Field, Ag Livestock Forum and the annual photo of the year contest.

“The role of the chamber is to make connections through all sectors of the economy,” said Fong, who took over his role in May, 2021. “We call ourselves the Dickinson Area Chamber, and I put an emphasis on the word area. It’s our mission to expand beyond the city limits. Our mission is to connect business and community, to bring people together.”

The Banquet In A Field will be held July 11 at Ben and Dani Kuhn’s farm, five miles south of Dickinson.

The banquet, the most popular event by the chamber’s ag committee, is an outdoor multicourse meal for 150 invited guests, who are community leaders, supporters of agriculture and winning educators in the school system and at Dickinson State. Different guests are invited each year.

“We have many banquet events in the community,” Fong said. “Most of them have a

fundraising element or it’s a priced event for purchase. VIP get to attend our event free of charge, and that’s what makes it so unique.”

The mission of the event is to build relations, of course, with a social hour on the front end. What follows is informational programs to help people understand how their food comes from the field to the table.

After the banquet, horse carriage rides are provided by the NDSU Extension Center around the farm at sunset. Farm locations are rotated every two years.

The Ag Livestock forum is an informational event that is held every year in mid February. Keynote speakers this year were Doug Bichler and Jerry Doan. Bichler spoke about losing his right arm in a farm accident. He focused on his recovery, physically and mentally. Doan, who was recently inducted into the North Dakota Agricultural Hall of Fame, talked about the legacy of North Dakota farms and bringing the next generation back.

“Farmers and ranchers aren’t alone in some of the challenges they face,” Fong said. “We see people outside of agriculture attending this event because of Doug’s challenge with his mental health.

Businesses are wanting to know how to attract and attain a young workforce and how to get the best of the next generation to want to be here. Everybody had something they could draw from the speakers and the messages they shared.”

The chamber likes to highlight the best photographers and artists the region has to offer. Photo contests are held during the months of January, April, July and October with an overall winner chosen in December.

Barbara Olstad of Sentinel Butte, 75, is the most recent overall

winner - her first time submitting a photo.

The chamber receives 25-50 photos each season. Contest winners receive a cash prize along with their winning photo framed by JP Frameshop of Dickinson.

“We have regulars who send to us every contest, and there are always new names and faces and artwork,” Fong said. “We want our best photographers to capture the beauty of every season. We have four beautiful seasons

in our neck of the woods.”

The work of the ag committee makes these events possible. The chamber also relies on sponsorship. Cost is $1,250 to become a major sponsor. The chamber currently has

18 majors. “Major sponsors step up to allow these events to happen,” Fong said. “In economics, there is no such thing as a free lunch. Somebody is paying for it. It’s our sponsors that help make events possible.”

DSU offers new program

Meat cutting now part of curriculum

By Cindy Peterson for The Dickinson Press

It’s been a struggle for North Dakota butcher shops to find a skilled meat cutter.

Dickinson State has recognized that need and has decided to “meat” people where they are at - pun intended. DSU will be adding a meat cutting program to its curriculum in the fall to teach the fine art of meat cutting.

Agriculture chairman Chip Poland is excited to add the trade to the curriculum. Dickinson State offers or is in the process of offering other trades, such as welding, diesel tech and truck driving training. A trade that is agriculture based makes Poland giddy. The idea was brought

to DSU by the North Dakota Farm Bureau, and the university ran with the opportunity to offer that type of education to its students.

“This was brought to us from a group that represents agriculture interest in the state,” Poland said. “It has been embraced by the livestock industry, students who are coming in as well as the businesses in the meat processing side of things. Justification is coming from a variety of different angles, which is refreshing.”

Start-up has been a somewhat simple process. About 40 years ago, DSU taught meat cutting, which was used primarily in teaching students going back to the farm how to harvest and process an animal for home consumption. Dickinson State is in the process of remodeling and upgrading the facility it already has. Without increasing

space, the university is taking on the remodel - from upgrading the compressors and cooling systems to new cabinets and tables to a new smoker. When DSU was approached by the farm bureau to add the program, the school went through the process of applying for state dollars to update its facility. The program will be open to students this fall. They can receive a certificate when completing the multiple course program. Current faculty and adjuncts will handle the teaching.

“Career tech programs can be expensive to start, and this one is not,” DSU Interim VP John Miller said. “It’s a nice added piece to the university. It’s a great opportunity for community education for the folks in Dickinson and the surrounding communities.”

Poland and Miller admitted that meat processing centers in the state often struggled to find an employee with a meat cutting skill. DSU can

Vet makes updates

West Dakota Vet takes on big project

By Cindy Peterson for The Dickinson Press

One thing lead to another.

And another. And another. And...You get the picture.

What started out as a quick makeover turned into a fullboar remodel project for the West Dakota Veterinary Clinic. West Dakota ended up pumping more than $1 million into updates and remodeling.

“It started out with us wanting to make a little office cubicles,” said Kim Brummond, a co-owner with Erika Schumacher. “It ballooned into taking the front off the building and remodeling the entire up front. Things were just looking a little dated. It now has a new modern feel. We just ran with it.”

Brummond, who has been in practice at West Dakota for 38 years, said West Dakota didn’t add any space, but one exam room was added by rearranging. The heating system was redone, along with structural repairs that the owners were unaware of.

“The design and front exceeded my expectations

on how much I like it, and how much it was needed,” Brummond said. “We found existing problems that we didn’t know about that went on for years. It’s a good thing all around. The clients seem to enjoy the updates and the modern feel. It’s easier to communicate with our clients.”

The project took way longer than expected. The remodel began in October, 2021, and was supposed to take three or four months. Then COVID happened, which caused massive delays. The project finished in July, 2022.

Western Dakota had to vacate the entire reception area and it set up shop in a horse stall in the back.

“It got very tiring,” Brummond said. “We were very cramped. The clients were extremely patient for the most part. The good news is we had some place to move to. Most facilities don’t have a Plan B. We were able to keep operating while we were remodeling. It could’ve been a lot worse.”

Even though the project cost more and took way longer than expected, Brummond sees the positive in everything.

“It could’ve been a lot worse,” she said. “I shouldn’t look at the bad things. I looked at all the good things that were

teach the basic skills and each business can train on how things are processed in its facility. The DSU curriculum will create the opportunity for students to do an internship to gain practical experience.

“They are waiting for those graduates to come,” Poland said. For Miller, he likes

the opportunity for DSU to serve the area and bring skilled graduates into the workforce.

“WeI will try to complement them and train people,” Miller said. “It’s a great way to create awareness with the university. We can get more people engaged and aware of what is going on at

Dickinson State.” Miller said the university will take an education initiative to offer community education. DSU plans to offer training on barbequing, which will allow people to see the facilities and what the agriculture program offers.

happening. The employees were amazing. They found ways to do the same old thing. Everybody bought into the vision we were doing.”

The West Dakota staff is accustomed to projects. This was its third remodel since 2015. West Dakota added an equine center, a grooming facility and more horse stalls.

“This is the last one, I promise,” Brummond said. “I’d like to thank all of our clients for being patient through the whole rigamarole. Everybody was able to hold things together until they got put back together.”

DSU has remodeled and upgraded its facilities for its meat cutting program.

Dickinson State is offering a meat cutting program to its curriculum.

Dickinson State received State funds to improve facilities to add a meat cutting program.

The reception area at West Dakota Veterinary Clinic makes the customer experience more enjoyable.

West Dakota Veterinary Clinic spent more than $1 to remodel and update its facilities.

FARM FACTS

P According to most recent U.S. Census Bureau statistics, there are 386,531 men working as farmers and ranchers. There are 51,865 women working as farmers and ranchers.

P A farmer today grows twice as much food as his parents did – using less land, energy, water, and fewer emissions.

P Today, the average U.S. farmer feeds 155 people. In 1960, a farmer fed just 26 people.

P To keep up with population growth more food will have to be produced in the next 50 years as the past 10,000 years combined.

P U.S. farmers produce about 40 percent of the world’s corn, using only 20 percent of the total area harvested in the world.

P According to the USDA, one acre of corn removes about 8 tons of carbon dioxide from the air in a growing season. At180 bushels per acre, corn produces enough oxygen to supply a year’s needs for 131 people.

National Agriculture Week is devoted to educating people about where food, fiber, and fuel come from. Every year, producers, agricultural associations, corporations, universities, government agencies, and others join together to recognize the contributions of agriculture. National Ag Day falls during National Agriculture Week.

DICKINSON BEING PROGRESSIVE

Friendship

can accommodate all abilities

By CINDY PETERSON For The Press

It made Sarah Carlson sad that her son was never able to play in the park with other children in Dickinson.

Play dates or joining other kids during play time just wasn’t an option. Carlson’s son was missing out, and that broke her heart.

Carlson’s child contends with physical and intellectual disabilities. Getting him into any of Dickinson’s parks was physically impossible. A good majority of the equipment wasn’t a match for him.

“Even looking at surfacing, a lot of the playgrounds are sand,” Carlson said. “It’s impossible to push wheels on sand. Some around here have wood chips. That surface creates barriers for access for kids who use wheels. I get it. Other surfaces are expensive, and people have gone with the most economical option. But there will always be kids and adults with disabilities.”

Carlson - and other citizens who have a vested interest in those with disabilities - became proactive and decided to do something about it. They created the Friendship Park committee and have been working with the Dickinson Parks and Rec, the city of Dickinson and Stark County to create an all-inclusive park that can accommodate those with any disability.

Friendship Park, a $1.6 million project, will open this spring. Disability or no disability - the park will be open for all to enjoy.

“Yes, I have a child with a disability,” Carlson said. “It’s not just his playground or his park. It’s for the entire community and meeting the needs of our children. The best way children learn about each other is through play and not through some forced structure.”

The 6-acre park will be

located off I-94 by 10th Avenue. Dickinson Parks and Rec Executive Director Benjamin Rae compared it to Mandan’s allinclusive park.

“It’s designed to match all abilities,” Rae said. “Anybody who has a disability can enjoy the amenities. There are different sounds, different colors, different designs and different textures. I feel like this will be the premier and most desired park in the area. The whole concept is everybody should be able to go somewhere to play and do it together in the same playground. It is a nice addition to the parks system in Dickinson.”

The city of Dickinson and Stark County funded a quarter of the project. The park district kicked in a quarter of the expense. The other half came from fundraising and a federal grant. Through the grant, 49 additional trees will also be planted.

“Everybody was involved in making this a successful project,” Rae said. “It’s fun to see people who feel like they’ve been marginalized and haven’t had things for their children, it’s fun to see them participate.”

The park will feature a variety of swings, slides, rope climbing, climbing features, benches and music area along with accessible restrooms. It even accommodates those who are non-auditory.

“The design of the park is in a circle around the playground, signifying unity, so everybody has a place,” Rae said. “There are a lot of things we take for granted until we know somebody or we’re close to somebody that needs those facilities. Then it’s suddenly important to us.”

After the first phase is completed, the Friendship Park will feature a nature trail, an artificial turf area and a walking path, which will have an asphalt or concrete surface.

Park

The Friendship Park will eventually feature a walking path and a nature trail.

TAKING A BIG SWING

The Sports Lounge offers entertainment

By CINDY PETERSON For

The Press

Derek and Marcella McManus decided to take a swing at something new - pun intended.

The McManuses saw an opportunity to bring a new source of entertainment to the city of Dickinson when they opened The Sports Lounge on Nov. 5, 2022.

The new business offers young people and adults a chance to play.

The Sports Lounge offers bouncy houses, retractable

batting cages, a baseball and softball simulator, a pitching mound along with training clinics and training equipment. The Sports Lounge is also available to host parties and special events.

The McManuses saw an opportunity when their four children - both boys and girls - ages 14 to 6 became active in sports and outgrew their backyard.

“We decided to take a swing at something different,” Derek McManus said. “Why not give people something year-round to do? The bounce house has taken off really well. Baseball and softball are coming around.”

The bouncy houses are set

up during the morning hours, which allows parents and children to do an activity together.

The batting cages, etc. are starting to catch on. Three batting cages are offeredlwith speeds ranging from 20 to 90 mph.

“We’ve had people come in, and they didn’t even know the cages were there,” Derek McManus said. “We’ve had some people come in for date night and do the batting cages.”

Dickinson baseball coaches, from the Legion level to the Cal Ripken ages, have brought their teams for baseball drills.

“They have done indoor practices,” Derek McManus said. “They have

The batting cages at The Sports Lounge allows baseball players a chance to hone their skills along with providing a source of entertainment for adults

been working on fielding grounders. Obviously they can’t do pop flies. They work in gloves. They even go to the cages. It’s a different kind of fun.”

The McManuses wanted to offer the opportunity for people to play - rain, shine, snow, ice, windy or calm. The Sports Lounge is located off I-94, near Buffalo Wild Wings.

In Dahlia Rose’s honor

Roses In The Rain named after owner’s niece

By CINDY PETERSON For The

Press

Dahlia Rose was in Betty Fred’s life for such a brief moment, but the impact Fred’s niece made was insurmountable.

Dahlia Rose was born in 2020 with cerebral palsy and died 14 months later. The loss left a huge void in Fred’s heart. Fred found a way to honor Dahlia Rose’s memory by naming her business Roses In The

Rain, a do-it-yourself art studio. How the name came about is rather interesting. Dahlia

Pictured is one of the do-ityourself signs made at Roses In The Rain studio in Dickinson.

Rose’s mom, Fred’s sister-in-law, would sing the Christina Perri song to her child.

“Dahlia Rose was a

A group participates in an art class at Roses In The Rain studio.

big part of our family and our lives,” Fred said. “Her mom played the song for her every night when she would

go to bed. It helped her sleep. She would have a problem with muscle tension, and it relaxed her.”

It gets even better. Dahlia is a flower. Her middle name was ROSE: Page E4

More paws are welcome at Trails End

Kennel in South Heart is expanding

By CINDY PETERSON

For The Press

Aaron and April Robinson always believe that there is always room for more dogs.

In fact, they own eight of the furry critters themselves. Their dogs are their family.

That’s why the Robinsons find it important when families are away from home, they can be assured that Fido will be cared for.

The Robinsons have owned and operated Trails End Kennels in South Heart for four years. They are making room for more pets at their facility by adding on 18 new kennels, which would make for a total of 28. The expansion should be completed by the end of April.

“We don’t have kids,” said Aaron Robinson, who used to train dogs professionally. “Our dogs are our family. Dogs have been all around us since we’ve been married. It’s in our blood. It’s something we are very passionate about. My wife said when she retires, she wants to be around dogs.”

The Robinsons expanded the business when they bought it and then added a couple to manage it, which includes a full-time groomer Jade Une.

ROSE

From Page E3

Robinson said. “Since we have a full-time groomer, when a dog comes in, they can get groomed before they get picked up. It’s nice because people don’t have to set up that appointment. Jade will find time to groom them or give them a bath. When their dog goes home, they are nice and fresh.”

Christmas. Trails End has boarded as many as 30 dogs. The addition should easily allow 50 dogs to be boarded.

when they go out for hikes because it’s too hot.”

Robinson hates turning people away.

opportunities.”

“That is a nice thing that separates us from other kennels,”

Rose. ‘Roses In The Rain’ is actually about losing a child. Everything about it was so fitting.

“It was the best way to honor her,” Fred said.

Fred started the business in the basement of her home during the COVID lockdown and named her business Studio 87. Fred was a stayat-home mom at the time to her 5-year-old daughter, who loved doing art projects as well.

Her daughter has now started school, and Fred found the need to expand out of her home. She moved to 656 Villard St. in Dickinson.

The number of dogs in the kennel varies, depending on the time of the year. Trails End books up during the summer months and holidays. It’s already booked up for

Another business carried a similar name, and Fred wanted to avoid confusion so she gladly changed the name to honor her niece.

Fred and her daughter started doing at-home projects to occupy their time during COVID. They created a website and started sending out do-it-yourself kits to people in the country.

“It kept people occupied in their own home,” said Fred, who studied graphic design at Finlandia University in Hancock, Mich. “They would order what they wanted through my website. At the time of COVID, I did monthly subscriptions so they would automatically get a new sign to paint and put together.”

Roses In The Rain offers

“We are the closest to Medora,” Robinson said. “Most of the hotels don’t allow pets. In the summer, you can’t leave your dog in the car when you go to the musical because it’s too hot. Some people even board their dog with us

Paint The Plank classes (paint and sip), custom wood signs and Home Studio Boxes.

“I design it on the computer, cut them out with a laser,” Fred said. “It’s pretty fool-proof. People like that.”

Fred hosts classes, accommodating up to 24 people.

“We get a lot of girls night out, birthday parties, office parties, Christmas parties, kids groups,” Fred said. “I enjoy meeting different people in my studio. I love hearing people’s stories.”

Fred is hoping to expand more of a storefront over the summer. She is striving to accept drop-ins and schedule more private parties.

“We’ve been turning people away for several years,” he said. “Almost every weekend in the summer we are full. Even during the week. We are plenty busy, and we’re looking to get the word out that we are going to be having more

Robinson said the new kennels will be geared more toward bigger dogs. Trails End heats and air conditions its facility. Dogs are let out at least three times a day for 15 minutes or up to an hour, depending on how many dogs are boarded. The managers also play with the dogs.

