2009 NDSF Annual Meeting

On Wednesday, November 18th, the North Dakota State Fair welcomed 18 guests and 68 delegates to its Annual Meeting at the State Fair Center in Minot. Gary Knell, State Fair Board President, began the meeting with a short welcome on behalf of the City of Minot and by introducing the eight State Fair board members whom he serves alongside. The board members in attendance included Charles Meikle of Spiritwood, Lee Ann Karsky of Dickinson, Kandi Mikkelson of Minot, Neil Fleming of Cavalier, Dennis Wendel of LaMoure, Connie Hanson of Devils Lake, Butch Haugland of Ambrose and Kelly Hanson of Hannaford.

The annual report and audit were reviewed by State Fair Manager, Bob Wagoner. Wagoner also went over 2009 State Fair highlights and complimented the staff for their work on the record setting Fair. Wagoner predicts another successful Fair for 2010, which is scheduled for July 23 through July 31.

Each year the State Fair Board of Directors nominates individuals to receive the State Fair's highest level of honor and recognition by being chosen as a North Dakota State Fair Honorary Member. This year Senator Karen Krebsbach of Minot and Tim Clark of Fargo were both awarded this honor.

The State Fair is exceptionally grateful for Senator Krebsbach's on-going support of all things State Fair. Krebsbach led the charge helping rally support for the State funding of the Grandstand. Tim Clark served on the North Dakota State Fair Board for more than 16 years. Representing District 2, he took a special interest in keeping agriculture at the heart of the Fair.

Other business covered at the annual meeting included the re-election of three board members. Neil Fleming, Connie Hanson and Gary Knell will serve another term representing their districts. Jerry Iverson, former North Dakota State Fair Manager and current Grandstand Project Manager, was in attendance to provide an update on the grandstand construction progress. Iverson stated the exceptional weather has been the key attribute for keeping the project on schedule and within budget. Iverson also commented on the uniqueness of this project as a construction manager has been hired and 27 different bid requests have been utilized to ensure not only adherence to the budget but also ensure the completion by July 1, 2010.

Dates for the 2010 North Dakota State Fair are July 23-31. We’re hoping to announce our 2010 concert lineup in January! More information is available at www.ndstatefair.com.

American Music Awards

As you all may know, the American Music Awards were on ABC last night and some of the North Dakota State Fair’s talent were among the winners. Taylor Swift won many titles, unsurprisingly, but her big accomplishment was winning Artist of the Year and beating Michael Jackson in the process. The other titles she has under her belt include Country’s Favorite Album and Favorite Female Artist, Adult Contemporary Favorite Artist, and Pop Rock Favorite Female Artist. The group Gloriana had some glory of their own last night when they won the fan voted award, T-Mobile BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST.

Click HERE for the AMA's homepage.

Grandstand Photo Slideshow

State Farm's Gator Giveaway

Last month State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance gave away a child size John Deere Gator to Chasity Sevland of rural Granville.

Local State Fair Agents, Michael E. Braun and Kellie Thorman along side State Fair Manager Bob Wagoner were on hand to present Chasity's daughters Taylor, age 10 and Hunter, age 4 with her prize.

As a part of their sponsorship at the 2010 North Dakota State Fair they not only sponsored the Aussie Kingdom but they also manned a very successful commercial booth where they promoted their products and services as well as allowed individuals to register for the gator.

Grand time for Grandstand!

The Grandstand constuction remains to be on schedule on going well, the Minot Daily reported last Friday. Kim Fundingsland had the scoop and the newest updates from the architect:

        The target date for completion of the new grandstand being constructed at the North Dakota State Fairgrounds in Minot is July 1, 2010, just a few weeks before the start of the State Fair.
        The latest news from the architect is that the project remains on schedule and that the recent spell of nice weather deserves a portion of the credit.
        "Things are going really well," said Brian Berg, of Zerr-Berg Architects of Fargo. "We're proceding with concrete work and should have the underground foundation wrapped up by the end of the week. We're a quarter of the way into the steel framework below the stadium plank steel. We'll be halfway by (Monday) on the steel."
        Berg said he expected weather-related delays, but the construction crews have been able to take advantage of favorable conditions and keep the building project on schedule. Similar weather conditions in Grand Forks have also proven beneficial to the grandstand project. A Grand Forks firm responsible for making the precast sections to which the seats will eventually be anchored has completed its work. All of the sections are ready for shipment to the Minot site as soon as necessary.
        "We are looking forward to setting more steel in next month, the part below the risers. Then we'll start setting the steel for the overhead canopy. Sometime in late winter the highest part will go on," said Berg.
        Barring extreme winter conditions, Berg said he expects construction to continue. Most of the exterior of the grandstand will be covered by metal panels. A good portion of the masonary work is already complete and will be finished entirely once the overhead steel is in place.
        "Everything below 14 feet is masonary," said Berg. "Once things start getting enclosed we'll be able to pour more concrete and work on the interior."
        The new grandstand will have seating for approximately 7,000 people underneath the canopy. The     old grandstand had seating for 3,200 under a partial canopy and exposed bleacher seating for an additional 2,000.
        The 2010 North Dakota State Fair runs July 23-31.

To get more news from the Minot Daily crew go to http://www.minotdailynews.com/!

Weekend Festivities

Don't miss the Pride of Dakota Holiday Showcase and the Magic City Flea Market taking place at the State Fair Center this Saturday Nov. 14th and Sunday the 15th. It is $2.00 to enter and will be from 10am to 5pm on Saturday, 11am to 5pm on Sunday. Stop in to buy those unique holiday gift ideas such as clothing, accessories, food and condiments, antiques, coins, collectibles, toys, tools, books, crafts, baked goods and more! For more information about the Flea Market contact Rich Timboe at 701-852-1289. Click HERE to view more about the Pride of Dakota Holiday Showcase.

It's HOCKEY Time

Hockey season is here! The MHS girls hockey team's first home game is at 7:00pm on November 24th and the first boys home game is November 28th, with JV at 5:15pm and Varsity at 7:30pm.
If you want to make it to every home game of the season you can check out the North Dakota State Fair Center website or go to the team's websites for their season schedules:

MHS Boys Hockey

MHS Girls Hockey

MSU Club Hockey

The Beaver's are currently 9-1 this season and doing well! Their next home game is December 5th at 7:30pm at the All Seasons Arena. Come watch as everlasting rivalry continues when Minot State takes on their sister school Dakota College of Bottineau.