Category Archives: Events

Capitol A’Fair continues today

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Our family went to the Capitol A’Fair yesterday, perusing all the tents and talking with all the photographers. We couldn’t have asked for a nicer day, with moderate temperatures and a mild breeze. Here are some of the things that jumped out at me during our lap and a half around the capitol grounds:

I wanna rock. This booth had a number of different inscriptions in a variety of stones…of course I found this one the most intriguing.

“Hostile and abusive” weather vane. Probably won’t be seen atop any NCAA buildings in the near future, although it would be tempting to send them one.

Of all the days to have your wedding photo taken at the capitol! I wonder how far this wedding party had to walk in their fancy duds…parking was limited due to the successful attendance.

Missouri River Boys. dot com. Gospel and Bluegrass music for all to enjoy. They were also giving out fliers for the 2nd annual Bismarck Bluegrass Festival to be held at Sleepy Hollow Park on August 17th and 18th! I’m sure their website has more details.

Flavor your own snow cone…YES! And they were huge, too. I made mine half green apple, half grape.

It wouldn’t be anything near a Fair if it didn’t have kettlecorn. I’m not a fan, but my wife brought home a big bag. Note all the fans they have hanging…I bet it’s HOT next to those kettles!

Sidewalk art. This was an amazingly intricate design, although the whole theme made me think of airbrushing on the side of a Dodge van with bubble windows back in the 1970s.

Well, that’s a sample of what I saw at the Capitol A’Fair on Saturday. It still runs until 4pm Sunday, weather permitting. As I check the radar right now, that might be a stretch. Hopefully they are able to have a full day of fun today to follow up the great time yesterday.

July 4th in pictures: the Mandan parade, Symphony, and Capitol fireworks

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You’d be astonished how many hits I get on this site from out of state. Most are folks that left North Dakota, some many years ago, and are still looking back. It’s for you guys that I knock myself out to provide a little bit of the feel of July 4th here in Bismarck-Mandan. I’ll provide a few somewhat witty captions for context.

We’ll start with the Mandan July 4th Parade:

Fred Flintstone was there. Those arm tats must have been applied after the show was cancelled – they don’t look like Hanna-Barbera work.

What could be….well, cooler than a motorized cooler? Obviously one with nitrous, but that’s probably still on the drawing board.

First of the ninth, seventh pocketbike cav. First on the ground and keeping the throttle pinned wide open.

I’m no horseman, but I’m guessing it takes an exceptional combination of horse and rider to spend hours on top of the trailer. Here are two. Just think, nobody has to go behind them with a shovel! But I wonder if the occasional “dropping” makes the top of the trailer slippery…

“Vote for me, and I’ll continue to support the proud citizens of Massachussetts…er, North Dakota. You know, all that anti-war, pro-abortion, high-tax, big government stuff that I campaigned on.”

Next year, they’re going to bring the BIG one.

Midwest Business Systems demonstrates their technique for getting an S-10 to wheelie: tongue weight. I’m not charging them for the link, btw.

Hostile and Abusive Bus. Making someone walk three miles in a hockey jersey in this heat, now THAT is hostile and abusive. GO FIGHTING SIOUX!

These are the guys that the aforementioned cowardly Earl Pomeroy voted against last year. Don’t worry guys, we spectators were clapping and shouting thank-yous. Makes you wonder who Earl Pomeroy is representing, doesn’t it?

Thanks to Mandan’s leveling of many of its historic buildings, there’s ample parking. Maybe that could be a new city slogan! “Come to Mandan…at least you can park downtown.” They’d have a definite advantage over Bismarck there.

Amen.

“Seriously, kid…I once caught a Gundar this tall…”

For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. -James 2:10

Now let’s shift gears to the state capitol. My wife, boy, and I arrived at the show a little late as we had other things going on this evening. No worries, we were able to hook up with our friends in time to catch the second half of the performance by the Bismarck Mandan Symphony. The show was hosted by Kent Conrad, who could walk to the festivities from the apartment building he owns (if he actually lived there). Anyway, here’s the pics:

Even my new wide angle lens couldn’t capture all the folks who brought camping chairs and staked out a spot to enjoy the evening.

The capitol mall was pretty full too, although I think there were more people last year. The good news: the mosquitos were scarce!

Ladies and gentlemen: the Bismarck Mandan Symphony!

Doctor J. Plastic surgeon, weekend weatherman, soloist.

Bugler’s Holiday.

Hypocrite Earl Pomeroy, looking around to see if anyone sees him clapping in the front row during the Armed Forces Salute. “Maybe they’ve forgotten that I voted against our soldiers last year!” Not likely.

