by Shane Hylton
Columnist
According to the Farmer’s Almanac winter predictions, the Red River Valley and Minnesota will have, “wild temperature swings and periods of storminess”. While western North Dakota is expected to have, “milder than normal with average precipitation”. So I am guessing it will be another warmer winter. I am sure the snowmobilers are none too happy with those predictions.
Fall also means it is harvest time. For me that means allergy season and usually a cold or two. For the Grand Forks area that means Potato Bowl week! The Potato Bowl is a weeklong festival that teams the Red River Valley potato industry and the University of North Dakota. The festival dates back to 1965, and this year it started on Monday the 3rd and will run through Saturday the 8th. Festivities for Thursday are:
Baked Potato Bar, served 11 AM – 1 PM (all Hugo’s locations)
Chip Giveaway – Frandsen Bank & Trust (all bank locations)
French Fry Feed and Fireworks
Starts at 4:30 PM at University Park and Memorial Stadium
•World’s Largest French Feed courtesy the J.R. Simplot Co.
•Food & Soda Stands
•Large Inflatable Games
•Live Music
•Meet the UND Athletes
•French Fry Eating Contest
•Fireworks Display sponsored by Rydell Auto Center at Memorial Stadium
•Potato Giveaway – Black Gold Farms will give a coupon valued at $2.50 for potatoes at any Hugo’s location to the first 500 families to enter the gates at Memorial Stadium
•Kids will get a free glow stick while supplies last, also courtesy of Black Gold Farms!
Friday, September 7th festivities include:
Sioux Booster Luncheon at the Alerus Center starting at noon.
Baked Potato Bar, served 11 AM – 1 PM (all Hugo’s locations)
Hugo’s Potato Bowl 8K Run & Tater Tot Trot – Begins in Riverside Park in Grand Forks. Registration begins at 4 PM. 8K entry fee is $18 before Sept. 7th ($20 after Sept. 7th) and $8 for Tater Tot Trot before Sept. 7th ($10 after Sept. 7th).
Potato Bowl Bash at Big D’s Bar & Grill- Dance to 80′s and 90′s rock band S.O.L. from 10 pm to 1:30 am.
The final day of Potato Bowl week is Saturday, September 8th. Events culminate with:
GF Rotary Club Pancake Breakfast from 7:30 AM to 10:30 AM at Grand Forks Central High School
Sons of Norway Potato Pancake Breakfast will be from 7:30 AM t0 1:00 PM at 1401 9th Avenue South in Grand Forks.
My daughter’s favorite event is the Jaycees Potato Bowl Parade at 10:30 AM. She likes it because her cousin will be marching with the color guard from Red River High School. The parade route starts behind the YMCA and goes to Demers Avenue and heads east over the river into East Grand Forks, MN and then continues to 4th Street NW and ends in the Riverwalk Centre parking lot.
Festivities conclude with the Tailgating Party & NPPGA Potato Associates Baked Potato Bar, start time is set for 2:00 PM at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks and the 47th Annual Potato Bowl Football Game – University of North Dakota vs Portland State – Kickoff is at 6 PM at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks.
UND Soccer
UND Women’s Soccer will also take the field twice this week. First game is on Friday the 7th against South Dakota State at 4 PM, and the second game is set for Sunday the 9th against rival North Dakota State Bison at 1 PM. Both games will be played at Bronson Field (located southeast of the Ralph Englestad Arena.
UND AEROSPACE
The University of North Dakota’s commercial aviation and air traffic control divisions, both part of the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences, have been reaffirmed for accreditation by the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI).
UND’s commercial aviation program and the air traffic control program were first accredited in 1992, when ABBI was known as the Council on Aviation Accreditation. At the time, UND was one of only four pioneering schools who applied for accreditation, according to Kent Lovelace, professor and chair of the UND Aviation Department. UND has maintained its high quality and standards and has been reaffirmed every five years since.
UND’s Air Traffic Control program was established in 1991. UND’s ATC program is one of 33 members of the Federal Aviation Administration – Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative (FAA-ATCTI) and one of 13 original schools to be accredited.
The program was at first accredited under Aviation Sciences, but for the first time, is now accredited under Air Traffic Control due to increased standards by ABBI. Paul Drechsel, an associate professor in the UND Aviation Department, said ABBI has become more stringent with accreditation guidelines.
UND’s John D. Odegard School Of Aerospace Sciences is a world-renowned center for aerospace learning and nationally acclaimed for achievements in collegiate aviation education, atmospheric research, space studies, and computer science applications. UND Aerospace has more than 500 faculty and staff members, about 1,500 students from around the world and the world’s largest nonmilitary fleet of aircraft.
Story courtesy of UND Media Relations and written by Leigh Kelly, University Relations student writer.
UND opens 2012 season in record-breaking fashion
North Dakota racked up a school-record 653 yards of total offense, with 370 coming on the ground, and rolled to a 66-0 win over South Dakota Mines in the 2012 season opener at the Alerus Center.
UND’s yardage total toppled a 38-year old record, while its 66 points represented its highest scoring output in a season opener.
Junior running back Jake Miller paced the ground attack with 178 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Backfield mates P.J. Sparks (12-97-1), Mitch Sutton (8-61-2) and Adam Shaugabay (10-51-1) also contributed to a running game that averaged a robust 7.7 yards per carry.
Fifth-year transfer Braden Hanson, making his first collegiate start, completed 13-of-14 passes for 188 yards and a pair of scoring strikes before leaving with an injury in the second quarter. The only throw the left-hander missed on was a throw away.
Senior Marcus Hendrickson went the rest of the way in relief of Hanson and completed 5-of-6 passes for 95 yards and two touchdowns.
Ten different offensive players caught passes for UND, led by Greg Hardin (3-103-1). Jameer Jackson and R.J. McGill each hauled in four receptions.
UND was equally dominant on the defensive side of the ball en route to pitching its second straight shutout in a season opener. The Hardrockers managed just 142 yards of total offense and 1.3 yards per play.
Senior Seth Wisthoff opened the scoring by hauling in his first collegiate touchdown reception from 14 yards out. Hanson then found Jackson on a crossing route for his next scoring pass, but the rookie wideout had to fall on his own fumble in the end zone to secure his first collegiate score.
Hanson would engineer 24 points in his four drives on the night as he opened the game connecting on his first eight passes.
Sutton scored from 1-yard out on the next possession to make it a 31-0 lead for the home team. Hendrickson would add his first two passing touchdowns of his career before the half ended to cap a 31-point outburst in the second quarter.
His first was a 44-yard pitch-and-catch to Hardin, who had his fifth 100-yard receiving game of his career. Hendrickson capped the scoring with an 11-yard strike to junior Blair Townsend.
The second half was much of the same for both the UND offense and a stirring defensive unit. Miller found the end zone on a 36-yard rush for the 17th time of his career for the lone score in the third quarter. Sparks then tallied his first career points on a 2-yard run before Shaugabay ended the route with a 21-yard scamper.
Middle linebackers Garrison Goodman and Ben Peters paced a defense, which allowed only nine first downs, including three in the first half, with five tackles a piece. Goodman also recovered a fumble, which was the lone turnover in the game. Story and photo courtesy of UND Media Relations
