Category Archives: Around Bismarck-Mandan

L E A – visible only at night

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One of the best views of Bismarck is from atop the hills on the northeast side of town. There’s Hillside Park, which is quite popular, and then there’s the steep streets of Laforest and Northview. Northview is also known for the neighborhood which decorates all the trees in unison during Christmas, and becomes a busy street during the season. Laforest is one block over and faces more westward, providing the view you see above.

With potentially slippery conditions in the winter, the hill has always been marked by the prominent HILL sign you see above. For the past twenty years or so it has also been marked by something else: the letters L, E, and A. They were apparently painted on somehow and removed, leaving a lasting impression on the sign. They’re pretty well invisible by day, but stand out quite obviously when the sign is in your headlights (or flash).

So what’s the deal with those three letters? What do they stand for, and how’d they get there? As luck would have it, I know the answer to that story. A friend of mine used to live in that neighborhood when she was younger, and told me the story when we first started spending time together. In fact, she’s quite directly involved.

As the story goes, another kid in the neighborhood a long time ago wanted to get my friend in trouble. Apparently the only way they thought worthwhile at the time was to try to vandalize this sign. They got some paint and put her name, Lea, prominently above the HILL on the sign. Naturally the neighbors all spotted it right away. Lea maintained her innocence until the truth came out.

I suppose the sign was never replaced because during the day it’s nearly impossible to see anything unusual about it. But I’m sure dozens of people who come up Northview each Christmas to see the lights, taking a right at the top of the hill to come back down by Laforest, see the letters L E A in their headlights as they pass this sign. Now you know why they’re there..

Showboat

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When I was growing up, this was the local theatre, the Showboat. It was a full-fledged movie house in the 1980s, and even saw a resurrection showing older movies for a dollar. It now seems lucky to be standing, as many of the buildings around it have been razed due to the diesel spill.

When I was in junior high I recall hearing a guy talking about having lunch at the Red Fox (now Dakota Farms) on the east end of Main Street…he saw diesel spewing from one of the locomotives at the tanks behind what is now the vacant McDonald’s building, and hurried over to tell some railroad workers who were sitting in the diner. Their response? “We’re on break.” That pretty much cemented my opinion of unions, even at a young age. It’s also what I think of every time I hear talk about the lake of diesel sitting under my home town.

I also remember that shortly after we had moved into our new workspace in the Mandan Law Enforcement Center, we were told we couldn’t go downstairs or use the elevator because the diesel fumes were toxic. That immediately reminded me of the anecdote I’d heard years before, and I realized that it was part of a deeper issue. Sadly, much of Mandan is paying the price for the damage caused by the railroad by losing some of its more historic features.

It would be neat to see new life breathed into buildings such as the Showboat. A dollar theater would be really cool, as long as it didn’t become a place for parents to stash their unruly junior high kids (ie, Thunder Alley) and expect someone else to babysit them. One of Mandan’s key features is its history downtown area, and I hope it doesn’t disappear completely in the wake of the diesel aftermath.

They could at least wait for winter

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I’m not sure whose brilliant idea this was, but apparently certain parks and recreational limits are hereby off limits to vehicular traffic until next year. It’s the last thing a guy wants to face when the sky’s spectacular, there’s a bag of Taco Bell food in the truck, and it’s been a little while since the camera’s seen much action. Darn.

Sure, it’s still open to foot traffic, but there’s no reason to close the gates on areas such as this one (the Indian Village lookout point at the top of Burnt Boat Road) if there’s no snow. I’m pretty sure I understand the reasoning behind closing the gates: there will be no need for clearing snow and maintaining the road. Well, so far there hasn’t been a need for either…regardless of the status of the entry gates.

I guess I’ll just have to take myself to another recreational area and set up there! There’s no shortage of excellent vantage points here in the Bismarck-Mandan area. I found one west of Mandan the other day that has potential for Northern Lights events. Fox Island, from where this photo was taken, is open all year long. Although I don’t spend much time at the lookout point atop Burnt Boat Road, it will have to be replaced with one of my other favorite spots until someone opens the gates again…or if I feel like a hike in the cold.

Weather Beacon: been there, done that, got the t-shirt

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I’m hoping for a white Thanksgiving. It doesn’t necessarily look like that’s going to happen, but I found myself glancing at the Weather Beacon tonight on my drive home. It was white. So…that thing doesn’t really make the weather…does it?

It was fun to joke about that during my KFYR days. The TV station was in charge of changing the weather beacon to reflect the updated forecast throughout the broadcast day. On our program log in the control room, in between entries for commercials and programs, were occasional reminders to update the weather beacon. There was a panel in the weather room with six buttons on it: red, white, green, flashing red, flashing white, and flashing green.

The poor Beacon almost faded into history in 1997. It was showing its wear, and the cost of modernizing it was prohibitive. That was, however, until KFYR Radio rode to the rescue. Phil Parker and Mark Armstrong headed an effort to Save the Beacon!

At this time, Meyer Broadcasting was still intact. While I was hard at work on the TV side of the building, I also freelanced the website for KFYR-AM. As part of the campaign to save the Weather Beacon, we had a couple of pages on the website urging people to help donate.

You can click here to see the original Save the Beacon page from my archives.

The campaign was a success in that it raised money toward the Beacon’s restoration, increased public awareness of its plight, and served as a rallying cry to its rescue. While the entire cost of the Beacon’s renovation was not raised, its importance to the community was indisputably proven. Through a matching grant from local government and plenty of donations, the project was underway.

As part of the KFYR website, we were happy to post that the Beacon would be saved. Cliff Naylor did a report on the Beacon that aired as part of a live telecast from the roof of the Provident Building, atop which the Beacon still sits.

