Gackle, ND

It has been almost five years since the Community Development took over ownership of the Gackle Cafe. The cafe has had many struggles during this time to keep the doors open. Currently, the cafe is being leased to Carolyn Zacher. She took over running the cafe last fall and really enjoys being apart of our community and wants to stay. So what’s the problem? Hard to pinpoint one thing so lets just get to the point. The lease has been changed so that Carolyn will be paying a monthly rent for the building and the community will be in charge of the rest. The rest (water, propane, electricity, insurance) is estimated to cost $1200.00 per month. I urge the community of Gackle to take ownership in this. If you want the cafe to remain open, we all need to support it in any way we can (donating, volunteering, eating, etc.). The cafe board, consisting of Mary Jo Fries, Barb Schmidt, and Sandi Rivinius, have been working hard to generate ideas to raise money. In addition to local fundraising efforts, the board has received grants from the North Dakota Community Foundation to help support the cafe.

A Pancake, French Toast, and Sausage buffet is scheduled to be held on April 20, 2008. There is a list of items that can be donated for this, which includes: syrup, eggs, butter, and orange juice. Any donations can be taken to the cafe. A raffle drawing will also be held on this day. Items on the raffle include a $150 Reister Meats bundle, $100 savings bond, $50 gift certificate for the Gackle Coop, and gift certificates for the cafe. Tickets can be purchased from any board member, at the bank, or the cafe for $1 per ticket or 6 for $5. Our main street needs a cafe!

Constant problems due to age and obsolescence have plagued the Gackle’s sewers. Quick fixes and costly repairs have town maintenance workers, volunteers and city leaders wondering if the sewer problems will ever end. It has become a problem that won’t go away and a major obstacle to the future growth of the town. Streets have been torn up and left unpaved and that’s not the worst of it…

Our Strategic Plan, which developed out of the Horizons Project, outlines Infrastructure Repair and Maintenance as key to Gackle’s Financial Stability. City leaders have worked hard to find a way to repair the sewer that is cost effective and fair to all residents. The plan was outlined by the mayor and contracted engineer in a town meeting on February 28.

The repairs will be paid for with Federal grants coupled with a resident infrastructure fee of $25 - $30 added to everyone’s water bill. While nobody wants an added fee, everyone who attended the meeting seemed to understand that it was a necessary step and an investment in the town’s future.

Check out the article that was in Tri-County News by clicking on the mini-newspaper for details of the plan.

This plan appears to have broad public support unlike plans outlined in the past. In my opinion, this is due to the transparency of the process and the willingness of the city to work with residents to come up with a “workable” solution. Giving everyone a “voice” is a big part of what the Horizons process has taught us.

KEEP OUR AMBULANCE SERVICE IN OPERATION!

The Gackle Ambulance needs local help to continue operation and service. “The only way that is going to happen is to add more people to the Squad. The Squad needs EMTs, Divers, and EMT Assistants.”

Some time ago you may have heard that the Gackle Ambulance Service received a grant to provide training and pay for Squad staff. Receiving this grant was a huge achievement and a tremendous amount of work for all who worked so hard to receive this funding. (See Tri-County article at left).

Thanks to this funding, a training series is scheduled to start on March 24, 2008 and we need people participate. The details are in the attached Tri-County article. Please contact James or Melody Owen at 485-3238.

Yes, it’s a big commitment to train and then serve on the Squad but it is worthy one that everyone should appreciate. I can say from experience, that having a well-trained local ambulance service can mean life or death to someone who is injured.

There is no greater calling than to serve your fellow men. There is no greater contribution than to help the weak. There is no greater satisfaction than to have done it well - Walter Philip Reuther

I took this photo on the 4th of July during Gackle’s “Rock-the-Park” Horizons Celebration (see earlier blog entry), which culminated with a fabulous fireworks display. A fireworks display of this kind had not occurred in Gackle for many years.

I thought, for now, that the Fireworks image might be appropriate for our banner as the Gackle’s excitement builds and we are launching into the action phase of our strategic plan.

As you plan your gardens for 2008, please plant extra so YOU can participate in Gackle’s Farmers Market as both a buyer and a vendor. We have big hopes for this year’s market, and we want the whole community to join in. Let’s start by joining the conversation that gets the ball rolling.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008
7:00 PM - Carolyn’s Café
(snacks provided)

• What did you like about last year’s markets?
• What can we do more of?
• What can we do less of?
• What new ideas can we try?
• What will draw regional shoppers to our market?
• What do we need for promotion and setup?

Come one, come all…See you there!!!

Want some ideas? Want to dream big? Go to this link and read about my alma mater’s Farmers Market in Davis, California, one of the premier markets in the country. And for even more depth, check out this Case Study.

Gackle is home to the Krieger Movie Theatre, which is one of the oldest family owned theaters in North Dakota. It first opened its doors in 1946 and has been at its present location since 1948. Movies are shown each weekend, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, (8pm) May - September.