Jade Une manages Trails End Kennels and can groom the dogs.

Jade Une plays with a dog being boarded at Trails End Kennels.

Trails End Kennels in South Heart will be adding 14 more kennels.

Roses In The Rain is the place of choice for office parties, Christmas parties, girls night out and other get togethers.

THE BEST IN THE WEST

Dutchak’s cooking is loved by many

By CINDY PETERSON For The Press

To listen to Nathan Dutchak talk, making the perfect steak seems rather easy.

Very few can actually master the art. There’s something to Dutchak’s technique because he was voted the best chef in the Dickinson Press’s Best Of the Western Edge annual vote by the readers.

Burly’s Roughrider Bar & Steakhouse - owned by Dutchak and his wife Rhoda - was selected as best steak in the same contest.

So, what is the secret?

“Cooking it to the right temperature, great seasoning and truffle butter,” said Dutchak, who has owned Burly’s for about six years.

Burly’s goes through about 12 loins of ribeye on the weekends, with each loin weighing 20 pounds each. They cut their own steaks. Burly’s also goes through the same amount in prime rib, which is seasoned and smoked.

Dutchak’s talents in the kitchen extend beyond cooking a tasty steak. He prides himself in his pasta dishes as well.

“I make chicken alfredo,” Dutchak said.

“My alfredo sauce is

homemade. My gravy is homemade. All of my sauces are homemade. I don’t like stuff out of a box or a can, I guess.”

Dutchak, who grew up in Belfield, developed a love of cooking when he was in high school. He cooked at Cheers, a former cafe in Belfield after the school day. One of his favorite classes was home economics, where he could focus on perfecting his cooking.

“I just kind of had a knack for it,” he said. “I don’t have many recipes. They are all in my head. It just comes

naturally.”

After graduating from high school, Dutchak attended NDSCS in Wahpeton where he was a fullback on the football team and attended culinary school.

“I was pursued to play football, and they had the only culinary program in North Dakota,” Dutchak said. “I didn’t know what else to do. I love cooking.”

Dutchak lived in Oregon, Billings and Bismarck before coming home in 2016. The end of that year saw some big changes for him. On Dec. 28, he and Rhoda became parents. On Dec. 29, they closed on Burly’s. On Jan. 1, he bought James Oil Field Service, which won best roustabout company of the year in 2022.

“We dove in with both feet,” Dutchak said. “I have the gray hair that shows it.”

Dutchak credited his employees for the success of his restaurant. He’s also enjoyed teaching them the fine art of culinary.

“The restaurant wouldn’t be where it is today if it weren’t for the help,” Dutchak said. “They are one in a million. They have stuck with me,

even through COVID. They are what keeps it going. The cooks in the kitchen, they do the cooking, and I do the supervising. I like to see them succeed. If I did all the cooking, I’d have to be there all the time. It’s nice to teach people what I’ve learned. They have stuck with it and are very good cooks.”

Dutchak appreciates those faithful patrons.

“I thank the community and the surrounding community for supporting us,” Dutchak said. “We are

going on six years and counting because of them. One of the things

I stress the most is they are the reason why we do this.”

Jessi Banyai mixes drinks at Burly’s Roughrider Bar &

Ashley Lindbo pours beer during her shift at Burly’s Roughrider Bar & Steakhouse.

Lakota Fragua works the friers at Burly’s Roughrider Bar & Steakhouse in Belfield.

Chef Nathan Dutchak has earned awards for his cooking, especially his steaks. He is the chef and owner of Burly’s in Belfield.

Roughrider Days are special in her heart

Barrel racer Williams to return home for rodeo

By CINDY PETERSON

For The Press

Erin (Wanner) Williams grew up in Dickinson holding fond memories of the Roughrider Days Fair & Expo. She watched the rodeo as a child and she rode her horse, as part of her 4-H club, in between events displaying sponsor flags. It was through that where she got to hang out with some of the top professional cowboys and cowgirls in the nation. It was during that experience where she got to meet twotime saddle bronc champ

Robert Etbauer. “He talked to us and shared his sunflower seeds,” said Williams, a 1997 graduate of

Dickinson Trinity who now lives in Alzada, Mont.. “They got a lot of big names there. All of our rodeo idols were there, and that was a big deal to us kids.”

Williams started barrel racing when she was 6 and never looked back. She competed at Dickinson State, where she graduated with a business administration degree in 2001. She earned her Women’s Professional Rodeo Association card 12 years ago. The Roughrider Days has been a rock in her schedule ever since. She has missed the event just once, when her daughter was sick. Williams plans to return to her hometown this summer to compete. Roughrider Days

begins June 17 with a youth rodeo. The event resumes June 21-26, July 2-4 and ends July 9. The rodeo, a parade, 4-H events, a carnival, fireworks, a concert and a demolition derby all make up the Roughrider Days. The

rodeo will be held June 23-25.

“It’s a great circuit rodeo for one,” Williams said. “It doesn’t matter what circuit you’re in, it’s a ton of money. It’s a good, fast rodeo. The

WorshipDirectory

St. Joseph Church

240 E. Broadway, Dickinson, ND 701-483-2223

Pastor: Rev. Justin Waltz Parochial Vicar: Rev. Benjamin Wanner

“For by grace you have been saved through faith.”

– Ephesians 2:8-10

Freeman builds a business while helping son

By CINDY PETERSON For The Press

S

Freeman’s son, Skylar Deshazo, once had a big fear of abrupt loud noises. She was working with professionals in a child development program. It was

hawna Freeman is the epitome of turning a negative into a positive.suggested she started baking with her son, who is now 3. Devices,

Shawna Freeman started Easy Sweets Bakery when she started baking with her son, Skylar.

such as mixers and timers buzzing, were tools for helping him

Queen of Peace Parish

overcome, along with other noisy household items such as a vacuum cleaner.

Freeman helped Skylar crack the eggs and turn on the mixers, either hand-held or a stand mixer.

“It helped him be comfortable with loud noises,” Freeman said. “It helped us bond together.”

What started as an act of empathy turned into a passion for Freeman. She has developed her own business Easy Sweets Bakery, which BUSINESS: Page E8

725 12th St West, Dickinson ND 58601 701-483-2134 | office@thequeenofpeace.com

MASS SCHEDULE

Weekdays: 12:10 pm (Tuesday—Friday)

Saturday: 8:00 am & 4:00 pm

Sunday: 9:00 am, 11:00 am (Spanish) & 5:00 pm

Holy Days: 12:10 pm & 5:30 pm

Cupcake jars are one of Shawna Freeman’s specialties.

DICKINSON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Thursday, April 6th | 6PM

Congregational Church

Combined service w/the Congregational & Episcopal churches

Friday, April 7th | 6PM

Episcopal Church Upstairs Sanctuary Good Friday Service

Sunday, April 9th | 10AM

Easter Sunday Worship

Good

822 5th Ave. West Dickinson, ND dickinsonmethodist@gmail.com 701-590-4031 www.umc.org

Find us on Facebook:

Dickinson United Methodist Church

Sunday School/Breakfast 9AM Growing in God, Transforming Lives, and Making a Difference.

St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

Lefor ND

“Salvation

under heaven given to mankind by which we

be saved.”

– Acts 4:12

Turning a negative into a positive

Making things economical for travelers

By CINDY PETERSON

For The Press

Out of control gas prices. The rising cost of, well, everything.

Families are tightening up the purse strings and are searching for ways to afford the basic needs while trying to find a way to add in entertainment.

The Medora Foundation hears those concerns and is looking for a way to meet people where they are at. The foundation is offering two free weeks of free kids tickets for the Medora Musical from June 7-21 for those 17 and younger. Those 12 and younger will receive a free hotdog meal at the pitchfork fondue.

The foundation is also offering the same for veterans on July 9. There will also be a social at the pitchfork fondue and a flyover at the musical to honor those who are serving or have served.

The musical will open up the season June 7.

“We know that travel can be expensive,” said Medora marketing manager Kaelee Wallace, who is beginning her sixth year. “We want to make it easier and accessible for families to do tours in their own state.”

BUSINESS

From Page E7

is based in Dickinson, and is now a small licensed wholesaler.

Attending the Medora Musical is a tradition for many North Dakota families. There couldn’t be a better way for a family to start that tradition with their children. Kids are free every Wednesday and Sunday throughout the season.

“We know that every summer we get the great opportunity to welcome

Freeman started her business a year ago under the Cottage Laws of North Dakota, where she can sell out of her home. She does private orders as well as wholesales. She receives orders on her private website: https:// easysweetsbakery1.wixsite. com/easy-sweets-bakery. Her work can also be found at Dickinson’s Wurst Shop.

“I 100 percent honestly never believed it would lead to a business,” Freeman said. “I was just trying to help my son feel comfortable day to day by using things in the house. I never imagined it would go this far. It has made me so happy and excited that it’s gone this far.”

RODEO

From Page E8

ground is great. It’s a great rodeo to go to.”

Williams said the Roughrider Days added an extra $8,000 per event and have added women’s breakaway roping.

“There are not a lot of rodeos around that have that big of a purse,” William said. “I don’t

families back to Medora, whether it’s their 10th time or their first or second time,” Wallace said. “This allows us to keep Medora a place that is affordable for families.”

The free kids tickets are funded by donors on the non-profit side of the foundation.

“It’s a great gift to receive and share with

families in the state and out of state,” Wallace said.

Wallace said 60 percent of Medora’s visitors come from North Dakota. Of the 40 percent that come from out of state, 20 percent of those are from the region, like Minnesota, South Dakota and eastern Montana.

“Medora is a bucketlist destination for those who are trying to mark off every national park destination,” Wallace said.

Wallace said it’s an honor to recognize the veterans as well.

“We know the military ties to Teddy Roosevelt,” Wallace said. “The

military and service members are near and dear to what his heart was driven by. “

Medora honors all the veterans each night of the musical by having them stand up. Dedicating a night for them makes it even more special.

“Seeing a ton of people in the audience stand up is special,” Wallace said.

“It’s so patriotic. It’s the 125th anniversary of the Spanish-American War and San Juan Hill. It will be extra special to celebrate that anniversary in tandem with the show.”

Wallace said Medora saw a spike in numbers in 2021, the second biggest year in the history of the musical, after coming off the COVID lockdown with 124,000 attendees. Last

Easy Sweets

Bakery provides wholesale products along with private orders for any type of occasion.

year was a lower number with 115,000 attendees.

“We want to make sure it’s affordable for families, so things aren’t so expensive,” Wallace said. “We know the Medora Musical is what drives excitement and tradition. Any time we can get people there, especially in an economic way, is fantastic.”

Tickets for the musical went on sale March 7. The cast of the musical will be confirmed in early April. Members arrive in Medora in early May and will rehearse for 34 days before opening up.

Seniors get a 15-percent discount on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Active military, plus spouses and dependents, receive a 50-percent discount.

gotten video inspiration from others.”

Freeman receives photos from customers asking her for specific decorations.

“I will say, “I don’t know if I can do this, but I will try,” Freeman said. “I’ve nailed it so far. A lot of this has been trial and error and learning from videos and past experiences.”

Becoming licensed has helped Freeman reach her goals quicker.

Freeman’s business took off by accident as well. She posted some pictures of her work on Facebook. A friend hired her to make some desserts. Through word of mouth, people started to recognize Freeman’s talents

compete in breakaway, but I have friends and fellow competitors who do.”

Returning to compete in front of her home crowd means the world to Williams.

“I love going back to the rodeo,” she said.

“It’s like going home.

I know all the people in the Roughrider Commission and the people who take care of the new Stark County Fairgrounds, which is

and placed orders. Freeman makes a wide variety of desserts such as cakes, cupcake jars, decorated sugar cookies, no-bake cheesecakes and much more. She bakes for anniversaries, weddings and other kinds of celebrations. Freeman grew up with a background in baking, having baked with her grandmother, and that expanded into her baking for her siblings’

amazing. A lot of my friends text me and ask when I’m coming. We like to sit around the trailer and tailgate. It’s fun to see all the people I know there. I always thought it was so cool as a kid.”

Williams won the Montana circuit in 2020 and placed fourth last season. She is back to competing in the Badlands circuit. She’s aiming for the top spot.

Williams normally

birthdays. She worked an overnight shift at a bakery as a young adult.

“We had a cake decorator, so I didn’t do much cake decorating,” Freeman said. “I got a lot of inspiration from the cake decorator and started doing my own decorating. Most of it is self taught. I’ve never been to culinary school. It’s mostly trial and error. I’ve watched youtube and have

competes with her mare Ritzy, but Ritzy is out with a cartilage injury in her front feet and is getting stem cells to repair the damage. Williams will be competing on a different horse this year called Bye Bye, a 5-year old.

“It’s her first year of competing,” Williams said. “She has been doing really well. I’m happy with her.”

“It has opened up a whole bunch of doors for me,” she said. “I’m able to find wholesalers and can sell to a bigger crowd of people. It started off by word of mouth, and I was able to get into a licensed kitchen. I was then able to grow my crowd and community through selling at the Wurst Shop. There’s a whole different community I haven’t been able to reach before. It’s been eye opening and exciting.”

The carnival at the Dickinson Roughrider Fair & Expo is a favorite for many.

Customers can buy Easy Sweets Bakery items at the Wurst Shop in Dickinson

RESILIENCE : THE STUFF THAT PROGRESS IS MADE

DSU ALUMNI PUTTING

EDUCT ON TO USE EDUCT ON TO USE

Teachers excelling in their areas

By Cindy Peterson

For The Dickinson Press

The professors in the Dickinson State Department of Education have been delivering top-notch training.

The results speak for themselves.

Eleven Dickinson State alumni have been nominated for the Bismarck-Mandan Chamber Outstanding Teacher Of the Year award.

The Chamber recognizes outstanding performances in the classroom for Bismarck primary education, Mandan primary education, Bismarck secondary education, Mandan secondary education and higher education.

Former Dickinson State students nominated

are: Isaiah Macdonald (Mandan High), Janae Miller (Mandan High), Jessica Schmeichel (Legacy High), Alexis Rassett (Mandan High), Karman Wahl (Bismarck High), James Gustafson (Mandan High), Joan Bretbach (Simile Middle School), Kendall Bergrud (Wachter Middle School), Karen Uhler (St. Mary’s Grade School), Alyssa Pesicka (Red Trail Elementary) and Jamie Wenstrom

(Mandan Middle School).

This is just a small bubble of Dickinson State alumni that is populating the U.S.

“The School of Education at DSU is very proud of its enduring and evolving teacher education graduates who are placed all over the state of North Dakota, in central and Western North Dakota as well as Montana, South Dakota, Minnesota and Canada,” said Dr. Joan Aus, who is the

department’s chair. “Our teacher education program is multimodal in delivery and trains students where they are, so they can teach in their own communities.”

Aus said there is about a 60-40 split with about 40 percent of the students teaching in a rural community. Of the 15 graduates in the fall semester, seven are now teaching in rural schools.

“I’m proud of the teachers we have prepared,” Aus said. “They already have a lot of teaching time. Ninetyseven percent are licensed subs before they begin to teach, so they have additional experience. All of them work, or they work within the school as a para, aide, reading tutor or doing some work in preschool.”

Aus came to DSU in the summer of 2020, following the COVID pandemic. Distance learning has now become a norm in the education system.

“We had to change the way we teach, and we’ve had to prepare our students to teach differently,”

said Aus, who came to Dickinson State from Valley City State. “We can teach online on many platforms, in addition to teaching face-to-face. Many of my students are actually teaching. In Montana, they can teach on an emergency license with an associates degree. It’s difficult for those students, and it’s not ideal. Teaching has changed tremendously. If a person elects to be a teacher, the reason can’t be because they love children. A classroom is challenging. Handling social and emotional issues is very important. The pandemic made many kids unsure of themselves. We are seeing the repercussions of that.”

Aus said many teachers have left the industry following the pandemic, creating a shortage.

“My sons are both teachers, and jobs were competitive in North Dakota in 2014, even in small school rural North Dakota,” Aus said. “Now, a lot of student teachers are hired while they are student teaching.”

PART 5

FEATURING

► Education

► New England ► South Heart

► Dickinson Public Schools Chronicle

► Drug & Alcohol Awareness & Prevention

Above: The Dickinson State Department of Education has pumped out quality teachers, especially all across North Dakota and the region. Top: Students work in the classroom at Dickinson State.

Providing healthy breakfast for the Titans

TAPHY Wagon feeding Trinity High School

By CINDY PETERSON

For The Press

Family and Consumer Science teacher Kathy Kiedrowski has seen the same pattern year after year at Trinity High School. Students come to school without eating breakfast. When they enter the building, their body signals they are hungry and their stomachs start growling. It’s hard to learn with hunger pangs.

Same goes with adults. Not all faculty members enter the building with something in their stomach, making it difficult to concentrate on teaching.

Kiedrowski has provided a solution to the problem to give a nutritious breakfast to those at Trinity. She’s been running the TAPHY Wagona breakfast cart - since 2004, along with volunteers. Her volunteers have consisted of students, alumni and parents.. The acronym TAPHY came from Titans After Physically Fit Youth.

