Category Archives: Around Bismarck-Mandan

Weather Beacon glitch prompting a quick Beacon history refresher

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Driving around with my little boys tonight, we happened to drive through central Bismarck. It wasn’t long before someon noticed that the Weather Beacon was not lit. My little guys’ eyes frequently check for the Beacon no matter where we happen to be.

I reminded the boys that Daddy used to be responsible for updating the Weather Beacon five nights a week. There are a lot of cool things I’ve been able to do over the years, and this is one of them. As a result, I have a little bit more Beacon background than the average Bismarck-Mandan resident. That’s why I occasionally shift into Weather Beacon History Mode. here’s the lesson material:

The staff of KFYR 500 AM radio are in charge of switching it these days, but I don’t think they have any way of verifying that the relays on top of the building actually switch as they’ve been instructed. Sometimes they don’t. That’s typically the issue when the weather beacon isn’t up there indicating (or, as some surmise, generating) the next day’s weather.

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 control operator (me, five nights a week) 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. These switches are still in a rack at the TV station, even though they are have not been connected to the Beacon for quite some time. Last I remember, the KFYR Radio control guys switched it by dialing a phone number (no, I’m not posting that here).

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 of the “PMS in the Morning” show 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 Radio. 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. Yeah, the Web has come a long way.

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 Phil Parker Show on KFYR some morning 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 foreseen.
When colors blink in agitation, there’s going to be precipitation.

Provident Life used to sponsor TV spots featuring the Beacon and its rhymes, voiced by the dulcet tones of the late Ron Franke. 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!

Return to Solberg Butte

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Recently I took a return trip, with the landowner’s permission, to Solberg Butte. As its name suggests, it’s a parcel of high ground that sits near Bismarck, and it’s got a couple of very unique features. I had a window of one afternoon before cattle returned to this land, and I presume the electric fence was turned back on, so I had to make it count…starting with the fascinating features in the rocks you see above.

In addition to being a neat little overhang and shelter from the elements, this area also boasts some interesting carvings. As you can see, many of them date back to the early 1900s. The sandstone has weathered over time, so many of them have been obscured…but several remain with their dates abundantly clear.

I imagine this area was even more remote in 1903 than it is today; with our statehood beginning in 1889, this carving took place with North Dakota itself was only around fourteen years old! It isn’t exactly cuneiform, but it does give one a little bit of perspective. But there’s another interesting feature of this butte that I hadn’t expected when I first stumbled upon it (literally):

This is a marker from the US Geodetic Survey. You can find out more about what this means and the project’s history by clicking here for its website. These markers are an important part of our nation’s first detailed mapping of its terrain. The odds of me stepping on one of these are infinitesimal, so I was particularly pleased with the find.

Once again I’d like to state that, as always, I had explicit permission to be here on that day… and that this land is now occupied by cattle. Please use these photos to enjoy its remarkable features. There are some other interesting and photogenic subjects nearby, but I think I’ll leave them for a future post or posts!

16,000

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This is the 16,000th shot through my new camera, looking upward at an interesting outcropping of what I presume is sandstone on a butte north of Bismarck. I had a unique opportunity to photograph this location the day before the landowner put cattle on it (and turned on the electric fence too, I believe).

While this rock formation doesn’t necessarily look all that special, it’s what is hidden on and around it that caught my eye: carvings going back to 1903, and a seventy year old geodetic marker! More on that another time.

It could be a while before your next Fort Lincoln Trolley ride

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Hiking north of Fort Lincoln reveals trouble for the Fort Lincoln Trolley, one of my favorite local attractions. Most people haven’t seen even a small fraction of the devastation caused by the Flood of 2011 south of Mandan, and this is just one of many tragic stories.

This particular section has left a long stretch of rail, along with whatever ties were strong enough to remain attached, literally hanging in open air.

