Don’t Miss the Small Business/Entrepreneurship Workshop

Upcoming small business/entrepreneurship workshops to be held in Napoleon, ND on April 12 and Lakota, ND on April 14.  Please pass this information on to potential small business owners, entrepreneurs, and economic developers in your community.

April 12, 2011

Reuben’s Restaurant, 105 Main Ave. W., Napoleon, ND

April 14, 2011

Community Room, Courthouse Lower Level, 210 West B. Avenue, Lakota, ND

Many specialists will be on hand from the following organizations: NDSU Extension, Small Business Administration, North Dakota Small Business Development Centers

The fee is waived for anyone from a Horizons community and the program will mileage for one car to the site of the training. Registration is $30 and covers lunch and all materials. Please contact Sandy Erickson at 701-328-9718 by Wednesday, April 6th to sign up. Download a .pdf of the flyer:  Turning Your Ideas Into Reality – Starting a Small Business

Transition Complete!

You have found the new location for the Gackle, North Dakota Blog.  This site grew out of a GREAT! community development project call Horizons.  That program is soon coming to a close so it was up to each town to transition their blog to a new location.  The posts you will find prior to April 1, 2011 are archives of Gackle’s time in the program.

The hope that future posts will give people throughout the world and our friends and families as chance to keep up with what’s happening in the heart of North Dakota’s coteau region, our community Gackle, ND.

Please subscribe at the right side of this screen and you’ll know when new information is posted.  Please make comments and if you want to be a Gackle blogger contact us at sjepp@daktel.com.

Defining Main Street Projects – Come with Ideas and Win a Photo!

Capture the Coteau – Art in the Park
Defining Main Street Projects – Come with Ideas and Win a Photo!

Art in the Park participants have been active during the past 7 weeks of Gackle’s Farmers Market.  If you saw the exhibit last weekend, you know that lots of raw material (artwork) has been created to help shape the “look” of colorful projects that will be created for Main Street. Now we need to define what kinds of projects we want build and decorate.  Remember, the idea was consolidate the raw material generated in the past weeks into stylized designs to “decorate” what ever the community participants wish to develop.  Suggestions have been made already, they include, planters, garbage can covers, light pole banners and recycling bins.

We need help and more suggestions – perhaps YOU have an idea that hasn’t been thought of!  Come to the park and help brainstorm what might be possible.  We’ll meet Saturday, September 6, 3-5 pm in the Park shelter.  Those who share their suggestions can have their name put in a drawing to win a framed photograph taken this summer by a Gackle artist!

Thanks to everyone who has participated in Art in the Park so far! Its been a lot of fun.  If you have ideas to share but can’t make it to the Market please call Sally at 701-485-3454 or email sjepp@daktel.com.

“Meet-and-Greet” Conversation in Park Introduces New District #28 Legislative Candidates Bergman, Vetter & Gross

District #28 voters from the region enjoyed beautiful weather Saturday, July 26^th when Gackle’s A.F. Lehr Park became the setting for an open-air “open conversation” about political possibilities and alternatives. Over thirty residents from Gackle, Jud and Fredonia, plus several from Lehr, turned out for the 5:00-6:30 PM get-together under the trees. The event was sponsored and co-hosted by Mary Jo Fries, Marilyn Entzminger and Mary Conrad.

April Fairfield, formerly of Eldridge and now living in Bismarck, served as guest facilitator for the unprecedented discussion among local Democrats, Republicans and Independents. The group focused on the most important issues legislators need to address during the coming four years.

Ms. Fairfield launched the conversation by asking participants how they would use a “Willie Wonka golden ticket”–if they had one–to improve what our government is doing for us. Her ten years of experience in the North Dakota House and Senate were an extremely helpful backdrop for the Q&A that followed. Participants were introduced to Senate candidate Alan Bergman from Jud, and House candidates Kristen Vetter from Linton and Isadore Gross from Kintyre, all running on the 2008 Dem-NPL ticket. Along with Ms. Fairfield, they fielded questions and then mingled with participants.

