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Political candidates invited to Kenmare Pioneer Day

Kenmare’s annual Pioneer Day, planned for Sunday, July 8th, at the Pioneer Village along U.S. Highway 52, will feature a little political action this summer.

7/05/12 (Thu)

Tractor barn . . . The building at right is the new implement
building at the Pioneer Village in Kenmare. The building includes
several items that are on display at the museum for the first
time, such as a collection of antique tractors, implements
and a 1940s era car and fire truck.

 

By Caroline Downs

Kenmare’s annual Pioneer Day, planned for Sunday, July 8th, at the Pioneer Village along U.S. Highway 52, will feature a little political action this summer.

Lake County Historical Society president Bryan Quigley has invited candidates for state and county offices to the event, with the promise of a few minutes of open microphone time in exchange for participation or team sponsorship in the log-cutting contest.

“We decided to get a little political this year,” said Quigley. “This is a way to expose people to who the candidates are and have some fun at the same time.”

Quigley contacted the Democrat-NPL and Republican party headquarters in the state with invitations to the event. As of Friday, he had confirmations from District 4 Representative candidates Glen Froseth (R), Kenton Onstad (D) and Tom Conklin (D). According to Quigley, Onstad said Democratic candidates Ryan Taylor (ND governor), Pam Gulleson (U.S. House of Representatives) and Heidi Heitkamp (U.S. Senate) could make an appearance.

Quigley also invited the five candidates for three Ward County Commission seats, including Alan Walter, Shelley Weppler, Jim Lee, Bruce Christianson and Jack Nybakken.

Implement building
has new displays
Along with some old-fashioned political stumping, the 2012 Pioneer Day will feature the official opening of the new implement display building. The 50’x80’ pole building was finished in September 2011 and built at a cost of $40,000 with help from donations by Russ and Cyndy Rytter, Kenmare Veteran’s Club, Inc., Gooseneck Implement, City of Kenmare gaming, Minot Hockey Boosters, Kenmare Area Community Foundation, Harris Construction and proceeds from the 2011 Pioneer Day event.

The building includes several items on display at the Village for the first time, including a 1946 Ford car, a Co-op No. 3 tractor, Allis-Chalmers tractor and McCormick tractor, all donated by Herman Landers. A wooden threshing machine and binder are on loan from the King family of Coulee, and Ron Boughton of the Kenmare area has contributed a working corn binder and a wooden wagon.

The popular tractor collection of the late Ival Mogren will be exhibited, along with a collection of stationary engines shared by Lawrence Ankenbauer.

A relic from Kenmare’s fire department will also be seen for the first time in decades, as a late-1940s model firetruck was taken out of storage and moved to the Village on loan for Pioneer Day.

Full schedule for all ages
Of course, the usual Pioneer Day events will offer fun for the whole family.

The scavenger hunt for all ages and tours of the Village begin at 1 pm.

Kids can participate in old-fashioned games from 2 to 4 pm in the area behind the white schoolhouse, with prizes awarded.

The always-popular hymn sing for all ages will begin at the Hartland Church at 3 pm.

Visit with political candidates throughout the afternoon, then join them and other teams for the log cutting contest at 5 pm.

Vendors will hawk their wares and food items, including tasty root beer and sarsaparilla, and “old time” music will be performed live.

The pig roast dinner will be served under the tent at 6 pm for the price of a free-will donation, and the Lake County Historical Society fund-raising raffle drawing will be held at 7:15 pm.

The fun continues into the evening, with the live performance of the melodrama “In search of the Holy Grill” on the outdoor stage in front of the Norma Hall, beginning at 7:30 pm. Pull up your chair for this one-act comedy, directed by DeVonne Hanson and featuring the antics of local actors and actresses.

Whether you come for a particular event or to spend the entire afternoon and evening, Pioneer Village is the place to share the best of the past and present in Kenmare on Sunday!