My 13-year-old son has been playing Babe Ruth baseball this summer, reminding me that base hits win games. And so it goes with business development. Residents clamor and would certainly stand up and cheer for the home run of a big box store, but meanwhile Mandan is scoring some base hits with new and expanding retail and service sector businesses. There are also relocations to report, and unfortunately some closings as well.

Following is a summary of the latest business happenings:

• Grube Retina Clinic is opening in August at 107 Third Avenue N.W. Dr. Tom Grube has been investing in leasehold improvements to the building as part of an approved Renaissance Zone project. He anticipates attracting 40 to 60 patients daily from throughout the regions for treatment and care of eye problems related to diabetes, macular degeneration, and injuries.

• Tech24 is a new computer sales and repair business opening Aug. 2 at 102 First Avenue N.W. Partners Josh Smith, Kirk Eslinger and Chad Kay specialize in new and used computers and accessories, Boost Mobile cell phone service and accessories, and computer repair and consulting. Repair experts provide in-store repairs or in-home service. For more information, call 751-2009.

• Advanced Indoor Solutions plans to be open by Sept. 1 at 104 Second Avenue N.W. The business moved from Bismarck and will offer vacuums, air purifiers, rug shampooers as well as power chairs and scooters. The owners are Mark Wanner and Kori Roth. They can be reached at 255-2606.

• A Box of Chocolates Dance is opening soon at 320 West Main Street. Cedric Tillman will be offering a variety of classes including pointe, ballet, jazz, modern, lyrical, tap, African, acro, contemporary, choreography, ballroom, stretch and zoomba. For more info, call 425-5706.

• Kandace Kemmet has opened Calming Tranquility Massage in the Styler Den beauty salon at 204 Third Avenue N.W. Call 663-7610 for more info.

• Sacred Heart Tattoo and Piercing will be open in August at 103 Fourth Avenue N.W., phone 471-0304.

• HUB Insurance has moved from 500 West Main Street to Library Square II at 200 First Avenue N.W., Suite 50, phone 663-7585.

• Horace Mann Insurance, agent Kirby Johnson moved from 104 Third Avenue N.W. to 301 First Street N.E. For more info, call 663-6271.

• Lauinger Accounting will be moving from 608 E. Main Street to 718 West Main Street. The new location is in a property rehabilitated as a Renaissance Zone and Storefront Improvement project. The move was prompted by the sale of the Lauinger building. The new location allows the business to add an additional employee.

Please help welcome and congratulate these folks.

At the same time, Mandan has bid farewell to a few businesses. We thank them for taking entrepreneurial risk.

• The legendary Lindy Sue’s Candies and Soda Fountain closed store doors July 10, but will continue the candy-making and wholesale side of the business. The ground floor of the building at 316 West Main Street is available for lease.

• La Boutique and Fancy Klancy’s Jewelry had each operated for about a year in respective spaces at 102 First Avenue N.W. and 406 West Main Street. The La Boutique space is now occupied by Tech24, while the other space remains available for lease.

To help residents keep track of Mandan businesses and alert visitors to the products and services available in the community, an online and interactive business directory will be added as part of a new city website set to debut in August. For more information on business opportunities in Mandan, call the Business Development Office at 667-3485.

Either of my loyal readers will tell ya that I take a vacation at Lake Tschida this time of year, so it’s once again time to tell you about it…

Day 1 – Had to work until noon and it rained, but the rain didn’t really get underway until I got to the Wet Spot Bar in Glen Ullin. I stop there every Friday so they can set their watches on Friday. The rain was pretty intense so while waiting for it to let up I noticed a bulletin on the wall inviting folks to “The Testicle Festival” in Almont on July 31. “Come have a ball,” it said. For a moment I wondered if you can say that in public, but since they did, I figured I could too.

The rain let up so I traveled on, got to the cabin and took a nap. Pretty exciting stuff so far huh?

Maybe if I shared the plans I made for my summer vacation… you see, the first week I’m on my own out here. Then the first weekend we have to head to the Ulmer Family Re-Onion in Park Rapids, Minn. Then the $10,853.27 worth of garage parts I’ve recently purchased is due to be delivered, and my vacation should pretty much be consumed by levitating them into position.

So that’s the plan, and as you know, most plans get put together so one can look back and see where he went wrong.

Anyway, back to Day 1 – the nap was short and then we went fishing. We boarded the pontoon, my son slipped the Allman Brothers into the CD player and we boogied out of the bay to the tune of “Blue Sky”… and it sure was a blue sky evening. 

We tossed some Rapala’s over the side (fishing rigs for you non fisher people) and trolled off into the evening. After an afternoon of rain the lake was flat and the sun had finally come out in full force. I sat back in my seat to quaff my beer, looked around and decided it I was in the midst of another perfect evening on the prairie.

We putt-putted along the banks towards Rattlesnake Point and a huge northern pike decided to make my day. He slammed my line and it took about 20 minutes to pull him in. Before releasing it we took a photo and texted it to all our contacts and then we went back to the cabin, ate supper, and went to bed. Pretty exciting first day, huh?

Oh ya, I forgot to tell you about the rainstorm we ran into on the way home, but since most folks think I’m all wet most of the time anyway, I figured you really didn’t want to know much about how we miscalculated the cloud and drove through a wall of water on the way home… but I got to figuring again, and figured that you’ve probably been soaking wet, so you already knew how that felt too…

So like I was saying, that was day one and I think I’ll close here by letting both my loyal readers know that it only took me three days to get over the dizziness caused by the six wasps bites I got last weekend when I decided to meddle with their hive… but then I figured they figured I musta’ survived ’cause here I am talking to them again.

And on that note I’ll get back to you later, ’cause I got three weeks of vacation to keep notes on.