You can click here to see the post-campaign page from my archives and watch the video.

As I recall, and the details in my head are quite murky, the Beacon was restored but still had some gremlins. I believe it was then refitted one more time and has functioned ever since. None of it would have been possible without Phil and Mark. To this day, the controls reside with KFYR Radio instead of the television station. In fact, why don’t you call the PH Phactor on KFYR 550 AM and ask Phil about it?

Oh yeah…the t-shirt. We had t-shirts made, and I still have mine. It has caricatures of Phil Parker and Mark Armstrong on the front, and a key to understanding the Beacon on the back:


Weather Beacon white as snow, down the temperature will go.
Weather Beacon red as fire, temperature is going higher.
Weather Beacon an emerald green, no change forseen.
When colors blink in agitation, there’s going to be precipitation.

Provident Life used to sponsor TV spots featuring the Beacon and its rhymes. Since they’re no longer doing business there, the ads don’t run. That means that the weather beacon itself is somewhat obscure now, with newer Bismarck-Mandan residents unaware of its history. For those of us who have lived here a long time, it’s good to see the weather beacon standing tall. No matter what the forecast, there’s something great about seeing it red in the spring, green when things are just right, and white when Thanksgiving and Christmas approach. Thanks to everyone who helped keep it up and running!

Someone got another big grant

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If you spend any time on River Road, you have no doubt seen the new “Reflections” sculpture constructed near Keelboat Park. It appears to be near completion now, except for signage, and prompted me to wonder, “how much did we pay for that?”

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a problem with the sculpture. It’s not like it’s a monstrosity or anything, like the Thunderbirds debacle up by the riverboat dock. It’s actually quite neat; in fact, it allowed me to get this interesting sunset picture:

Some days, however, I question the expenditure. I’ve heard rumours of $50,000 grants for each of these (there are three that I know of so far) and figure that there must be some better way for us as a city to spend that money. I found lots of press releases online, but nobody would mention what those statues cost. I’d like to know. Perhaps when it’s dedicated on November 3rd at 1:30 pm, someone will ask that question. If you do, post it here.

Fiesta Moon

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Obviously this picture wasn’t taken this week; the phase of the moon and the leaves on the trees betray that. But it’s one of those photos I’ve got “in the holster” for when I need them, and it came to mind tonight as I read an article by Tessa Sandstrom in the new issue of the Dakota Beacon.

In her article, Ms. Sandstrom talks about the history of this building and its importance during Bismarck’s railroad days. She’s got some neat historic photos to accompany her research and a few neat odd facts to boot.

If you haven’t picked up an issue of the Dakota Beacon yet, you don’t know what you’re missing. There are complementary copies available at many Bismarck locations, including an honor-system box in front of the Post Office on Rosser. I highly recommend that you read and subscribe to this magazine – I do! You won’t be disappointed.

Name that statue

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Apparently a few people thought my Name that Fountain post was kinda fun, so I’ll throw this one at you. Perhaps I should use the word “identify” instead of “name” for this, as I’m sure they already have names. In any case, let’s see how much time you spend ambling around Bismarck. It shouldn’t be too hard for you to pick out this little item. Any takers?

In loving memory…

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This memorial hangs atop a gravesite at the pet cemetery east of Bismarck, on the grounds of the McDowell Dam recreation area. There are two large sections of the pet cemetery there…many with the standard concrete grave marker, others with hand made memorials such as this one, and some with both.

I’ll admit it…I was out there to inquire about a place for Scooter some day. Alas, they are no longer taking in any more critters…the place is full. So if you’d like to have a memorial for the special furry, finned, or feathered friend in your life, you’ll have to find other options. I don’t know the details on the cemetery next to Pioneer Park, but that’s another possible option.

Obviously the Bible doesn’t indicate that animals even have an afterlife, but let’s face it…we have funerals and memorials and markers for the living. For many people, their relationship with their pet is as deep and meaningful as their relationships with most people. While I’m blessed to say I’ve got friends as true as any guy could ask, I also have a bird that has been faithfully by my side for almost nine years. In fact, his birthday (hatch day?) is coming up in exactly one week. So while I have no other reason than for my own closure, I’ll likely have a memorial to him somewhere to remember all the good times and friendship. Hopefully God gives our family several more years with Scooter, but the awful fact is that we won’t always have him. Then he’ll be remembered in a memorial like this one.

Target’s early opening night Tuesday

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Tonight was the “Friends and Family” night at the new Target store. In addition to the pianist and flutist performing, they also had free chow from DiDonna’s.

I actually didn’t walk around the store, come to think of it. I perused the much larger electronics department, of course, picking up a couple of DVDs along the way. Then it was over to the motorcycle toys while my wife occupied herself in the baby section. That’s about it.

The coolest thing I saw was actually on the way out – they’ve got a Pizza Hut! There’s a Starbuck’s in there too, if you like paying that much for coffee. But personal pan pizzas? That’s something to smile about!

Target hired over a hundred new employees with their move into this store…that’s a good thing. In the past Democrats would say that those aren’t the kind of jobs we should feel good about creating, but that’s just silly. 100 more people are bringing home a paycheck now…many of them are likely kids working their first job, others perhaps a little further up the retail ladder. It’s good to know that jobs are available in this town for people who want them!

Name that fountain

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Better yet – tell me where it is! That’s because I know where it is, obviously, but don’t know if it has a name. I see this fountain regularly, and last night the moon was positioned directly above it. I could have taken the picture from a slightly different angle to make it look like the top boy was reaching for it, but then it would put a certain recognizable structure in the picture. Perhaps another try at a slightly earlier time in the evening would have better results.