“I believe that students need something in their stomach to start their day,” Kiedrowski said. “A lot of them wake up at 8 a.m. and run out the door to be here at 8:30. They don’t have time to eat something. They don’t allow time for their brain to tell them they are hungry.”

Kiedrowski, who has taught for 40 years, always noticed her students were hungry in the morning.

“I didn’t want them bringing in junk,” she said. “I got a basket and threw in some granola bars and

stuff like that. I told them to throw in 50 cents and they could take something.”

From there, Kiedrowski’s vision grew and the TAPHY Wagon started. Her breakfast cart has grown to where she bought an induction cooktop. Some of the items offered are muffins, egg sandwiches, smoothies, parfaits, cold tea drinks and espresso drinks, along with much more.

“The espresso was created by one of the dads,” Kiedrowski said. “The kids are getting their calcium and Vitamin D. There are coffee shops on every single corner. They can come here and buy it for less, and they don’t have to be driving all over town to get their coffee drink.”

Operating the TAPHY Wagon is an act of love. Kiedrowski volunteers her time. She arrives at the school at 7 a.m. each day to start baking muffins and to prepare the cart. She does the grocery shopping.

“I love being at the TAPHY Wagon in the morning,” Kiedrowski said. “You have your regulars that come every day and get their food item. Some walk by and say, ‘I will be having something.’ There are those groups of kids who walk in right before the bell. If we have extras, they always get the free stuff. It’s fun to watch them be grateful for the free item.”

Kiedrowski’s intention wasn’t for it to be a moneymaker. She uses the money to buy groceries, cups, lids, etc. She was able to purchase

her induction cooktop. Any profit goes back into her department.

“In the first year I had profited $35,” Kiedrowski said. “I was so excited because I got to buy a video for my classroom. Our budget is tight. The fact that I got

to buy an extra thing is special.”

Kiedrowski has learned how to promote the cart by being visible. She is willing to move the breakfast cart so students see it.

“It has to be where they are,” she said. “I get to

reach the kids who just want that glass of milk. It’s important to be where they are. I know it sounds like they are lazy, but that’s just the way it is. They are busy. I even have faculty that comes and buys because they are in a hurry too.”

(Left to right) Flo Freidt and James Brooke volunteer on Fridays to help with the breakfast cart at Trinity High School.

(Left to right) Morgan Koffler, Clair Anderson, Vicki Turtle and Christian Smith are student volunteers on the TAPHY Wagon.

(Left to right) Sofia Keller and Kathy Kiedrowski are ready to serve breakfast on the TAPHY Wagon at Trinity High School.

By CINDY PETERSON For The Press

Shannay Witte likes to know what makes something work.

If she’s making toast, she wants to understand how the bread gets brown, or even burnt. She wants to learn about what is going on under the hood of her car.

The same goes with her electronics. What makes her computer, cell phone or Ipad work the way it does?

Witte, the IT coordinator for New England Public Schools, wants her students to gain all the knowledge they can about their electronics. New England received a grant from NextEra, and $1,500 was marked for STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) or STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts mathematics) products.

“A lot of kids know how to use their phones and Ipads, but they don’t understand how computers work or what they do,” said Witte, who has been teaching for 34 years. “It’s like a toaster. Most people don’t understand why it does what it does.”

With the grant from NextEra, Witte used the funds to purchase Ozobots, small programmable robots, which is an innovative way to teach subjects like programming, math and science. The eighth graders will be using the robots, which are about the size of a ping pong ball.

“This teaches what the computer is doing when you press this button and what happens under the hood,” Witte said.

A smaller-sized robot will make it easier for Witte to teach. Other platforms took up a ton of space. “Each student can

work on it at their own desk,” she said. “We can have one robot per student without space being an issue. They have all the bells and whistles of the bigger ones.”

The Ozobots come with a curriculum for Witte as well, which was a deciding factor in making the selection.

“I don’t have time to write my own,” she said. “The curriculum

is built in. I won’t have to build everything from scratch. It’s a curriculum based on computer science and coding. It’s the best of both worlds.”

Witte said learning about computer programming and coding at the junior high age helps plant seeds to get students interested in developing a career path for that type of work.

“It helps kids

understand that a career in computers is something they could really do,” Witte said.

“I always find these things excite kids and it gives them a perspective of how it works in the real world. If you don’t give them exposure at a younger age, they get too busy or are then focused on other things.

The older they get, the more timid they are at trying new things.”

Witte also belongs to Amazon Future Engineer, a comprehensive childhood-to-career program aimed at

increasing access to computer science education. It provides a free computer science curriculum for schools that qualify, and code. org, a non-profit organization that aims to help students learn computer science with free coding lessons, etc.

“Once these kids get excited about computers, it becomes a thing for them for life,” Witte said.

“These big companies need engineers and programmers. It’s worth their time and money to invest in these things, if it gets kids interested”

In the growth mindset

By CINDY PETERSON For The Press

The growth process has been extremely kind to the Hope Christian Academy of Dickinson.

Extreme patience has been a key factor as the school has slowly expanded through the years, which have turned into decades. Enrollment growth has recently come to fruition.

Hope Chrisitan has been in operation since 1981, starting out with just a handful of kindergarten students.

Hope Christian has expanded and educates those at the high school level. It has now started two kindergarten classes. What started with five students has now expanded to 149 for the non-denominational private school.

Talk about the full gamut of growth.

“The idea is our classes wouldn’t go beyond 18 in a single class,” said Debbie Dazell, the school’s development director.

“That was the reason for splitting the kindergarten. That will proceed to adding another first grade next fall and so on.”

Let’s take a look at the time line:

Hope Christian was established in 1981, with grades K-3. . In

1983, grades 4-6 were added. A junior high came about in 1994. A high school was formed in 2012 with the first graduating class in 2016. In 2017, Hope Christian added an afternoon daycare for preschool and kindergarten students to accommodate working parents. In 2022, a full daycare was added for Hope Christian-only families.

Dazell said many families desire for their children to be educated in a Christian school system.

“The purpose of our school is for us to come alongside families who are wanting to raise their children according to God’s word,” she said. “More families are wanting that.”

Other factors play a role in the increased enrollment.

“There are families who are wanting smaller class sizes and that one-on-one attention,” Dazell said. “There are so many things going on in our world today that parents are trying to protect their children from. They may

find this environment is more beneficial to them.”

Dazell said Hope Christian’s biggest growth spurt came during the oil boom. She added that when the oil activity slowed down, the school has been able to maintain its enrollment. Hope Christian did grow after COVID outbreak as well.

“We stopped school in March of 2020,” Dazell said. “In the fall of 2020, we were back to face-to-face instruction with our students. We didn’t have online instruction, which was good for our students. We saw growth in the last two or three years with families wanting their children in the classroom every day. Things continued normally here for us.”

Hope Christian has a co-op agreement with Dickinson Public Schools for athletics. Students also participate in band with the public school system.

“We have a phenomenal relationship with Dickinson Public Schools,” Dazell said.

Dazell said Hope Christian educates

students from several denominations with about 12 different denominations represented. Hope Christian does fundraisers to help

defray the cost of private school enrollment. A family must apply for admission. Then they are interviewed before being accepted into the school system.

GED COMPLETION

GED COMPLETION TEST PROCTORING

SEMINARS

GED COMPLETION TEST PROCTORING

CAREER PATHWAYS

SEMINARS

CAREER PATHWAYS

KEYBOARDING CITIZENSHIP PREP

COMPUTER SKILLS

MICROSOFT CERTIFICATION

KEYBOARDING CITIZENSHIP PREP

ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS

COMPUTER SKILLS

MICROSOFT CERTIFICATION

MICROSOFT CERTIFICATION

MICROSOFT CERTIFICATION

ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS

ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS

ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS

Hope Christian added a second kindergarten class this fall.

Students at Hope Christian participate in chapel during the school day.

Hope Christian started operating in 1981 with a handful of students.

The students from Hope Christian pose at Hank Biesiot Stadium on the campus of Dickinson State during a fundraiser.

Learning a new language

DHS students earn Seal of Biliteracy

By CINDY PETERSON For The Press

English Language

Learners instructor

Leah Bradley could talk all day about the benefits of learning other languages besides one’s native tongue.

The teacher at Dickinson High School is fluent in English, Spanish and French. She can also speak Italian and Portuguese.

Speaking different languages has helped Bradley live a fulfilling life. It’s something she’s passionate about and loves to spread her enthusiasm.

“I think knowing different languages is an asset,” said Bradley, who was born in Mexico City and has been in the Dickinson school system for 12 years. “It opens many doors and opens opportunities. That is what it has done with me. I want to pass it on to other students.”

Has she ever created opportunities.

Dickinson had nine students qualify for the Seal of Biliteracy. The seal goes on the students’ diplomas as a recognition for being bilingual. It was the first time in the history of the high school that the Seal of Biliteracy will be awarded. To earn it, students must take a language test for the home language component, and for the English component, scores are taken from the ACT or the English ACCESS examination.

Students earning the Gold Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish are: Auden Olivas-Garcia, Lucas Shilman, Kimberly Valadez, and Eden Nunez. In French: Mouchefa Batcha.

Students earning the Silver Seal of Biliteracy

in Spanish are Brayden Jangula and Brandon Shutes. In Filipino: Ella Meda Reusora.

What’s even more impressive is that Shilman and Shutes are non-Spanish native speakers.

“Students who didn’t have that language in their home had to learn it on their own and in Spanish class,” Bradley said. “To learn it when it’s not being taught at home is difficult. Speaking a different language is difficult in maintaining fluency.”

Knowing multiple languages opened up windows of opportunity for Bradley. She was a foreign exchange student in France and went to England when she was 9, being exposed to a whole new culture.

“Being a foreign exchange student gave me a family for the rest of my life,” Bradley said. “I still communicate with them. It created a new culture in my life. I’ve met so many people from France that I’ve been able to make friendships with and have been able to communicate with. In the U.S., it opened the doors job-wise.”

The Seal of Biliteracy is a record that will follow these students around - for the better.

“As they go to college, that will set them apart,” Bradley said. “They will be able to get credit for language classes by testing out. They are already being recognized to get college credit. If they want to minor in language, they can test out or will have credit. They will be able to have a major in language easily by taking a few classes. It will save them money.

Never too late to go after your dream JOB!

The language part applies to so many majors.”

The opportunities exist beyond college.

“In job opportunities, this will set them apart by being bilingual,” Bradley said. “The

whole world is now

connected. The one main thing businesses are looking for is bilingual candidates. They will be able to travel many places, meet many people and create friendships. It

opens many horizons for them”

Bradley has noticed a spike in interest in Dickinson for learning different languages.

“I see that because of the growing population from different cultures,” Bradley said. “I see kids wanting to communicate and interact among different cultures. I didn’t see that when I moved here 12 years ago.”

The students were honored with a culture celebration night with Spanish foreign exchange student

Valentina Martinez

Foronda giving a speech about the importance of being bilingual. A potluck dinner was served with dishes from each student’s respective cultures..

Bradley is striving for the program to continue with more students earning the seal.

“This is the most proud I have been since I’ve been here,” Bradley said., “I’m hoping this will encourage students to take language more seriously. I can already see the program growing.”

(Back) Lucas Shilman, Brandon Shutes and Brayden Jangula (front) earned the Seal of Biliteracy.

(Left to right) Zoey Dodu, Valentina Martinez, Eden Nunez and Dailee Rodriguez all celebrated their Seal of Biliteracy.

(Left to right): Lilana Vasquez, Alex Orduz, Leah Bradley, Valentina Martinez, Genesis Nicaragua, Francis Kodua, Helen Fernandez, Lucas Shilman, Brandon Schutes, Thanabodee Potijun, Ethan Witte all celebrate at culture night.

Pictures are dishes from different countries as part of a celebration potluck dinner

DRUG +ALCOHOL AWARENESS & PREVENTION

WHAT IS DRUG ADDICTION?

Addiction is a chronic disease characterized by drug seeking and use that is compulsive, or difficult to control, despite harmful consequences. The initial decision to take drugs is voluntary for most people, but repeated drug use can lead to brain changes that challenge an addicted person’s self-control and interfere with their ability to resist intense urges to take drugs. These brain changes can be persistent, which is why drug addiction is considered a “relapsing” disease— people in recovery from drug use disorders are at increased risk for returning to drug use even after years of not taking the drug.

It’s common for a person to relapse, but relapse doesn’t mean that treatment doesn’t work. As with other chronic health conditions, treatment should be ongoing and should be adjusted based on how the patient responds. Treatment plans need to be reviewed often and modified to fit the patient’s changing needs.

COMMONLY ABUSED DRUGS

INCLUDE:

• Alcohol

• Club Drugs

Cocaine

• Fentanyl

• Hallucinogens

Heroin

• Inhalants Kratom Marijuana

• MDMA (Ecstasy/Molly)

• Methamphetamine

Opioids

• Over-the-Counter Medicines

• Prescription Medicines

• Steroids (Anabolic)

Synthetic Cannabinoids (K2/ Spice)

• Synthetic Cathinones (Bath Salts)

Tobacco/Nicotine and Vaping

COMMON METHODS OF ALCOHOL

ABUSE:

Binge Drinking and Heavy Drinking

Binge drinking is excessive drinking that is defined as 5 or more drinks in 2 hours for a man and 4 or more drinks for a woman. Most people who are binge drinkers are not identified as alcohol dependent. One in 6 US adults report binge drinking approximately 4 times each month, and binge drinking occurs

most commonly among adults aged 18-34. Binge drinking can lead to numerous health problems, including alcohol poisoning, car accidents, violence, sexually transmitted diseases, cancer (including breast, mouth, liver, and colon), and memory and learning problems.

Pregnant Women and Alcohol

Alcohol can present various dangers during pregnancy, and there is no known level of use that is considered safe. All types of alcohol are dangerous. Drinking while pregnant is dangerous because the alcohol is passed on to the baby and can cause miscarriage; stillbirth; and numerous physical, behavioral, and intellectual development issues, including low body weight, poor coordination, hyperactive behavior, poor memory, learning disabilities, poor judgment skills, visions or hearing problems.

Sponsored by these community minded businesses.

Teen Alcohol Use

Many teenagers misuse alcohol due to the accessibility of the substance and peer pressure. In fact, alcohol tops the list of drugs used by teenagers, per the National Institute on Drug Abuse. In fact, more than 8% of 8th graders, 18% of 10th graders, and 30% of 12th graders were current alcohol drinkers in 2018. Teenagers who misuse alcohol may exhibit signs including low energy, having alcohol paraphernalia, concentration problems, problems with coordination, mood swings, changing social circles, declining academic performance, behavioral issues/rebelling, smelling of alcohol.

Teens who use alcohol are at an increased risk in a number of ways. Teens who drink may be sexually active and participate in unprotected sex more often than teens who do not consume alcohol. These teens are also at an increased risk of becoming a victim of rape or assault. They may also get injured or die in car crashes involving alcohol. Not only can alcohol abuse alter how a teen acts, it can also have adverse effects on the adolescent brain. Studies show that brain development continues past the teenage years. Alcohol abuse during the brain’s formative years can negatively impact how the brain develops and can also lead to learning problems and increase the risk of developing an alcohol use disorder in the future.

History in the Making

By: Lia Bradley ELL Instructor at Dickinson High School

Dickinson High School (DHS) is happy to announce that for the first time in DHS history, we are able to award a select few of our students with the North Dakota Seal of Biliteracy (NDSB). This seal goes on the students’ diplomas and transcripts as a recognition of demonstrating proficiency in a language in addition to English and will identify them to future employers and post-secondary institutions.

To earn the Seal of Biliteracy, each student must take several tests and score high enough to demonstrate a minimum proficiency in reading, writing, speaking, and listening in both English and a second language. Based on the testing scores, there are two levels of the NDSB, Gold and Silver. Lucas Shilman shared, “I’ve always been interested in different languages and learning Spanish is beneficial for me especially now in the US. I didn’t originally plan on taking the test for the Seal of Biliteracy, but after discussing it in my junior year Spanish 3 class, I knew I could do it. In the future, being bilingual could be very helpful for getting a job, communicating with others, and even travel.”

The students that earned the Gold Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish are: Eden Nunez, Auden Olivas-Garcia, Lucas Shilman, and Kimberly Valadez. Mouchefa Batcha earned the Gold Seal in French. The students that earned the Silver Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish are: Brayden Jangula and Brandon Shutes. Ella Meka Reusora earned the Silver Seal in Filipino. Mouchefa Batcha shared what the opportunities of learning a second language brings, “Seal of biliteracy was an opportunity introduced to me my junior year of high school by Mrs. Bradley, my ELL teacher. Having a second language is important and it will look good on my diploma. Also, I think it is a very good advantage going into the real world. I think companies will want

someone who will be able to communicate with at least some of their non-english speaking clients or customers.”

