Tim Sweeney Benefit

There will be a benefit for Tim Sweeney at Eastgate Event Center in Moorhead on Thursday November 20 from 5-10 pm. Tim had surgery for a brain tumor in July and has had intensive physical, occupational and speech therapy. He has a wife and two children 6 and 7 years old. Please come out in support of him and his family. Checks for Tim Sweeney Benefit Fund can be sent to Bell State Bank & Trust, 3100 13 Ave South, Fargo ND 58103.

Celebrate local foods Sixth annual 100-mile

Thanksgiving Farmers Market at Concordia

Concordia College will host its sixth annual 100-Mile Thanksgiving Farmers Market from 3-6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 25, in the atrium of the Knutson Campus Center.

Each year more and more people celebrate a 100-Mile Thanksgiving by making their meal using only locally-produced food that is good for you and for the environment. The 100-Mile Thanksgiving Farmers Market will be an opportunity to fill your thanksgiving table with products that are freshly harvested, locally sourced and sustainable.

The market is co-hosted with Prairie Roots Food Co-op. Their online market (localfoodmarketplace.com/prairieroots) will be open to the public Nov. 22-24 and pre-ordered items will be available for pickup at the 100-Mile Thanksgiving Market. Additionally, several vendors will have items for sale on site.

Pride of Dakota Holiday

Showcase Returns to Fargo

More than 150 booths filled with Pride of Dakota merchandise will take up all available space at the Fargo Civic Auditorium during Pride of Dakota Holiday Showcase, Friday through Sunday, Nov. 21-23.

“Holiday shoppers can choose from an outstanding selection of North Dakota-made foods and condiments, wearing apparel, jewelry, sporting goods, recordings, decorative and gift items,” said Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring.

Showcase hours are 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday. Admission is $2 per adult.

“Shoppers will get a free reusable bag with their paid admission,” Goehring said. “These bags can be used for other holiday shopping, trips to the grocery store and more.” Shoppers who bring their own reusable bag get $1 off their admission. Paid admission also includes a Pride of Dakota Passport.“Take your Passport to each of the three rooms in the Civic Auditorium with vendor booths,” he said. “A volunteer in each room will stamp your passport which you can enter in a drawing for $250 in Pride of Dakota bucks. This prize money can be spent at the Showcase, online or directly through a Pride of Dakota member company.” The drawing will be held at 1 p.m., Sunday. Participants need not be present to win.

Goehring said as a measure of appreciation for service men and women – all active and retired members of the armed forces and their families – save $1 on admission with military identification.

2nd Street North lane

reduction for Pump Station

Fargo, N.D.– On Wednesday morning, November 19, traffic lanes between 1st Avenue North and 3rd Avenue North will be reduced from 5 lanes to 2 lanes for the construction of the 2nd Street North pump station. The lane reduction will remain in place throughout the winter and will continue into the spring. The public should expect travel delays in this area.

The construction of the 2nd Street North Pump Station is a component of the in-town levees under the Fargo-Moorhead Area Diversion Project.

Find a complete list of road closures online at www.FargoStreets.com. Follow @FargoStreets on Twitter.

Midcontinent Bringing Gigabit

Internet Access to the Northern Plains

The fastest Internet Service Provider in America1 is getting faster. Midcontinent Communications has unveiled a plan to bring gigabit Internet access to homes and businesses in hundreds of communities in South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota. The Midcontinent Gigabit Frontier Initiative will make gigabit speeds available to approximately 600,000 homes and 55,000 businesses along a high-capacity fiber network that covers more than 7,600 miles.

In June 2014, Midcontinent doubled speeds for customers, increasing download speeds to 200 Mbps. When the Gigabit Frontier Initiative is finished, the top speeds available from Midcontinent will be five times faster than its current best and 35 times faster than the average high-speed Internet access speed in America.

Work on the Midcontinent Gigabit Frontier Initiative begins in 2015. The first cities with access to gigabit service are expected to be the metro areas of Fargo, Bismarck and Grand Forks in North Dakota, along with Sioux Falls and Rapid City in South Dakota.

Emergency Food Pantry

names Pat Claus as Executive Director

FARGO, ND –The Emergency Food Pantry has named Pat Claus as Executive Director. Claus has a distinguished career of community service and leadership with the Fargo Police

Department, most recently serving as Deputy Chief. In addition to serving on a number of community organizations, Claus also founded his own holiday charity “Random Acts of Christmas Cheer” along with his wife Kim. “Pat’s passion and commitment to serving others, helping solve problems, and inspiring others to do the same will make Pat a highly effective leader of the Pantry as it pursues its mission of serving the hungry in the Fargo Moorhead area,” said Tom Rohleder, Chair of the Board Selection Committee. “We are delighted that Pat has chosen to continue his service to the community as the leader of our organization.” Claus will begin employment as the Executive Director on December 1, 2014.

For over four decades, the Emergency Food Pantry has provided help to hungry families and individuals with one week’s supply of healthy food. These groceries tide them over in times of crisis such as unemployment, family violence, medical problems and other issues. In 2013, the Emergency Food Pantry provided approximately 1.3 million pounds of food valued at over $2 million dollars to more than 9,000 families and 30,000 individuals in the Fargo Moorhead community. Learn more at www.emergencyfoodpantry.com.