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On,.,sDay Tourism up,
1984:Firstflightofspaceshut- bucks nat,onal
tie 'Discovery'
1947: Arnold Schwarzenegger,
Americanactor, isborn, downward trend
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By Macey Martinson
For the News
North Dakota's big concern for
tourism last year was gas prices,
this year an obstacle facing
tourism in North Dakota seems to
be the economy.
North Dakota, however,
appears to be doing better than
most of the nation, which is see-
ing substantial decreases in
tourism.
Director of the tourism •divi-
sion at the North Dakota
Department of Commerce in
Bismarck, Sara Otte Coleman.
said, "The effect depends on the
area. We like our visitors to stay
in hotels just because then they
stay longer, but we do love the
daily visitors also. As far as hotel
occupancy rates go, the rates are
up by 2% from last year. Overall
the U.S. region is down about
8%."
Sara added, "We think the rea-
son that North Dakota is doing so
well is because we like to think of
North Dakota as a more afford-
able vacation. Not to say we don't
worry about things like the econ-
omy affecting us because we have
been very tuned in to it for over a
year now. We just try to make the
smartest, strategic decisions and
we remain optimistic that~rdi -
messages and marketing to the
public will pay back and people
will continue to come to North
Dakota.
Annette Schilling, Marketing
Director, at the Theodore
Roosevelt Medora Foundation in
Bismarck, said, "Medora has been
real fortunate with looking at the
national trends in tourism spots.
People are staying closer to home
with the economy but I think the
bigger problem was the weather
"The
has had
OI1
think North Dakota
has been really for.
tunate and its not ,
something we
terribly alarmed
about."
Annette Schilling,
Marketing Director
TRMF
this year, with a late spring and
rainouts. The weather caused the
golf courses to be closed and that
hurt us but July and August num-
bers are looking really good right
now."
Annette added, "Tourism is
looking about the same as last
year, we had a rough start but it's
averaging out to be about the
same as last year. The economy
has had an affect on tourism but I
think North Dakota has been real-
ly fortunate and its not something
we are terribly alarmed about. We
add in new things to attract more
people like our deals on the
Medora Musical. We have a 'kids
get in free night' on Wednesdays
and a 'family fun day Sunday'
that has brought in more people.
A lot of out of state people and
Canadians come down if you go
to a musical or anything you're
going to see a lot of different
plates.
Family vacations are important
to people so they'll still come out
and have fun.
• Beach Centennial
Celebration, July 29-Aug. 2.
• Beach City Council meet-
ing, 7 p.m., Monday, Aug. 3,
City Hall.
• Beach City Council meet-
ing, 7 p.m., Monday, Aug. 17,
City Hall.
Game and Fish monitors
waters for aquatic
nuisance species
North Dakota Game and Fish
Department fisheries personnel
will continue to monitoi: waters
throughout the state this summer
for aquatic nuisance species.
Lynn Schlueter, ANS coordinator,
said efforts will focus on waters
with a history of high use.
"Much of our time will be cen-
tered on favorite destinations of
out-of-state anglers," Schlueter
said. "However if time allows we
will survey secondary water bod-
ies, including large wetlands
often used as a source of fathead
minnows by bait vendors."
During a recent inspection of
water areas north of Valley City, a
fisheries crew found a few curly
leaf pondweed plants in Lake
Ashtabula. "This does not come
as a total surprise since curly leaf
was found in the Sheyenne River
downstream in recent years,"
Schlueter said. "Even though only
a few plants were found, it takes
only one tiny fragment to grow
into a plant and infest another
water body."
Schlueter said identifying ANS.
infestations is the first step in pre-
venting their spread. "Prevention
from
by boats,
and other
and
recre-
is much easier and cheaper than
dealing with another infestation,"
he added. "An infestation can
eventually ruin angling and
impair recreational boating
opportunities."
Anglers and other water recre-
ationists are reminded that ANS
can be transported from lake-to-
lake by boats, trailers and other
recreational equipment.
Detailed ANS information and
prevention regulations can be
found in the 2008-10 North
Dakota Fishing Guide, or by
accessing the Game and Fish
Department website at gf.nd.gov.
Old fashioned stagecoach rides have recently been offered. (Photos by Jane Cook)
Dusting off an old tradition
By Jane M. Cook
Reporter
In 1998, Steve and Deb
Weninger bought a stagecoach and
began offering rides at the Chateau
deMores State Historic site. After a
few years, the demanding work on
their ranch prompted them to sell.
