Category Archives: Events

Could this be the last real Christmas tree in the North Dakota state capitol?

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I arrived at Monday’s tree lighting ceremony just in time for the lights to be turned on – it was almost as if my seat was wired. My family was waiting for me and my youngest boy exclaimed, “You’re just in time, Daddy!” It’s a special event for us, and I’m glad I was able to break away from work just in time to catch the big moment. In speaking with the governor and Mrs. Dalrymple later, though, I caught an interesting tidbit: this may be the last real Christmas tree in the capitol. Say it isn’t so!

Apparently fire code, which I believe is a city issue, is prompting the pressure on the capitol to abandon the idea of a real (i.e., flammable) tree in the Memorial Hall of the state capitol. Personally, I couldn’t be more dismayed by the thought. As I stood in the Hall last night photographing the tree, it occurred to me even as I unpacked my gear how the smell of a REAL tree is so special. Memorial Hall has that nostalgic waft of evergreen, and it would be a shame to abandon it forever.

I don’t know if a final determination has been made yet, but I sure hope that someone at the capitol puts their foot down and insists on keeping the authentic Christmas tree as part of the capitol’s Christmas celebration. The tree is well maintained; it’s under observation; it doesn’t have any lights on it, being lit by spotlights from a distance; and gets plenty of water. I don’t think it presents the hazard some may think it does. Please, say it isn’t so…North Dakota needs to continue with a real Christmas tree!

Obama the lame duck

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You wouldn’t know it as a consumer of the mainstream media, but there was a TEA Party rally in Bismarck this week. In fact, it was only one of several held on Constitution Day; rallies were also held in Fargo, Grand Forks, Jamestown, Minot, Dickinson, and Williston on Tuesday.

My little guys and I attended with our cameras. They started out taking pictures of flags and the capitol but soon discovered a bug. No, not a glitch – an actual insect, and a large one at that. That pretty much captured the attention of both little boys until one stomped on him.

It was encouraging to see Governor Dalrymple in attendance, listening intently to the scheduled speakers and concerned citizens who participated in open mic sessions. I eyeballed the signs and banners displayed but knew instantly that this little girl’s was my favorite: the lame duck. It was my boys’ favorite too, I believe…after they got to pet the duck!

It IS easy being green

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On the way into Bismarck the other night my boys and I noticed a classic car show at OK Tire (on west Main, across from the Bank of North Dakota). We pulled in just in time to catch the end of the show, inspect all the cars on display in the lot, and watch as they pulled out and went home at the end of the show. Among our favorites: this beautiful green beast.

Aside from a beautiful black Pontiac we pretty much decided the green ones were our favorites…except, of course, a purple car which the guys figured Mommy would like. This car, which we’ve seen multiple times at Buggies ‘n’ Blues, was the other extremely green car to catch the boys’ attention.

It was a pleasant surprise to wrap up the end of our day. The little guys stood by the exit of OK Tire and waved to all the classics as they rolled away, shouting an enthusiastic “Hi!” to each and every driver who went by. Once they had brought some smiles to a bunch of faces it was time for home, some wrestling on the trampoline with Daddy, and a quick trip to bed.

Independence Day at our beloved capitol

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Our little family was able to attend the Independence Day celebration at the capitol with some dear friends this year, taking in some music and kettlecorn while having a lovely evening outdoors. It’s become an annual tradition for our family and, judging by the enormous crowd occupying the grass of the capitol mall each year, for many others as well.

One of the first things I noticed this year is that the orchestra was not staged up on the steps of the capitol. With scaffolding for the ongoing limestone restoration still hanging atop the capitol tower, everybody has to stay outside the safety fence’s perimeter…even musicians.

I didn’t set out specifically to take fireworks shots this evening, but since they’re there and so is my camera…what the heck? In this one I verified that my flash could illuminate most of the crowd in front of me, but I figured to do so repeatedly would be rude. Anyway, here are a few of my favorite shots.

The crowd was so red from this one it looks like they’re on KFYR-TV’s Skywatch camera at night! If you don’t know what I’m talking about, check it out after dark sometime.

Wind from the north helped clear out the smoke from exploded shells but it also made the sparkly globes a little lopsided. Photographers are perfectionists, you know.

At one point in the evening, before the fireworks, I heard a familiar riff. Several of us looked at each other in surprise, because it was the intro lead-in to Kashmir. I quickly recalled that Aaron Meyer, the guest soloist, is a rock violinist and everything clicked into place.