While the rails have not broken, they’ve certainly bent and are in serious need of rescue. The dark spot to the right of the tracks in the upper right portion of this photo is an enormous crack in the earth.

This isn’t the first time that the trolley folks have had to deal with erosion of the hills upon which their track resides; however, I don’t know whether previous damage was anywhere near as serious as this. Not only has a lot of the hill let go, but there are still major cracks in parts of the hill that remain. It looks as though plenty more dirt is waiting for an opportune moment to plunge toward the river as well.

As you can see, a large section of the hill simply separated and tumbled toward the river below as the hill was eroded from its base by the overflowing river. I used my monopod as a makeshift jib to suspend my camera in the air over the tracks for this treacherous shot.

I don’t know what it’ll take to get these tracks back to operational status; it looks like a trellis system might be required, because I don’t think it’s feasible to try to rebuild and reinforce this section of the hill. Hopefully something can be done for next season, because this trolley ride is one of the more fun ways to spend a summer afternoon! I shot some video of my last ride…I’ll have to put a little something together and post it here.

Well, I never noticed that before

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Of all the time I’ve spent in various parts of the World War Memorial Building, I don’t recall ever taking notice of this interesting feature tucked up in near the ceiling over the edge of the basketball court. I don’t know if there were seats on both the north and south ends of the gymnasium, but they’re only on the north side now. I was sitting with one of my little boys having some lunch when I noticed this little box up in the rafters. The “KFYR” sign in the windows gives its purpose away.

The narrow wooden walkway to this booth remains intact, but whatever stairway or ladder provided access to the walkway is long gone. I imagine it’s been a long time since anyone ever called a game from this press box, but it’s probably more hassle than it’s worth to try to dismantle it and take it down. As a result it remains up above the gymnasium, just in case someone ever needs to get a birds-eye view of the haps down on the basketball floor.

Bismarck Citizens’ Police Academy

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Last fall my friend Lee and I were accepted into the Bismarck Police Department’s “Citizens’ Police Academy” for several weeks of education into what the Bismarck PD is all about. A couple dozen of us spent each Tuesday night from September through December learning about the various aspects of police work, the structure of the department, the special duties of various officers, and the standards of accountability and professionalism to which they hold themselves. It was a real eye-opener.

Some of the people in the class were interested in pursuing careers in the criminal justice field. Others, like me, are simply average citizens who support our local law enforcement personnel and jumped at the opportunity to learn more. I’d spent plenty of time in the Mandan Police Department growing up through the Explorers program, working in the control room and doing traffic control, color guard, etc. but I didn’t know much about things here on the Bismarck side.

While most of the Academy consists of classroom time, it’s not boring. It’s an informal environment, the chief and/or deputy chief are usually on hand to help answer questions, and there are always some interesting tales to tell. While the class went until 9pm each night, it was not uncommon for that night’s officer to stay until 10pm chatting about what we discussed in class.

Of course, there was a mandatory ride-along in a police car on a Friday or Saturday night. I think everybody had an eventful time, especially myself. I go on ride-alongs from time to time other than in Bismarck, and my rule is “what happens in the car stays in the car.” I respect people’s privacy as much as a value my own, and that sort of confidentiality is very important when dealing with people in the sort of situations that require a visit from a police officer. That wasn’t the only thrilling part of the Academy, however:

I think everybody was looking forward to the shooting portion of the class. One night a week we went through an evening discussing firearms and then going to the indoor range to fire some Simunition. We each were given the opportunity to fire eleven rounds from the same firearm carried by Bismarck police officers. It was performed under very close supervision after great attention to safety details.

I had to chuckle at my target, which I got to keep: six shots to the heart, five to the chin. I didn’t want to look like an idiot, so I intentionally aimed low for the head shots to avoid hitting the clamp holding my target. I think the groups would have been tighter if I’d had my own Glock, but I still think Lee and I had the tightest performance out of the group. I got to keep my shell casings as a souvenir of the evening as well.