Here’s hoping that you’re allowed some time to do whatever you wanna do too… later…

You may have noticed it by now, but this column is a refuge from news.

I don’t like to talk business. This column is a place where you’ll see me shoot the breeze. A place to get personal. A place where you can sit down, relax, reflect, and read about some guy’s life that you may have never even met before.

And who knows, maybe my mundane thoughts will allow you to reflect on your own life. I like to think of my column as a funny mirror, interspersed with the classic joys of a fireside chat. Just take a moment to look at my picture as you read this. Notice how friendly and amicable I appear to be. It’s like I have a joke in my head that I can’t wait to share with you, or that I have contained inside me some secret about life that keeps me perpetually content and carefree. And that’s what I’m about in these columns. I’m here to share, to let you in on my life, and I want us both to be better people by the end of this column. That is my hope, and I truly appreciate you taking the time to read this.

These columns are a break from the news. A vacation, if you will. Because when I’m stuck in an office, I need something to transcend me from the strictures of the work environment. Some people have photos of family or loved ones (which are sometimes mutually exclusive), or mementos that serve as reminders of good times outside of the office, like a bowling trophy or ribbons from their days in youth basketball. I don’t get into many offices, so I really don’t know exactly what people put on display. But I imagine some CEO, somewhere, is really proud of his or her pubescent hoops career.

Business has its place in the world, and that place is called an office. I try not to let it stray much further from that. But this job I have is a hard one to run from. Even here, in my column – my haven from work – I find myself discussing work, which is what I’m doing right now. This job is that tough to get away from. But no more. If ever you see my face with a bunch of words around it, you can know with absolute certainty that no business at all is taking place here.

I write my columns because I love vacations – figurative and literal ones. So I struggle with that urge to escape quite often. Because I’ll admit – I have a pretty boring life. I don’t have a life filled with adventures. All I really have in my vault of memories are the type of awe-inspiring tales you’ll hear from the game show contestants on Jeopardy:

ME: Well, Alex, the biggest thing that’s happened to me in my life was when I was 23. I was at a zoo, feeding the monkeys, when the llamas were watching this and getting jealous because I was feeding the monkeys and not them. By the time I walked up to the llamas to feed them, one of them spit on me. That made me angry. SO I SPIT ON THE LLAMA! HA HA! Then they kicked me out of the zoo.

I could only wish my life was like that dude’s from the Dos Equis commercials. It may seem admirable that a youngster like myself is in the position of an editor, but let me tell you – this job is no jolly walk through the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. It doesn’t pay very much, and I’m often up until 3 or 4 a.m. working on stories. But that’s the nature of this business; journalism is suffering these days. So subsequently, I suffer.

But here, in this column, I have the opportunity to separate myself from the medium of journalism, an irrelevant, antiquated pursuit, of which its only visible lasting impression it leaves on its readers are ink stains on their fingers.

Even though these words are ensconced in the medium of a drowning profession, I feel this column, like the alleged ribbons in CEOs’ offices, offer a momentary glimpse of something better, something not bound by limits. In columns I can talk about anything. There are no rules, no parameters, only an ever-expanding myriad of topics I’m able to explore. And I don’t even need to use segues.

I like cotton candy.

Because a column is what you make of it. You throw in some humor, some heart, some insight, some spontaneity, and you’ve done your job.

But you always need a big finish. This column is near its end, and I don’t know if I’ve even said anything of significance yet. Yet I feel every single experience in life is significant. Each waking moment we live constantly shapes us in a different way, whether we realize it or not – every sight we see, every sound we hear, affects us. The slightest breeze or the smallest of insects can awaken us to the most beautiful of things we often ignore.

And the fact that you continue to read this column speaks volumes to me. It tells me you’re reaching out for something, like me with my need for getting away. I am heinously guilty of constantly running from myself. But it’s not just work I try to escape from. I’m always drawn towards learning new things and stepping out of my comfort zone. It’s not good for the nervous system, but it’s good for the soul. Keeping myself aware of what’s around me, and allowing it to impact me, is what revives and fuels me. And that’s part of the reason we reach out. Maybe that’s why you’re still reading this. Because you want to relate to something, you want to improve, you want to understand.

Many people, unfortunately, are built on a foundation where their individuality, their differences, not only define them, but separate them from others. I believe we need to begin embracing the differences among us, instead of using them to keep us apart. After all, change is not that bad. It is, after all, inevitable. It’s happening all the time.

And I congratulate you for getting this far in the column. Change, even in the smallest of forms, has just happened to you.

Well, that’s my big denouement, my spectacular grammatical fireworks display. There’s always a cool down process that must follow the climax, which is what I’m doing right now. It’s meant to be a moment set aside for reflection, which allows you to ease your way back into your normal routine, so as to make the transition more seamless, before we have to turn our attention away from what we’ve been focusing on and get back to our usual business at hand. This period also lets us absorb the new experience, as it integrates itself into what we already know.

Once that is over, we move on to the next experience.

And now that time has come. As much as I hate to say it, I need to get back to work now.

10 Years Ago – 2000

The Mandan Chiefs, coached by Randy Will, clinched the West Region Baseball title after defeating Williston, in a western conference double header. The Chiefs had only to win one game out of the next four when the Chiefs met and lost the first two games with Dickinson. Next up was a two-game battle with Williston. In the first game, the two were tied in the seventh inning when a single by Nate Lighthizer drove in Tate Meyhoff, which clinched the western division conference title. Mandan went on to also defeat Williston in the evening’s second game, the Chiefs ended their regular season, 14-6 and 40-23 overall.

In a unanimous decision of a four round-fight at the North Dakota State Fair, Mandan’s Shelby Pudwill defeated Delbert Chasing Hawk of Pine Ridge, S.D., improving Pudwill’s record to 12-1-1.

