Sheyenne: April 15, 2024

Curtis Larson and his 4th Corporation recycling team from New Rockford stopped in Sheyenne last Monday to collect aluminum cans that businesses and residents saved for them. Reduce, reuse, recycle. Earth Day is April 22.

Peter, Patti and Joanna Larson and Ian Gilley attended the Fessenden Co-op annual meeting at the school gym in Fessenden on Tuesday, April 2. The Sheyenne elevator has been part of the co-op since 2020. This year was the 80th and last year for Fessenden Co-op. Since the merger with CenDak that occurred last fall, the new cooperative will be called CenDak Cooperative going forward. Curtis Olson, TJ Logan and Nathan Fitzgerald are the employees at the Sheyenne location. Peter Larson currently serves as secretary on the board of directors. Joanna Larson, Bob Hanson and Shirley Myhre were among the door prize winners at the meeting.

Sheyenne quilters, LaRhae Dodds, Eunice Throlson, Karen Birkeland, Patti Larson and Marilynn Kruger met last Wednesday at Grace Lutheran Church Parish Hall to finish three quilts. Randy Keller and Stan Kruger joined them for coffee afterwards.

Peter Larson, Joanna Larson and Ian Gilley attended the CenDak Cooperative annual meeting in Leeds last Thursday. Joanna came home with a door prize (2 for 2)!

Jan Loe and Steph joined family and friends for the funeral of Irvin Loe on April 4. On Friday evening, Jan joined Barb Loe, her son Tim and several cousins for supper at the golf course in New Rockford.

Minneapolis is about a 10- hour drive from Carbondale, Ill., which was in the path of the totality. Sandra Larson planned a trip to see the total solar eclipse. She reserved a camping spot in Washington County State Recreation Area, a couple hours southeast of St. Louis. Peter Larson left Sheyenne Saturday morning with a car full of camping gear, picked up Sandra in Minneapolis and they went on to Des Moines for a motel stay Saturday night. Rooms were still at "normal price." Sunday morning, they saw the Arch as they passed through St. Louis on the way to set up their tent just north of Carbondale. They hoped for clear weather on Monday afternoon.

Patti Clifton kept an appointment in New Rockford on Friday and made a quick shopping stop before returning to Sheyenne.

Jan Loe took home the big prize at Saturday night bingo in Sheyenne. Blackout was $275. April 13, the Sheyenne Fire Dept. hosts bingo and the blackout will be back to $175.

Sheyenne GRIT held a community meeting Sunday at the Senior Citizen Center. It started with a baked potato bar at noon. Potatoes were donated by RDO. The meeting opened with introductions since Nathan Price from the Transcript was in attendance. Twenty-five community members including Mayor Bob Hanson, City Councilman Ken Ames and other active community volunteers introduced themselves stating their connection to Sheyenne. GRIT board members Laurie Westby, Darci Joseph, Tara Hanson, Joanna Larson and Patti Larson were seated around the room to visit about upcoming projects. Absent was board member Sharon Whitmer.

Patti started the meeting with an update on the two recent grants awarded.

1. A $41,550 Rural Workforce Housing Grant from the N.D. Dept. of Commerce. Three blighted properties including 201 Richter Ave., 301 Pleasant Ave. and 100 Riverside Ave. will be torn down and the property cleaned up now that GRIT acquired the properties. Samples have been sent away to test for possible asbestos and, if found, will be properly removed before demolition takes place this spring.

2. The $25,000 N.D. Forest Service grant designed to provide species and age diversity among trees at Hendrickson Park. Funds will be used to remove 20 weak and hazardous trees, clean up another 30 stumps and plant 20 new trees. Volunteers signed up to plant and care for the new trees. Local contractors Dave Chenze, Dave Chenze Jr. and Evan Swenson will do the tree and stump removal.

A new grant from the N.D. Chamber under Community Development and Rural Prosperity called Rural Slum and Blight Removal was discussed. Sheyenne community would qualify, so Patti is working on the details on that application due April 18.

The timeline for the grant execution was presented so the volunteers can follow the project schedule. Several community members volunteered to help with emptying the basement of the Allyn Seastrand house. The rambler was generously donated to GRIT to be moved into Sheyenne on the lot at Pleasant Ave. after the current house is removed and the property ready.

Finally on the agenda were up coming events: Memorial Day program and dinner on May 27, rodeo on June 30 and an August sidewalk market were mentioned. Several also expressed interest in holding rummage sales and volunteers offered to serve lunch at Ostby Hall the day of the event.

The meeting closed with those in attendance agreeing to donate the proceeds from the baked potato bar free-will offering to the Sheyenne Senior Center.

Jeff and Denise Labrensz spent another weekend in Mobridge, S.D. Matt and Allison Pfeiffer came also. Work was finally completed getting Jeff's mom's apartment cleaned out since she has moved into an assisted living apartment in Mobridge. Jeff and Denise had also spent Easter weekend in Mobridge and woke up on Easter Monday to three inches of snow on the ground.