Old Time Jamboree in St. John
Posting from Dick Johnson (’68): Dunseith, ND
Gary and Friends, This Saturday evening, May 6 at 7PM is our annual Rolette County Historical Society fundraiser old time music jamboree. This has been a good fundraiser for us for many years and we again have some good entertainment lined up. The Senior Citizens provide a nice lunch with homemade pies and bars as well as Sloppy Joes etc. I hope many of the readers will be able to attend to help support the museum. Thanks Gary! Dick
Norway man looking for Relatives in the Dunseith, Rolette and Bottineau areas
Message from Thomas Jeppesen: Jostedalen, Norway
Dear Mr/Mrs and to who it may concern. My name is Thomas Jeppesen, of Hokksund,Buskerud,Norway. I’m looking for people in the Dunseith,Rolette and Bottineau county area related to the Espe/Bukve/Seim family that emigrated from Jostedalen,Norway. I see names like Learae Parrill Espe and Ingrid Espe on your website. Could they be descendants from the Espe family in Jostedal? Would love to get in touch as my girfriend is a descendent from John Iverson Bukve Hellegaard whos many children emigrated to North Dakota. Best Regards Thomas Jeppesen.
American Legion project
Posting from Linda Johnson Juntunen (’72): Perth, ND
Gary,
The American Legion, Department of ND has a project on the table for the weekend of May 15-17, 2015. Attached is an article from the Legion News and my comments calling for volunteers. Many of the blog followers have attended or have had a family member attend this wonderful educational camp. Maybe someone might be interested in coming up and helping out.
Linda J. Juntunen
American Legion Auxiliary
Northwestern Division C & Y Chairman
5394 96th St.
Perth, ND 58363
701.230.2779 cell
701.477.5536 home
ND Legion to
Shingle IMC
Practice Huts
In the last issue of the Legion News a NDAL project
within the state of North Dakota was introduced. The rich
heritage the ND American Legion, local Posts and Auxiliary
Units have with sponsoring student musicians into the
International Music Camp’s summer programs has brought
to light the need for repair of practice huts and building
s that affect the quality of learning the children receive
at the camp. Approximately 2,200 kids attend the camp
in six weeks each summer; sixty percent are from North
Dakota, which translate in 1,300 ND kids. The project
was also introduced at the Fall District Meetings and an
organizational meeting was held at the Winter Conference.
The meeting was well attended by at least 25 Legionnaires
representing several posts, companies and interested parties.
The IMC Co-Directors Tim and Christine Baumann were
present to answer questions and offered support for our
planning process.
Project leaders have been selected and the list is
growing. Randall Cale and the family roofing company
will be leading teams. Phil Meyer, Jeff Hall and Harley
Getzlaff, all from Bottineau, and volunteers from two nearby
communities will be reaching out to their local community
college construction projects to offer a real world project
for their students to experience. Lavonne Matthews, a
paralegal, has volunteered to have a waiver of liability
drafted for the volunteers. Linda Juntunen of Rolla will be
leading the charge on providing the meal services to our
volunteers through the use of the camp dining hall. Housing
is available in the dorms for those traveling from outside the
region. Bring sleeping bags or sheets and blankets, pillows
and personal items. Mark your calendars for the weekend of
May 15, 16, 17, for sweat, laughter, and for a project worth
getting done. May 16th is Armed Forces Day, a great day
for a Legion service project. A rainy day alternative is May
29, 30, 31, the first weekend after Memorial Day. There
will be a social element included as well, plans include
a bonfire Saturday night if possible to bring in a little of
the IMC experience. A plan of starting the project Friday
and wrapping it up on Sunday is a huge undertaking but
with enough crews and equipment in place, this task can be
Material donations are being sought from the
manufacturers to support the statewide project for the North
Dakota Children and Youth. Plans are being developed
to have a media day at the camp during the project to
demonstrate the collaboration between the International
Music Camp and the ND American Legion, a collaboration
extending over decades. The music camp will also be
having their spring CPR weekend, Clean, Paint & Repair
team working to open the dorms and get prepared for their
first round of campers in June.
After the organizational meeting during the Winter
Conference, the question still remains on what is needed
to ensure the project goes off as planned. It seems there
will be plenty of hands to help get it get started and we
may have a shortage of younger blood to do the climbing
and crawling on the roofs of the practice huts. If you are
inclined to come and assist in the project, please consider
bringing a younger assistant along with you to help in those
areas which may not be suited for some of our membership.
“American Legion Row” will be our first areas to complete.
Approximately a third of all these huts have the American
Legion logo and a header above the door with the Post name
and number of who have originally sponsored the hut. A
team out of Bottineau is going on property to inspect and
determine what type of under layer roof repairs may be
What do we need? What items, tools or essential
equipment will be needed? The IMC and Peace Gardens
will assure there are roll-off dumpsters for the refuse.
Equipment needed includes Bobcats for removal of debris.
