Who hasn’t seen this wood carving next to the Stage Stop in Mandan? It’s been a landmark since I was a kid. Part of it may be due to its location, or despite its location. Obscured by a power pole and a streetlight in the parking lot of a bar, that’s hardly glamorous. But thousands of people have probably “turned left at the statue” over the past 20 years or so.

I remember riding my bike past this statue when the guy was carving it. His name is Peter Toth, and at the time he claimed he was going to make one of those statues in each of the fifty states. He calls them his “Trail of Tears” series if I remember correctly. Well, he’s made a lot of them. Google “Peter Toth carving” and you’ll get a lot of hits from the states and Canada.

Sadly, no other information popped up on a quick search. Toth was born in Hungary and obviously traveled all over the country making these things, but there’s nothing recent mentioned about him. Did he make all fifty? If you ever find out, let us know.

For any of you who have used the facilities that Mandan High has for track & field or football, this should be good news. They’re going to build some locker rooms and sports medicine rooms at the facility and give it an overhaul.

The locker rooms in that field were…well, let’s leave it at that. It’s good to see the improvements on the way.

“Lefty” Faris was a long time Athletic Director for Mandan. I met him back when I was in high school, and he passed away my junior year. The field was named in his honor a short time later.

In 1987 the kids painted the Braves logo you see on the back of the facility. I resurrected a grainy picture:

It’ll be good to see the facility once it’s completed!