25 Years Ago – 1985

North Dakota scored 875 points to finish 15th at the High School National Finals Rodeo held at Rapid City, S.D. Texas won the team title, after competing against more than 30 states and two Canadian provinces. Mandan’s David Berg finished fourth in the Bareback event and received a buckle and a plaque. Brian Hartman, who took first in saddle bronc at the state finals in New Salem, ended with another fifth place finish at the national event. Others Mandan participants were Dean Breuer, Glenn Renner and Lisa Schaff.

Chris Boehm of Mandan hit a hole-in-one with a four-iron at the Municipal Golf Course on Saturday, July 27. Witnesses were Bill Block, Mel Miller and Harney Just. “It was my first one in 45 years of playing,” said an elated Boehm. 

The Big Bend Homemakers Club of Flasher is celebrating their 50th anniversary. The club was organized with 14 members at Big Bend School in May 1935 by R.C. Newcomer, Morton County Agent. Its name was derived from the big bend the river takes in that area. Of the original 14 members, Alice Toman and Josie Novotny still maintain their Homemakers Club membership.

50 Years Ago – 1960

The Bill’s Super Value amateur baseball team defeated the Carson Indies, 3-0, this week in a contest which gave Mandan pitcher Bill Bragg a no-hitter and, with the exception of four walks and a hit batter coupled with three errors by his teammates, a perfect game.

Bragg mustered 12 strikeouts, facing 35 batters in his nine innings of play; only 10 Carson players reached first base. Bill’s scored all their runs in the third inning. Howard Koch was the “Big Gun” for Bill’s, hitting 2 for 4.

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Mandan policemen and their families and members of the city commission and their families were guests at the annual policemen’s picnic on a Sunday afternoon at the home of Chief of Police and Mrs. Earl Vredenburg, east of the city. More than 40 persons were present for the steak fry. Special entertainment included guitar music by Patrolmen Armin Lennick and Bill Blotsky, plus singing by Sgt. George Doll and Patrolman Ed Wingenbach.

The first wheat of the 1960 season has been brought into Mandan and marketed at the Occident Elevator, according to Al Fasching, elevator manager. A.C. Graner and sons, south of Mandan in the Huff vicinity, brought in the first load, which graded the average of 60 pounds to the bushel. Yield per acre was 20 bushels.

Mrs. C.F. (Jane) Ellis, of Mandan, is this year’s first golfer to shoot a hole-in-one on the Apple Creek Country Club in Bismarck. The feat happened on the 87-yard Number Seven hole, using a seven-iron. Mrs. Ellis was playing in a foursome on July 27 during the Ladies Day events at the club.

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Miss Loretta Rosita Schmidt, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jack M. Schmidt, and Paul J. Joersz, Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Joersz, Sr., exchanged wedding vows at St. Joseph Catholic Church on Saturday, July 23, in a nuptial mass performed by Father Treinen.

The bride, carrying a bouquet of white carnations and pink roses, wore a floor-length gown of nylon tulle over taffeta. Her queen’s crown of seed pearls and sequins held her veil of French illusion.

Miss Agnes Marking, Bismarck, was maid of honor. Serving as bridesmaids were Delores Zander and Marlene Schmidt, both of Mandan. Their identical gowns were of street length blue organza over taffeta. They also wore blue veiled crowns and carried bouquets of white carnations.

Casper Schmidt, brother of the bride, was best man. Groomsmen were Leonard Beckler, Mandan, cousin of the bride, and Melvin Bobb, Minneapolis.

The bride attended Mandan High School and Bismarck Junior College and is employed at First National Bank of Mandan. The groom is a graduate of New Salem High School, served two years in the U.S. Army and is employed by the State Highway Department.

Miss Loretta Rosita Schmidt and Paul J. Joersz, Jr., who were married on July 23, 1960. Submitted photo

75 Years Ago – 1935

As flood waters receded in Mandan, hundreds of gardens, muddied lawns and water-soaked homes were seen. The stench from the rotting vegetation was especially strong due to excessive heat and humidity in the area. Riverside Park remains closed; no band concerts are being planned for several weeks. Ten south side families are being cared for in the new Memorial Building by the local Red Cross, and three families have temporary quarters in one of the schools. Flood damage in Mandan is estimated at $40,000.

To combat the hoards of mosquitoes now covering the entire city due to the flooding, crude oil is being spread over ponds, sloughs and potholes in and near Mandan in an effort to kill the hatching pests. Local filling stations are providing waste oil for the citywide project; the crude is being distributed by federal relief employees and the city’s health service workers.

Hundreds of Mandan residents were able to see the full stage of the eclipse of the moon this past week. Beginning at 8:30, the watchers could plainly see the shadow of the earth pass across the face of the moon until it was totally obscured. The moon then turned a rich copper shade and early in the morning, there was a great, round, coppery background around the moon. 

100 Years Ago – 1910

“LaRue Shaw, while at work on the Fraser farm fixing a hay rake to which a team was attached, was quite badly injured by the horses starting to run away and dragging him for quite a distance. He was considerably bruised by coming in contact with a stump at a twenty-mile gait. While the injuries are not serious, he will be laid up for some weeks.”

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“The Railroad Hospital operated by Drs. Dutton and Russell of Spokane, Wash., is to be abolished and the railroad patients taken care of at the Mandan hospital. The doctors and their assistants are busy at this time packing the equipment for shipment back to Spokane. It was decided to abandon the hospital, since the Mandan Hospital is finished and is amply able to care for any unfortunates.”

(To contact Diane, email dboit4thosedays@aol.com)

Either of my loyal readers will tell you that I have been known to occasionally poke a stick into a hornets’ nest. Well, I did it again.