The fireworks started before it got dark, but they still put on a good show. I would have a ton of pics here, but we had little PJ with us. This was his first time seeing fireworks, so we cuddled on a blanket with him and watched his big eyes and expression as he marveled at the sight. He’s SO handsome! So I snapped a couple of shots, put the camera in the bag, and enjoyed the finale of July 4th with my family. I hope you had the opportunity to share the day with yours!

Buggies ‘n’ Blues 2007 – a few notable cars

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I took my boy to walk the Buggies ‘n’ Blues last weekend and peruse all the cars and trucks on display. He’s only five months old, so I’m not sure what he gets out of it, but he sure was rubbernecking the entire time! So I guess it was a worthwhile effort. I can’t wait until he gets old enough to appreciate this stuff, because I’m going to take him EVERYWHERE.

There were a lot of vehicles on display this year. Everything from unremarkable Hondas whose owner had taken the time to Krylon the brake calipers to painstakingly restored works of automotive art. There were even some “motorcycles” there as well. I’m not a car guy…I mean, I never met a Corvette I didn’t like, but I’d be the last one in the world to sink a ton of money into something with four wheels. High performance motorcycles, though? That’s another matter. Anyway, here are a few vehicles that caught my eye over the weekend:

This 1930 Ford Model A has been given a bit of a hooligan treatment, so I thought it had a lot of character. It isn’t bristling with chrome or a high-dollar paint job, but it looks like it would be a blast to get in and drive it like I stole it! Nice work.

I want a convertible for some reason, and this Fairlane really stood out. My wife thought it looked like fun as well, and I think she’s right. I think it’s that gigantic mechanical hard top that does it. Sweet!

The orange and cream color of this Pontiac instantly won our hearts, especially because I grew up scarfing Dreamsicles back in the Rocky Mountains in the 70’s. Do they still call them Dreamsicles? I think they quit doing that in the late 70’s. The paint job on this car made the difference for us; if it had been any other color, I don’t think we’d have stopped.

Despite years of ridiculing all things Chrysler, I must admit my respect for the Cuda. Especially one that’s Kawasaki Green! Mom didn’t say anything as my boy and I were magnetically drawn to the shiny green car, but this wasn’t just about paint. This is a mean machine that just happens to be green. Just like Kawasaki, it takes a bit of boldness to make something such a blazing, in-your-face color, and I like it. There are only three cars in the history of Chrysler that I’d even give a second glance, and this is at the top of the list. And it’s in my color, too!

There you have it. An extremely unscientific and pretty much random look at Buggies ‘n’ Blues. A guy could put up a whole website about the event; the lime snow cones we had, the cars which represent thousands of dollars and hundreds of restoration hours on the part of the passionate folks who brought them, or even just the idea of getting out and walking around Mandan for an afternoon. It was a blast, and I like to see that many people pour into Mandan for a weekend. I’m really glad we were able to attend, and we look forward to next year’s show!

National Trails Day 2007

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Saturday, June 2nd was National Trails Day. I can’t say that I knew that, but I did “hit the trail” yesterday anyway. One of my motorcycles is a dual-sport bike, basically a street legal dirt bike, and I put it to both uses Saturday afternoon.

The trip took me to a few different trail heads north of Mandan. Not only did I visit the Square Buttes from the western side of the river, but I also stopped in to visit my friends who are setting up for the Price Hare Scramble race, which sadly I won’t be entering because of church. I wish those things were held on Saturdays! Then I ventured north to the Cross Ranch State Park for a bit, taking photos along the way.

The pictures I got were pretty cool, I’ll probably be posting them over the next few days. In my opinion, the land north of Mandan is some of the most beautiful country North Dakota has to offer, especially now that everything is so green. It’s a long drive on a thumping dirt bike, but that makes it easy to deal with the gravel road and the dirt trails! The last thing I wanted to do when I got back, however was sit down…

State T-T-T-T-Track

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One normally thinks of track & field as a warm weather activity. Not this weekend, folks! My fingers were getting pretty stiff just taking the picture. The east end of the Bowl was lined with ez-ups where people were trying to warm up, but there were tons of fans on hand.

Like many sports, I didn’t discover how much fun they were until late in high school. Nevertheless, I did do pretty darn well at the 800, 1600, 3200, and 3200 relay my senior year. In Mandan we would start our season by running laps around the hallway surrounding the gym, then the distance runners would run laps around the city. I miss those days. Having torn my knee in half (twice) in various motorcycle and mountain bike accidents, I don’t do long distance running anymore. I still can, but it’s best to keep the “wear and tear due to mileage” down, if you know what I mean.

