the insider blog

200 Rummage Sales all under one roof at the Anything Goes Sale

May 3rd 2013 | Posted by julier | 1 Comment

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Today’s blog is written by Michaela Schell, a local writer and business professional.   I love rummage sales. Especially now when turning shabby into chic is super trendy. But, I’m not the best at actually going to rummage sales. It takes a lot of time to drive from place to place all over town to try to find that one item that catches my fancy.   But, Grand Forks has a cure for people like me who love to rummage but don’t have the time or energy to drive from sale to sale. The solution…the Anything Goes Sale at the Alerus Center!   The Anything Goes Sale, Flea Market and Swap Meet is just what its name implies. It is a little of everything all under one giant roof. Over two hundred vendors will fill the Alerus Center arena on Saturday, May 4th selling their no longer wanted treasures. Tables are filled with everything from clothing to jewelry, furniture to knick knacks.   My family and I have gone almost every year and always seem to find something unique and creative. Here are just a few of the cool things we have picked up at the sale…   I stumbled …

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Trendy, new music venue opens Downtown

April 19th 2013 | Posted by julier | 0 Comments

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Today’s blog is written by Michaela Schell, a local writer and business professional.   A new music venue has come to Downtown Grand Forks! You probably haven’t seen any big outdoor sign marking its location, actually you can’t even see the venue from the street. That’s because it is tucked away in one of Downtown’s already prominent landmarks… The Empire Arts Center. What used to be a staging area behind the theater has be recreated into a trendy little social area the Empire is calling “The Backstage Project.”  The Empire’s website describes it as a place “designed to utilize creative, urban spaces for live music performances by local and regional artists.” I call it “pretty cool.” Grand Forks is lucky to have the large scale concert venues such as the Alerus Center and Ralph Engelstad Arena and mid-size venues like the Empire’s and the Chester Fritz Auditorium’s stages for fairly large performances, but we have always been missing that small, intimate space where local artists can perform to an up-close and personal crowd. Until now. The Backstage Project kicked off its first show of the series on April 5th with music from local jazz band favorite, Jazz On Tap. Jazz …

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This weekends 10th Annual Easter Egg Scramble a must-see for families

March 26th 2013 | Posted by julier | 0 Comments

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A football field full of easter eggs is every kids dream… and a heck of a lot of work for the Easter Bunny!  Thankfully, the Easter Bunny has some help from the Alerus Center staff to fill its 100 yards of turf with 20,000 brightly colored eggs.   This Saturday, March 30th from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM kids ages two through eight will swarm the Alerus Center arena filling their baskets at the 10th Annual Easter Egg Scramble. The kiddos won’t have to search too hard as thousands of eggs cover nearly every square inch of the arena’s main floor. Kids are divided into age groups, the youngest get first pick, and given a set amount of time to carry their baskets out onto the floor and collect their share of eggs filled with candy and small prizes.   For families staying in town for the holiday or guests traveling to Grand Forks, this is a must attend event. Can you imagine your little one’s face as they walk into the giant area and are dazzled by thousands of shining, bright eggs, all their’s for the taking? The look is priceless and the fun is totally worth the sugar …

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Jason Aldean brings his chart toppers to the Alerus Center March 23

March 13th 2013 | Posted by julier | 0 Comments

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Today’s blog is written by Michaela Schell, a local writer and business professional. Fresh off its biggest concert in the arena’s history, the Alerus Center brings yet another big name in country music to Grand Forks. Jason Aldean will fill the Alerus with chart topping tunes on March 23rd at 7:00 PM. He brings with him country star Jake Owen and new-comer Thomas Rhett.   Now, I’ll be honest, I like country music and have definitely heard of Jason Aldean, but if you asked me to name a song he sang, I couldn’t.  So, I googled him.   As I went down my google search list of Aldean’s songs, I quickly realized found myself saying “Oh, I love that song! I didn’t know Jason Aldean sang that!” Here are just a few of his many hits that you’ve likely heard and probably had stuck in your head a time or two. (Click the link to hear the song)   Hicktown Amarillo Sky Big Green Tractor Tattoos on This Town Fly Over States Take a Little Ride with Me Nine of Aldean’s singles have reached number one on the country charts and 16 have made it to the top 10. Aldean …

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The Ralph brings ball hockey to Grand Forks

February 10th 2013 | Posted by julier | 0 Comments

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Kyle Kosier from The Hockey Academy at Ralph Engelstad Arena tells us about Grand Forks’ first ever ball hockey tournament…   The Hockey Academy, in conjunction with the Ralph Engelstad Arena is hosting Grand Forks’ first-ever summer ball hockey tournament, the REA Ball Hockey Classic. The tournament, which will run from May 31st to June 2nd, will feature teams from North Dakota, Minnesota, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.   Much like its on-ice counterpart, the rules of ball hockey should be pretty familiar to the local community. Playing a 3-on-3 co-ed format (with a goalie), games will be held on both the REA Main arena and Olympic surfaces and will feature two 15-minute halves.  Teams can have between 5 and 8 players and registration is $225.00/team.   Extremely popular in Winnipeg and other Canadian cities, ball hockey can be fun for everyone from seasoned hockey players to novices. No hockey playing experience is required, and the tournament will feature both open and elite divisions so that you can play against people of the same skill level. Each ice surface at the REA will be converted to hold 3 ball hockey floors, with games running “cross-ice”. The rules allow for a wide-open playing …

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ENDRacing’s Iceman Triathlon is coming our way

January 10th 2013 | Posted by julier | 0 Comments

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Today’s post comes from guest blogger, Andy Magness, with Extreme North Dakota Racing and Ground UP Adventures…   Extreme North Dakota Racing, or ENDracing for short is now in its fifth year of putting on crazy, fun, and sometimes really really hard athletic events right here in this great state of ours.  2013 will involve a dozen events including family friendly adventure races, a marathon swim, a 24 hour adventure race (the hardest race in North Dakota), and halloween themed mountain bike/trail running.  But ENDracing doesn’t wait until the snow melts to give you a reason to train – we’re starting things off right in the middle of deep winter with the BeMobile Iceman Triathlon, coming your way on Feb. 23rd.   Co-organized by ENDracing and the Greater Grand Forks Young Professionals, the race is a standard winter triathlon – classic cross country skiing, biking, and running – with a couple of fun and adventurous twists.  To begin with some portion of each leg will take racers ‘off the beaten track’.  And to end with?  Well, we’ve added a final fourth leg – sledding – to make sure that no matter how tired participants might be approaching the finish, they’ll …

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Santa makes his annual stop at Santa’s Village in Grand Forks

December 11th 2012 | Posted by julier | 0 Comments

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Grand Forks is lucky to see the Lincoln Park Golf Course Clubhouse transform into Santa’s Village every December. The Grand Forks Park District takes the venue to a completely new level with 40 beautifully decorated trees, Santa and Mrs. Claus, a horse-drawn sleigh, hot cocoa, crafts and event an upside-down tree! The building even has a scent of Christmas in the air!   Santa’s Village is open to the public December 13-16 and 20-23 (Thursday from 4 to 8 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sundays noon to 6 p.m.). Santa is on site Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission is only a non-perishable food item or a new toy donation. Santa’s Village will open on weekdays for daycares by appointment (701.746.2790).   The Greater Grand Forks Convention & Visitors Bureau did as many groups do and rented the venue for our holiday gathering, and it was nothing short of amazing. Not only was the venue filled with the season’s spirit, but it is all ready to set up for groups of various sizes. The catering was done by Eagle’s Crest Grill, and the food was top-notch. All you need to do to reserve for …

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