Many times life forces us into doing things we’d rather not do, and it happened again last weekend at Lake Tschida.

Everyone except Kelci was there (she’s off exploring Seattle with her Montana relatives for a while); Brock (age 1.5 yrs), Tristan (age 3 almost 4 he says), and Camryn (age 8 months and close to walking on her own) composed the grandchildren.

The grandchildren were accompanied by their parents whose consumption of food, drink and material made a nice contribution to America’s economy. 

We had filled the wading pool on the back deck and tried to keep Charlie and Tschida (the dogs) from taking their turns in the water. The kids waded and the parents played lifeguard.

As most folks who have young children will recall, toddlers don’t stay in one spot too long. This is a fine example of why God gives children to young folks, as it takes a significant amount of energy and persistence to keep up with toddlers.

Melissa was tracking Brock up the steps to our shed when she noticed a hornets’ nest under construction in a bush that is perilously close to the steps. Word eventually got to the maintenance man – me. I walked up the steps and there was a softball sized nest surrounded by wasps busily adding onto their home. I quietly walked by noting that as long as I minded my business the wasps minded theirs, so we pretended that neither of us noticed the other.

Like I was saying, the nest looked like it was constructed of gray paper mache’. Evidently the wasps find and chew some kind of material into some sort of cement and then spit it onto this intricate nest, and if you don’t bother them you can watch them, it’s actually quite fascinating.

After warning the crowd at hand to stay away, I was then forced to violate the rule, as the nest was located between the cabin and the gas grill I was assigned to cook supper on. So I just pretended that the nest didn’t exist, and I must have passed by it 30 times while cooking. The evening passed without an incident, the wasps didn’t mind me because I didn’t mind them… until the next morning.

I was cleaning up the debris from the evening before – life jackets, toys haphazardly abandoned in weird places (a golf club in a tree?), numerous empty aluminum containers strewn wherever they were drained – and as I passed by the grill I remembered the hornets’ nest… it had grown.

I searched my inventory, but only had flying insect killer, not wasp bombs. Abe then told me a story about the time he and a friend took a long stick and knocked a nest off and into a garbage can… and so I figured why not?

So we found a garbage can with a cover. We sprayed flying bug killer into it and dumped about a pint of gasoline in for good measure. I found a long handled branch clipper, and we were underway. The plan was for me to clip the branch, and Abe would catch the nest in the can and instantly slam the lid on. It seemed like a good plan at the time.

So we snuck into position. I carefully put the clipper over the branch and slammed the clipper shut. And wouldn’t you know, it only pinched the branch and wouldn’t let go. So I shook the branch until the nest finally fell into the can… and the wasps came after me. They bit my forehead, then my arms, and I dropped the clipper and ran. Abe said he could see the whole nest following me. Fortunately, they let me go with only three stings – my left bicep, my right tricep, and my forehead…. and I’m swollen, but okay. And by the time we left the lake the wasps were already busy rebuilding their nest.

So by next weekend they will have rebuilt, and hopefully I’ll come up with a Plan B… and I’d sure appreciate whatever prayers you can offer.

Here’s hoping that your plans unfurl better than mine.

10 Years Ago – 2000

Roxanne Rogers, a Mandan High School junior and a member of the health careers class, has returned from the National SkillsUSA Convention at Kansas City, Mo., with a fourth place national finish in the nursing assistants contest. Roxanne took first place in North Dakota’s contest in April and qualified to compete in the national event along with other state champions from throughout the nation. Skills (formerly known as VICA) has more than 300,000 members and instructors in its 13,000 school chapters within 54 state and territorial associations.

At the national event, Roxanne had to perform different nursing assistants- related tasks at 10 stations, skills that had been taught as part of the curriculum in her health careers classroom. MHS health careers instructors are Mrs. Rudolph and Mrs. Hansen. Roxanne’s VICA advisor is Jeff Kostelecky. Her parents are Walter and Kelly Rogers, Mandan.

25 Years Ago – 1985

Q & R Clinic has announced the staff appointment of Dr. Dale A. Klein, Family Practitioner, at the Regional Family Practice Center at 408 West Main St., Mandan. Klein will be joining Dr. Boyd F. Addy, who has been practicing at that address for several years.

Bismarck’s cable system serving the Mandan and Bismarck area has launched a new service for its cable subscribers. Viewers will now be able to receive the Eternal Word Television Network, the Catholic cable network. Bismarck-Mandan Cable TV will be carrying ETWN on Channel 29. Efforts to bring EWTN were coordinated locally with the Catholic churches of the area.

A grand slam home run by Dana Ereth in the second inning gave Mandan an 11-4 decision over Dickinson in Class A Legion baseball. It was Ereth’s first homer of the year. In the second game of the doubleheader, Mandan also prevailed, 8-0. So far, the Chiefs are 18-19 for the season.

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The Lewis and Clark Hotel, formerly owned by Ben and Dan Hanna, has been sold to Lewis and Clark Investments, Inc. The corporation’s investors are William Clairmont of Bismarck, Wallace Joersz and Dan Hanna, both of Mandan. The three put together a MIDA Bond financing package, and the refurbishing of the 1918 hotel began in March.

Sixty-seven of the original hotel rooms are being converted into 45 one- and two-bedroom apartments. Rents are currently running $225 to $350 per month. The hotel has had 10 apartments in its newer addition since 1935. Future plans include the lobby, with its imported Scottish carpet and Italian chandelier as a common area for tenants, while the back meeting room, with the sky lights once again opened, continues to be available for public use.

