By the time this edition of the Northern Sentry is delivered, school will be in session across most of North Dakota. I have even received a few photos from friends that have marked the beginning of their home schooling calendar year.

Several schools have already had their initial sporting events, so evenings are also packed. Not that summer isn’t busy, it just seems that once school starts things go into hyper drive.

As a community, now is the time for us to reach out to the Minot Air Force Base folks who are new and make them aware of the opportunities to get involved. And if not directly involved, at least the opportunity to support the many arts groups Minot has.

There is the Minot Symphony Orchestra, which will be scheduling tryouts for those more accomplished musicians. Last year there was a B 52 pilot that played violin. Then there is the Minot Community Orchestra, The Brass Band of Minot, The Chamber Chorale and certainly not last or least, the Heritage Singers Male Chorus and the Voices of Note women’s chorus. I am sure I have unintentionally forgotten a few other organizations, but watch the Northern Sentry events page and calendar closely, and if you have a question, don’t be afraid to send me an email at sentrysales@srt.com.

What Minot has to offer is pretty unique when it comes to performing arts groups. Very few cities are blessed with a symphony orchestra of the quality of the Minot Symphony Orchestra. I may have missed the Mouse River Players above, but their productions are top notch, using local talent (many of them from Minot Air Force Base). Minot also hosts the International Artist Series. This series is variety, big time. A list of the concerts and tickets are available on their International Artis Series website.

Looking back at my last year’s calendar there are dance recitals, an opera and several Christmas concerts. And what is most notable is that tickets to these events are affordable, and some of the concerts are even free, or the group accepts a charitable donation at the event.

But arts performances are not the only events on the calendar. Very soon the Minotauros and the Minot State Beavers will take to the ice with top quality hockey. And did I forget to mention that by Thanksgiving there will be curling leagues forming at the Minot Curling Club, and yes, there is even a league for Minot Air Force Base personnel and dependents. The number of participants in this league has grown over the years. Don’t know much about curling? Equipment and instruction are provided. I was told that Minot is the only active duty base in the world that has their own curling league. Who am I to question that claim?

Before I get into what happens when winter finally arrives, let’s ramp up for fall. There is still a lot of lake time left, and then we transition into fall which brings opportunity for those of you who love to hunt, hike and take photos.
So let the countdown begin. 3, 2, 1…Blastoff! “There isn’t anything to do” is not acceptable rhetoric. Minot is certainly a landscape of opportunity for those who take the time to explore.

Best Kept Secrets
A group of enterprising young adults have put together a plan to explore one hiking/biking trail a week. Their resources? The Minot Park District website. The North Dakota Parks & Recreation website. And then a couple of google searches has them easily booked for the next 3 months. They pick a path, pick a day and time and meet at the trailhead. What a great way to experience North Dakota, or even just Minot. Take your camera for those photo ops along the way.

Today’s Chuckle
Do you ever get the feeling life is a parade, and you’re the one assigned to clean up after the elephants?