It was bittersweet to reach the completion night for a “graduation” celebration. We had pizza and got our pictures taken with the chief & deputy chief and were presented with some additional memoirs. As you can see we each received a framed certificate, Bismarck PD patch, and Citizens Police Academy mug. My little boy PJ had come with to see Daddy’ graduation and insisted that he be in the photo with us. Later he talked ’em out of a CPA mug of his own, and he’s still very proud of it.

It’s a great opportunity and speaks volumes that our police department wants to reach out to the public like this. It’s amazing how much misinformation is floating around out there about how police officers operate, and those of us who have received a little bit of education to dispel the rumors can act as ambassadors for the department. I gladly embrace such an opportunity, because I’m proud of our local law enforcement in Bismarck-Mandan. I’m fortunate to call several officers and deputies my friends and am grateful for their service to our community.

I know this is short notice, but according to the City of Bismarck’s website, they’re still taking applications for this fall’s Citizens’ Police Academy for two more days. You can download the application PDF here and get it in immediately if you’d like to try for a slot…I don’t know how many they have filled.

There are some requirements for application, including a clear criminal record and passing a background check. If you are an adult resident of Bismarck and can meet these criteria, you’re able to apply. I highly recommend availing yourself of the opportunity to do so!

Checking the barn indicator…yep, still working

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North 26th Street is a gateway to photographic fun, and one landmark along the way is this barn with the droopy weather vane. While I can’t vouch for its accuracy as an apparent wind indicator, I can say that it’s got a sterling track record as a barn indicator.

This device first caught my eye a long time ago when it seemed to perfectly align itself with the brilliant red structure below. As you can see, this is a totally different angle, yet it seems to be pointing the way home quite clearly.

What I could use right now is a taco indicator!

Sorry, kid…Banksy you ain’t

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If you head down Washington Street and take a gander at the Main Avenue overpass, you’ll see something unexpected… something I spotted weeks ago but subsequently forgot about.

Someone stenciled a couple of Pooh Bear silhouettes on the support pillars of the bridge. Despite the fact that they’re sorta Kawasaki Green and Suzuki Blue, I’m not a fan of this sort of defacement.

My guess is that someone downloaded a copy of the documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop and decided to be small town North Dakota’s version of Banksy or something. The fact of the matter is that no matter how clever or extravagant, this “street art” is vandalism. It doesn’t get any more complicated than that. Hopefully this sort of thing doesn’t become too common in our city.

I can’t help but wonder if the Pooh bears are in any way related to this stencil of Waldo that used to adorn a boarded-up rear entrance of the former Home Depot building. I wrote about it last year and it’s no longer on that building, as the building configuration has been changed.

My suggestion for anyone who wants to get into “street art” is that they rent or buy a piece of property, and then go nuts with it. In the mean time, don’t bother defacing property around the Bismarck-Mandan area that doesn’t belong to you, and find a more constructive outlet for your stencil skillz (sic).

Welcome to Bismarck. Restrictions in effect. Only one catch: you may have to guess what they are

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It’s that time of year again: the ubiquitous “Restrictions in Effect” signs are popping up around the periphery of Bismarck. Restrictions of what nature, you ask? If your only source of information is these signs, I suppose it’s anyone’s guess.

I first saw these signs go up three years ago (and every Spring since) and thought they were pretty funny. It’s because of the load restrictions on Bismarck roads, which I heard about on the radio, but the signs are vague enough to omit that detail. It’s only after someone figured out what was missing (maybe they read this blog) and wedged a little “Load” in there that the signs made sense:

This is how the corrected signs look. I was actually surprised to find an unmodified one posted up along Divide Avenue this afternoon. As you can see in this post from last March, I was almost second-guessing whether I’d even seen the signs without the word “Load” inserted. Today’s sighting of one of the original signs is a bit of a vindication, I suppose. Now someone’s going to have to dash up to Divide Avenue with another “Load” sticker!