50 Years Ago – 1960

Construction has begun on the new Colonial Motel on U.S. Highway 10 between Mandan and Bismarck, just east of the Gourmet House restaurant. According to owner “Red” Avery, former Mandan businessman, the motel will have 34 units, a swimming pool, lounge, cafe and a three-bedroom home for his family. The units will be air conditioned and will have free TV and telephones. Avery purchased the land from Robert Sylvester.

Jumbo’s Dairy Queen Drive-In at 1000 East Main is holding a grand opening, featuring its new electronic ordering system and the new front brick breezeway that’s been added to the building. According to owner James Hammes, Mandan’s DQ owner since 1955, Dairy Queen stores all over the world are celebrating 20 years of rapid growth, from three stores opened in Moline, Ill., in 1939 to the more than 3,200 in current operation.

C.R. (Bob) Hammond has been installed president of the Mandan Lions Club. Other officers installed for the 1960-61 term are: James Noonan, first vice president; Fred Hirsch, secretary; and Herman Ciavarella, treasurer.

The hottest July day since 1941 went down in the books at the Great Plains Field Station weather bureau when the mercury soared to a sizzling 106 degrees, on Wednesday, July 21. A high of 109 degrees was registered at Mandan in July of 1941, which is next to Mandan’s all-time record breaker of 115 degrees in 1936.

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A trio of old movie pros – Sir Laurence Olivier, Ingrid Bergman and Robert Stack – have walked off with this year’s top TV Emmy awards. Olivier won an Emmy for his portrayal of a character based on the artist Gauguin in “The Moon and Sixpence.” Miss Bergman won her first TV award for the chilling “Turn of the Screw.” And Robert Stack, who plays the gang-busting Elliot Ness in “The Untouchables,” won an Emmy for Best Actor in a Series. The award for Best Actress in a Series went to Jane Wyatt, the wife and mother of the Anderson family in “Father Knows Best.”

Other Emmy winners were Playhouse 90 for Best Drama; the Huntley-Brinkley Report for Best News show; Rod Serling and his popular science fiction series, “The Twilight Zone” for Best Written Drama; and the Huckleberry Hound cartoon series for Best Outstanding Children’s Show.

75 Years Ago – 1935

With many of the fairways of the Mandan municipal golf course inundated by the backwaters of the Heart River, and the tennis courts in the same condition, some of the local residents have turned to fishing as a new form of recreation. Catfish and bullheads, carried out into the golf course by last week’s flood waters, were easy victims for anglers who caught them by hand or with a pitchfork Most of the fish were headed for the family larder or for the evening meal.

Miss Winnifred McGillic, of Mandan, has been elected Grand Worthy Advisor for North Dakota’s Order of Rainbow for Girls during the state assembly held in Minot.

More than 2,000 parents, friends and relatives packed Mandan’s new Memorial Building auditorium for the annual commencement exercises where 243 Morton County eighth grade graduates received their diplomas. The group included graduates of Mandan, Glen Ullin, New Salem and Flasher schools, St Joseph’s parochial school of Mandan; Sacred Heart parochial school of Glen Ullin; and the State Training School at Mandan.

The Montana-Dakota Power company has become the Montana-Dakota Utilities company through a merger of the Black Hills Properties, the Bismarck gas line and the Gas Development company. The three firms own the gas fields in Montana which furnish gas to western North Dakota.

An ad from a 1910 issue of the Mandan Daily Pioneer. The body of the ad says, "Men have learned the wisdom of wearing knee-length drawers and 'athletic' undershirts during hot weather. Loose garments that let the air circulate. Knee-length drawers in B.V.D., price 50 cents. Coat shirts with short sleeves, price 50 cents. Knee-length union suits of fine Nainsook, price $1.00."

100 Years Ago – 1910

“Five hoboes got into a fight in one of the box cars near the Depot on Tuesday night. The police gathered them in and now they are doing ‘time’ on our streets…fixing them.

“Many complaints have been heard from the ladies of the city who have had occasion to visit the new hospital. The ladies have been shocked at the frank nudity in which young America disports itself in the river near that place. It is understood that the city commission intends to compel the use of bathing suits within the city limits. It would be a commendable act.”

(To contact Diane, email dboit4thosedays@aol.com)

The U.S. Census Bureau just issued new population estimates as of July 1, 2009, for incorporated places. The new estimate for Mandan is 18,274 people, up from the estimate of 18,091 issued for 2008, which has since been adjusted to 18,034. Regardless, it is a 1 percent increase and a continuation in a pattern of steady growth.

There’s reason to believe the official count from the 2010 Census could be significantly larger; however, those numbers may not be released until 2011.

Mandan’s population estimates have been lagging behind numbers of permits issued for new residential units in Mandan. Between the year 2000 and 2009, Mandan has issued permits for more than 1,700 new residential units. Including the latest estimated increase, the U.S. Census Bureau has only bumped Mandan’s population by 1,556 people. In most cases, more than one person is occupying these new residences – sometimes families of three, four or more. So, even if the average occupancy were at two people per new residence, it’s not unreasonable to guess that our population might actually be above 20,000.

Mandan continues as the state’s sixth largest city. The July 1, 2009, population estimates indicate the following for North Dakota’s other larger cities as compared to 2008:

• Fargo at 95,556, up 1.8 percent

• Bismarck at 61,217, up 1.6 percent

• Grand Forks at 51,216, down less than 1 percent

• Minot at 36,256, up 2 percent

• West Fargo at 24,313, up 2.5 percent

• Dickinson at 16,265, up 1.8 percent

• Jamestown at 14,687, up less than 1 percent

• Williston at 13,014, up 3.4 percent

Population is an important factor considered by retailers in determining where they locate and if a community or metro area warrants multiple service sites.