Enter Chip Turrittin, a retired
salesman from St. Peter,
Minnesota. Turrittin said he had
always wanted to buy a stagecoach.
He found one for sale by
Winninger, North Dakota and con-
tinued the rides they had started.
Chip ran the stagecoach rides for
three summers, returning to
Minnesota in the winter. Illness
*forced him to discontinuefrr the
last four years, but this summer he
is back.
Turrittin. is once again giving
stagecoach rides along the bottom
land of the Chateau, driving past
the stables, carriage house, and
coachman's house that sit just
below the hill. It takes half an hour
to ride the 1½ mile trek. Turrittin
adds history to the adventure as he
relays how the coaches of the
1880s traveled and the length of
time it would take passengers from
Medora to Deadwood, Dakota
Territory.
The journey in 1884 took up to
36 hours, with way stations for the
drivers to stop to hitch fresh horses
to the coaches to continue the trip.
A few years ago, Turrittin decided
to make that journey, and with
many riders going along, it took up
to nine days.
Pictured above are members of the LaBeck family who
recently experienced a stagecoach ride.
"I might have been able to make
it in about five days, with about 40
hours a day," Turrittin said. "But
the horseback riders only had one
mount, where I had two teams that
I could replace when one would tire
out."
This summer he has enlisted the
help of two of his neighbors from
St. Peter, Jim Burg and Jerry
Struck, to help him drive and tend
to the team, two Percherons named
Pilot and Bert.
On a recent coach ride a family
from Illinois took the journey.
Penny LaBeck had ridden in a
stagecoach before, but her daugh-
ter-in-law, Patti, and grandchildren,
Lauren and Ethan, had not, and she
said she wanted them to have that
experience. Lauren took the seat by
the stage driver as the group set out
on the adventure.
The LaBeck family had been
traveling through Wyoming and
Montana, "doing the usual touristy
things," Penny commented, when
they saw the number of attractions
Medora offered, especially the his-
tory of the area. They stopped in at
the Chateau, and found an unex-
pected surprise with the stagecoach
rides.
The ride through the bottom
land was on a road that was dry and
Tradition
(Continued on Page 6)
Sky will light up for celebration
By Ellen Feuerhelm
Reporter
On August 1st at 10:15 pm, the
sky will light up with beautiful col-
ors and the sounds of loud bangs in
celebration of 'the City of Beach
Centennial. Gary Vanvleet of Big
Top fireworks stated that the family
sold the city $7,500 dollars worth of
fireworks at cost.
Three fire departments will be on
hand to help with safety and light-
ing of the fireworks; Beach, Golva,
and Sentinel Butte.
There are a lot more dollars
going up then the city purchased
because of the cost savings. Big
Top sold the fireworks for distribu-
tor cost, said Vanvleet.
The fireworks display will be at
the fairgrounds on Saturday
evening. Vanvleet ordered all the
fireworks and stored them in a safe
location. He had to get notarized
copies signed from the Fire Chief
and the Mayor to meet safety and
insurance requirements.
Shooters and loaders are the only
ones allowed in the firing area. No
This is just a small sample
Saturday night.
one else can be there, said
VanVleet.
The light show'will last longer
than-thirty minutes and people are
asked to stay behind the lines for
their safety. This is Gary Vanvleet's
third year of selling fireworks at Big
Top along with other family mem-
bers Dwayne, Geanne and Tonya
and Greg Glass families.
Most of the people helping light
the fireworks have shot them off
before. The people will be in full
turn out clothes, helmets, shields,
gloves and ear protection. An
of what will light up the sky this
ambulance will also he at the site.
There will be two different types of
fireworks shot off Class C and Class
B fire works that are a higher explo-
sive and require a federal license to
buy.
Shooting will be done on the
west side near the water tower
because of footage needed for safe-
ty area of spectators.
The spectator safety area will be
set at 420 ft. There are 168 cakes,
39 4 inch mortars, 48 5 in mortars,
and 18 6 inch mortars going up into
the sky.
Hometown shopping
"First State Bank"
Beach 872-4444 • Golva 872-3656
Medora 623-5000
lY[1124 hr. ATM in Beach & Medora lobby
Medora Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m
Member FDIC •
We invite you to shop our hometown businesses. You'll find:
• Personal Attention form people you know * Quality
Merchandise at competitive prices * Local Merchants who
appreciate your business * Free Parking and no long lines