CLICK HERE FOR SLIDE SHOW

During the final half hour, everyone enjoyed refreshments of meat, cheese and crackers, fresh fruit and veggies. Guests and many residents lingered for an extra half hour to continue their conversations with candidates and enjoy chatting with friends and neighbors from the region.

At the end of the evening there was general agreement among participants that this type of conversation about issues can be both enjoyable and productive, especially as it offers opportunities to listen and engage each other in the political process. Candidates Bergman, Vetter and Gross joined the three hostesses and guest facilitator at Dani’s Place afterwards to end the evening with conversation over delicious grilled steak dinners.

Unbelievable! Artists in the Park!

If you would have told me I could get more than 20 people to come to a drawing classon a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Gackle, North Dakota I would have said-”dream-on.” But Gackle proved me wrong and that was my hope! They said they wanted arts opportunities and cultural activities and thanks to a North Dakota Council on the Arts grant some Gackle “artists” enjoyed a drawing lesson with Linda Whitney from Valley City State University. Here are some photos.

I can’t wait till next week!

People Wanted!

People Wanted! Capture the Coteau – Art in the Park has Something for Everyone!

During the Art in the Park orientation many people commented, “I’m not and artist, I couldn’t do that!” But you don’t have to be an artist to do any of these activities. It’s about people of all ages getting together to have some fun, maybe learn something new and collectively working to develop attractive projects to beautify Gackle’s Main Street (see illustration at right below).

Next week, July 26, 3-5 pm, Linda Whitney, art teacher from Valley City State University will be teaching drawing. Since the idea is to Capture the Coteau – there will be many collected wildflowers, bugs, butterflies, bird and fish decoys to sketch. If you would like to bring something to sketch, appropriate to the theme, particularly if you have a decoy, please do!

The following week, August 2, 3-5 pm, people can use their new drawing skills to go sketching, as the French say, en plein air. We’ll take our sketchbooks and head “into the wild” to sketch the plants and animals where they live. We won’t go far, just south of town a couple blocks.

Download the Coteau Flyer. We will need to know if you are planning to participate in the August 9th photography workshop or 16th sketching in clay, both these activities will require some preparation so knowing how many people plan to participate will be helpful. Look for more information on these and the other activities in upcoming Blog posts.

September is the Planning Phase of this project. During the Farmers Market meetings we will combine different aspects of our artworks into designs to “decorate” Main Street projects (see illustration at right). During this phase we will need “idea” people, “builder/carpenter” people, and “artists (painters, stencilers, seamstresses, etc.)” to make this happen. So if you want to bring a little “color” to Main Street your help is needed.

All materials (lumber, paint etc.) for the final projects will paid for with a grant from the North Dakota Council on the Arts. The North Dakota Council on the Arts is the state agency responsible for the support and development of the arts throughout North Dakota, and is funded by the state legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.

If you have questions or would like more information please call Sally Jeppson, 701-485-3454, or email sjepp@daktel.com.

Whistle Blows and We’re Off!

The 2008, 2nd Annual Gackle Farmers Market kicked off with an “official” whistle by Mayor Ritchie Jacobson. There were eight vendors present and despite the short growing season there were many fresh selections, tasty baked goods and delicious jams. The just-picked onions, spinach, lettuce, and new potatoes drew enthusiastic buyers. There were also fruits available, cherries, grapes, peaches and other selections.

Some vendors specialized in baked goods–kuchen, buns, sweet breads and cookies galore, and canned goods–jams and preserves of all kinds. There were also handmade items for sale.

The orientation for the Capture the Coteau – Art in the Park project gave visitors to the Market a glimpse of what’s coming throughout the summer. These art activities and classes are free and open to all ages. They will take place in the park every week during Farmers Market.

Thanks to all the hard work, A.F. Lehr Park was in tip-top shape and everyone appreciated the attractive and shady setting. If you didn’t have a chance to visit Saturday – don’t miss the Market next week – word’s out that the snow peas and sugar snap peas will be available!