To help increase awareness about opportunities in Mandan among retailers, developers, realtors, bankers and others involved in economic development, the city of Mandan has recently updated its community profile and fact sheets for new and expanding businesses. The profile contains demographic information, taxable sales/purchasing trends, residential permit information, a retail gap analysis, and information on three areas offering commercial development opportunities: downtown, Memorial Highway and the I-94 corridor. The fact sheets provide available resources and contacts for business start-ups, expansions and succession planning and summarize programs and incentives available for assistance.

The community profile and fact sheets are posted at www.cityofmandan.com or are available upon request by calling the Business Development Office at 667-3485.

My partner at work said, “You know summer seems to end after the Fourth of July.” Both my readers know that I’ve often wondered why June 21 is called the first day of summer as opposed to the first day of winter (days get shorter after 6/21 and longer after 12/21)… and whenever someone reminds me that summer’s winding down a funk takes over… and here’s why:

We come alive in the summer around here – rodeos, buggies n blues, prairie rose games, bands in the band shell every nite, softball, volleyball, biking, river ratting, gardening, picnics, beaching, on and on and on. Unlike winter, we actually get play outside.

And some of us head off to the magical land of Lake Tschida, where you can either drop your worries off at the Wet Spot Bar or hang onto them till you turn off Highway 49 onto Crappie Creek road…

It amazes me how this works. I spend all week flitting from the pillar to the post pretending I’m doing something important at work, so usually by Friday my stress level is pretty high.

Thanks to modern technology I have something called a Blackberry. This handheld device has everything one needs in a modern office, phone, texts, email, internet, camera, etc. In essence, I carry my entire office in my pocket.

The upside of this modern convenience is that I don’t really need to sit in an office; the downside is that I find it very difficult to get away from work as I’m available 24/7. 

To add to this, last summer they installed a new cell tower that provides very good cell service to Lake Tschida. So now I have no excuse for missing a beat at work. At first I was kinda miffed, then one Friday I figured that if I left my office at noon I could take a 1 p.m. conference call from Washington, D.C., on my deck at the cabin.

So I hustled out to the lake, grabbed a seat in the shade of our deck, dialed in the number, and listened in. At one point I felt the urge to ask a question. To which someone responded, “Who has birds chirping in the background?” I had to own up that I wasn’t sitting in my office and there were numerous groans in the background. So maybe this technology ain’t that bad, especially since you can turn it off.

On a normal summer Friday we get to Lake Tschida after noon and I answer the phone until everyone who is supposed to be there gets there… then I shut that phone off and we rely on our landline. 

I may chatter on the phone the entire trek and then some more once I arrive. It’s kinda funny how that has changed too. I remember the pre-cyber years where a landline phone at the cabin was a big deal, and now folks are dropping those for cell phones and the Internet.

But I also remember what a great relief it used to be when we’d first get out of the car at the cabin. We’d pull up to the cabin and everyone would take a deep breath and dump their cares, as indeed we were away from it all.

Nowadays I have to wait until around 7 p.m. on Friday evening to I shut off my phone. Then we do whatever tickles our fancy until Sunday afternoon when we have to reboot our phones and return to reality.

Weekends go by too fast, and the thought that summer is already over is not easy for those of us who live for this time of year…

Here’s hoping that you get to do everything you want to do before the magic of summer passes you by.

10 Years Ago – 2000

The Mandan Lions Club has selected its new slate of officers for 2000. Officers elected are: Kent Hjelmstad, president; Richard Hagestuen, first vice; Kevin Perrizo, secretary-treasurer; Bill Schott, Lion Tamer; and Mariann Lang, Tail Twister.

The Mandan American Legion baseball team accumulated four straight victories to claim the Pierre, S.D., Invitational Tournament Championship. The Chiefs defeated Rapid City in the final game, 11-5, with hits provided by Ron Bethke, Jeremiah Quam, Darren Weiler, Loren Novak, Tate Meyhoff and Nate Lighthizer. The Chiefs have won 19 of their last 24 games for an overall record of 28-14. In the West Region, the Chiefs are in first place with a 7-2 record.

25 Years Ago – 1985

Sgt. LaMar Kruckenberg of the Mandan Police Department has been named Administrative Assistant to the Chief. According to Police Chief Mark Moline, Kruckenberg received the highest score among the four officers competing for the position. He replaces Captain Mike Quinn, who resigned for a position of director of the North Dakota Drug Enforcement Unit.

Wallace Joersz has been reelected to his third year as president of the Mandan School Board. Don Braun was elected vice president, and Ross Mushik will represent the district on the Mandan Planning and Zoning Commission.

Merle Warren has been elected president of the Mandan Zonta club; she succeeds Hazel Palmer.

H.G. Vander Vorst, Immediate Past Governor of the Minnesota-Dakotas Kiwanis district, has been awarded the Presidential Citation at the International Convention in Toronto in recognition of his leadership in the Minnesota-Dakotas district in 1983-84. More than 15,000 Kiwanians and their families attended the 70th annual Kiwanis International Convention.

The diesel fuel that people have seen floating on the stretch of the dead Heart, east of 1806 and north of Third Street S.E., got there by wandering through the storm sewers from the Morton County Jail project. Attempts to eliminate the problem have been largely successful, although not 100 percent effective, according to Tom Little, Mandan City Engineer.

50 Years Ago – 1960

A crowd of more than 2,000 witnessed the inauguration of night baseball and the dedication of the Mandan Memorial Baseball Park. One highlight of the dedication program was the raising of the flag by the Legion Color Guard, a dedication speech by Commander Joe Schaaf and the dedication prayer by Chaplain Herman Uden. Schaaf made the presentation speech turning the ballpark over to the care of the Mandan Park Board. Jack Danz, chairman of the lighting committee, expressed his thanks to the many organizations who donated to the lighting project. Danz was presented with a Browning automatic 12-gauge shotgun by the committee for his tremendous efforts in promoting the project.