Mrs. Bradley (ELL Instructor), along with other staff, organized a special lunch to celebrate these students as well as our International students. Students and staff participated in making and sharing food dishes from different countries including Mexico, Spain, Venezuela, Thailand, Philippines, Belize, Chile, Puerto Rico, and Norway, as well as others. During the lunch, there was fellowship with staff and students, as well as a speech from foreign language student Valentina Martinez Foronda about the importance of being bilingual. We hope that both the Seal of Biliteracy and the International Celebration will become a tradition at DHS.

DPS FOUNDATION AND LINCOLN ELEMENTARY PARTNER FOR

Family Code Night

By: Marisa Riesinger Elementary Library Media Specialist

Over 250 students and family members packed the gym for the first-ever Family Code Night on March 14. Lincoln K-5 families came together for pizza and partnerships during this exciting event, where parents teamed up with their children to complete their first hour of coding. Parents also received their first look at the school’s Cal Ripken Sr., Foundation mobile STEM center.

During the event, families completed coding puzzles by practicing concepts such as programming, repeat loops, code efficiency, and conditionals. As they learned the big ideas of computer science, examples were given on how these skills are applicable beyond the screen. “Computer science isn’t about computers at all, but rather about a specific way of thinking. Our goal is to help students build a set of skills that they can think at phenomenally high levels across all situations,” stated Marisa Riesinger, Elementary Library Media Specialist.

The CS Fundamentals event has been held in thousands

Restorative Practices Training

By: Rich Smith SEL Coordinator & Assistant Principal

At school, restorative practice processes enhance everyone’s sense of belonging. They develop participants’ confidence in their own ability to reach mutual understanding and develop creative solutions. They build confidence in the community’s ability to handle conflicts constructively, mitigating the effects of unwanted behavior and negotiating restitution for serious harm. We know learning is contingent on relationships. With Restorative ND we have worked diligently to frame a systematic process that directly compliments the district’s guardrails. It is found that in a school environment, restorative practices promote self-regulation, develop work and careerready attitudes, minimize disruption, distraction, and bullying, improve relationships among all stakeholders, and help students succeed according to our essential academic and social skills.

Mrs. Kelli Adams and Restorative Practice are no strangers to Dickinson Public Schools. Both she and Joel Friesz, now Executive Director of the National Association of Community and Restorative Justice, have been coming to the district for seven years. This past year, Otto Bremer bank extended a grant opportunity for all schools at DPS to partake in this training. Nearly all schools have participated in intensive training to do the work we have in common across the district and community. That is, success for all! Randy Cranston, Assistant Principal at Dickinson High School, shared, “The Restorative Practice Training was a great training for DPS and DHS, it helps us look at other ways other than issuing consequences to work with students who are not meeting expectations or made a mistake with another student. We continue to find ways to work on the development of well-rounded students for their future success. Working with others you have a conflict with is a life lesson that we all can learn from.”

Starting in October, Mrs. Adams came to the district to introduce how all students and staff can benefit from restorative practices. There have been coaching calls and extended training to support multi-tiers of students’ success. Jefferson Elementary Counselor Amanda Fisher stated that “What I like best about Restorative Practices is that it allows students and staff to work through problems and rebuild and repair relationships. It also shifts us from relying on punitive discipline to a focus on accountability and building positive relationships.” Quite frankly, whenwe foster personalized learning, our students take pride in Dickinson, for Dickinson.

of schools nationwide and became the largest family engagement night for Lincoln Elementary. Family Code Night was made possible by the Foundation’s annual program grant. The grant includes funding for a district Family Code Night that will include every Dickinson elementary school in the fall.

Learning Literacy THROUGH LETRS

By: Amanda Hlibichuk, Michelle Kovash & Chelsee Skogen

A cohort of teachers in the Dickinson Public School District started LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) training in the fall of 2022 with 19 participants. LETRS is a professional learning course that equips teachers with the knowledge to understand the what, why, and how of scientifically based reading instruction. A little over six months later, these teachers are applying the information they have acquired in their LETRS training and are engaging in blended learning experiences that include professional reading, an online learning platform, and face-to-face learning sessions.

Throughout LETRS training, teachers gain researchbased strategies and instructional routines for teaching reading across the curriculum. They also

obtain knowledge that helps them determine which strategies work best for certain students and why. After a few sessions of LETRS, teachers were seeing how impactful the training would be. Some commented on their appreciation of rediscovering the role of “brain development” in reading and “ how complex reading really is.” When teachers apply the LETRS principles and practices in their classrooms, both teachers and students will see new levels of learning come alive. One teacher commented, “I feel that I have learned so much about the rules of our language. I wish I would have had this in college.”

At the conclusion of the LETRS course, teachers will have scientifically-based best practices for instructional routines, access to reliable assessments, and know how to deliver instruction more effectively to the students they work with. Most of all, teachers will have a deeper understanding of comprehensive language and literacy instruction for any age, grade, and ability level.

My Home Library Event AND “Inchy the Bookworm”

VENDING MACHINE COME TO BERG ELEMENTARY

By: Kristi Foster Reading Interventionist at Berg Elementary School

Ensuring that children are strong and confident readers is of utmost importance. Access to books in the home is critical for students’ reading success and future. That is why we were pleased to partner with the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation to bring their My Home Library program to Berg Elementary School!

My Home Library is an initiative of the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, which provides students with face-to-face access to books to help build their own home library. Thanks to their generosity, as well as, Marathon Oil, each student at Berg received 6 brand new books for FREE!

Our book distribution took place on February 10 in Berg’s Library! Volunteers from Marathon Oil were able to join and help in this celebration of literacy. They handed out free books, book bags, and bookmarks to all Kindergarten through 5th grade students. Marathon Oil even spoiled our teachers with some goodie bags! They had an interactive read-aloud for our K-2 students and a Q&A session for our 3-5 students.

It was an exciting opportunity and a great way for

students to start building their home library. I still hear students talking about their new books! I’m in awe of the generosity in our very own community as well as organizations far away!

Another exciting literacy event at Berg Elementary School was the ribbon cutting ceremony for the “Inchy the Bookworm” vending machine! Kristi Foster and Troy Kuntz were awarded a grant from the Dickinson Public Schools Foundation to purchase the book vending machine. All students and staff were able to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony on March 16, where six lucky

Prairie Rose Elementary Participates in The 2022 Family Engagement Grant (Cohort 2)

By: Nicole Weiler Principal at Prairie Rose Elementary

Prairie Rose Elementary was awarded the opportunity to participate in the 2022 Family Engagement Grant (Cohort 2). The Family Engagement Incentive Grants are available to individual schools to support increased family engagement in schools and communities by implementing and enhancing highly effective family engagement programs and activities that improve student academic achievement. Our team meets with other ND school districts/schools once a month. During our virtual time together, we receive mini professional development focused on improving family engagement. We have time to work on action plans to enhance family engagement to support our school-wide goals.

Our team has been using Dr. Joyce Epstein’s framework to define the six different types of parent involvement. The six types outlined in this framework are parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision-making, and collaborating with the community. We have spent time diving into each of these types to better understand the challenges and the benefits for students, parents, teachers, and administrators.

Our team is comprised of Mandy Lubken, Brenda Dolyniuk, Karla Larson, Stacy Kilwein, and Rhonda Kraenzel. We are working on three specific goals and creating action plans to achieve our goals.

Our goals are as follows:

Culture of Welcoming Goal - The Family Engagement Cohort Team will define family engagement vs. family involvement and will provide training for ALL staff on the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships by May 25th.

• Activity to support this goal - Special Friend/ Grandparents Day BINGO Behavior Goal - By the end of May 2023, we will decrease the number of DORs in grades 2 - 5 to a cumulative total of 130 or less.

• Activity to support this goal - ‘PAWS’ for a Coffee break

Academic Goal - 75% of K-2 students will be Proficient or Above on the overall composite score from BOY DIBELS assessment to EOY DIBELS assessment.

• Activities to support this goal - DIBELS Blast off to reading and our monthly Read and Connect events

Our Family Engagement Team hosted a DIBELS family night. This event was intended to bring our Interventionists, K-2 Teachers, 2 District Coaches, and families together to learn more about the assessment in school and how parents can support their children at home. Families enjoyed a meal together. Then our school experts shared specific information about DIBELS with the parents. After explaining the Why and the How, parents and kids joined together to practice activities they could then take home and use.

students (one student from each grade level) were chosen to be the first recipients of brand-new books! The machine is operated using “golden tokens”. Tokens can be earned for PAWSitive behavior and academics, notable achievement awards, birthday/half birthday celebrations, and other monthly opportunities. We continue looking for opportunities to help build students home libraries! The excitement around literacy is a buzz at Berg! Thank you to the Dickinson Public Schools Foundation for making this event possible for our students!

Literacy Coach at Berg & Prairie Rose, Literacy Coach at Jefferson & Heart River, Special Education Coordinator - Elementary

DHS SKILLSUSA FOUND

Gold in Wahpeton

By: Lia Bradley ELL Instructor at Dickinson High School

Dickinson High School SkillsUSA competed in Wahpeton on the campus of NDSCS, March 26-28th. Students competed in Welding, Carpentry, Architectural Drafting, Power Equipment, Welding Fabrication, Job Skill Demonstration, Pin Design, Welding Sculpture, Related Technical Math, Job Interview, Plumbing and Prepared Speech.

Students prepare all year for the opportunity to place first and represent North Dakota at the National SkillsUSA Leadership Conference in Atlanta, GA in June.

Dickinson had top-place finishes in the following competitions:

• 1st Power Equipment Technology - Hunter Moreno

• 1st Welding Sculpture - Justin Wardell

• 1st Architectural Drafting - Lucas Shilman

• 1st Job Skill Demonstration - Sage Morton

• 2nd Power Equipment Technology - Dillon Praus

• 2nd Architectural Drafting - Kelby Gion

• 2nd Related Technical Math - Elijah Ricks

• 2nd Plumbing - Kaden Hintz

• 3rd Architectural Drafting - Ella Sickler

• 3rd Pin Design - Aria Sickler

• 3rd Related Technical Math - Bailey Binstock

• 3rd Prepared Speech - Bailey Binstock

Alongside the competition portion of the conference are the leadership opportunities for students. Becoming a state officer is a leadership option open to all student members. These are students that want the challenge of leading our student organization. This year, Bailey Binstock was elected from Dickinson High School to join this elite team and bring representation from the western part of the state. Other students that help in this process are our voting delegates. Each school is allowed (2) voting delegates. This year, DHS had Sage Morton and Aria Sickler, with Elijah Ricks as an alternate. They conduct their meetings using parliamentary procedure and were exposed to business meeting etiquette.

The Dickinson High School advisors are:

• Scott Schmidt – Building Trades

• Clarence Hauck – Welding

• Jakob Ohl – PowerSports

• Maggie Lehman – Drafting

• Jonah Nelson - Diesel

A WORK IN PROGRESS

By CINDY PETERSON For The Press

South Heart sixth-grade teacher Jerica Smith finds herself learning more and more each day when she works with her Future City students.

The creativity of the project challenges her - and her students do as well. What a way to learn and grow together.

For the last four years, Smith has led a group of students into the Future City competition, and in all of those years, her students have won at the state level. Future City challenges students to build a city 100 years in the future. Each year, the students are provided with a new challenge. For example, this year’s project was developing a city focused on fighting climate change. A few years ago, they developed a city as if it were on the moon.

“I am learning something every day when it comes to these kids,” Smith said. “They are bringing something new to the table every day.

The first year I felt like I was drowning, and I didn’t know where to start. Now, I’m not starting from the bottom anymore.”

The Future City competition started four years ago in North Dakota. Smith said the competition has existed for more years but North Dakota didn’t pick it up until recently. She figures about 12 teams compete in the state.

Smith’s group met after school to work on the project, making it an extracurricular activity.

Smith said this year’s project of designing a city to fight climate change presented unique challenges. What will sidewalks and roads be made from? What will be the shapes and colors of the buildings? Can’t forget about the water and sewage systems. How will the city be surveyed and zoned?

“We’ve had engineers talk to us about certain things,” Smith said. “Last year we had a civil engineer from Dickinson talk to us about how they plan for sewage and run off. The engineer helped with the mechanical aspects of engineering.”

The students wrote a 1,500word essay about their city and constructed a scale model of their city, which couldn’t go beyond 25x50x20.

“They have to use their math skills,’ Smith said. “What size of buildings are they using? Do they want skyscrapers? How close together do they want their buildings?”

Smith’s eight-person team presented to judges for seven minutes, and the judges could ask questions for eight minutes.

“I am pretty fortunate I have students who excel in engineering and the creative part of engineering,” Smith said. “There are girls on the team that are artistic, and they had many ideas in creating the city. The skills from all of them created a great city.”

South Heart used just sixth graders in the first year of the competition. Now, the team has been open to grades 6-8.

“We have repeating students who bring that knowledge,” Smith said. “This project is studentdriven. I’m there to guide them, to make sure they aren’t making mistakes or to question them. I’m fortunate to have kids who are motivated. Sometimes you get students in your classroom, and it’s hard to motivate them to do their work. These students have the will to win.”

State winners advance to national competition in Washington, D.C., which was held Feb 16-22. Enrollment numbers are thrown out the window at the competition, meaning schools of all sizes in all parts of the country compete.

“We go up against schools that use Future City as one of their courses, meaning they get to meet each day during school,” Smith said.

“We competed against the bigger cities. They have far more resources and more people to help out. Coming from a small town of 400 and competing against large schools is humbling for sure. There were teams from China, the Middle East and Canada.

It’s incredible what they come up with. We took pictures to get some ideas and had quite a few questions.”

The South Heart crew will continue to strive for excellence in the Future City competition.

South Heart has won the Future City competition all four of the years it has existed in North Dakota.

(Left to right) Joslyn Stuber, Kylie Wyman and Shayden Moe work on rebuilding the model after shipping it via UPS to Washington, D.C.

The Future City team in South Heart consists of grades 6-8.

The Future City team at South Heart got exposure at the national level.

Future City builders of South Heart competed on the national level in Washington, D.C.

REACHING FOR THE SKY

DSU cheer team places at nationals

By Cindy Peterson For The Dickinson Press

When Dickinson State University does something, it tends to do it very well.

The competitive cheerleading team is no exception. Relatively new at DSU, the competitive squad has made noise at the national level in just three years of existence. The Blue Hawks finished the season with a fourth-place finish at the NAIA national competition.

DSU has sponsored competitive cheerleading for just three years, and the Blue Hawks placed fourth at nationals for the last two years. Of almost 100 competitive teams, just 15 received a bid to nationals, which was held in Ypsilanti, Mich., March 10-11. DSU advanced with an at-large bid.

“Cheerleading has grown exponentially over the past several years, particularly competitive cheer.” said DSU coach Cebe Schneider, who has a background in coaching gymnastics. “Many high school cheer athletes in our region are interested in cheerleading at a college level, but there was no feeder program locally, so students who would have preferred to stay here and attend school locally, left to attend school elsewhere to continue with their passion for their sport. The cheer program at the university has opened the doors for studentathletes and earned national recognition for the university as well as an added dimension to the culture of school pride at the university.”

Dickinson State offers sideline cheerleading, which is intended to support other teams as they compete by adding a layer of energy, crowd unification, school

spirit and entertainment to the game. Competitive cheer skills are executed following a set rubric that includes difficulty, elite levels not allowed on the sideline and have an additional rulebook governing the competition, the athletes, coaches and routine.

The competitive team joins the sideline team at football games with some athletes doing double-duty on both teams.

To be a member of the competitive team, members must have a certain level of skills. The skills range from elite tumbling and stunting to jumps and pyramid and basket proficiency.

“We are working on skills all season, and there is a tryout once the competitive season begins,” Schnedier said. “We are working on skills all season and there is a try out once the competitive season begins, and we are constantly re-evaluating for competitive readiness. So an athlete at the beginning of the season may not be ready to compete, but may reach the level of readiness during the season. The competitive team is executing elite skills that are dangerous, so we ensure that they have the correct preparation and training.”

The skills athletes execute

are: running tumbling (round-off, back handspring, full twisting layout), standing tumbling (back handspring layout or jump, back handspring layout) and triple connected unified all team jumps, pyramids (two people tall and half a person tall - which could be someone standing on someone’s shoulders with another person on top in a shoulder sit - and basket tosses) and stunts (groups flip or twist someone up to a standing position caught in the hands

DSU serves area students

demand is a big part of this.”

of the bases).

Each team competes on nine mats, and DSU fields nine team members. Teams must field at least eight members and no more than 20.

“It is challenging to use all the mats and be clean and difficult when every single athlete can be seen at every moment,” Schneider said.

“Some teams have 12 or 14 or 19 on the floor, and it is much easier to get a little rest and use all the mats or hide less appealing skill execution when you have the mat loaded with bodies.” Schneider visions even

bigger things for the Bluehawks as the program gains more longevity.

“It’s incredible that a team that is only three years old has earned a bid to nationals twice and has placed fourth in the nation at both of those competitions. There are many, many teams who have been around for years who have never earned an opportunity to compete at the national level. I attribute our success to our team culture, the caliber of athletes we have skill-wise and character-wish, and to the experiences we have had overcoming challenges and adversity.”

By Cindy Peterson

For The Dickinson Press

The businesses and institutions

that blossom - or survive - are the ones that meet the demand of the people.