Talented tunes – Strolling Strings

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I was grateful to receive an invitation to the Strolling Strings of Bismarck’s annual Family Concert this weekend. In case you’re not familiar with this group, they’re young students from the area who entertain as they play (and sing) while strolling among the groups they entertain. They’re in great demand for playing a hefty calendar of dinners, conventions, and the like. Led by director Scott Neumann, they put on a fantastic show and are an impressive group of young people.

To play the violin, cello, viola…any such instrument is a challenge in itself, but to do so while walking about and keeping a smile would be even more difficult! These kids do it with apparent ease.

One of the demonstrations of their talent is when they offset their bows by one person, playing each other’s instrument while they stand and smile – and occasionally giggle!

A treat this year included accompaniment for the Orange Blossom Special by the founder of the Strolling Strings back in 1986, Rosemary Person. She looks like she’s having a blast, and the kids and crowd were plenty excited to have her join in for a tune. While I’m certainly no insider at this function, it was easy to tell that this was a very special addition to the evening!

I’m thankful again for the invitation by my favorite stroller and family, and encourage anyone who receives an invitation to see and hear these kids perform to jump at the opportunity. Their schedule is pretty much over for the summer, but they have typically done a Medora event in the past and will resume in the fall. Congratulations on another talented season, Strollers!

Bob Upgren – one of the coolest speakers I’ve ever heard/seen

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I don’t remember ever hearing a speaker quite like the man I heard today. I had the opportunity to videotape an appearance of Bob Upgren at the Belle Mehus this afternoon, and was really moved by his presentation. Apparently I must live under a rock, because a lot of people knew of him when I was still in the dark. Bob incorporates chalk drawing into his presentation, which is simply phenomenal.

I’d describe Mr. Upgren as more of an inspirational speaker than a motivational one; his message today had a lot more meat to it than anything I’ve heard from other speakers. It was especially relevant because he’s from here, which in my book goes a long way. His message of serving others as a means to success rings true; I wish more people would consider this. It’s the kind of wisdom we all need a dose of now and then.

I’m not a basketball fan, but those of you who are would probably remember Bob as a standout basketball star (All American, in fact) and from his Cross Training Christian basketball camps. I can see how his enthusiasm would be an asset on the court!

It’s hard to believe I didn’t know about Bob Upgren despite my love of Bismarck-Mandan and all things local. It just goes to show that our small cities are bigger than we think, and that there are plenty of cool things to learn and exceptional people to meet right here at home. If you get the chance to see Bob Upgren speak, take it!

49th annual Mandan Art Show this weekend

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Tonight was a setup night for the Mandan Art Show, taking place at the Mandan Community Center this weekend. The show kicks off tomorrow (Friday) night from 6-8pm with a Meet the Artists event. The show hours will be from 10am to 5pm on Saturday and from 10am to 4pm Sunday. There are a lot of local artists and student artists with work hanging in the gym already!

I’ve got a few pieces for sale as well, if I may stick a shameless plug in here. After all, I need to scare up some diaper money!

Maybe we’ll see you at the Mandan Community Center this weekend.

Canadians make 15,851 snow angels

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Just kidding! Well, they did…but it was three years ago, and it doesn’t put Bismarck’s record in jeopardy. According to the Guinness website, it was a “multi-venue” record. That must mean that they were in several locations (schools?) at once. Not a bad feat, but we had over half that many in one location on Saturday! It’s odd, however, that there is no other snow angel listing on the site. You’d think that there would be, since the record has supposedly been trading hands for several years now.

Hopefully Bismarck’s record will appear on the Guinness site. Maybe you folks can help make it happen by contacting them by email!

Oh, and one more thing…sorry if I freaked you out with the headline. I just couldn’t resist!

See them here first: Snow angels

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I love scooping the other guys!  For all I know, folks are still trying to get out of the Capitol grounds; the traffic was pretty nuts today. Unofficially, 8,910 people participated in the snow angel record attempt. That’s a lot of folks.

The best part of this for me was hanging over the ledge on the top of the capitol; I never liked shooting from the observation deck because of the reflections in the windows, but this time I got to go on the actual roof and get some pics in all directions. Once the snow angels were done, I also took some pics facing all around Bismarck.

One of the TV guys taping next to me said that they were five minutes early, according to his cellular phone. I’d agree with that; I thought I had plenty of time as I rode up the elevator. As I climbed the ladder to the roof and came around the corner, though, things got to an immediate start. It was nice for them to wait for me, at least!

I talked to a lady later who said that she never heard a cue to start, people just started making their angels. I guess that must be how things got going, but in any case the record would appear to be North Dakota’s…again.

By the way, if anybody would be interested in a high resolution version of this, click on the “Contact Me” link in the upper right column of my blog screen. If you’re reading this on an RSS feed or one of the media websites that syndicates my blog, come pay me a visit at www.bismarckmandanblog.com like you ought to!