Following the ceremony, the Mandan Legion Junior baseball team, behind the superb pitching of right-hander Mike Klug and the in-the-park homerun by second baseman Ted Loran in the bottom half of the seventh inning scoring the winning runs, defeated the Bismarck Legion Junior team, 4-2. Loran’s homerun, with two men on, climaxed a pitching duel between Klug and southpaw, Tom Woodmansee, of Bismarck. Each man faced only 31 and 30 batters respectively.

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Herman Borchers, Mandan fisherman, has caught the first big sturgeon of the year, making him the newest member of the 1960 “Whopper Club.” According to the Game and Fish Department News Bureau, Borchers caught a sturgeon from the Missouri River that weighed 21 lbs. 12 oz. and measured 56 1/2 inches in length. It was taken on a casting tackle with a live minnow as bait.

The Whopper Club badge.

Mandan’s Freddie Kist made an exceptional record for himself in the bulldogging event at New Salem’s rodeo. On Saturday Freddie downed his steer in 4.2 seconds; on Sunday his time was five seconds, giving him first place average in the “lap and tag” dogging event.

Faye Neidhardt, a 1960 graduate of New Salem High School and daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Neidhardt, of New Salem, has been crowned Morton County Dairy Queen at the annual contest sponsored by the Mandan Lions Club. Faye was sponsored by the Sunnyside Homemakers Club. Seventeen girls from the county participated in the contest.

75 Years Ago – 1935

Mandan received a warning of an impending flood Wednesday night as a 5-foot head of water rushed down Sixth Avenue N.W. as a result of nearly an inch of rain, driven by gale force winds, that fell in less than an hour. This deluge was on top of the 3 inches of torrential rain received within the past several days – in stark contrast to the drought conditions of the past several years.

The water swept down from the hills to flood basements in all sections of the town, backing up overloaded sewers. Business district streets and some residential streets were lakes from lawn to lawn, with water lapping over curbs and sidewalks. Two autos parked on Sixth Avenue were picked up and carried by the torrent for nearly a block before they were dropped. Stones as large as coconuts rolled down streets ahead of rushing water to block sewers and dam streets.

The rapidly rising Heart also threatened homes in Dogtown (southeastern section) of Mandan. In the Syndicate district near the fairgrounds, the homes of Larry Jenks, Tom Campbell, Tom Jahners, Earl Hinkley and Philip Burch and several others are all surrounded by 4 feet of water. Caught in the quick rise, the residents had little time to save any of their belongings, although Jenks was able to get most of his furniture up on the roof of his house.

The Heart River rose more than 3 feet in the night to flood the property of the State Training School and is within inches of toppling the dyke at Riverside park holding water back from Syndicate.

An ad from a 1935 issue of the Mandan Daily Pioneer for Mushik Shoe Store, which was located on East Main Street. Mandan News file photos

100 Years Ago – 1910

“Mandan and the surrounding countryside took a holiday off on Wednesday to visit the ‘Better Farming’ special train, courtesy of the Northern Pacific and the Agricultural College in Fargo. In the early morning all roads leading in Mandan were alive with carriages, automobiles and wagons filled with people anxious to learn lessons from the agricultural ‘college on wheels.’ The Reform School’s brass band was also out in full force, which added to the pleasure of the occasion.

“The cars containing the exhibits had a banner extending the full length of each side which stated the subjects that were taken up in that car. Car No. 1 featured the latest in Farm Machinery-sod plows, harrows, corn and potato planters; No. 2 contained Horticulture exhibits, featuring various type of trees and grasses especially adapted to North Dakota; Car No. 3’s theme was Animal Husbandry, containing a model pig pen with troughs, as well as a sheep pen, and stalls with a jersey cow and a short horn steer; Agronomy was the theme for Car No. 4, exhibiting a variety of wheat, corn and barley; Car. 5 contained the Poultry and Dairy exhibits; Car. No. 6, appealing to the ladies, was for Home Economics and featured the latest in cook stoves and washing machines. Cars No. 7 and 8 were the Sleeper and Dining cars for members of the train, while the final Car No. 9 was the parlor and observation car which was open to the public as a rest car.”

(To contact Diane, email dboit4thosedays@aol.com)

10 Years Ago – 2000

The parking lot of First Southwest Bank was among the many places in Mandan attracting families on July 3, as a large crowd gathered there for the bank’s 11th annual Summer Celebration.

The day’s activities included the popular pie eating contest, with a platform set up for participants to partake of chocolate cream pies without the use of hands in an attempt to consume as many pies as possible within a time limit. In the children’s division, the $50 first prize winner was Stephanie Schmidt, coached by her father, Ray, a past winner of the adult division. Finishing second and third were: Robert Hoskins and Cameron Keller. Winner of the adult division was Clint Miller, Mandan.

The kids’ “roping-the-steer” contest was also a popular feature of the bank’s Summer Celebration. Winners of those cash prizes were Trey Huber, Tyler Jans and Thad Boyer in the 4- and 5-year-old category; Tate Schwagler, Teddy Boyer and Casey Breuer in the 6- and 7-year-old category; Wade Eckroth, Brandon Thomas, Whitney Eckroth and Ty Breuer in the 8- to 10-year-old category; Wyatt Eckroth and Rachel Noltestad in the 11- to 13-year-old category.

According to bank president Jay Feil, all proceeds of the celebration go to the Mandan Boy Scouts, the Girls Scouts and the Special Olympics.