Local availability would reduce having to trailer them across
the state. What tools are needed? Air nailers, compressors,
extension cords, drop cloths, ladders, narrow scaffolding,
magnet rollers, shovels, shingle cutters, pitch forks, etc.
Legionnaires experienced in roofing will have a better idea
of what’s needed so plan on coming to the event and lend
your expertise.
What do you do now? Contact our ND American
Legion Headquarters in West Fargo at 701-293-3120 or
email the Adjutant at adjutant@ndlegion.org and let them
know you are interested in helping on this project.
I hope that all members had the opportunity to read the above article that was printed in the Legion News. As an Auxiliary to the American Legion we all work to support their goals. In the Spirit of Goodwill the ALA will be providing food, snacks and meals for this weekend. Nine meals for 50 volunteers per meal time seating will take a lot of help to prepare and foods to prepare and serve. We will also need snacks for coffee breaks throughout the weekend. Please consider sending cash contribution, volunteering some of your time to help prepare and serve and maybe even providing a dozen or two cookies or bars. Should you wish to volunteer for the weekend I want to let you know that we will be housing the volunteers in the IMC dorms so bring your pillows and bedding and join us for a weekend of good fellowship, great fun and rewarding service.
If you have any questions please contact Linda J. Juntunen, 477-5536 or cell 701/230-2779. You may also contact the Department Adjutant in Fargo at: 701/293-3120
We appreciate all that you and your Unit can do to help with this worthy cause.
Linda J. Juntunen
Past Department President
====================================
Blog (294) posted on November 26, 2008
Folks, I personally reply to or post all messages that I receive from you folks. If you have not received a reply from me or have not seen a message posted that you have sent to me, then I have not received it. I have a system I use where I don’t remove the original message from my in box until I’ve posted it or replied. Today I noticed a message that I had gotten from Tom Hagen several days ago still in my in box that I had not posted. It’s there today though. Please let me know if a message has gotten lost. On the other hand, please let me know of any of these daily messages you do not receive, by keeping track of the numbers. Periodically there are some that do not get delivered. This is not a perfect system, but it works well. Gary
Reply from Carol Thompson Gilje (67):
Hello Everyone,
I just wanted to wish “you and yours” a very happy Thanksgiving feast, blessed with family and friends.
I enjoy reading all your stories of growing up in Dunseith. I realize that I missed out on a lot of the fun, with working either with the family or at the library. I have been a real estate agent with Century 21 in Kingman AZ for the past 18 years. If you get tired of the cold winters “up there,” it’s a good time to buy a winter place in Kingman. Good place to live with nice year round climate. Close to Laughlin and Vegas and lakes for fishing. (No ice fishing though, hah) Take care everyone & stop by & see me
Carol Gilje
Century 21 Barbara Ricca Realty
4005 Stockton Hill Road
Kingman, Arizona 86409
(928) 757 – 2100 Ext. 227
Cell (928) 715 – 4754
Reply from Aime Casavant (66):
Gary, Although we will not be going on the cruise, have you considered setting up your own travel agency? I think you would be rather good at it. Or perhaps, retirement is much better. My wife and I recently took this very similar cruise with the Norwegian – leaving from Seattle – returning to B.C. Canada. When my wife suggested it I thought “Alaska? for a cruise? I was doubtful. In fact it was very enjoyable – looking out at the mountains and northern woods from the ship. Sometimes I was up at 6:00AM (unusual for me on a cruise or vacation) out on the deck ( with only a few others amongst the 3,000 or so), it was just a unique, tranquil experience. Knowing in the silence and scenery of the morning, that within a few hours the bustle of activity on the ship would begin for another day of fun. I thought about it but we have been planning a trip to visit our foreign exchange student in the Netherlands and our daughter in-law’s family in Sweden. Best regards, hope you all have a great time, Aime
Reply from Marshal Awalt (51):
Gary
I want to thank you and Bill Hosmer for all the info.I got my book on order today.It’s like they say ask and you will receive.This web site is the best thing since sliced bread.You do good work.
Marshall
Reply from Tom Hagen (51):
Hi, Gary just a note after reading your latest material. Another Winthrop Smith daughter was Betty . She was older than I but we attended DHS at the same time. She married Don Burcham. My brother, Leland, and I lived at the same house as Betty my freshman year (Lloyd and Annie Hill) in the old Mossie (Sp} house next to Habberstad’s Trailer Court. I think Fontanes lived there later. Floyd Hill and Alice Metcalfe roomed there. We love E-mail letters, Love Tom and Dot
Reply to ‘pea Shooter’ fom Dick Johnson (68):
Gary and Friends, Bill Grimme’s story about ‘pea shooters’ sure had me remembering how we made them! We used two different kinds of clothes pins–one straight one and one with the spring–and then had to file the groove deeper to hold the spring back. If I get a chance, I’m going to make one just to see if I still can! Bill, I never tried tapioca as ammo—is there something you aren’t telling us? Maybe you end up with pudding in your pea shooter?!?! Thanks to Bill for the memory and thanks Gary! Dick