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