The education world has changed drastically in the last decade, and Dickinson State University has recognized that. DSU decided to become progressive and adjust to a changing society when it implemented the Dual Mission program three years ago.

It was a leap of faith, but starting the mission has proven to be a popular move and has been embraced by many.

The Dual Mission program has expanded beyond the traditional liberal arts education and the focus on fouryear bachelor’s degrees.

While those aspects are still important to DSU’s core values, it has gone beyond the tradition to include technical education. Programs such as truck driving, meat cutting, health care services - and more - allows students to receive a certificate of training and move directly into the job market. Some of the training can take just a month to complete.

“Higher education is rapidly becoming a competitive industry,” said Dr. Stephen Easton, president of Dickinson State. “There has to be innovation and adapting to change. Student

Easton said for several years in the U.S., the universal dream for families would be for their children to attend a university and achieve a bachelor’s degree. That is still a focal point for many families, but it’s not as common nowadays.

“That is no longer a widespread idea for students and their families as it once was,”

Easton said. “Students are asking the question in increasing numbers, ‘How will my education provide a direct line to my first job?’ There is increasing student education that will put them in position to directly start their career. There is still an interest in bachelor’s degrees, but it is no

longer a near universal desire for people to pursue a bachelor’s degree. There was an unwritten rule, post secondary education success was defined in getting a bachelor’s degree.”

The Dual Mission program has helped keep students in western North Dakota over having to leave the area to learn a trade. It has met the needs of employers in the area who are looking for specialized technical training.

“There is the chance of keeping our kids in the area,” Easton said. “They can continue to be a great citizen of western North Dakota.”

It has also helped Dickinson State increase enrollment. Of the 11 state universities in

Strong Families

North Dakota, DSU is the only school offering the Dual Mission program. DSU has seen a bump of a nine-percent increase in enrollment, compared to the 2019 school year - prior to COVID. Of the 11 schools, Dickinson State was the only one that saw an increase in enrollment, in headcount and credit production. Nationwide, Easton said enrollment is down nine percent. “That same period

is when we launched our Dual Mission focus,” Easton said. “Enrollment is crucial to us. Enrollment keeps the campus lively. It’s what pays the bills. The Dual Mission focus helped us grow through programs that didn’t exist before.”

Easton said the biggest challenge with Dual Mission education is cost because technical programs are generally more expensive. They often require expenditures in equipment and supplies.

“It generally is a more expensive form of education to deliver, but it’s important to respond to student demand,” Easton said. “We do our best to provide courses students want and to deliver them in ways that fits into students’ schedules. There are budget pressures, but if we are reasonable with budget decisions, we can provide more opportunity for students in our area. The students will always be

Dual mission program proving to be genius move

Dr. Stephen Easton, president of Dickinson State University.

Dickinson State University May Hall.

(Back row left to right): Assistant coach Dakia Brown, head coach Cebe Schneider, Marisa TafoyaBorr, Dalton Herbst, Brendan Johnson, Alycia Winters, Madison Luczak and assistant coach Kierra Schneider all their trophies at nationals.

Aleigha Villars and Teandra Schneider celebrate a solid hit to the top of the flipping-fromground-two-and-a-half-peoplehigh pyramid.

(Left to right) Lexi Lefor, Teandra Schneider and Alycia Winters hit the final Blue Hawk post at the end of the routine at nationals.

Lexis Hargraves and her stunt group hit a flawless floor inversion while performing a stunt.

RESILIENCE : THE STUFF THAT PROGRESS

CELEBRATING YEARS

CELEBRATING YEARS

By Cindy Peterson

For The Dickinson Press

The Great Depression, World War II, high interest rates in the 1980s, economy crash in 2008 and COVID.

Now?

An undesirable economy to say the least.

Through a century of highs and lows, Sax Motor Co. has been able to withstand the pitfalls, and not all business owners can say that. Sax Motor Co. has climbed through many valleys along the way in its 100 years of existence.

The Dickinson Chevy dealership is celebrating 100 years of operation. It’s been quite a run, and there are no plans to slow down.

The business started March 23, 1923, with the name originating from a shortened version of the Saxowsky family name (Sax). The initial Board of Directors consisted of F.C. Saxowsky, W.E. Saxowsky, and R.E. Dittus.

They were challenged early on when General Motors became the largest military contractor in the world and did not produce a single passenger car for civilian use between February 1942 and September of 1945.

“Sax had to be creative during the time period and take care of customers on the service side,” said Christian Kostelecky, who became the general manager in 2005 and became the fourth generation dealer-operator in 2013.

Sax Motor Co. survived the 1980s, and GM went through bankruptcy protection in 2008 and some

SAX MOTOR

CO. TIMELINE

1923: The Sax Motor Company was incorporated on March 24, 1923 in Hebron, ND. The initial Board of Directors consistedof F.C. Saxowsky, W.E. Saxowsky, and R.E. Dittus. The company soldHart-Parr tractors, dealt in Twin City farm machinery and Overland carsand Dodge Brothers cars and trucks. A Texaco filling pump was added in Late 1923: Chevrolet, Willys-Knight autos, Delco Light products, Maytag washers, National Batteries, and Moline plows and binders were added in 1924. Firestone Tires were advertised in 1925.

1926: The Sax Motor Company opened in Dickinson on June 10. Sax started with nine employees in the new Dickinson location. Main operations and corporate headquarters were relocated from Hebron to Dickinson on June 24.

GM dealers lost their businesses during that time, but Sax Motor Co. survived - once again.

“We were fortunate that we had a solid operation leading into that period, and managed to come out of those years even stronger than before,” Kostelecky said.

COVID-related issues led to a lack of automobile semiconductor chips and severely affected dealership inventories.

“Production levels were at the lowest point since war levels, and we once again had to rely on strong service and

parts business to get through that period,” Kostelecky said. “Through all of these challenges we have just tried to focus on being transparent with our employees and customers and being proactive in spending our time and resources on the factors we can control knowing that there are many things completely out of our control.”

Kostelecky credited a few factors in being able to operate for a century. Sax Motor Co. has been able to retain employees for a long period of time with a combined experience of more than 1,000

1928: Moved to the Turner Building at 103 E Villard St., Dickinson. In August, Sax purchased Holm Chevrolet in New England and Amidon. 1941: On Sept. 30, shareholders of Sax Motor Company of Dickinson and Sales and Service Company of Hebron voted to merge the two dealerships. This was finalized on Dec. 31. The new Board consisted of F.C. Saxowsky, J.E. Gunderson, Gilbert Saxowsky, Armin Urban, and R.E. Dittus.

Early 1940s: Sax Aviation started as a branch. Sax Aviation trained pilots and ran charter flights, held air shows and sold Cessna Aircraft.

1947: Even though main operations moved to Dickinson in 1926, Sax continued to operate a branch in Hebron until 1947. Sax agreed to sell the Hebron dealership to C.M. Helferich and that became the Auto Implement Company of Hebron.

1948: Associate dealerships were located

Why are funeral

years on staff with a few serving more than 40 years.

“We constantly benchmark other dealerships to try to make sure that we are toward the top when it comes to total compensation and benefits,” Kostelecky said. “We also believe in sharing our success with our employees and have been fortunate enough to be able to provide profitsharing opportunities for many years in a row. We also put a high priority on training, and Chevrolet provides many opportunities for both online and in-person training.”

A loyal customer base - trailering to the needs of sales, service and partsmakes it all happen.

in Dunn Center, Killdeer, and New England.

Late 1940s: Cadillac Brand was added at Sax Motor Co.

1952: A new showroom, second-floor offices and parts and service expansion were included in the “New in 52†redesigned dealership at 312 West Villard St.

1957: Long-time President and co-founder F.C. Saxowsky announced he would retire from the active presidency and Gilbert Saxowsky was nominated for president.

1962: F.C. Saxowsky passed away in January.

1964: The name of the corporation was changed from The Sax Motor Company to Sax Motor Co. which continues to this day.

1970: Purchased the Heaton Property on the South side of Villard for used car operations. Later built a new sales building on the property and ran the sales operations out of 301 West Villard St.

One loyal customer has purchased more than 45 vehicles from Sax Motor Co. in her lifetime.

An ethical way to conduct business has been passed down through all the generations.

“I feel we operate our dealership the right way by helping our customers and treating them with respect and honesty,” Kostelecky said.

Sax Motor Co. has met the demands of customers throughout the years, selling many different products such as airplanes, boats, mobile homes, tractors and appliances. Sax Motor Co. has operated satellite dealerships in the past all over southwest North Dakota and then

1990s: Pam (Saxowsky) Kostelecky

consolidated to a new state-of-the-art facility in Dickinson in 2013. It became a Chevrolet commercial dealer in the early 2010s and a medium duty Chevrolet dealer in early 2018, offering a whole new range of vehicles.

“Now, we are laserfocused on selling Chevrolet cars and trucks,” Kostelecky said.

Sax Motor Co. is also an early electric vehicle adopter and has the full infrastructure required by General Motors to sell and service the new array of electric vehicles coming out from Chevrolet, including an all-electric Equinox, Blazer and Silverado.

Sax Motor Co. still going strong

Fred C. Saxowsky, a co-found of Sax Motor Co., is pictured with his wife Magdalene and his son Gilbert in 1928.

Sax Motor Co. is now located in a state-of-the-art facility in north Dickinson.

Pictured is Sax Motor Co. in the early days. It is celebrating its 100th anniversary for years in operation.

CHOMP FEED DICKINSON

By Cindy Peterson

For The Dickinson Press

Chris and Jennalee Bollinger would likely label themselves as ‘foodies.’

The couple has a keen interest in food, especially eating and cooking. Even though the Bolingers are North Dakota natives, they have lived in many other places and have experienced the joys of experimenting with all the different flavors at various food trucks.

“We have a little foodie inspiration from each place,” Jennalee said. “My love of food trucks comes from Portland and Austin, where the food truck scene is very prevalent - most of which have better food than most brick and mortars.”

The Bollingers are sharing their love of food with Dickinson. They opened their own

food truck called Chomp on Oct. 14, 2022, in St. Joe’s Plaza. They started out operating

on weekends only until February, when they launched full time. Chomp’s food has

been a hit.

“We definitely keep busy,” Jennalee said. “We thought we could do it without hiring anyone for a while, but we hired a part-time worker a few weeks ago because we were getting our (butts) handed to us, in a fun but super busy way. We are thinking we’ll probably have to hire one or two more people this summer.”

Chris is the chef and runs the food truck on a daily basis, while Jennalee handles

the business side of everything. They were working together in the food truck but had twins in Februarywhich the couple calls their little chompers. The Bollingers do all the food prep together. Everything is made from scratch and prepped in their home kitchen. The Bollingers both have worked in the food service industry in several different fashions through the years before starting Chomp.

“Chris loves seeing people enjoy their food and wanted to bring something a little bit different to Dickinson,” Jennalee said. “Our vision for the future is to continue to grow and feed the community.”

Chomp’s signature item is its Chomp

Smash Burgerquarter-pound burger patty, cheese, smash burger sauce on your choice of a brioche bun or a deep fried waffle bun.

“Everything about it is delicious,” Jennalee

said, “but we get a lot of compliments on our smash sauce.”

The Bollingers have found a way to be unique from other local food trucks.

“What sets us apart from other food trucks is we have waffles, and we have the option to have a waffle bun - two deep fried waffles - in lieu of a brioche bun,” Jennalee said.

The Bollingers have stayed put in the St. Joe’s Plaza parking lot, but would like to do special events.

“Nothing has worked out yet due to being pregnant and now having newborns,” Jennalee said. “We decided to get pregnant and then a couple months later we decided to start a food truck.

It all happened pretty fast and has been an exciting whirlwind of events. We’re hoping to be able to do some satellite events this summer.”

Food truck a smash in Queen City

Chris and Jennalee Bollinger operate Chomp food truck, located in St. Joe’s Plaza.

Chomp offers waffles on its menu, including deep fried waffle buns in lieu of a brioche bun.

Chomp burgers are a hit among its customers.

The breakfast wrap served at Chomp is a popular breakfast item.

RARE FINDS AT SOIL & CO.

Not-socommon finds at Dickinson business

By Cindy Peterson

For The Dickinson Press

When the COVID

lockdown came in full board, many Americans became lonely and picked up unhealthy habits.

Not for Megan Smith and her sister Mandy Hutmacher. The siblings took it as a learning opportunity. They soaked up all the knowledge they could about the different kinds of houseplants that existed and how to take care of them.

“I started collecting plants, and I don’t know why,” Smith said “I couldn’t get rare plants, so I decided to start some research. If I’m interested in something, I immerse myself in it. My sister is the same way. I used to be into tropical fish, so I know everything there is to know about tropical fish.”

Through all the knowledge they’ve gained, the pair of sisters in their early 30s decided to band together and open up their own business. They’ve been operating Soil & Co. for almost a year, which is a boutique-style plant shop. Soil & Co. offers rare and common house plants. It features different styles, colors and shapes of

pots along with gifts, lotions, soaps, incense and candles.

Some of the rare finds are: anthuriums, philodendrons, syngoniums and hoyas. Smith said variegated plants - which are color mutations - are always hard to find.

“Wholesalers don’t do large batches, so they are hard and expensive to get,” Smith said. “Sometimes

they have to be imported from outside the country. Sometimes we’ll get lucky and find somebody who has grown a large batch and will want to sell them really quick.”

Some of the more common plants that sell are: common types of philodendrons, monstera, peperomia and cactus.

“We sell more common ones than we do the rare ones,” Smith said. “With the rare ones, we have to charge more. We try to be competitive. It’s all based on cost, what we pay for them.”

Smith and Hutmacher came up with the idea of Soil & Co. when they were coming back to Dickinson on a road trip from Oregon. The name and the ideas all came from that long drive. Both felt there was a need for this type of business in Dickinson.

“There are a lot of people here that really took an interest in house plants,” Smith said. “The people in this town have been really great.”

Even though Smith and Hutmacher are somewhat new to the plant world, they plan to continue to strive to keep learning about plants and how to nurture them.

“It took me a while to learn,” Smith said. “I’m still learning for sure. The basics of plants are light and water.”

Top technology that ’s good for the bottom line.

Soil & Co. is a boutique for common and rare plants, along with other items.

Soil & Co. has been in business in Dickinson for almost a year.

Megan Smith learned all about plants and how to care for them during the COVID lockdown.

Mandy Hutmacher is a co-owner of Soil & Co. in Dickinson.

Taking a holistic approach

Rare Earth to offer alternatives

By Cindy Peterson

For The Dickinson Press

Many Americans are taking a holistic approach to their health than in the past.

If a natural remedy exists for whatever type of malady ails somebody, people are seeing the value in that method over pumping a medication into their body with side effects.

Tom Lewan can help people seek alternatives.

Lewan isn’t dismissing the medical profession, but believes a holistic method can work in conjunction with the medical field. Lewan has been operating Balanced Energy Healing and will be opening Rare Earth Rock Shop & Holistic Wellness Center in the Prairie Hills Mall in late May or early June. The services at Balanced Energy will be incorporated with Rare Earth.

“The consensus of my clients is that they are tired of taking medications that seem to mask their symptoms rather than heal them,” said Lewan, who holds a PhD in metaphysics and is certified in more than 40 different healing modalities. “I

tell all my clients that there is a great need for the medical community and not to dismiss their valuable knowledge and insight, however, there are also some alternatives that can be used in conjunction with the medical community.”

Lewan used depression as an example.

“If a person who is suffering from depression will go to the doctor to get a prescription of some kind in order for them to feel better, but it doesn’t necessarily get to the root of the problem that caused the depression in the first place,” said Lewan,

who is from the Chicago area and moved to Dickinson in 2014. “I have lengthy discussions with my clients to see if we can get to the root of the problem. There are a lot of issues that arise in early childhood.”

Lewan began his practice in the natural healing arts about 13 years ago and went mainstream with his business in January of 2019. Rare Earth will be offering: Crystals, gemstones and a wide variety of metaphysical items. Its services will include:

A salt cave, which is great for respiratory issues, skin conditions and greatly reduces stress and anxiety.

A float pool, an open air float experience that greatly reduces stress, anxiety and helps with aches and pains. It’s ideal for people who don’t like confined spaces.

A frequency healthing chamber, designed and invented by Lewan. It helps boost the immune system, reduces stress and anxiety and gives a person an overall sense of wellbeing. Also included are: Reiki/energy healing sessions, aura readings, salt cave yoga, salt cave kundalini yoga, sound baths in the salt cave and a wide variety of

classes that address the physical and spiritual needs of our lives.

“It all boils down to this: if we are in a state of stress and anxiety it is impossible for the human body to heal,” Lewan said. “If we are in a state of love and gratitude, the body can heal itself. When people start to take the approach of self care, then they begin to heal themselves.”

Lewan has seen results with his techniques.

“People are starting to take more control in their decisions about self care,” he said.

“I find they’re eating better, exercising more, learning to have a more positive outlook on life and taking time for themselves, whether it’s a meditation regime or taking trips or just getting back to nature.” A lot of people are becoming more open to a holistic approach.

