what’s on your mind? i cared this time

story by | nancy leingang

I left Fargo 5 days after graduating from Shanley in 1983. I could not wait to get out of town. I was sick of wearing the white-blouse-plaid-skirt uniforms. I was tired of the small town mentality of Fargo. There was a great big world out there beyond the city limits, and I planned to experience it all. In other words, I was a typical 18 year old.

The sun shone brightly as I sped south on University Drive to pick up my friend Susi. She lived in the country, better known as South Acres. We packed our prize possessions in my Dad’s ‘77 Buick Century for our summer in Grand Teton National Park. What were the essential items for the adventure? I brought several Levis, shorts, t-shirts, sweatshirts, a swimsuit, my sleeping bag, and a few sweaters. I heard the weather could change quickly and drastically in the mountains. Of course, I wore my Tiger tennie shoes. My high school gym teacher, Mrs. Tidd, mentioned that running in the mountains was different from running in Fargo. It had something to do with the altitude and oxygen levels. I really did not care about the details. I just wanted to experience it. I had to bring my walkman and favorite cassettes [Billy Joel, Styx, Brian Adams, Journey, and The Clash]. My fake ID was a no-brainer. The drinking age in Wyoming was 19, just like Minnesota. If the ID worked in the Moorhead bars, especially Kirby’s, it just might get me into a bar or two in Jackson Hole. My camera and several rolls of film were necessary. I heard the Tetons were a bit more scenic than Fargo. My Dad insisted we use a 16-page map/chart device from AAA so we wouldn’t get lost en route to the Tetons. We drank Tab and rocked to Q98 as we headed west on I-94.

Would Fargo be the same when we returned in a few months? I did not care. The thought never crossed my mind. I was just ecstatic to be on the road. And if someone had told me that I would still be living in Fargo 26 years later, I would have laughed in his face.

Fast-forward to March 26, 2009. The Red River was flooding a bit higher and a bit earlier this spring. Since mid-March, I checked the National Weather Service website daily to see the river levels. From my office in downtown Fargo, I watched people fortify the Dike to protect the city from the record-breaking water. Fargo had turned into a war zone, with trucks hauling snow passing trucks hauling dirt in opposite directions. My home in south Fargo was not built in 1997, but the property was a lake during the flood that year. Visions of Grand Fork’s homes submerged in water scared me. Friends told horror stories of being separated from their families for days, not knowing exactly where some loved ones were located. Others told of only having minutes to grab whatever they could from their homes and apartments as they were flooding. The Urban Legend of a family returning to their flooded home in Grand Forks only to find a dead cow in their living room haunted me. Nothing against livestock, but I really did not want to deal with any animal carcass.

When the National Weather Service again updated the crest of the Red to be a foot higher and a day earlier, The Clash lyrics played in my head. “Should I stay or should I go now? If I go, there will be trouble. If I stay there will be double.” I nicknamed my two daughters, ages five and six, “Double Trouble”. Their school cancelled classes the day before because of the weather. Now the schools closed so families would be together should they need to evacuate. My husband, a Happy Hooligan, called Thursday morning to let me know he did not know when he would be home. Fargo City leaders shared the evacuation plans for Fargo,

what’s on your mind?

just in case. Moorhead evacuated a neighborhood. It was time to leave. I could stay with my sister, Mary, and her family in Little Falls, MN. Coincidently, she coordinated the First Link sandbag operation during the ’97 Flood, so she understood the severity of the situation. She wanted and needed to help.

My daughters and I packed our prize possessions into the Subaru for our Little Falls adventure. They each chose one stuffed animal, one blanket, and one sleeping bag. They filled a small container with pretty ponies and pet shop figurines. We packed clothes for 5 days, including rain boots, Spring jackets, snow boots, and snow pants. I selected several Levis, t-shirts, sweatshirts, and a few sweaters. Spring weather in MN may change quickly and drastically. Of course, I packed my new running shoes from Dick Beardsley’s store. A good run would relieve some of my stress. The girls’ Birth Certificates and Social Security cards were no brainers. Do I need to explain the reasons for bringing my laptop, blackberry, camera, cell phone, and iPod? I punched my sister’s address into my GPS, opened my Diet Coke, plopped “The Apple Dumpling Gang” in the DVD player, and we were off.

It was dark, and snow fell lightly as we drove gingerly on the only open road out of our neighborhood. The snow combined with the dirt made the road slick. In the distance, I saw huge machines digging dirt to shore up the existing dikes. A Red Cross truck passed us on 52nd Avenue. Military people directed traffic as cars stopped on the interstate. KFGO announced another evacuation in Moorhead. People were losing their homes. Water was destroying schools and neighborhoods. Would Fargo be the same when I returned? This time I cared deeply.