10 minute read
Opens in Langdon
Horizon Financial Bank, located on the southeast corner of Hwy. 5 and Hwy. 1, Langdon. Photo by Larry Stokke.
Horizon Financial Bank officially opened its Langdon branch on Monday, Jan. 17. They have been operating for weeks under a “soft open,” where the employees are in the bank making sure the technology is talking to the bank’s core processing system and making sure all banking systems are functioning, doing work behind the scenes, and making sure the required security is in place. Its drive up and ATM have been open to customers.
Logan Waslaski is the Langdon branch manager, a lender, and an
Logan Waslaski, Horizon Financial Bank branch manager, lender, and information security officer. Photo by Larry Stokke.
information security officer. He has been employed by Horizon Financial since Jan. 2020, working mainly in Munich and occasionally at the Osnabrock branch. Prior to that, he attended and graduated from North Dakota State University in Dec. 2019; he is a 2016 graduate of Langdon High School. Waslaski knew about plans to open the Langdon branch when he accepted the job with Horizon Financial. “I’m pretty fresh to banking,” Waslaski said. “It’s crazy. It’s nice because I am from Langdon, born and raised. The only reason I ever left Langdon was to go to college. I’m very excited to be back in Langdon.”
Waslaski said all employees wear several hats when operating a smaller bank. The bank has 2 other employees: Kristi Johnston is a teller and customer service representative, and Lori Peterson is a teller and customer service representative. Waslaski said it is his job to help attract new customers and get out and promote the Horizon Financial Bank name.
“Having a face out in the public and having someone that people recognize - part of this is to be social I think,” Waslaski said. “You are working with people so you gotta have those relationships.”
Waslaski’s goal is to grow the Langdon branch by growing its customer base that will eventually increase the need for more employees. The building has empty offices ready to fill when the bank does grow.
“I think there’s definitely been interest; it’s just a matter of getting them in here, honestly. One thing is people don’t know where to call. We don’t have our phone number out anywhere.”
The phone number for the Langdon branch of Horizon Financial Bank is 701-256-5429. The bank is located on the southeast corner of Hwy. 5 and Hwy. 1.
Horizon Financial Bank’s main location is located in Munich. It also has locations in Osnabrock, Devils Lake, and Bismarck.
Local Omicron Case Numbers Rising
By Shanda Christianson
With the omicron variant of COVID-19 spreading throughout North Dakota, the counties of Cavalier, Towner, Pembina, Ramsey, and Walsh are seeing active cases rising.
“We are seeing a lot of individuals test positive for COVID, and so it’s really important right now, even if you’re mildly ill, to stay home and get tested until you know what you have is not COVID because we’re seeing lots of respiratory infection,” said Steph Welsh, Cavalier County Public Health nurse.
Welsh outlines how the CDC changed the quarantine and isolation guidelines: for positive cases, individuals need to isolate at home for five days from their first symptom (the day of the first symptom is counted as day zero). If you’re not having any symptoms and just happen to test positive but you’re a fully vaccinated close contact, you count 5 days from the test and then the following 5 days you can be released from isolation and go out in public, but you need to be able to strictly mask at all times. For close contacts, if you’re fully vaccinated and boosted (if you’re eligible for a booster), you do not have to quarantine.
“We do recommend that you test right away, and at day five, for unvaccinated individuals or those that are too young to be vaccinated, the same fiveday quarantine recommendations apply with five days of masking once you’re out of quarantine,” Welsh said.
Frost Fire Summer Theatre to Hold Auditions for Summer Production
Frost Fire Summer Theatre will be holding auditions for this summer’s musical production of “The Sound of Music.” Auditions will be held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 6th at Sharon Lutheran Church, 1720 South 20th Street, Door #4, in Grand Forks and from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 13 at Walhalla Lutheran Church, 416 Central Avenue, Walhalla. 20 male and female performers of all ages. All positions are salaried, and room and board is provided on rehearsal and performance weekends. Rehearsals will be done during the month of June in Grand Forks, and the show will be mounted on the stage at Frost Fire Park June 17-19 and June 23-24. There are no rehearsals once the show opens.
Those wishing to audition only need to attend one of the auditions in the location that is most convenient for them. This year’s production of “The Sound of Music” is under the direction of Amy Jo Paukert and will be starring Frost Fire favorite Misti Koop as Maria.
Auditionees will be asked to sing a short, prepared song and bring a resume if they have one. An accompanist will be provided. There will also be a short reading and movement audition.
The cast will include approximately There will be 19 performances beginning June 25 and running through July 31. Shows are held Saturdays, Sundays, and Wednesdays.
Frost Fire Summer Theatre, located 7 miles west of Walhalla, N.D. in the Pembina Gorge, will be celebrating its 37th summer of bringing quality musical theater entertainment to the region.
For further information, contact Amy Jo and David Paukert at dpaukert8@gmail.com or text 701270-9424 or call 701-259-2384.
Cavalier Cinema Reopens
By Simmons Multimedia Staff After an extended period of time, the silver screen is once again lit at the Cavalier Cinema. The establishment, which first opened its doors back in 1949, had recently seen an extended period of downtime due to the pandemic. During this downtime, the cinema owners took it upon themselves to raise funds to improve the cinema, including the purchase of a new, specific type of bulb made for movie projectors.