“People in general are getting fed up with the medical community,” Lewan said. “After taking numerous tests and medications, their symptoms are not going away and the side effects sometimes feel worse than the actual problem.”

Tom Lewan takes a holistic approach to healing physically and spiritually.

The frequency healing chamber is part of Rare Earth Shop & Holistic Wellness Center, scheduled to open late May or early June in Prairie Hills Mall.

Tom Lewan holds a PhD in metaphysics and is certified in more than 40 different healing modalities.

The Edge providing something for everybody

Bowman brings more fun to community

By Cindy Peterson

For The Dickinson Press

The Edge has been everything Chanell Walby dreamed it would be.

It serves a purpose for everybody in Bowman, if a person chooses to utilize it. Walby, who is the director of Bowman Parks & Rec, can see it on the faces of those who take advantage of the facility. She sees people of all ages, shapes and sizes enjoying themselves.

“I love listening to the visitors when they come into the building and take a look around,” Walby said. “The comments we hear are how beautiful it is, how big it is. People are so surprised at how much fun fits into the building and how well it was designed. Our community is truly blessed to have this type of facility.”

Walby is correct - tons of fun is packed inside the building. The trampoline adventure park includes a climbing wall, dodgeball tramps, open tramps, a ninja course, a spinner with obstacles, a two-story indoor playground and several recreation center amenities. Those amenities include a multipurpose court for basketball, volleyball, pickleball, badminton, etc. There is also a cardio/weight room, two multipurpose exercise rooms that can be opened up for large groups for dance, exercise, martial arts and tumbling.

Want more?

A kitchen/concessions area, meeting/party room, an e-sports lounge, a walking track, a racquetball court, a

seating area and a reception station are available. There truly is something for everybody.

“We have many seniors who come and walk around the track and visit in the seating area, which is located right next to the playground,” Walby said. “I watch the faces of the senior citizens when they hear the children playing in the playground and see their smiles, and that is exactly what I envisioned this place would be for the community. This is such a blessing because it brings joy to both young and old, and it is pleasing to see this happen and be part of it.”

The budget for the project is currently at $2.3 million, and the existing one-percent sales tax will be used to pay off the bond incurred by the end of 2029.

The Bowman Parks and Rec had been planning to add onto the Rouzie Recreation Center with a 6,000-square foot addition in the fall of 2021.

But something more appealing came about. The park board decided to use the Shopko/Alco building using the one-percent sales tax. The purchase happened on Nov. 2, 2021 - landing a 25,375-square foot building that sits on 5 acres, has room

for expansion and adequate parking.

In addition to the onepercent sales tax, Bowman County kicked in $300,000 and the city commission $350,000 ($50,000 per year for seven years), A sponsorship campaign was started with different levels of sponsorship and contributions. A $1.7 million

bond with a seven-year payout is in place with six years remaining.

An annual family membership to include The Edge, Rouzie Rec Center and Outdoor Pool is $600.

Members pay $5 per hour to jump and non-members pay $10.

‘We have this priced so people can afford to come

and play,” Walby said. “One vision I had was to build community, and I have witnessed it taking place already. There have been many events scheduled by the community for baby showers, birthday parties, bridal showers, civic group meetings, daycare outings and family get togethers.”

All kinds of sports can be played at The Edge.

In addition to jumping, other fun obstacles exist at The Edge for children to have some fun.

A cardio and weight lifting area is available at The Edge in Bowman.

Cooking a family tradition

By Cindy Peterson

For The Dickinson Press

Michelle Elton and Tina Gustafson grew up in the restaurant business.

Their mom, Phyllis Kostelecky, operated several establishments while they were growing up, including the former Queen City Club in Dickinson.

Elton and Gustafson did everythingfrom washing dishes to learning food preparation - at a young age. Elton and Gustafson also learned a lot about cooking from their grandmas.

With all the knowledge about restaurants and cooking, it only makes sense for Elton, Gustafson and Kostelecky to combine forces in their own operation. The trio opened up M2T Kitchen Traditions (M2 = Michelle, mom. T = Tina) in St. Joe’s Plaza. They’ve been open since early December.

“Mom is just a good cook,” Elton said.

“She’s a good support.

It’s nice to be partners

in something instead of us being kids and her being the boss. She’s got all these little tips, like what to do with the leftover baked potatoes, like making baked potato soup and things like that.”

Kostelecky, who is 75, hasn’t slowed down.

“Mom wasn’t supposed to be there as much as she is,” Gustafson said. “She can’t seem to not be there. Ever since dad passed away last February, she was depressed the first few months. The more we were working on things,

the more purposeful she felt. She’s out of the house, so she’s not thinking all the time and alone.”

The food at M2T is all homemade and the ladies use family recipes to deliver a quality meal to their patrons. M2T started out as a soup, salad and sandwich restaurant. Elton used to manage a deli, which was right up her alley. Tina’s specialty is sauerkraut, dumplings and apple dumplings. M2T evolved into offering a hot bar, baked potato bar and a taco bar. All the queso

and other sauces are homemade.

“I miss salad bars,” Elton said. “There aren’t that many of them anymore. Bonanza is gone. The Golden Corral is gone. We’re our tiny little mini version of that. Nothing is fried or sitting in grease. Everybody can get chicken strips from all the other places. Getting something fresh is hard to find.”

Gustafson is happy to offer consumers healthier choices.

“There are painters that do a lot of work in the plaza,” Gustafson said. “They come into our restaurant every single day we’re open. They love the fact that they can come in and nothing is deep fried. Our salad bar has so many choices, and everybody loves homemade soup.”

M2T also serves German and Czech food on Tuesdays.

“Everybody said we were going to be busy, but we weren’t expecting to be that busy the first night,”€ Elton said. “We ran out of food. Word of mouth went over really well with that.”

The idea to open up their own restaurant came during the summer when Elton,

Gustafson and Kostelecky were selling their soups frozen, along with other items, at the farmers market to earn extra income during the summer. Their loyal customers started asking how to buy their products during those months. Elton checked into renting space at St. Joe’s Plaza. “They are willing to help out new businesses,” Elton said. “Everybody else in Dickinson wants way too much money for rent. Some of these places still think it’s the oil field. We aren’t anymore. St. Joe’s offers

reasonable prices, so we thought we’d give it a try.”

Gustafson said their knoephla soup seems to be one of the biggest sellers. It was the first to sell out at the farmers market.

“We are making three gallons a day,’ she said. “That might not seem like a lot, but for me it’s a lot of knoephla. People even Door Dash for a bowl of knoephla.”

The trio of Elton, Gustafson and Kostelecky seem to be the perfect match.

“Cooking, in general, is in our blood, I guess,” Gustafson said.

The hot bar at M2T Kitchen Traditions.

Patrons dine at M2T Kitchen Traditions on one of its first nights open.

The owners of M2T Kitchen Traditions attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony when they opened the door to their new business in early December

(Left to right) Michelle Elton, Tina Gustafson and Kevin Shaw pose for a photo at M2T Kitchen Traditions.

Stevenson offering families options

By Cindy Peterson

For The Dickinson Press

The death of a loved one is hard enough. Making a decision on what to do with a loved one’s remains can make the whole process even more difficult.

Stevenson Funeral Home wants to lead the way in southwest North Dakota in offering families options by establishing the Stevenson Legacy Garden in 2022. The garden is a columbarium constructed right outside the funeral home to give families the opportunity to remember and memorialize their loved ones in a dignified way. A columbarium is a structure with recessed niches designed to hold urns. Niches are the recessed space in the columbarium that is designed to hold an individual run. After placement of the urn in the niche, the niche is sealed. The granite face of the niche will be

engraved with the loved one’s name and dates.

Stevenson Funeral Home saw a need for the garden.

“Many families don’t have a cemetery lot in town,” said Nic Stevenson, funeral director/owner. “There have been a lot of people who have moved here,

and they aren’t sure if Dickinson is their longterm destination. It’s a way for somebody to have a proper burial place. They don’t have to purchase a plot or they aren’t sure if it’s a long-term place to bury their relatives.”

The Legacy Garden gives families an option,

especially if they believe in the deceased having a burial or an interment place.

“Sometimes families are left in a difficult situation where their relative is on the shelf or in the closet,” Steven said. “This is an option to have an interment place, have them properly blessed and in a burial place. Some families have a relative that is cremated and they don’t know what to do with them.”

Stevenson said a columbarium is more popular in other parts of the country, such as the West Coast and East Coach. Most North Dakotans are

TACKLING HOMELESS ISSUE

United Way working to solve problem

By Cindy Peterson

For The Dickinson Press

Let’s be straight forward here - there are homeless people living in Dickinson and the problem isn’t going to fix itself.

Nichole Deleon and Emily Gran of the United Way see the need for a homeless shelter in Dickinson, and they are working with several other agencies to provide those in need with assistance. They see and hear stories of people sleeping in the nooks and crannies of the streets to escape the harsh elements of a North Dakota winter. The same goes for those people who live in their car or abandoned vehicles or even couch surf.

In a perfect world, the pair would like to see the problem fixed overnight, but they will settle for it as soon as possible. That means jumping through hoops and cutting the red tape - working with the city for planning and

zoning purposes, getting funds and grants, etc.

“I would like to see it done within a year,” said Gran, who is a program coordinator at the United Way. “I would love to see it done by the end of the year, but that would be in the perfect world. Ideally, it would be nice within 12 months. I don’t want to stretch it out any further, but I don’t want to rush anything.”

They want it done right.

Deleon used to work at the domestic violence shelter and got a feel for the homeless population in Dickinson. That shelter provides space for women with children, if there is an opening.

“Being part of a nonprofit, I got the chance to see a problem a lot of people are lucky enough not to see,” said Deleon, who is the executive director at the United Way. “They don’t see somebody living with family or friends or somebody climbing into semi trucks for shelter. Homelessness in Dickinson is a lot more prevalent than what people see, especially in the cold winter months.”

While the homeless issue has always existed in Dickinson, the transient

population for the oil boom created more of a demand.

“After the oil boom, some of them didn’t have the finances to pack up their families and move back,” Gran said. “There were a lot of people left behind who couldn’t afford to move, but couldn’t afford to stay here. It’s nice to team up with the right people with the same passion to move this forward.

If you’re standing in the corn field, you’re not going to see the sunflowers. In working with a disadvantaged population, you are more likely to hear stories about it. We want to educate the community that there is a problem, and we have the ability to solve it. I’d love to see the community get on board and move forward with this initiative.”

The vision of the United Way and the other nonprofits would be to provide a place for the homeless to get shelter and home goods while providing job training to help somebody get established.

“We want to help them get established rather than giving them a place for the night and then kicking them out in the morning,” Gran said. Grand and Deleon said a homeless count was done in

tied to their relatives.

Nowadays people are more mobile. Stevenson said the funeral home is willing to purchase the niche back from a family if it would choose to leave the area.

A more nomadic society made the Stevenson Funeral Home decide to establish the Legacy Garden.

“That is the driving need for this,” Steven said. “Individuals aren’t tied down to calling this their home.”

Stevenson said the cremation rate is at about 60 percent, whereas 10 years ago it was less than 40 percent.

“A lot of families

chose cremation because they see it as a simpler means of disposition and less cumbersome than selecting a casket and planning a visitation,” Stevenson said. “They see it as a simpler process. There are many options that come with cremation, and very few look the same.”

The choice of a columbarium is also a more economical choice. Families avoid the cost of buying a plot, digging a grave, purchasing a stone and marker.

“It’s about half as much as a traditional burial,” Steven said. “It’s far more cost effective.”

Stark and Dunn counties two months ago and 15 people were found living on the street. “It’s hard to identify those sleeping in cars or couch surfing,” Gran said. “It’s difficult to give an exact number of people who are homeless During the day they are out in the community. No matter what, one is too many.”

Deleon said the homeless coalition had a program set up where four hotel

rooms were set aside for the homeless, which provided shelter for a week, but the coalition ran out of funding. The goal is to get something better set up.

“It’s been great to see many people step up into this call of leadership to lead this vision forward, Deleon said. “It’s great to have their support and ideas and brainstorming sessions. Without everybody’s support, we’d be stagnate.”

The United Way and other non-profit agencies are doing their best to address homelessness in Dickinson.

Stevenson Family Funeral Home established the Legacy Garden in 2022.

The Legacy Garden outside Stevenson Funeral Home gives families another option to give their loved one a proper burial.

Cremation has become a more popular choice in the last decade.

Legacy Garden provides resting place

Of course, when everything is going smoothly, it can be a bit frustrating to pay for all kinds of insurance policies. But think about it: robberies, fires, accidents, severe illnesses, job layoffs and sudden deaths don’t always happen to strangers.

Since no one’s immune to life’s unexpected roadblocks, it’s better to be over-prepared than inadequately so. If you don’t take the right steps now, you’re setting yourself up for a potential financial disaster down the road if ever things take a turn for the worse. Don’t deny yourself the peace of mind of knowing that you and your loved ones are financially protected against a wide range of contingencies.

SHOP AROUND

Today’s insurance market encompasses a staggering variety of coverage options. Always take the time to shop around for a solution that’s right for your needs and your budget. Keep in mind that insurers frequently offer discounts when you purchase more than one type of policy at the same time.

Company stays strong on its principals

By CINDY PETERSON For The Press

TMI Systems Corporation has operated on seven governing principles, and those have not changed through the years.

TMI is obviously doing something right because it has been in business for 54 years and is still holding strong, even through the tough times.

So, what’s the secret sauce? What are those principals?

Simple yet so important: The customer comes first; all people are good; people, workers, management and the company are all the same thing, people have a right to know and a responsibility to understand the essence of the business; every employee must contribute to and benefit from the success of the company; integrity in all that we do; the business will never be any simpler than it is today.

TMI has been providing premium

STANDING: Page E7

Making water safe, consumable

Ixom products found all over country

By CINDY PETERSON For The Press

All one has to do is travel around the United States and you’ll find a piece of Dickinson in most cities - even the major ones like Las Vegas, Chicago and Birmingham.

Ixom Watercare of Dickinson likely plays a strong role in those citiesand several others near and far, big and small - being able to have safe drinking water. Ixom Watercare develops a product that mixes the water in their tanks.

Ixom Watercare’s products are even found overseas.

“Our customer base is municipalities and U.S. agencies,” Ixom Marketing Manager Emil Anheluk said. “It is a unique business in our area. Who would have guessed that? Most people identify North Dakota with the oilfield and agriculture.

To have a water industry company here is kind of unique. While we have a presence in North Dakota, the majority of our market is everywhere. Any of those big municipal water systems, it’s likely there will be a piece of Ixom in their system.”

In addition to distribution tank mixing, Ixom provides quality solutions for water treatment in lakes and reservoirs as well as a wide variety of water quality solutions, like residual monitoring and managing disinfectant levels in distribution.

Ixom roots started in 1978 as Pump Systems Incorporated. PSI built an excellent reputation both nationally and internationally as a supplier of customdesigned pumping systems for a variety of industrial uses, from mining, refining, oilfield and agriculture to contractors, municipalities and manufacturing.

The original SolarBee technology was developed by PSI in the late 1990s. SolarBee is a floating reservoir mixer/ circulator that can achieve targeted, high-volume and long distance circulation

•

completely on solar power. The company reorganized to focus exclusively on reservoir treatment technologies and

water quality improvement. PSI serves more than 26 countries in sustainable reservoir water quality

improvement. Ixom Watercare, an Australian company, acquired the company in February of

2020, a month before the Covid pandemic.

“The time zones present a challenge,” Anheluk said. “With daylight savings time, the communication window gets smaller. We went from a small, locally-owned business to a large corporation. It’s been a great experience. Once any company is sold, there is a concern. There are things you may not have considered that might happen. Our team in Dickinson is a cut above the rest. Right away, that became obvious. There are special, dedicated people here with tons of knowledge in the water market.”

Ixom does its own manufacturing in Dickinson. Engineers, biologists and chemical engineers are all employed in Dickinson.

“We’ve got a very diverse group of people,” Anheluk said. “We have a wide variety of college degrees. We have other people who have worked with us and have moved up through the ladder with years of experience.”

Brandon Glasser, an Ixom on-site field services team crew chief climbs a multi-leg elevated water storage tank to install a GridBee® THM Removal System in North Carolina.

Jonathan Zent, Innovation Manager, at Ixom Watercare stands next to a MIEX® Ion Exchange System manufactured in Dickinson and is en route to Ontario, Canada.

A member of Ixom Watercare’s on-site field services team works to deploy SolarBee® lake circulators into a drinking source water lake in Pennsylvania.

Engineers Doug Kadrmas, right, and David Angel work with a ResidualHQ® Automated Disinfectant Control System at the Dickinson Ixom facility

By CINDY PETERSON For The Press

The Urban Dictionary regards the term “chud” as the worst possible insult that can be dished out in the social media circle.

According to the dictionary, calling somebody a “chud” means you’re calling them a flurry foul names - foul, lethargic, morally bankrupt, severe physical unattractiveness, mind numbingly stupid, unable to comprehend sufficiently and probably has poor hygiene.

Andy Roehl and Chris Dragoo, co-owners of the Graphic Attic in Hettinger say separately they are “chuds,” but together they make up the Graphic Attic.