25 Years Ago – 1985

Arnie Falk of Jamestown made quick work of the 1985 Mandan News and Lions 10,000-meter run on July 4, finishing the course in 31 minutes, 14 seconds,  just a tad slower than his 30:26 winning time in 1984. The top finishing woman was Becky Clairmont, Bismarck, with a time of 37:24. One hundred forty-five runners finished the 6.2 mile race. Roy Ogden took first in the boys’ 15-17 category; while Kris Boehm, Mandan, took the girls’ division.

The Mandan Public School system has selected Dr. Pius Lacher as their new superintendent, effective July 1. Lacher will replace Wallace Schmeling, acting superintendent since the resignation of Dr. Joseph Ciotti last fall.

Lois Schwinkendorf, registered nurse, has retired from her position as director of nursing at Mandan Hospital. She plans to join her husband, Howard, in business at Howard’s Red Owl, Mandan. Lois began her nurse’s training at Bismarck Hospital School of Nursing in 1952. She began at the Mandan Hospital in 1963 as a registered nurse in the Obstetric and Surgical Ward and became director of nursing in January 1982.

Lois Schwinkendorf, who retired as director of nursing from the Mandan Hospital in 1985. Mandan News file photos

50 Years Ago – 1960

Mandan voters have elected Berlin Boyd, Jr. and incumbent C.W. Albers to the Mandan School Board. Boyd will fill the unexpired term of Dr. Phil Blumenthal, who chose not to run for reelection.

Dr. P.L. Blumenthal, general practitioner in Mandan since November 1948, has sold his practice and his interest in the clinic building at 107 First Ave. N.W. to Dr. B.A. Girard, of Beulah. Dr. Blumenthal and his family will be leaving in August for Saratoga, Calif. 

Two Mandan fishermen, Robert Ellsworth and Lloyd B. Thompson, have caught channel catfish nearly identical in size and have earned the “Whopper Club” badges, according to the Game and Fish Department News Bureau. Both men landed catfish, each weighing 10 lbs. 12 oz., at the Garrison Reservoir. However, Thompson’s “lunker” was one-quarter of an inch shorter.

Pickle recipes were exchanged by members of the Willing Workers Homemakers Club, which met at the home of Mrs. Joseph Rebenitsch. Octabowls were also made from Popsicle sticks by the 14 members under the direction of Mrs. Matt Tokach.

The Whopper Club badge, which was given to local fishermen Robert Ellsworth and Lloyd B. Thompson in 1960.

75 Years Ago – 1935

Rain halted the Fourth of July celebration of Mandan’s St. Joseph parish societies after nearly 1,000 Mandan residents had gathered for the event. The afternoon’s amateur contest, modeled after those of national radio chains, broke up in a scurry for shelter after just a half hour’s entertainment. More than 400 were served in the church basement at a luncheon staged by women of the German Altar Society.

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Nuptial vows were exchanged in the parsonage of the First Lutheran Church when Miss Illa Elsie Weinreich, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. August Weinreich, Blue Grass, became the bride of Theodore Frederick Hagerott, son of Mrs. Edward Hagerott and the late Edward Hagerott, Mandan.

The bride, carrying a bouquet of pink roses, was attired in a pink crepe floor length gown, with matching accessories. Mrs. Harry Hagerott, as matron of honor, was costumed in a pale pink crepe gown and carried a bouquet of pink peonies. Harry Hagerott was his brother’s attendant. Immediately following the ceremony, the group left for the home of the bride’s parents, where a wedding dinner was served. The newly weds have left on a wedding trip to the West Coast, touring Yellowstone and Glacier National parks, and will be at home on a farm in the Crown Butte vicinity after Aug. 1.

100 Years Ago – 1910

“The people of Mandan spent a very safe and sane Fourth. Several picnics were held and a few places had fireworks in the afternoon and evening. One of the interesting features of the day was the prize fight bulletins received at the Mandan Pioneer by the Associated Press wire from Reno, Nevada, reporting the match between the retired Jim Jeffries and the Negro Jack Johnson. The crowd in front of the Pioneer office was an immense one, and each round was received with vociferous applause. (The fight was called in the 15th round. Johnson received $20,000 in gold to bind the fight bargain, while Jeffries was paid a $101,000 guarantee. It was the largest purse the ring had ever known.)

“Other folks, numbering 400, went to Glen Ullin for the day where an estimated crowd of 5,000 had gathered at a patriotic observance highlighted by a Mandan-Glen Ullin baseball game, which was won by Mandan 2-1. Col. I. N. Steen of this city gave the address of the day, followed by a parade of 30 automobiles decorated in the national colors.

“It is reported that over 2,500 people visited Flasher on Independence Day. The activities began at 9 a.m. with a band concert by the Mandan Military Band that was hired for the occasion. Following the concert, the nimble-footed vied with each other for prizes in the novelty- and foot-racing. Flasher and a strong team from Little Heart also played a 12-inning game of baseball, resulting in Flasher winning by a score of 12-11. Pony racing and bronco busting contests provided an extra two hours of excitement. After supper, an excellent band concert was held before the dancing started in the bowery.

“July 4th was a big day on the river at Nels Martin’s, 15 miles southwest of Mandan, when members of the Lutheran Ladies Aid decided to hold their annual picnic and fancy work sale on that day. Dinner and ice cream were served to nearly 200 people in the woods on a shaded platform, and everything went ‘like hot cakes in January.’ This picnic and sale brought in about $200.

“During the July Fourth celebration at the Bohemian hall, south of Mandan, a firecracker exploding under the porch set fire to paper and other refuse and, in a short time, the building was ablaze. Before the fire was controlled, it had damaged the porch so that it will have to be rebuilt and had scorched the interior of the hall. Quick work is all the saved the structure. The damage will amount to about $175.”

(To contact Diane, email dboit4thosedays@aol.com)