It took some work to convince my friend Mark to go to the Minnesota Renaissance Festival with me last year. His sole experience with renaissance festivals was limited to his teenage summer job at one in Florida, at which he grilled giant turkey legs. I finally assured him that our trip together wouldn’t expose him to temperatures hot enough to smelt iron ore, and so we were off.
Nordic Ware – a Well-Known Name in Minnesota and Around the World
Nordic Ware is a family-owned, American manufacturer of kitchenware products. Celebrating 73 years in business in 2019, this local company manufactures and markets an extensive line of quality cookware, bakeware, microwave and grilling products and specialty kitchenware that is distributed worldwide.
The CraftCade
Take turns, and act like adults, but remember: Don’t ever grow up!
In an era when any ten year old is glued perpetually to a device that can play Fortnite, who has need for arcades full of heavy, old video game cabinets? The very people who grew up with them, like me. I spent countless hours in Aladdin’s Castle when I was little, desperately trying to maneuver Homer Simpson through death traps in The Simpsons game, experimenting to find the sequence of buttons that would enable Sub-Zero to rip someone’s head off in Mortal Kombat 3, and enacting such draconian anti-drug policies in Narc that I would have made Rodrigo Duterte uncomfortable. That’s why I’m thrilled to see those very arcade games and many other classics at The CraftCade in Bismarck.
Pink It Forward
If you were asked – What is your plan for the next 5 years? – what would your response be? Almost 6 years ago, that was Pink It Forward’s question when thinking about becoming a 501c3 nonprofit organization. The process is much like a business plan. What is your mission? What do you intend to accomplish in 5 years? How about 10? Now lay it out. When asked today if they ever dreamed of helping more than 3,300 individuals impacted by breast cancer, cofounder Kayla Tanhoff’s response was “Absolutely.”
Fargo Snow
Blizzards aren’t the best part about living in the Midwest for most of us. They have a way of putting a damper on our plans, and you’re lucky if you don’t get snow in your shoe. For a select few, however, last year’s eight blizzards were all opportunities to hone their skill at one of the Midwest’s most important services: snow removal. All that snowfall only made Fargo Snow better at what they do, so they’re ready for an even bigger winter this year.
North American Bear Center
The North American Bear Center in Ely, Minnesota is an ursine Eden, two and a half acres full of everything that black bears like. They’ve trees to climb, clover to loll on, and a pond to go sploosh in. There are bunchberries, chokecherries, and hazelnuts, and plenty more exotic snacks doled out by the caretakers. There are even other bears. To see the bear getting along exactly how it would most like to, you couldn’t visit any place better.