Bowdon, ND

I just want everyone to know that the Housing as a Tool for Rural Community Success in Steele was a great learning experience for me. The idea of a STAT team representing all facets of ND housing related offices is a great idea. I’m hoping to spend a half hour at a future Bowdon Development meeting to educate the board on possible surveys and analysis of our community housing needs and what we can do to improve the housing so more people will stay in Bowdon and new people will have housing opportunities.

Wednesday night, April 2, a group of Bowdonites gathered at the Library and learned about circles–the circles of recycling and composting.

As we move toward a Green Bowdon, recycling has become an important part of our efforts. Angela Boeshans, Executive Director of the North Dakota Solid Waste and Recycling Association, gave us a rousing presentation of all aspects of recycling and how we can easily integrate it into our households, our businesses, our farms and ranches, and our community. We learned that when we recycle, we put our refuse and waste back into the circle of manufacturing and use, instead of having it wind up in the dead end of the landfill. Interest was high, and the group asked lots of questions. The answers will be a great help in moving us forward to becoming the little green town on the prairie.

Following Angela, Ron Wiederholt of the NDSU Research Station at Carrington gave us important information about how we can keep even more stuff out of the landfill and move it back into the circle of life by composting. We found out that composting is simple and easy and will result in a 70% reduction in the volume of organic waste, while helping us to grow fruits, vegetables, and flowers that are vigorous and healthy. According to Ron, anything that is derived from something once living can go into the compost pile/bin/barrel. He did caution us, however, that we shouldn’t recycle potato or tomato vines because of the possiblity of plant diseases. With anything else that goes through the composting process, though, the heat from the process will break down toxins, weed seeds, and all the rest of that bad stuff. What we get at the end is clean, crumbly, rich, organic, earthy-smelling compost–manna for the garden. To illustrate, Ron passed around a two-year-old bag of compost that was made from manure.  It smelled, according to Gary Heintz, “earthy–like rich soil.” The group concurred that it was black gold!

All this information will be a great help in our community gardening and beautification efforts. Thanks Angela and Ron! 

This really isn’t about politics but about what it is that makes the Horizons Program so successful in our rural areas. That said, I’m very excited about being a delegate to the ND Democratic-NPL state convention this coming weekend and hearing two of the three major presidential contenders speak.

When I lived in Maryland, I voted, of course, and read about and listened to the candidates and the issues, but I didn’t feel that I–and other “little people” like me–could be easily heard or have much influence.  Here in North Dakota, however, our voices are heard, our legislators are friends and neighbors, and we only have one or two “degrees of separation” between us and those we elect to serve us. Horizons taps into that nearness of power and gives us tools to access programs, agencies, and people who can help us make a difference and move toward thriving communities.

No matter what our political affiliation, we are gaining the skills to make ourselves heard and to influence our own destinies. What a gift!

Earlier in March, Wayne Fuhrman, Gary Heintz, Laurel Jones, Valgene Kreiter, and Patti Patrie met with Dale Van Eckhout of the USDA to discuss options for funding for updating and heating the school, both the new part and the 1913 building. We’re looking at renewable energy sources that are economical to install and use. Many ideas were generated during the meeting, and the one thing we could all easily agree on was that we need the assistance of an architect to help us evaluate our specific needs. Anyone out there?  

I am pumped up!! Laurel Jones and I attended the Miner County presentation at Gackle Thursday night. We saw old friends from Leadership Plenty training, were inspired by the story of dedicated people in Miner County who are reinventing their future, and Laurel sold 16 “Believe in Bowdon” Raffle Tickets at $20 a shot. She assured the good folks in Gackle that at least one would win and good enough our friend Mary Conrad did just that in our first drawing yesterday in Bowdon.

Two things really impressed my about Miner County. 1. Their original program was youth driven. 2. They focused on the impact that 10% increased purchasing would do to their community. Someone had suggested that very idea for increased patronage to our local grocery store. Now we have proof from our friends in South Dakota that buying local has great impact!

Lance Brower, NDSU Ext. agent with an emphasis on economic development, can help Bowdon do a similar assessment. I will be taking the idea to the marketing task force soon and with their approval will anticipate some very helpful feedback through Lance’s assessment.

