Gackle, ND

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!

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.

Carmen Rath-Wald, NDSU Extension Agent, Logan County, submitted the following information to me about the valuable work she is doing in the Gackle Elementary School.

She did lessons for the kindergarten through 6th grade classes on Good Personal Hygiene, with a special focus on clean teeth.

Carmen contacted Kim Yineman, Oral Health Program Director at the Department of Health, located in the capitol and she provided toothbrushes for all the students K-6 as well as some dental floss and timers. Carmen visited with the students about how oral health dictates that we should change our toothbrushes about every three months, etc., February is Children’s Dental Health Month and so it seemed a good time to include that information. With the older children, she talked about sugarless gum and gum with sorbital.

Carmen will be doing monthly additional lessons through May. Coming up are lessons on phone etiquette especially with regard to taking messages and giving out information. Also coming up is a table setting lesson and behaviors in a social setting (like school).

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!

rock the parkBoy did we have a blast putting this event together! Our Horizon’s food and event committee consisted of Sandi Rivinius, Stacy Ruff, Melody Owens, and Peggy Schroeder. We also had numerous volunteers who helped put everything together. Our community really had a great time for food, games, music, and fireworks. We had over 300 people come out for this event to not only celebrate the 4th of July, but to help the park board literally “rock the park”. It was also a great opportunity to continue to promote Horizon’s involvement in our community and reach out to some people we had not been able to involve yet. We had a booth set up in the park pavilion for those interested more in Horizons.
Earlier in the year, the Gackle Park Board began working on numerous projects in the north and south parks. Numerous trees were removed and some were moved in their place. The north park lies in a low waterway area through town and needed to be relandscaped to be more useful. The idea to rock the waterway came from my own backyard where I did the same thing. Other accomplishments made in the park included cementing a pad and walkway to the pavilion for handicap accessibility, new playground surface and drainage control, and a bridge over the waterway. Other beautification items included a new flower bed, new trees, clean up all around, and a new grill. The park board will continue to have plans for this year, but are amazed at all that was accomplished this past year. A big thankyou to everyone who helped and joined in the fun. Plans are in the works to make this year’s celebration even better!

This opportunity was brought to my attention by Stephen “Doc” Dockter who read the Gackle Blog!! He wanted to make sure that our students from Gackle & Streeter know about this opportunity if they wish to attend Valley City State University.

Stephanie Dockter Memorial Scholarship (2005)
A scholarship in memory of Stephanie Marie Dockter has been established by her father, Stephen Dockter, class of 1969. The interest earnings from this fund will fund a scholarship (s) up to $500 annually. Preference will be given to children of the 581 postal employees and graduates of either Streeter-Gackle, ND, or Barnesville, MN, high schools. In the event that there are no candidates from these respective high schools, the scholarship will be awarded at the discretion of Valley City State University. The scholarship may be renewed for more than one year, and shall be awarded to a student who has demonstrated financial aid.

I talked to VCSU and they said that technically the deadline (Jan 15) has passed, but if students get paperwork in ASAP, no later than early February 2008, that they could still be considered (I’d call to double check this). Please contact Betty Kuss Schumacher, Director Student Financial Aid, at email: betty.schumacher@vcsu.edu for more information. The address would be Betty Schumacher, VCSU, Financial Aid Office, 101 College Street, Valley City, ND 58072, phone: 701-845-7412.

Despite the below zero weather and sports tournaments, a group of hardy souls gathered in the Gackle School Library to be immersed in energy and enthusiasm for the next phase of Horizons. The ACTION Phase.

The unveiling of the Strategic Plan was interspersed throughout the evening’s program. We were entertained by Horizons-inspired “cheers” led by Gackle Mayor Ritchie Jacobson and some “adult” cheerleaders. Tom Isern, Professor of History, North Dakota State University and Plains Folk^TM self-syndicated newspaper columnist, sang with his guitar and recited Horizons-inspired limericks. We watched an inspirational DVD by National Geographic photographer Dewitt Jones about “taking action.” This is the third Dewitt Jones DVD we have viewed and I highly recommend it for anyone or any organization.

