Nice news of the week – June 25, 2020

They may have cancelled their regular season programming, but did you know Frost Fire Theater will be putting on four virtual 40-minute original musical comedy shows on YouTube, starting July 25? Check them out here.

And did you know this week’s news has a virtual fishing tournament (this weekend!), a next-gen hog farm, and Gardar? Read on.

Break out your rod and reel – Devils Lake is hosting a virtual fishing contest – you submit with a photograph – this Saturday! (Minot Daily News)

According to this article, the town of Gardar has 9 people. According to the census, it has 90. Whatever the number, there are a lot of people who are in support of its success – including two residents (one former, one current) who walked 25 miles in dedication of the mothers who provided food for Township Hall events in the past. (Grand Forks Herald)

Ardoch sisters Alexis and Elizabeth Nice are 19 and 16 respectively, and in only four years have built up a burgeoning hog farm. (Dickinson Press)

The city of Fargo is issuing free permits to turn boulevards – or the berms, as we all know them by – into vegetable or pollinator flower gardens.(Fargo Forum)

Williston’s Grand Theater is showing “old” movies – Back to the Future, The Goonies, Secret Life of Pets, and Bridesmaids – for free. (KFYR TV)

Minot’s Wendy Weiss Voeller has started cartooning to raise money for her furry buddy, Buddy. (Minot Daily News)

So many people came forward to help Fargo’s Laura Sokolofsky move her husband’s ashes to the family cemetery plot that she was able to not only buy a headstone, but also help fund her son’s college tuition. (Fargo Forum)

Minot has it’s first-ever female City Council President. (KX Net)

A photography studio and a makeup artist are hosting a free prom photo shoot for graduating Fargo seniors. (KVRR)

Grand Forks is about to get a really big addition to its garden of artistic expression. (Grand Forks Herald)

The Good Shepherd Home in Watford City hosted a vow renewal for Paul and Vivian Linseth in celebration of their 70^th anniversary. (McKenzie County Farmer)

Minot’s Ed Zilli is the latest recipient of a Quilt of Valor for his service in the U.S. Army. Fun fact: he is also a retired New York police captain! (Minot Daily News)

The Ashley community is hosting a meet-the-artist event so they can personally thank Bismarck’s Nicole Gagner for updating the Centennial mural. (McIntosh County Star-Tribune)

Artist Ashley Oyloe is yarn-bombing Williston. (Williston Herald)

West Fargo’s Parker Sebens is known around the globe as HandyDandy – a Twitch World of Warcraft gamer – which is all the more impressive considering he doesn’t have any arms. (Grand Forks Herald)

You read here on North Dakota Nice about the Nome Schoolhouse, and now here’s some continued good news: the original State of Liberty and a wall decoration have now been returned to their original home. (Valley City Times-Record)

Fargo temporarily transformed into Flavortown this week with a visit from Guy Fieri to Pounds restaurant downtown. (Grand Forks Herald)

Phat Fish Brewery is hosting a socially-distanced Fourth of July party for the whole family. (Dickinson Press)

I have learned so much about American history over the last few weeks, including the importance of Juneteenth – which is now a North Dakota state holiday. (KFYR TV)

North Dakota Nice is two years old! Thank you for reading!

Nice news of the day – December 13, 2019

There’s something in the water: FOUR women in Ashley recently celebrated their 100^th birthdays!

And there’s all sorts of happy things in the news today – about two buddies in Wishek, a Doorstop Library, and the cutest Story of the Week. Read on.

A FedEx driver named Randy Lehmann befriended a Wishek senior named Harold Krueger, and the two bonded over their time in the service. Bonus: the Dakota Leatherneck Detachment got the country to send Harold 2,000 cards for his 90^th birthday. (KFYR TV)

The Morton Mandan Public Library offers a “Doorstop Library” program, where homebound people – temporarily or permanently – get a delivery of books each month. (Bismarck Tribune)

Story of the Week: Grenora has 306 people. When they were selected to host the Magical Medora Christmas Show, they figured their population would temporarily boom to 450. In celebration of that, they decided to host a ham dinner and give everyone a present. Bonus: they are also hosting the performers. (Minot Daily News)

Nice news of the day – December 5, 2019

Looking for an easy krumkake recipe? Check out today’s news (you’ll also need a krumkake iron).

And looking for some nice news? Look no further than today’s news – about a girl named Kali, a team of Blue Santas, and North Dakota Jews. Read on.

Kali Coffey was an awesome 3-year-old girl who continues to share sunshine with her family’s annual toy drive. (KX Net)

I’ve never heard of a Blue Santa before, and what a great idea. (McKenzie County Farmer)

I’m Jewish, so this is a topic that is obviously near-and-dear to my heart: Rebecca and Kenneth Bender wrote a book on homesteading Jews in North Dakota. And here’s an interesting fact: North Dakota initially had the fourth largest number of Jewish farmers by state in the country. (Fargo Forum)

Krumkake (pronounced KROOM-ka-ka)

This recipe will make roughly 60 krumkake, and will take approximately 3 hours. Get a good stool, or be prepared to stand.

1 pint whipping cream, whipped
1C sugar
3 eggs, beaten
Pinch of salt
1t vanilla
2-3C flour

Slowly combine ingredients using an electric mixer in the order above, adding just enough flour to make it feel like pancake batter. Bake krumkakes 1 tablespoonful at a time in the krumkake iron, rolling immediately into a cone shape as they come out. You can eat them just as they are, but they can also be piped with sweetened whipping cream. My personal favorite is to add cocoa powder to the whipping cream to make chocolate krumkake.