The Northern Sentry has been printed in Garrison, North Dakota, for as long as most of us can remember. There are records of the Northern Sentry being printed in Minot as part of the Minot Daily News, and at another local print shop, but BHG, now NorDak North, has been printing, assembling, and shipping the Northern Sentry for at least the last 20 years.
We wanted to give our young Junior Journalists and carriers, along with their parents, and well any other interested youth, a chance to see how the process of printing a weekly newspaper like the Northern Sentry works. The printing press is located on Main Street in Garrison, and the Northern Sentry usually goes on the press at 1:30 PM every Wednesday. Thus, our tour will start there. There is something magic about the large rolls of newsprint running through various stages of printing and ending up as sections of the paper, ready to cut and fold. Pretty soon, after the cutting and folding process, the paper is assembled into sections. Around 4,750 papers will come off the press every Wednesday. Our guests will be encouraged to ask questions of the staff of NorDak North printing.
Then the group will have the option of boarding the Garrison Trolley and be transported to Fort Stevenson State Park. There, constructed on the shores of Lake Sakakawea, is Guardhouse that resembles the original Fort Stevenson. There are several historical exhibits and a short self-guided walking tour. A representative of the Fort Stevenson foundation, who run the Guardhouse house area, will be on hand to answer whatever questions our tour members have.
An hour later we will once again hop back on the trolley and head to the Garrison Bay Marina and store. Publisher, and host, Ted Bolton has offered to purchase all participants a Pride Dairy (absolutely the best in North Dakota) ice cream cone. Hopefully they will have my favorite, chokecherry, ice cream on hand. The store overlooks the Garrison Bay Marina, Garrison Bay and has a panoramic view of Lake Sakakawea to the west.
Then back on the trolley for a short trip back to Garrison, and our day has ended. If you are looking to sign up, go to our Facebook page for more information.
We will be limited to the first 28 to sign up, as that is the capacity of the Garrison Trolley.
Military Day At The Parks
There is an ad in today’s Northern Sentry about Military Day at the Minot Parks, which is June 7th. We are hoping that a majority of the folks who get the paper on Thursday, June 6th, will be able to catch the ad and take advantage of a great day at the Minot Parks. Never been ice skating in the summer? MAYSA arena is part of the venues open to Military Families. I also encourage you to visit the Roosevelt Park Zoo. The zoo is going through a bit of a transition because of flood control construction, but it’s still a great place to spend time. We’re hoping for a great day weatherwise, and a good turnout.
Frontier Military Day At Fort Stevenson State Park
June 24th & 25th Fort Stevenson State Park will host Frontier Military Days. Take a step back in time on the Guardhouse Interpretive Center lawn. The event takes place from Noon to 4 PM both Saturday and Sunday. The military encampment will feature authentic tents and gear, living history demonstrations of tomahawk throwing, a trader tent, and black powder gun demonstrations. If we’re lucky there will be an authentic black powder canon that will be loaded and fire their volley, a large head of cabbage, into Lake Sakakawea. It’s one of those “not to be missed” events.
Best Kept Secrets
Another of those “can’t miss events” is the Old Fashioned Ice Cream Social and Band Concert to be held on July 5th at the International Peace Garden. Spend touring the gardens, maybe enjoy a picnic, and then spend the evening, 8:00 to 10:00 PM in the Masonic Auditorium. The International Music Camp Staff & Faculty Band will perform in a concert sure to dazzle. In general, The International Peace Garden is a best kept secret year round. Take a day and tour the gardens and the new Vitko succulent display. Absolutely amazing.
Today’s Chuckle
Experts don’t necessarily know more than you do, they just have websites and business cards.