Throughout the entire evening I didn’t see a single mosquito. That must have been due to the squadrons of dragonflies ever buzzing overhead. My guess is that the evening was a mosquito smorgasbord for those guys, and we’re grateful that they kept the skies clear for us!

The fireworks are great, but they would not be nearly as entertaining if they lacked the accompaniment of Dr. Beverly Everett and the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra, belting out our favorite patriotic marches and hymns!

After the finale it was time to pack up for the evening. I had to chuckle because the nonstop rumble and popping from Mandan sounded like we had our own little war zone across the river. Even from the parking lot of the capitol the noise was quite loud. I imagine everyone over there was having quite a time!

I love the Independence Day celebration at the capitol, and hope to partake next year as well. I have something a little different in mind photographically, so we’ll see how that turns out. Have a good weekend!

Peace Officers’ Memorial Ceremony 2012

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Yesterday marked the date of the Peace Officers Memorial ceremony here in North Dakota. It’s held annually at the monument on the capitol grounds in honor of law enforcement officers who have perished in the line of duty. Most years it is a solemn look back at distant history…this year it was a reflection on the tragic losses of two officers within the past year. I can’t say anything that hasn’t already been said, so I’m just going to share a few photos and let them do the speaking.


Standing at attention


Heartfelt thanks and condolences by Attorney General Stenehjem and others


Wreath presentation before the memorial


21 gun salute


Two names added


I’ll gladly admit that I’m a tireless cheerleader for law enforcement personnel here and all across our great nation. Some of them give it all in the line of duty, and this memorial honors that sacrifice. The national memorial ceremony is next week, and since there are two North Dakota families traveling to attend that ceremony, the North Dakota commemoration was moved to this week. Next week is Law Enforcement Week here in North Dakota and all across the USA, so please take any opportunity you get to thank them for their service on our behalf.

Blast from the (spelling) past

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I had the opportunity to pore over some boxes in the garage last night which my mom brought to me a year or so ago. I knew they contained old Peanuts paperback books and even some Archie comics, but they contained a lot of other cool stuff as well. Among those items was an envelope of State Spelling Bee memorabilia from 1983, the year I was a semi-finalist. I was the Mandan & Morton County champion that year, which is what got me the trip across the river to eat Beef Stroganoff, play Centipede in the arcade between rounds, and make some new friends as geeky as I.

Happy Industrial Revolution Day! (Or Happy Romans Chapter 1 Day for us Bible believers)

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This is a view that few people get to see. The glowing red on the other side of that smoked glass is a vortex of 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit reaching over two hundred feet high. It burns powdered coal which has been cleaned and dried, making it a very efficient and clean source of power. And it’s right here in North Dakota. You could put the state capitol building inside this boiler!

When you hear about “clean coal technology” you should note that North Dakota is pretty much the epicenter of innovation. At this particular power plant, by the way, over $200 million has been spent over the past thirty years on development of environmental technology. New processes have been brainstormed here that are of interest to power generation companies all over the world!

By the way, April 22nd is called “Earth Day” by some. This day was so named in order to fight global cooling back in 1970. That should tell you right there how much credibility the global cooling warming climate change movement has. Add to the mix the fact that it falls on Lenin’s birthday and mounting evidence that the “environmentalism” movement is merely a home for displaced socialists, and it all starts to make sense. After all…no matter what manifestation of global weather crisis is used to incite panic, the ONLY purported solution has always been global socialism.

Back to the photo. The power coming from plants like this powers homes, businesses, hospitals, schools…you name it. It provides life-saving heat in the winter and cooling in the summer. It powers information technology, life support systems, manufacturing, and who knows what else. Yet there are those deranged individuals who wish to vilify the energy industry and treat such technical innovation with disdain. They’re truly detached from reality and I welcome them to relocate to a third world country if they find nobility in primitive living.

Incidentally, the Bible talks of people who worship creation rather than the Creator in Romans chapter 1. This is nothing new. Actually, the people pushing this climate agenda wouldn’t be pushing it at all if the solution wasn’t global socialism. That’s why I choose to have a Festivus of sorts, one that recognizes the value of the technology and innovation that makes this country great. I’m not the one who brainstormed this answer to Earth Day, but I am certainly on board. Happy Industrial Revolution Day and/or Romans Chapter 1 Day!

Not with a bang, but a whimper

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Well, I guess that’s that. I just got done working the video crew for the last Dakota Wizards game ever. It was a little surreal, given the team’s long and proud history in the Bismarck-Mandan area. They lost a close one today to the Bakersfield Jam with a score of 93-91, and just like that – it was over.