Their definition of “chuds” is different from the Urban Dictionary. They are just a couple of goofballs who love to have a good time, yet are able to take their business seriously.

Dragoo is originally from Hettinger while Roehl came from Wyoming in 2001 when his dad was hired as a Methodist pastor. Dragoo runs the business side of things, while Roehl handles the artwork and design.

Their goofiness comes through and their work speaks for itself.

“I worked diligently throughout my childhood, avoiding any opportunity to play

sports or socialize with other children,” said Roehl, who attended art school in San Francisco and furthered his knowledge in design and film studies.

“Instead, I would focus all my time and energy in watching thousands of hours of cartoons all at the cost of my physique, which gave me the talent of being able to get my nipples to touch each other after gaining a significant amount of weight.”

And Dragoo?

“Chris doesn’t like cartoons, but much like me, grew portly,” Roehl said.

The Graphic Attic has existed in Hettinger since 1992, but the pair purchased it in 2019. They have implemented embroidery, film to digital, direct to garment printing and custom artwork.

They moved the business to Main Street with a vibrant new storefront that includes a wide selection in clothes and Jelly Belly candies and other gifts.

The pair have made their homes in Hettinger, along with their wives and Basset hounds.

“This has either been a terrible investment or the best decision as we seem to be busy all the time but never have any money,” Roehl said. “On the flip side, a couple of chuds like us could never have the opportunities we have in Hettinger as we would in a bigger city.”

Modern technology allows the Graphic Attic to connect with customers all around the country and provide services to a broader audience.

“Original designs and giving customers exactly what they want

is a major hook,” Roehl said. “Everyone has a vision or a dream of what they want to see become a reality and Graphic Attic can be that conduit to make that happen.”

Roehl takes pride in his business

logo designs. “It sort of elevates a design when it’s able to jump from a computer screen to a billboard, storefront, or menu,” Roehl said. “I try to give every design its own personality, and I strive to make something

different for everyone. We obviously see a lot of our business stem from our corner of the state, but lately we have seen our audience expand beyond the borders of the state which is very exciting.”

The Graphic Attic

does everything from T-shirts, hoodies, caps, beanies, pants, shorts, mugs, tumblers, piggy banks and much more.

“Much like Chris’ midsection, I foresee it getting bigger, whether we like it or not,” Roehl said.

By CINDY PETERSON For The Press

Advancement and technologies exist in all industries, and plumbing is no different.

It can be hard to keep up with all the gizmos and gadgets hitting the market, but the drain camera has certainly been a blessing.

Josh Burris grew up in the plumbing industry, with his grandpa and dad working in the business in Menlo, Iowa. The experience through his family made Burris more than ready to start his own business.

The Dickinson man created Unplugged Drain Cleaning and Drain Camera LLC in March of 2021. When he learned the trade, the drain cameras didn’t exist.

“I grew up in plumbing, and we never had a camera,” said Burris, a former employee with the city of Dickinson in the water and utilities department.

The technology has been a blessing to the plumbing trade. The latest technology makes no problem too hard to handle. Unplugged offers emergency service; residential, commercial and industrial services; cable snake and sewer jet;

video camera inspection; sewer, grease trap lines and floor drains jetted; clogged drain and sewer cleaning; water sewer and drain services along with emergency service and free estimates. Burris will also deal with frozen sewer and frozen storm drains.

The camera technology makes his job easier and allows him to tackle more challenging issues. The drain camera allows Burris to see deep into his customer’s pipes to

fully view the root of the plumbing issue.

A drain camera inspection uses digital technology by incorporating a small waterproof camera, and the camera relays full-color images to a mobile screen or device used by the technician. The high-tech cameras are flexible, allowing them to travel through twists and turns in sewer lines. They thoroughly examine pipes and pipe walls in drain lines and can find

any debris buildups, collapsed pipe sections, root infestations and pipe offsets. They allow the professional to form high-accurate diagnoses. Commonly, drain cameras are used in tandem with highpressure water jetters.

“I have always used a camera in bigger pipes,” Burris said. “We do have cameras for smaller pipes too. The camera

can tell you how far out the clogs are. Once you get the plug out of the pipe, you can see what was in the pipe that was plugging the pipe.”

When it comes to unclogging - from a home sink to a municipal pipe - Burris has likely seen it all.

“It could be a number of things plugging it,” he said. “But the most that I see are roots. A camera helps you see

what’s in the pipe and makes sure you have the pipe unplugged. A camera makes everything so much easier. You watch the camera as you work.” Burris is eager to serve a wide area as well, offering his skills to North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana. Unplugged also offers 24-hour service and free estimates.

Unplugged Drain Cleaning and Drain Camera LLC uses the latest technology to help identify the source of problems with drains and sewers.

Josh Burris, the owner of Unplugged Drain Cleaning and Drain Camera LLC, said roots are one of the biggest issues facing major problems in a drain.

‘BELIEVE IN BEACH’

By CINDY PETERSON For The Press

Gazebo Park in Beach will have a whole different look to it this summer.

Most people in the community would say it’s for the best because it will offer another source of entertainment and will bring people together.

The city will be constructing a pavilion, making a space for its citizens to enjoy their community.

“As Beach strives to be an attractive community for current and new residents and businesses, developing a vision and revitalizing Gazebo Park is an important objective,” Beach Auditor and Zoning Administrator Kimberly Gaugler said.

To look at Beach’s vision, one would have to go back to 2019. The city council adopted the Believe In Beach strategic plan for 2019-22. The plan

outlined priorities for the community over the next several years which includes: improving Beach’s quality of life, restructuring business development efforts, making Beach a destination and community engagement and revitalization.

“Great strides have been made in accomplishing many of the goals,” Gaugler said. “Each year, the city officials and employees collectively review what goals have been accomplished and determine what goals to tackle the upcoming year.”

One goal was the pavilion in Gazebo Park.

Former Beach resident Robert Zinsli made it his mission to make sure Beach would get its pavilion. He made a generous donation of $100,000 to get the project rolling.

Zinsli, 90, left the Beach area nearly 70 years ago, and volunteering has been a big part of his life, doing 60 years of charity work with the Knights of Columbus. He is a retired engineer

manager and lives in Pasco, Wash. Zinsli, a Korean War vet, grew up in a family of 15. His parents taught him to leave a place better than he found it, and he has lived by that motto his entire life.

Zinsli viewed Beach’s city website and found the city’s 2022 goals, with the pavilion being part of that and made the donation.

“We are truly humbled by Robert’s gift and are extremely grateful he thought to invest in the area he called home during his formative years,” Gaugler said.

“With his significant donation, we are able to transform Gazebo Park from a space into a community place. His motto of ‘leave it better than you found it’ will live on in Gazebo Park for future generations to enjoy.”

A survey was made available to the residents on the vision of Gazebo Park and the pavilion. An architecture firm is designing the concept rendering of the pavilion based on the data and from

public input meetings.

Construction will begin as soon as Mother Nature allows it.

“Gazebo Park is ripe to develop into a true sense of place that is multi-generational and accessible to all,” Gaugler said. “It provides modern amenities, incorporates historic elements and can potentially serve as a catalyst for additional placemaking improvements on Main Street.”

The idea is for the

pavilion to unite the community even closer. The pavilion will be used for a wide variety of events, from live music, art performances, farmers markets, vendor shows and reunions. And even Christmas tree lighting. “Basically any type of event that will bring people together to build community and connections,” Gaugler said. “It will be available for rent, but those details have not been finalized yet.”

West Plains Inc

Plains Inc

West Plains Inc

The city of Beach put together the “Believe in Beach” plan to improve the quality of life for its community.

Gazebo Park in Beach will be getting a pavilion - once the weather allows construction to begin.

The Beach city council got input from the public about the pavilion to b constructed in Gazebo Park.

KMM grows into Texas

By CINDY PETERSON

For The Press

Sometimes it’s fun to sit back and reflect.

Those in charge at Killdeer Mountain Manufacturing can do that with smiles on their faces. The company began in 1987 in the Killdeer mall with just three employees.

Oh my, how things have changed.

Killdeer Mountain Manufacturing now employs 430 total employees - with 368 of them serving in Killdeer, Hettinger and Dickinson. The company expanded and opened up a location in Kerrville, Texas, a city of almost 25,000 located northwest of San Antonio. The Texas location opened in December of 2021.

Killdeer Mountain Manufacturing is a contract manufacturer for military and commercial aerospace.

The 62 employees in

Texas will be doing work on the Boeing 737.

Why expand to the Lone Star state?

“One of our founders has a son who lives there,” said Erika Bauer, KMM president of operations. “One of his granddaughters lives there. We have had ties to the area for a long time. It’s a similar culture to where we are at in western North Dakota. It felt like a good fit.”

The company has come a long way since its inception.

“I don’t think

the founders of the company anticipated it would grow to this size,” Bauer said. “All they were trying to do in 1987 was provide jobs for the people of Killdeer. When they started out, they didn’t have a vision to grow to four different sites in two different states.”

Even though the founders didn’t anticipate this kind of growth, the business model has stayed the same.

“We have very good relationships with our customers,” Bauer said.

“We believe in the best quality product and best customer service and the best delivery. We are honest in helping our customers find the best product they are trying to grow. Over time, the aerospace work saw value in North Dakota and the people here. We have been on a great journey.”

The Texas location is very much part of the KMM organization in all ways.

“We are very integrated as a company,” Bauer said. “We work as one company, even though there are four different sites. The Texas site is

good for Dickinson and North Dakota in freeing up capacity to bring on new military contracts in North Dakota. There will be a lot of new work coming into North Dakota. We are able to do that by expanding commercial work into Texas.”

The expansion started shortly before COVID hit.

“It was a very uncertain time” Bauer said. “We decided to continue on with the expansion. We could have halted the expansion, but we chose to continue. We had faith in our employees and faith in the industry

that it could come back. We had to have layoffs and furloughs, but we’ve grown back to the same we were before COVID.”

Bauer said the North Dakota and Texas governments have been great entities to work with in creating tax incentives and benefits for creating jobs, putting up new buildings and offering training.

“We are grateful to the government in North Dakota and in Texas for being supportive of our business and our employees,” Bauer said.

A KMM employee uses automated laser cutting equipment

shielded

A robotic arm works as part of a wire processing machine to measure, cut, laser mark, spool and move various types and lengths of wire. KMM was the first company.

A Killdeer Mountain Manufacturing employee works on a copper wire harness assembly for the Boeing P8 Poseidon, a multi-mission military aircraft used in eight countries for intelligence, reconnaissance.

TMI Systems Corporation of Dickinson has been in business for 54 years.

and custom-grade laminate casework, architectural woodwork and countertop products to institutional markets, utilizing the highest quality raw materials and hardware. TMI became a 100-percent employee-owned ESOP in 2019.

“TMI’s vision has always been to be a world-class manufacturer,” said Kevin Kosvash, the company’s senior vice president. “Profitable growth is paramount. How we get there is yet to be determined, but if we continue to practice the seven governing principles that we have for the first 54 years of the company’s history, there should be no challenges we cannot overcome.”

The last 13 years have been one challenge after another, from the recession of 2010 and the COVID pandemic. Kovash described the recession as the first “Black Swan.”

“That was more of a depression in the construction industry than a recession, and TMI experienced a significant reduction in opportunities in the institutional markets it serves, which are primarily K-12 and healthcare markets,” he said. The second “Black Swan” - the pandemic - brought unpredictable issues, such as a reduced workforce, supply chain challenges, unprecedented inflation and related raw material price increases.

One of TMI’s business pillars is to ‘be technologically current,’ and it has invested in technology and writes and customizes its own software.

“Our technology has the ability to identify and provide specific visibility to

any issues related to raw materials required for our three product lines on projects in the backlog,” said Kovash, who has been with the company for 49 years.

“A nimble purchasing and inventory control staff was able to use the information the

technology provided to find alternative suppliers to support production. The factories were able to operate at capacity, but projects weren’t necessarily being produced in the original sequence planned. Our technology combined

with our product mix and transportation provided by our own TMI Transport is a competitive advantage for us in our market.”

TMI’s four business pillars have been a key component in storming through challenges. The pillars are: focus on people; be market driven rather than product driven; be technology current; do business from a position of financial strength.

“The company has been able to navigate several significant challenges in its 54-year history and has outlasted many of its competitors” Kovash said. “It has done so from a remote location in North Dakota and isn’t located near most

of its customers and vendors.”

TMI is a national company. The manufacturing division goes to market through a network of 13 designated dealers and more than 50 other subcontracting customers throughout the country. Regionally, TMI goes to market through its own subcontracting division, TMI speciality contracting division. The division operates in Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Locally, TMI goes direct-to-owner with a multitude of casework, furniture and countertop products for the local business and residential market.

Shown is a small glimpse of the products TMI manufactures.

TMI has been providing premium and custom-grade laminate casework, architectural woodwork and countertop products to institutional markets.

TMI has been able to survive the peaks and valleys of our nation’s economy.

Don’t wait. Search today.

Fabricating the Bakken

in managing your inventory. You can’t keep building if you don’t have the right inventory.”

By CINDY PETERSON

For The Press

No two tanks are alike. When one drives by an oilfield in southwest North Dakota, they might be led to believe that they are all the same, but they aren’t.

Palmer Manufacturing & Tank Inc. tailor each tank to match the needs of the customer. Through its craftsmanship, Palmer Manufacturing is able to offer excellence in tank fabrication for water and crude oil storage in the Bakken.

Each tank made by Palmer meets the API-12F standards of inspection and quality. API-12F identifies in detail the size of each tank in diameter and height. Along with the dimensional sizes, API-12F identifies nozzle sizes and nozzle locations to ensure uniformity in the API-12F tank. The paint and coding on each tank is applied and tested per NEC standards.

“Each one of our customers requires a custom build,” said Randy Emter, the operations manager at Palmer. “You can drive by and all the tanks look the same, but each one has a unique custom style, like different plumbing features. Onsite, at a well location, these guys operate them slightly differently. We make it specific to each customer. Because of that, there is another challenge

Palmer’s home office is located in Garden City, Kansas, which supports locations in Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado and New Mexico. The Dickinson and Bismarck locations handle the Bakken and Wyoming.

Dickinson employs welders, mechanics and painters.

Palmer has been operating in Dickinson since 2007.

In the prime of the oil boom, Palmer was fully staffed and made 35 tanks a week, or seven per day.

Palmer currently makes two tanks a day with a limited staff.

“The bad part is, we could be busier if I could hire more people,” Emter said. “That is the challenge, right now today, is to have enough people. It’s difficult finding people who want to work 40 hours a week. We’re working 40 to 55 hours a week.”

The sales staff at Palmer have a difficult time quoting lead time with the customer because they aren’t producing as much. But Emter said the bulk of Palmer’s customers are returning ones.

“Eighty-percent of our work is with long-time customers,” Emter said.

“We work off the forecast.

Twenty-percent of our work is spot sales or new customers. Long-term customers make scheduling and building easier. We’re able to manage our resources better.”

Palmer custom building each tank

Palmer Manufacturing & Tank Inc. employs welders, mechanics and painters. It has been operating in Dickinson since 2007.

Palmer Manufacturing & Tank Inc. custom builds each tank to match the needs of the customer.

In the prime of the oil boom, Palmer Manufacturing &Tank Inc. produced 35 tanks a week.

RESILIENCE : THE STUFF THAT PROGRESS IS MADE

an

Devon Energy supporting youth

By CINDY PETERSON For The Press

Kirsten Morsette has plenty of reasons to appreciate Devon Energy in the six years she has served as executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of the Three Affiliated Tribes.

Morsette has 10,000 reasons to be grateful right now.

Devon Energy announced that it awarded a $10,000 Inclusion and Equity Grant to the Boys and Girls Club.

Devon’s contribution will support the Native Youth Council program in New Town. It will help local Native teens participate in enrichment activities, including team and leadership and skill building. The Native Youth will use the skills they learn when they serve as Boys & Girls Club summer camp

counselors.

“Devon Energy has always donated to the Boys & Girls Club,” Morsette said. “We are so grateful for them.”

Devon Energy is happy to support the Three Affiliated Tribes Boys & Girls Club.

“We recognize the positive impact of the Boys & Girls Club in North Dakota and want to be part of it,” said Daniel LeBeau, Devon Energy environmental operator. “Devon is proud to support Native youth in the community.”

Devon expanded the overall program this year to include North Dakota, awarding 28

Inclusion and Equity grants across the company’s asset region.

Morsette said the Boys & Girls Club will always focus on the younger ages, but the mission at the moment is targeting tweens and teens.

“They seem to be the ones slipping through the cracks,” Morsette said. “We start to lose kids when they are old enough to stay at home by themselves.”

The Boys & Girls Club is in the process of changing their staff to service the night-time hours. Evening events, such as bowling trips, etc., are being planned to give those target-aged

youth activities in the evening.

“We are looking at the night-time stuff, where teens want to be out hanging around and doing crazy stuff,” Morsette said. “We are targeting them to do nightlife activities with the Boys & Girls Club. We have seven clubs across the (Fort Berthold) reservation. We want them to do things together and get to know each other from other segments.”