By the way Kurt S.– thank you for your blog and the suggestion for our grocery store. I am looking forward to the day when the Bowdon community will be celebrating the outcome of its new found loyalty to present and new business entities.

Patti Patrie was just elected president of the ND Farmers Market and Grower Association at its 4th annual conference in Carrington, ND on February 15 and 16. Patti grew up in Michigan on a fruit farm and now raises red raspberries on the Patrie grain and cattle farm southeast of Bowdon. Raspberries are sold fresh and in processed products made in the Patries’ on-farm commerical kitchen. A fruit stand was built by Clayton Patrie (Patti’s oldest son) when a Junior at the Bowdon High School. It is located on the northwest corner of Highways 52 and 200 where they intersect just 1 mile north of the Patries’ berry patch.

For several years Patti has been encouraging others in Bowdon to grow produce and sell it along with the raspberries at the fruit stand. Now people are realizing that growing a few more vegetables in their gardens may be a good way to increase the amount of local foods available for purchase in ND. Local food production and a local foods diet are two ways to build upon the new trend of eating by health conscience consumers. Customers inquire about more choices. ND people are agricultural. So its a perfect fit to match the local skills with demand.

Patti and daughter, Anne, attended the conference session on high tunnel production by Terry Nennich of Bemidgi, MN. The tunnels serve as greenhouses but have no artifical heat. Temperature is controled by rolling up and down the plastic walls of the tunnel. Tunnels serve to extend the growing season of both fruit and vegetables which make them very popular in northern climates.

The farmers market group will work to bring Terry back again to speak in more detail on the tunnels and plan a tour of tunnels in the Fergus Falls area of MN this summer. For more information on the farmers market organization and events go to www.ndfarmersmarkets.com or call Patti at 701-962-3355.

Meanwhile the local foods interest is growing in Bowdon and the Horizons team has asked Dwight Duke of Hensler to do a presentation on raising organic fruit and vegetables and marketing at Farmers’ Markets. He will be in Bowdon at the school building library on Sunday, March 30 from 1 to 4 p.m. Everyone is invited.

On Feb. 8th, Denise Spanjer of the Center for Technology & Business, came to Bowdon to give the Train-the-Trainer Class in Computer Education Courses.  Denise was very helpful in giving us the tools we need to competently hold Adult Education Computer Courses.  The following classes will be given:
1. Computing 1 - A beginners guide to computers & the internet.
2. Computing 2 - Word Processing & Spreadsheets
3. Intermeditate Course
4. Windows Management
5. Powerpoint
6. Microsoft Word
7. Microsoft Excel
8. Power-up with Projects
a. Intro to Genealogy
b. Intro to Online Shopping
c. Finding Answers to Your Computer Questions Online
d. Online Investing Resources
e. Getting Acquainted with the Photo Editing Program
f.  Intro to Digital Photography
g. Projects Using Digital Images, Part 1
h. Projects Using Digital Images, Part 2

For more information, contact Pam Hoff at 962-3697.

An idea that surfaced when the Bowdon Public School merged with Fessenden in 1997 was to build a commercial kitchen in the science room of the vacated school. It wasn’t until the Horizons program in Bowdon that the entire community has started to look at the real possiblilites of such a business in the community.

On February 4 at 4:30 Dennis Hahn of St. Cloud, MN will meet with the members of the school utilization committee to look at the possibilites of remodeling the 1958 built science room into a kitchen for use during community activities, cooking classes, rental to food entrepreneurs, and possible food processing business for the community of Bowdon. Dennis works with a Fargo based restaurant supply company in offering his expertise in commercial kitchen design.

On February 14 an informational meeting will take place with the stakeholders of the kitchen project. Bruce Smith from Glendive, Montana will come to Bowdon to share his expertise on commercial kitchens and food related business. Bruce has had past experience working for two major food companies and is presently a Montana State Extension worker helping eastern Montana establish a project in Glendive which includes a shared-use kitchen, micro-brewery, restaurant, and culinery school. Bruce has been to North Dakota in the past to share information at the state capitol with members of the Bowdon community and others around the state.