The game play was good, so don’t let the title of this post lead you to believe that the Wizards went quietly. Once the last buzzer sounded, though, it didn’t take long for the lights to go down and the place to empty for the last time as home to an NBA game.

Many sports franchises have come and gone here in Bismarck. Anyone remember the Dakota Rattlers baseball team? The Bismarck Blaze or Roughriders indoor football squads? For a small town with seemingly fickle interests, the Dakota Wizards have been a unique success story in professional sports here in North Dakota. They succeeded where teams in other cities slowly faded away. The crowd involvement activities during breaks in game play were fun and energetic, sponsors seemed to be always present, and the Wizards managed to rack up a few league championship titles as well.

That’s what made it so odd when, once today’s game concluded, things just shut down as usual. While Kevin Rice’s number was retired during a brief ceremony at halftime, there wasn’t any sort of fanfare celebrating the history of Dakota Wizards basketball here in the capital city. Bummer. It was a great run while it lasted.

We still have Bobcats hockey to ease our craving for local sporting events, of course. Otherwise I guess we’ll have to wait and see what the next big thing is, and if it can enjoy the success and longevity of the Dakota Wizards.

My visit to the convention

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I took the opportunity to flex my media credentials and pop in at the Republican Party state convention last weekend – it’s been pretty hectic since then so this is the first opportunity I’ve taken to sit down and go through some of the photos. Here you see the entrance to the Civic Center arena – I had to camp out a little bit until the red carpet was clear. There was a LOT of activity that Saturday afternoon.

One of the first things I found photo worthy was the men’s room. That’s a spooky sentence to type – no, I’m not a weirdo, I just found the way that this bathroom was wallpapered to be quite entertaining. It should have been no surprise; the entire Civic Center (including the fences outside!) was so adorned.

Even funnier than the rest of the john was this clever sign tacked onto each hot air hand dryer. If I only got one photo out of the whole adventure, this would be my choice. I love a campaign with a sense of humor!

Drew Wrigley, current Lieutenant Governor, candidate and nominee. His youngest is trying hard to cause a wardrobe malfunction in the background. Kids and animals…you should never share a stage with ’em. 🙂

My friend Kurt, consummate professional and one of my role models in this business, technical director of the video portion of the show. He was joined by a veritable “Who’s Who” of veteran broadcast video talent. My friends Mike, Scott, Dan, and Marty were also part of the crew. The GOP was in good hands that day.

Of course I got some of these eagle-eye photos by climbing around in the catwalks up near the ceiling of the Civic Center. It’s funny, I can dangle around in the rafters of buildings like the FargoDome or our own little Civic Center, over the ledge at the top of the Capitol, or atop heavy equipment while it’s operating…but I cling to an eight foot stepladder with white knuckles. Go figure.

Due to some other photographic commitments I was unable to catch much of this convention, including the keynote speaker and some fireworks over the delegate selection debacle. The party is going through some interesting times as newly-active conservatives like myself begin to join the party and assert themselves. I think it’s a good thing.

The lesson I took away from this convention is that we are EXTREMELY energized. Seriously. The atmosphere was unmistakable. While the Democrats could barely get a small assembly to their convention with their beloved Bill Clinton as speaker, we had the Civic Center bursting at the seams. People were upbeat, energetic, and motivated for November. It was a great sight to behold, and I’m confident that North Dakota conservatives are geared up for a long and successful fight to restore liberty and responsibility to our government.

Rick Green returns to Bismarck-Mandan

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I was thrilled when I heard that Rick Green was coming to New Song Church last weekend, because I’m a huge fan of his work with Wallbuilders. This was an afternoon presentation on the Constitution and the Christianity of the founders of our nation, and the information presented was extremely eye-opening and educational.

If you haven’t visted the Wallbuilders website, you simply must do so. And even better is the daily half-hour Wallbuilders Live podcast. With a tagline like “The intersection of faith and politics” this show is enlightening and puts current issues in the context of the country’s founding documents and the faith of those responsible for them.

There was plenty of Q&A which ranged from current affairs and the upcoming elections to the original intent of the founders and some very interesting technical “nuts & bolts” about the Constitution (including some common misconceptions), the role of the courts, and the powers of the branches of the federal government. If this sounds like dry stuff to you, you’re mistaken.

I found out about this at the last minute or I’d have posted more about it earlier, giving people time to call New Song and RSVP to attend. The cost was $10 and pizza was provided (yum). The next time Rick comes to town, I’ll make sure to help New Song promote his visit and encourage you to come! In the mean time, check out Rick’s website and the Wallbuilders Live podcast.