Last fall, a visiting architect, Dr. Paul Gleye from NDSU toured the theatre and felt it was a “gem” to be preserved. Family illnesses have made it increasingly difficult for the Krieger family to easily operate the theatre and implement any improvements. Nobody wants the theater to close down and hopefully we can get together soon to discuss the state of the theatre and its future.

During our Horizons Community Conversations when people expressed their wishes for the town, the Krieger Theatre was identified as a great asset for local entertainment and an important main-street business. The youth were especially concerned that their theatre be “fixed-up.”

It’s a great thing to be able to walk a block from home and enjoy a 1st run movie in a town of less than 400! This is one of the few businesses in our town that actually draws people in from surrounding communities.

In my opinion, fixing the theatre up could have a spin-off affect on other businesses. Imagine, why not enjoy a movie in a freshly improved building but also a dinner in the cafe, bar or tastee freez.

And if we think a little “bigger” could an “improved” Krieger also be venue for community productions, local performers, and a comedy night or could the walls even be hung with an exhibition?

So where do we go from here?

Friends of the Krieger needed - volunteers and $$$ welcome!

March 6, 2008 - Miner County Story

Learn how they turned their struggling county into a success story…

Russ Pollock of Gackle with the help of Jodi Bruns, NDSU Extension, Ellendale have made arrangements for Miner County, South Dakota representatives to come an tell their story right here in Gackle! Hats off to all your hard work getting this organized. Don’t miss this presentation! Thursday evening, March 6, 2008, Gackle Legion Hall, 7-9 pm. Miner County pdf

…and one week later…

March 13, 2008 - Free Workshop Offered on Fundraising and Endowment Development

The North Dakota Community Foundation will offer a one day workshop for area residents on Thursday, March 13 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm at the Emmanuel Lutheran Church at 117 Spruce Street West in Gackle. Grant workshop.pdf

You have two chances a year to donate your blood to the American Red Cross. The Red Cross team was here on Monday, January 28th at the Emmanuel Lutheran Church to welcome anyone willing to donate. For the past few years, the Gackle Progress Homemakers group has helped in the calling, scheduling, and assisting with the blood drive. The blood drive will be held again in June of this year in case you missed out this time.

The Gackle community came out in large numbers Friday, January 25th to help support our local cafe. Carolyn Zacher became the new leasee of the Gackle Community Cafe last fall and really enjoys being in our community, but as we all know, rising costs for keeping doors open becomes a challenge at times. The Gackle cafe board, consisting of Mary Jo Fries, Barb Schmidt, and Sandi Rivinius, have continued to work to find ways to help offset these costs. What better way to get people out but make some dough food! And lots of it! The menu included: knephla, baked rice, lazy cheese buttons, kraut buns, fleishkechla, bread pudding, strudels, kuchen bars, and pickled beets. I myself was in the kitchen learning some of the traditional ways to make these special foods. We had lots of volunteers to help bring everything together and sponsors for expenses, bingo prizes, and raffle items.
We estimated serving about 180 people and the cafe stayed full afterwards for bingo. The board plans to continue to do fundraiser like this and is planning to do a raffle in the near future. Stay tuned for updates and thanks again to everyone who came out to support!

These Limericks about Gackle’s Horizon milestones were composed by Mary Conrad and read by Tom Isern at the January 19th, 2008 Pep Rally. Thanks to Buck at Tri-County News for the kick-off, conversation circles, and computer chat photographs shown below.

CLICK HERE to see & hear some of the Limericks on VIDEO

HORIZONS PROJECT LAUNCH / KICKOFF EVENT (January 27, 2007)

There once was a town on the prairie

Whose future appeared downright scary

     Till they’d all had enough

     Of that hopelessness stuff

And regrouped in the high school library.

CONVERSATION CIRCLES (January-February 2007)

In small circles, folks shared hopes and fears

With friends, relatives, neighbors and peers

     “We can do this,” they said

     “If we just use our head

“Why, it works just like greasing the gears!”

LEADERSHIP PLENTY® TRAINING (April 2007)

Leadership Plenty®, Horizons insisted,

Would make teammates of those who persisted

     Chad and Deane made folks smile

     Training turned out worthwhile

For all those arms Mary Conrad had twisted.

“ROCK THE PARK” CELEBRATION (July 4, 2007)

July Fourth’s crowd went way past the mark

With its picnic and rocks for the park

     Fun and games, music too

     Merged old memories with new

As the fireworks flared long after dark.

FARMERS MARKET (August-October 2007)

Garden produce and good things to eat

Gave folks reasons to be back on Main Street

     Our Farmers Market can grow

     Into a regional show

That helps business get back on its feet.

“COMMUNITY COMPUTER CHAT” (November 13, 2007)

Our computer chat shaped with precision

Our town’s twenty-first century vision

     We’ve got a plan geared for action

     And we’re not losing traction

To move forward’s an easy decision!

MISSION AND STRATEGIC PLAN (November 30, 2007)

Our best features we’re eager to demonstrate

On the details we’ll gladly elaborate

     The ideas we generate

     Create causes to celebrate

So…collaborate! collaborate! collaborate!