Details are being worked out for the workshop which at present will run from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the school building. Anyone interested in helping with the project, fruit and vegetable growers, present and future entrepreneurs, economic development personal, local government officials, etc. are welcome. The project fits into the strategic goal of developing business and jobs in the Bowdon-Chaseley-Heaton community. The project likely will involve persons from throughout the central part of the state.

Please call Patti Patrie at 962-3355 or 471-4748 with your interest.

The Bowdon Cafe is the hub of activity in Bowdon. When it was closed for weekends this past summer due to a shortage of cooks the residents of our community awoke to the fact that everyone is needed to support business in rural communities. For the Bowdon Cafe it was not the lack of customers but the need for committed workers.

Luckily Brian Tebelius persuaded his wife, Kathy, to work several days per week and because of a Horizons steering meeting where the need was presented, Cindy Hoff, offered to cook Fridays and share weekends. Brian knew he needed a place to eat when Kathy is away teaching art, attending college classes, or sharing her Bible School programs with children throughout the state. Kathy is a busy, multi-talented person who brings a great sense of humor and new recipes to work with her. Cindy’s talents are not to go unnoticed either as she ran the cafe several years before the present owners took over in 2002. Beside being a great cook, Cindy cares about the appearance of the cafe and upkeep that makes a visual difference to the customer.

Two remaining cooks who had been maintaining the balance of cooking with Judy Schlossnagle, whose resignation this summer caused the community’s alarm, are Freida Tebelius and Londa Neumiller. Freida manages the cafe’s kitchen and should be given a reward for working extra hours and refusing to let the owners completely close the cafe this summer. Londa works during the winter when she is not busy on the family farm. Freida is loved for the “cheese buttons” she makes as a special entree and Londa has gained a reputation as master baker, especially known for scrumptious cheesecakes. Both are wives of two present cafe owners.

The cafe has been owned by 10-12 community men since 2002. Each owner has contributed finances to the business on two occasions and know they will not receive any financial dividends from their generosity. Their rewards are knowing they will have a place to eat a hearty, home-cooked meal or just have coffee and a carmel roll with discussion on the latest agricultural pursuits.

Lately the owners have realized that the cafe not only meets their food and social needs but also those of singles and elderly in the community. Meals on Wheels is offered to people in Bowdon from the Sheridan-Wells Aging Council, but there still is a need to socialize while eating and the community is dedicated to meeting this need even if food delivery is required. (A separate strategy of Horizons is meeting the transportation, housekeeping, shopping,and delivery needs of the elderly in the community).

So on January 2 four of the Cafe owners and several BDCI board members met in the school building library to dialogue about the cafe, its future, and its meaning to the community. The number one concern of the cafe owners is to find more help, or to find someone who will take a full-time position. BDCI offered to help by advertising through its website and the “Bowdon Guardian”, supporting the idea of signature foods offered at the cafe; planning and installing decor; and looking at a possible remodel of the kitchen. Long-term goals were discussed and a future meeting of the group was suggested.

The dialogue was pertainent to the goal of “Supporting Local Business”. It’s hard for the community to see itself as growing and thriving when rural North Dakota is changing so fast. The 12 leaders who stepped out to buy and save the cafe 6 years ago responded to a need. Now they will become leaders in looking at the needs a small town and its rural components will have in the future. The January gathering was a recognition that both entities care very much for this community we call Bowdon-Chaseley-Heaton and want to work together to weather the changes of this world and look for opportunities for our community to thrive.

The Bowdon Guardian is back. When the Horizon Action Forum voted to publish a local newsletter, three members began firing off ideas for the publication. They were subsequently assigned the privilege of getting the job done.
After some minor delays the paper took form. Issues concerning format, content and publish dates were quickly ironed out and the first issue was mailed Friday, January18th.
The new editors, Carolynn Ondris, Linda Widicker and Carol Hadley compile information such as articles submitted by pastors of local churches and timely health advice by Candace Kreiter, FNP. Cottage industries help keep our community strong and we feature several with each issue. Carolynn, Linda and Carol write articles and Linda is responsible for the attractive layout. Also, find historical nuggets, community calendar and recipes, a kid’s korner and swap shop. Bowdon Development Center, Inc. contributes quarterly reports from their activities.
BCDI furnishes the funds to publish and mail the Guardian. Readers are urged to submit material for publication.