The Twin Buttes Community Center has a pool, and the Boys & Girls

Club is looking at overnight trips over the weekend to give youth another source of activity.

Morsette said a lot of the work of the Boys & Girls Club is focused on mentoring.

“A lot of it is our kids on the reservation, and it’s not just on the reservation, are struggling with drugs or come from families with high addiction and all that,” Morsette said.

Devon Energy, a Oklahoma City-based company, has been in operation for more than 50 years. Devon’s Williston Basin position is located entirely on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, consisting of approximately 123,000 net acres. The company’s operations are focused in the oil-prone Bakken and the Three Forks formations.

Devon Energy is based in Oklahoma City and has a strong presence on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation.

Devon Energy recently donated $10,000 to the Boys & Girls Club on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation.

The Boys & Girls Club for the Three Affiliated Tribes has received grants from Devon Energy for the last several years.

Quality is main focus at Titan Energy

Local company aims to be best in industry

By CINDY PETERSON For The Press

Bryce Shypkoski has the best of both worlds.

The founder and president of Titan Energy Services in Dickinson had never aimed to be the largest company in the Bakken when he formed his business in 2011. In fact, Shypkoski started very modestly, operating just three trucks with six employees.

He started humbly - and humble he will stay - even though he has managed to grow his business. Titan Energy maxed out at 160 employees during the peak of the oil boom around 201719. Titan Energy currently employs 100 between both the Dickinson and Watford City locations. Company growth and quality services. Shypkowski truly does have the best of both worlds.

“Being the biggest company has never been our focus. Being the best has,” Shypkowski said. “We work for a lot of great producers, small and large, and we will continue to perform at a high level. Again, being the top performer is how we have managed to stay strong, along with additional services.”

Titan Energy specializes in site construction and maintenance. It also does lease operating, has its own fabrication shop in Dickinson and recently added an electrical division to complement other services.

When Shypkowski created Titan Energy, his vision was to create a company with a sense of family for employees and management.

“To create a great work environment and for everybody to feel like they are a person of something special, I was only 27 years old when we started, so I thought I could relate more to the individual wants and needs from an employer,” he

said. “For the customers, we would bring an energized, safety conscious group of young folks to help them meet their needs in a timely, safe manner.”

With that, Titan Energy grew - adding equipment and employees as needed. Growth, growth, growth.

“Our quality employees are the ones responsible for

that,” Shypkowski said.

“The guys on the front line grinding every day are the ones responsible for Titan’s success.”

Titan Energy doesn’t plan on going anywhere. It has donated a section of land in Watford City to help fund the Bakken Area Skills Center, a trade school for local youth to learn and work in the oilfield.

“We are very invested in the future of our communities and the development of its youth that want to get into the industry,” Shypkowski said. “We are really grateful for the community’s embracement over the last 12 years and look forward to the development of our future.”

Medicine Hole sees more traffic

Killdeer golf course getting lots of play

By CINDY PETERSON For The

Press

The Medicine Hole Golf Course in Killdeer set record

numbers last summer.

It’s a bitter-sweet situation for Clubhouse Manager Shauna Bang. On one hand, she’s excited that more people came out to play the nine-hole, 3,290-yard coursewhich was designed by Jim Engh, a highlyrenowned landscaper

who is known for his brilliant golf courses. The increase in traffic at Medicine Hole came at the expense of the Pheasant Country Golf Course in South Heart, which is under reconstruction because of issues with its sprinkler system.

That is the part Bang

doesn’t like.

Pheasant Country is expected to open up this summer after closing last summer for the project.

“We picked up a lot of traffic from South Heart,” said Bang, who is in her second GOLF: Page C3

Titan Energy Services specializes in site construction, maintenance and lease operating. It has its own fabrication shop in Dickinson and most recently added an electrical division.

Titan Energy Services.

Titan Energy Services started with three trucks and six employees. It now employs 100 people and operates out of two locations.

Titan Energy.

Saying ‘YES’ to North Dakota

By CINDY PETERSON

For The Press

Chad Ystaas is a true North Dakotan all the way.

He grew up on a farm and ranch near Sheyenne, not far from Devils Lake and the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation. Ystaas earned an electrical degree from a tech school in East Grand Forks, Minn.

When Ystaas was ready to enter the workforce in the early 1990s, there wasn’t much opportunity in North Dakota, so he packed his bags and went to Colorado for employment.

“There wasn’t much going on for young kids at that time,” Ystaas said.

When the oil boom took off in western North Dakota in 2008, Ystaas saw an opportunity. He saw a chance to be a business owner and to come back to his home state. He believed it would take him several years to advance in his company in Colorado.

“I thought there was something better out there,” Ystaas said.

Ystaas took a giant leap of faith and trusted that he could build something great in Dickinson. He formed YES LLC Electrical Service in 2011 and hasn’t turned back.

YES, an electrical contracting company with locations in Dickinson and Watford City, has been going strong. YES offers electrical, automation and fabrication services; planning, designing, ordering, inventory, financials and safety

management. It started in the agriculture sector and grew into commercial services and oil and gas services. Working with Red Trail Energy would be an example of the agriculture sector.

Ystaas started YES from scratch. Yes, he was warned that the oil industry could go bust, like it did in the 1980s.

“All of us who started businesses were a little gun shy, because we did fear there would be a boom to bust cycle,” Ystaas said. “None of us knew how big the Bakken was. Once we got through the first downturn in 2016, we were still competitive and able to survive that.”

Even through the recent economic struggles and the challenges in the oil industry, YES is still standing strong.

“There is a lot of infrastructure coming in to support the oil and gas industry,” Ystaas said.

Being able to run a successful business in his home state and to give young people an opportunity to earn a living makes all the risk involved worth it for Ystaas.

“I’m proud to bring my two boys back here and raise them like I was, and in a Class B school,” Ystaas said.

“My wife and I were both

Class B, home raised. To make an impact in western North Dakota like we are and to recruit young people, both female and male, and give them the opportunity I didn’t have, makes it fun to give back and teach. To have people progress and learn what we do, and to do it in our home state, is more

special.”

Ystaas is also getting the opportunity to provide solid employment for his son, Chasyn. “It’s neat to be able to be part of this,” Ystaas said. “We’ll be talking about this for years. Our grandkids will be telling their kids how grandpa came out in the oil

boom and lived in a camper and stayed in hotels at first.”

Anything to get his business going.

“It’s not one of my proudest moments,” Ystaas said. “There were no homes to buy, and if there were, we had to spend an arm and a leg on a house. You do what you have to do.”

year of managing the clubhouse. “We are supportive of South Heart getting back up. We opened our course up for their members, and let their high school kids practice here. They held a high school tournament out here last fall. We want to be good neighbors.”

The golfing season last year was cut short by 39 days because of Mother Nature. Despite the short season, Medicine Hole’s sales were up eight percent. Members played 2,760 rounds and nonmembers 2,674 rounds. Bang didn’t have exact numbers from previous years, but she said the number of rounds was noticeably increased. Total member count was 184. She said member numbers hovered around 130 from previous years. Even though Bang hates the increased numbers have to come at the expense of South Heart, she has enjoyed

the new friendships made with Pheasant Country’s members coming to Killdeer. “We have really enjoyed the South Heart members,” she said. “I grew up in Belifield. I know a lot of them, but I haven’t seen them in a while.”

Bang estimated that Medicine Hole will open up May 1, as long as the weather cooperates. Last summer, it didn’t open until May 17, yet opened April 1 two years ago.

“There is a huge influx in our opening dates because of our weather,” Bang said.

The biggest change at Medicine Hole will be an additional concession area, which will be added on to the patio. Bang said the additional concession area will help with traffic flow in the clubhouse.

“There can be a long line to fill coolers,” she said. “During tournaments, we’ve had people who have had to stand in line. With the concession stand on the patio, we will be able to fill them. Our clubhouse

isn’t huge, so that will help spread out the crowd a bit.”

Bang is eager for the golfing season to begin and to continue to support the golfers from Pheasant Country, for as long as needed.

“Everybody is welcome here,” she said. “That is the thing I love about our course. From professionals to firsttime golfers, everybody feels welcome. The community built this course. They take a lot of pride in how it looks and they make sure everybody is taking care of it. They take a lot of pride and ownership in the course.”

Four golf carts on Hole 6 carry golfers around Medicine Hole Golf Course in Killdeer.

The sun sets over the pond on Hole 2 at Medicine Hole Golf Course.

By CINDY PETERSON

For The Press

For many years, Watford City was considered small town North Dakota.

While the McKenzie County town has multiplied drastically when the oil boom hit, it still has that small town feel. The city’s Parks and Recreation Department likes to offer programs the bigger North Dakota towns offer, keeping its citizens interested and active.

Roughrider Center Director Josh Nollmeyer is eager to put the long miserable winter months behind him and get people excited about the summer and being

outdoors. From youth and adult programs to everything in between, the people in Watford City can book their summer solid if they choose.

Nollmeyer is excited for children and adults to get active with baseball, softball, tennis, golf and so

much more. “We have a diverse variety of programs,” said Nollmeyer, who is from Savage, Mont. “The Parks and Recreation Department wants to provide a safe space for families, to build communities and to connect people through these programs. What we do is a hub, an infrastructure for the community. We have grown a ton, but we are still a small town at heart. We couldn’t do stuff without families getting involved and parents volunteering. So many have stepped up to the plate. People are so willing to help out and make the community what it is.”

Parks and Rec also offers child care programs through the summer with different excursions planned.

Nollmeyer said the

parents that utilize the child care programs are represented by 75 different businesses.

“It will always be about the kids,” he said. “There’s always a side angle, and we want to help that workforce development by helping provide child care in the summertime. It eases that responsibility on parents. They know there is a safe space, and they can still work.”

Watford City will be home to different basketball and volleyball camps throughout the summer. Professional basketball player Noah Dahlman, who plays overseas, will continue his ND42 camp. Mark Kinnebrew will bring his skills to Watford City, and the University

of Jamestown will host a volleyball camp.

Jamestown won an NAIA championship in the fall.

June will kick off with a fishing derby, where the parks and rec department will partner with the U.S. Forest Service and the National Turkey Federation. Kids will get a fishing pole, along with prizes.

The weekend of June 10 will be full days of fun. The 701 food truck rodeo will take place, along with the Doug Johnsrud Legion baseball tournament.

“Baseball, barbeque and good food is always an awesome combo,” Nollmeyer said.

The Touch A Truck event will also take place with different industries bringing

their equipment in and allowing children to get familiar with the different equipment used in their respective businesses.

“Touch A Truck piggy backs off our STEM recreation program,” Nollmeyer said. “If a kid loves something, like a tractor, maybe they can look to get into engineering or diesel mechanics.”

Watford City hosts several different cornhole tournaments during the summer. The Park and Recreation department will also be involved with the Homefest event and Ribfest in August.

“Even though we don’t run these events, we like to get involved,” Nollmeyer said.

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LOTS GOING ON IN WATFORD CITY

City is forward thinking

By CINDY PETERSON

For The Press

Now is the perfect time to get excited about Watford City.

City planner Jake Walters has plenty to keep him busy - and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Walters touched on a few exciting things on his docket - from home building to daycares to educational opportunities:

Two years ago Watford City and McKenzie County came up with a buyer-incentive program for housing. The tide

has changed, and the incentives will be focused on builders, with the hope of encouraging home constructions.

Walters said there are 120 shovel-ready lots and 50 infill lots, along with 150 lots in the county. “We have a lot of lots and lots of opportunities to build here,” said Walters, who came to Watford City from the Palm Beach, Fla., area about 11 years ago. “We have people who work here, but sometimes getting their family here can be a challenge. If we can get their families here,

they are more likely to stay here.”

Walters is hoping the building incentive will help entice families to want to make Watford City their home.

Watford City is addressing the lack of childcare with a new facility that will open in the fall of 2024 and will host 240 kids and employ 90 people. At the moment, four temporary trailers are used for daycare until the doors are ready to open.

Walters is expecting the daycare to be full on the first day.

“We are a young

community,” Walters said. “The vast majority of the people here are in their mid 20s, and they are on their first or second child. There is a lot of demand for daycare. If we want to retain our workforce, we need somewhere for their children to be.”

When Walters moved to Watford City, the town’s school system consisted of one elementary school and one high school. It eventually added a middle school and another elementary school. The high school sports teams now competes with the state’s largest schools in

Watford City and McKenzie County are offering incentives for families who want to build a house and make the area their permanent home.

most sports. Watford City is now on track for a third elementary school.

The Bakken Area Skills Center is currently under construction and is a project of the McKenzie County Public School District #1. In addition to providing hands-on

technical classes for high school students, it will also be used for postsecondary education and training for in-demand skills for regional employers. It will be a 40,000-square foot facility that is projected to open January 2024.

Desserts are baked fresh every day at The Shed. It also offers several different ice cream flavors.

By CINDY PETERSON

For The Press

Ryan Seigfreid and Cindy Willey worked together perfectly at Burrito Brothers in Watford City.

Siegfreid was a co-owner of the establishment, and Willey was hired as the general manager for several years.

Siegfried and his partner decided to close the place, leaving Willey out of work for about a year. During that stretch, Siegfried came calling on Willey, but now as a business partner. The duo teamed together to open up a new restaurant in Watford City called The Shed, which opened its doors on March 11. “He asked about partnering for a homestyle restaurant,” said Willey, who is originally from Missouri. “I told him there

was nothing like that in Watford City, and it could benefit from it.”

Partnering together seemed to be the right move. Willey managed Burrito Brothers for several years with little supervision.

“Ryan had enough faith in me to run the program, order food, make sure we were staffed and selling a good product,” Willey said. “He put so much faith and trust in me. He makes it easy to communicate with him in any way without feeling uncomfortable. He’s a smart businessman. I have the work ethic of a stubborn mule. I will not go home or let anybody down until the job is done.”

Willey brings in a ton of experience in the food service industry. She was the food service director in the Belton, Mo., school system for 18 years and

live alifefullofenergy.

managed 60 employees. Now, she’s a co-owner of a business. “Most of my life has been in food service,” she said. “When he asked me to manage Burrito Brothers, I didn’t know if I wanted all that stress.

After 18 years, I couldn’t handle it anymore. A small business was a cake walk, and I enjoyed it. I missed it after it closed. I put my heart and soul into making it as great as it could be.”

The Shed focuses on homestyle cooking, with the majority of the entrees coming from Willey’s personal collection. She makes approximately 200 pounds of meatloaf a week.

“It’s my own recipe and my own barbeque sauce,” she said.

The Shed serves meatloaf, pork loin and roast beef on a daily basis along with macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes and gravy.

The Shed serves weekly specials, such at St. Louis barbeque ribs, chicken fried steak, shrimp and hushpuppies. The Shed also offers unique dishes like loaded baked potato casserole, Mexican casserole and a variety of pastas.

“You name it, we will serve it,” Willey said. “I also ask the customers if there is something they would like to have.”

The Shed also puts on a buffet, a full-service loaded salad bar with two soups and bakery items are made fresh daily. There are also eight

NextEra supporting the area

By CINDY PETERSON For The Press

Dr. Misti Vogle received an email to her inbox offering free money. Not a scam. Not an attempt to hack her account.

Free money for her students at RichardtonTaylor High school, and it was a bona fide offer. You can bet your bottom dollar - pun intended - that Vogle wasted no time filling out the information needed to provide a better education for her students. The offer came from Brady Wind Energy Centers, subsidiaries of NextEra Energy Resources. NextEra donated $5,000 to Richardton-Taylor with $2,500 going to the technology program and $2,500 for STEM activities.

“They got to choose where the money went,” Vogle said. “They asked about our programs and chose what’s most relatable to them.”

The technology and engineering department plans to use the donation to purchase student consumables, and woodworking and metalworking equipment that is not computerized.

“We receive funding from the state to purchase equipment every year, but there are several restrictions to what that money can be used for,” Instructor Neal Isaak said. “This generous donation will be a great help to help provide items that are not typically covered, but are needed for hands-on student projects.”

The RichardtonTaylor science department will use the funds to purchase supplies to further STEM initiatives such as elementary reading month for K-6 and elective classes for upcoming academic years. For the past five years, RichardtonTaylor has expanded its class offerings to include more STEM electives. Some of those classes have covered topics in space science, alternative energies, modern technology design and integrating computer science into the program.

NextEra has been active in supporting its communities. In addition to RichardtonTaylor, it has donated to Mott-Regent, Hettinger and Dickinson public schools.

NextEra has also donated to Best Friends Mentoring Program in Dickinson and has developed communitybased partnerships

Energy company giving back to community jobshq.com

with Roughrider Days in Dickinson and the Badlands Big Sticks baseball team, which plays in the Independent league.

The Brady Wind cluster operates 159 wind turbines about 15 miles south of Dickinson. The site has a generation capacity of 300 megawatts, which makes it one of NextEra’s largest wind complexes in North Dakota.

Brady Wind is capable of generating enough electricity to power more than 89,000 homes.

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Brady Wind FarmsNextEra Energy Resources have donated to area schools and have provided support to other organizations in southwest North Dakota.