Rachel Morrison, executive director of the Cavalier Chamber of Commerce, said, “If you’ve ever driven by the cinema within the last year or two, there was a huge number; it was hundreds and hundreds of buckets of popcorn that he had to sell to raise this money to get this bulb.”
The last time the cinema played a currently running movie was back in March of 2020. During the pandemic, the cinema also played a handful of older films with the price of admission being free will donations. On January 8th, after months of fundraising and hundreds of buckets of popcorn being sold, the cinema screen lit up once again. “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” was the first movie to be played in the cinema in over a year.
Morrison said Cavalier residents are happy to have the historic cinema back in operation.
“You know, I think one thing that we all learned is to appreciate any of those opportunities to gather that maybe we all took for granted before. So, bringing some of that stuff back is really a treat, and we’ve noticed people have been really excited about it,” Morrison said.
The cinema showed “Sing 2” last weekend and plans to have more movies showing on future weekends. Showtimes 7:30 p.m. Saturdays and 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Sundays.
N.D. 5th Grade Students Invited to Participate in Contest
North Dakota Women Involved in Farm Economics (WIFE) is sponsoring a contest and inviting the state’s 5th grade students to participate.
Fifth grade students in North Dakota are encouraged to research N.D. energy sources and find out what items can be made from them. There are hundreds of items we use each day that are made from fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas. One example (which you can’t use) is your eyeglasses.
The title of the contest is “Ways We Use Energy”. Students are invited to do research and write down all the items they can find in a numbered list. Entries with the most correct answers will win prizes.
To enter: include full name, address, and school on the back of your list. Mail completed lists to Marlene Kouba, 6160 105th Ave SW, Regent, ND 58650 by March 11.
The sponsoring organization, WIFE, is a grassroots organization that has state and national officers who help promote production agriculture throughout the nation.
Langdon’s Beer and Bacon Bash Moves to March
By Simmons Multimedia Staff
The Langdon Beer and Bacon Bash is moving to a new month this year. The annual event, which in years past has occurred in February, is scheduled to be held on March 24, 2022.
“Right around then is when all the sports are done, the pool league is done, and it’s obviously too early for planting and things like that, and we also moved it to a Thursday night,” said Barb Mehlhoff, executive director of the Langdon Area Chamber of Commerce.
This year’s registration is from 5:30p.m. to 6:30p.m., at At The Hop. There, participants can pick up their Pig Pass, map, and the list of participating businesses. Also this year, participants only have until 8 p.m. (as opposed to 9 p.m. like in years past) to complete and turn in their passes at the Langdon Eagles Club to qualify for prizes.
“By 9 o’clock, people were already done and getting antsy for the prizes,” Mehlhoff said.
Participants who complete the walk will be eligible to receive door prizes provided by the Langdon community. The grand prize of the event will be $300 in Langdon Bucks, which can be spent at participating Langdon businesses.
Frost Fire Park Schedules Buses from UND
By Shanda Christianson
Frost Fire Park has arranged transportation for college students to be able to get a ride north to ski and snowboard. University of North Dakota Parking Services has given Frost Fire Park the green light to park a chartered bus at the UND Wellness Center on select Saturdays so that college students can get a ride to the Frost Fire Park.
“When you go online to book your seat you can purchase your bus pass, your lift pass and your rentals if you would like. And then there will be a specific student discount for our bus riders,” said Patty Gorder, general manager of Frost Fire Park.
Bus pickup times will be 8 a.m. and the bus will drop students back off at the Wellness Center around 6 p.m. Frost Fire Park is open for skiing and snowboarding from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
Dates that the chartered tour bus will be available for students are Saturdays: Jan. 29, Feb. 12, Feb. 26, March 5, and March 12. Cost for college students is $25 for the bus ticket, $25 for the lift pass and $25 for ski or snowboard rental.
Pet Groomer Moves to New Walhalla Location
By Hilary Nowatzki Autumn Forschen is the business owner of Paw Prints Grooming in downtown Walhalla. Forschen said she wasn’t sure what she would be when she grew up but said, “I knew I wanted it to partake in animals.”
The busy life of a groomer is juggling appointments with mostly dogs and sometimes small animals such as cats, rabbits, and guinea pigs.
As any pet owner and lover will tell you, animals are part of the family and deserve to be treated as such. At Paw Prints Grooming that’s what clients will find for their fluffy family members. Forschen has been grooming for 5 years. Four of those were apprenticed with Tammy Sullivan in Walhalla, and as of Jan. 9, Forschen has been practicing independently at her new location.
Becoming a groomer was right up Forschen’s alley with her natural attraction to working with animals and drive to work independently with the client base she has built. Now that she has grown into a professional groomer, she said there is one thing she enjoys the most, “I love helping the dogs and cats I can, while educating the pet owners about their grooming needs!”
Although the move wasn’t very far, Forschen said her previous location was “very difficult in the winter months for clients to access the location.” Since January 9th of this year, Forschen is at her new location at 1213 Central Avenue in Walhalla and asks her clients to use the front door only. Since then, Forschen has been busy with her usual and adorable furry clients.
Potential clients can find Forschen on Facebook at “Paw Prints Grooming” and on Instagram @PawPrintsGrooming where they are able to make appointments or by calling or texting Forschen at 701-270-8759.
