Tour of Sykeston, North Dakota with Illa Zink

Are any of you from north of Carrington and the area over toward Sykeston?

Illa Zink, a longtime, well respected and loved member of our community, took me on a delightful tour of that area.

I saw wonderful scenes of North Dakota farm country, including where Illa grew up. I recognized lots of familiar names from the past as well as the present... White, Laber, Garland, Lura, Rindy, Neumiller....

She showed me the farmhouse where she was born... in rustic decay now... along with a huge barn which time and wind have turned into a photographer's dream.

As we drove from there to Sykeston, we talked about how we loved the wide open spaciousness of our area and the ability to see for miles and miles.

In Sykeston, we admired the Fall decorations placed so thoughtfully throughout the town... and wondered who put so much time and effort into decorating.

As Illa drove around, I took pictures of buildings/decorations/signs that caught my eye.

The Saint Elizabeth Catholic Cemetery was awe inspiring with the beautiful, towering monument with Jesus as its centerpiece.

We admired the nice old Sykeston High School building and wondered what plans the community has for its use.

Also, the large lake and park were very inviting, making us want to get out and sit for a while and just enjoy the view.

The Autumn foliage made everything exceptionally beautiful.

Overall, the trip was very relaxing, enjoyable and informative... thanks to Illa who was an excellent tour guide! #sykestonnd #touringsykeston #smalltownND #carringtonndnews

Carrington Cemetery Walk with Michele Seil

Hello, Everyone! I think you would have enjoyed the Cemetery Walk last week with Michele Seil, our city librarian.

It was a beautiful evening, around 50 degrees... just right for a nice walk through the area... stopping to listen to stories of the past.

Story Time 

Michele did an excellent job of telling stories and giving interesting information about persons buried in the cemetery and their connection to our community.

I took pictures as we walked along and tried to get shots of the tombstones of the people she talked about.

Overall, there was too much information for me to report here, so I hope you'll visit the library and talk to Michele about her research.

The walk ended with a visit to the grave of Harry Hayashi and his family members. His story is always a poignant one... of a local man of Japanese descent, an important well-liked member of our community, who was taken away and placed in an internment camp during World War II. His creation, the Rainbow Gardens (a motel, music pavilion and restaurant) was known throughout the country... drawing such popular entertainers as Duke Ellington, Jimmy Dorsey and Louie Armstrong. With all his assets being seized by the government, Hayashi's Rainbow Gardens was never the same after he was released from the camp and returned to Carrington. However, he went on to own/run the Miami Grill, and he and his family remained substantial, supportive members of the Carrington community... and always respected by them.

Michele Seil - Harry Hayashi Family Grave

There is another Cemetery Walk scheduled for October 17th at 2 p.m.... with a variety of different stories to be told.

Thank you, Everyone, for dropping by Carrington News today. Hope you enjoy the pictures.... and have a great day! #carringtonndnews #carringtonnd #cemeterywalk #micheleseil

Frontpage News - Carrington, ND

Chieftain Conference Center, Carrington ND

Good morning, Everyone! It's rather overcast this morning in Carrington. In fact, there were a few snowflakes falling while I had coffee at the Chieftain this morning.

Our high today is predicted to be a cold 33 degrees, but thankfully our winds are blowing gently at around 5mph.

I picked up a copy of the Foster County Independent (which comes out once a week) and read the following frontpage news:

1) A new meat-processing plant is being built by Tom Solwey in Carrington;

2) A mask mandate is being enforced at Carrington High School for staff and students;

3) There is a big spike in COVID-19 cases in Foster County... active cases 34, 111 total;

4) City Hall and the Armory are closed to the public due to increase in COVID-19 cases

5) The City Council agreed to pay $125,000 of our tax money toward demolishing the downtown, falling-apart elevator owned by Donnie Theis;

6) Headlocks and the Garden Gate are each being granted $25,000 to improve their buildings on Main Street.

Wherever you live, I hope your news is good news! Thanks for dropping by! #carringtonndnews #carringtonnd

Inside the Foster County Courthouse - Carrington, ND

Hello Everyone -- Hope your Friday is treating you well! Here in Carrington, our temperature is all the way up to 24 degrees with 21mph winds. 

Thought I'd show you some pictures of the inside of the Foster County Courthouse where it's warm and cozy. Have you seen the murals there? 

 Here are a few pictures of the ones located on the main floor of the building.

 I'm having a hard time trying to get good photos of the murals high up by the stained glass in the dome. I'll keep trying! 

Are there any other buildings you'd like me to feature on Carringonton News? I really enjoy taking pictures of the old buildings in this area! 

As always, thanks for dropping by Carrington News... and have a great day! #carringtonndnews #carringtonnd #fostercountynd

Roger Lauckner Benefit

What a wonderful benefit for Roger Lauckner on Tuesday night, January 21st, at CBS' here in Carrington!

A Baked Potato and Chili Supper sponsored by the American Legion/VFW and their Auxiliaries had an amazing community turnout! The lines of people were constant from 5:30 p.m. all the way till the abundance of chili ran out and the last two potatoes were served around 7 o'clock.

 Folks completely filled the dining area throughout the evening, visiting and showing support to a well-loved community member who needed a helping hand.

Roger's wife Linda addressed the crowd, ending with tears of appreciation for the thoughtfulness and generosity of the community.

Still recuperating from his 6 month stay at the VA Hospital in Fargo, Roger moved around slowly with help from his walking aides and even managed to take his place on stage and strum some tunes while people were dining and participating in the silent auction.

 Roger's well-wishers outdid themselves in providing items for the silent auction... so by the end of the evening, along with donations from the freewill supper, the fundraiser accumulated around $6,700. Quite an incredible show of love and support from the community!

(Kudos to everyone who participated in making this benefit possible, to the American Legion and VFW and their auxiliary ladies who prepared and served the supper, to the folks who donated items for the silent auction, to Barton Meats who donated 20 pounds of hamburger for the chili, to the folks who donated money for the freewill supper, to the people who bid very generously at the auction, to people who donated in other ways... You are simply AWESOME!) #carringtonndnews

2020 Census Presentation at Carrington Senior Citizens Center

Brad Solberg, Foster County Auditor, and Jennifer Gast, Carrington City Auditor, spoke at the Carrington Senior Citizens Center today about the coming 2020 Census. 

They presented details about the census form and emphasized how important it is to fill out the form and turn it in. 

Do you realize how important it is to get a complete census count for Carrington and Foster County?  Of course, you realize that the census count determines how many representatives each state gets in Congress, and it is used to draw district boundaries. 

What is not so well known is how the census count affects us locally.   For instance, our community relies on accurate census data to plan such things as new roads, schools, emergency services and more.  

What's more, our census count determines the amount of money/grants that are given to us from the state/federal government.  In other words, the more population we have, the more money will be allocated to us for important local services.

Without an accurate count of the residents of Carrington and Foster County, the city and county could lose out on substantial state and federal funding. #2020census
#carringtonndnews