Jodi Bruns, Extension Agent for NDSU Community Economic Development & Leadership discussed upcoming conferences and opportunities Gackle might want to attend. These conferences are posted to the “main” North Dakota Community Blog page. Check back to this link often for updates on what’s happening.

Sally Jeppson updated the group on the Gackle Community Blog site and encouraged participation. Everyone received a business card with the Blog address shown at right.

Russ Pollock discussed Miner County, South Dakota’s revitalization as a “model” we could look to for our own revitalization. Logan County and Miner County have similar demographics so there is great potential! Sometime soon we hope to host a Miner County representative to discuss their process.

Finally, the Strategic Plan was outlined in a Power Point presentation and then distributed to every attendee. The evening was capped off with a delicious assortment of fingerfoods provided by Carolyn’s Cafe in Gackle.

More on the Plan will be discussed in future blog entries.

I received the following Christmas card from the State Historical Society of North Dakota. I was so delighted to see the use of an image associated with Gackle. It got me thinking about Gackle’s history and some of the ideas that people voiced in our Horizons meetings.

The Horizons Study Circles and the Leadership Plenty Program identified many assets in the Gackle community. One asset that repeatedly emerged was associated with our town’s history and its artists.

In these meetings many voiced, we need a community center with a gallery for our artists and a museum.

This is a big goal! But I think it is an important one.

I was surprised and pleased that so many participants valued the cultural fabric of our community. When a town is struggling to survive, often times the things that make it rich and vital, like the arts, are put on the backburner. However it is these things, art, history and music that can raise spirits and provide an avenue to revitalization.

Think of it, people traveling to Gackle to see an exhibit or museum…

Our history is rich; we have many folks who have stories to share. Perhaps we should be documenting those stories before they are lost.

Here is the text that was printed on the card:
December 14, 1917: The Gackle Republican published from 1906 to 1920 in Gackle, Logan County, North Dakota. As a side note the community of Gackle was named for George Gackle, of Kulm, LaMoure County, native of southern Russia. According to Don Gackle, publisher, McLean County Independent and the grandson of George Gackle, “Don’t think my grandfather ever lived in Gackle…it is said that all the Gackles lived in Kulm (not Gackle), the Lehrs lived in Gackle (not Lehr) and the Wisheks lived in Ashley (not Wishek).”

Isn’t this a fun fact…now, why might this be? Could it be that all the founders were too modest to name their own towns after themselves so they applied their name to a nearby location??? Who knows, maybe someone right here in Gackle…

The Gackle Community Business Relations Action Circle, an outcome of the Horizons Project, hopes to enhance relationships between the businesses and customers and is looking at ways to highlight the businesses we have in our town.

Just making an inventory of what was there was revealing, there are many more businesses and services available than is apparent. The idea is to Buy Local, Grow Gackle and use the great businesses we have right here in town.

One outcome of our Action Circle was a mini-farmers market that ran once a week for 7 weeks during August through October. It filled a need, since our grocery store closed and the nearest store with any variety of fresh vegetables is 40 miles away. Everybody enjoyed it, and the social interaction among townsfolk was as important as filling the fridge.

A few “Gacklites” participated as sellers of produce and the baked goods were especially successful. I personally didn’t participate as a seller but I’m already considering what seeds to start so I can join in the fun–of course it will probably something too strange for Gackle’s tastes but I say, “Bring it on, Baby…” Knowing the farmers markets of my home state, California, we have a long way to go, but what I’ve always enjoyed besides the great variety, is the educational component of those markets, new kinds of offerings to try, complete with recipes and tasting opportunities.

“So what do you think, will I see you there next Spring?”

PS. More on the Gackle Farmers Market coming soon. Also, I’m interested in hearing other community’s successes with farmers markets so please comment here. Thanks!

Also, not to forget our neighbors, Streeter, ND just 10 miles from Gackle has a nicely stocked, clean and friendly grocery store for all your basic needs. They even deliver!