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Category Archives: Sports & Recreation

Summer fun for families

June 11th 2013 | Posted by julier | 0 Comments

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Today’s blog is written by Michaela Schell, a local writer and business professional.   As the years pass, I find myself looking more and more for kid friendly events that cater to our growing family. The more I search for things to do with my toddler, the more I find. The Grand Cities are extremely family friendly and offer lots of things to do with kids. The best part is a majority of them are free! As a stay-at-home mom, any kid event, whether it be a simple library story time or a big circus, that get us out of the house is a welcome occurrence.   So, here are just a few of the upcoming kid and family events happening in the Grand Cities this summer.   Movies in the Park (begins June 12) – The Grand Forks Park District hosts movies on an outdoor big screen at various parks around town. The kid-firendly shows are free and begin at sundown (around 9 p.m.). June 12 – The Muppets at University Park June 26 – Madagascar 2 at University Park July 16 – Harry Potter at Lincoln Park July 30 – Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs at Lincoln …

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An easy afternoon getaway to Turtle River State Park

May 28th 2013 | Posted by julier | 0 Comments

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Today’s blog is written by Michaela Schell, a local writer and business professional.   If you are looking for an afternoon outdoors, Grand Forks is a city filled with parks and activities to soak up the sunshine this spring. One of my favorites, happens to be just a short trip outside the city.   A quick 20 minute drive west on Highway 2 will take you to Turtle River State Park (TRSP). It is 784 acres of wooded quiet just north of the highway. Our family frequently visits for lunch picnics and short afternoon hikes along the Turtle River. I have also enjoyed camping, mountain biking, and snowshoeing throughout the park.   Entering the park requires a small $5 daily fee or full year pass for $25. This year pass also allows entrance into any North Dakota State Park. This fee covers access for all trails, facilities, and amenities of the park.   Turtle River State Park is an easy weekend getaway for those of us who live in the Grand Forks area and a great place to stay for visitors. It has primitive camping areas, RV campgrounds with electric hookups, and cabins for rent plus bathroom and shower faciltieis …

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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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UND Football “Tailgater of the Year” to be awarded this Saturday

October 30th 2012 | Posted by julier | 38 Comments

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It has been an exciting first season in the Big Sky Conference for the University of North Dakota Football team! UND will host their final home game of the regular season this Saturday, November 3, at the Alerus Center. I definitely appreciate the opportunity to watch football indoors at the beginning of November in North Dakota!   The Convention & Visitors Bureau has been a proud sponsor of the Tailgating Village outside the Alerus Center for the last two seasons, and this year we designated a “Tailgater of the Game” at each home game with the winner(s) receiving prize packages valued at $250. This Saturday the “Tailgater of the Year” will be crowned from the pool of the past five winners. This recipient will receive a prize package valued at $500 along with bragging rights and a flag designating the title!   These high-spirited UND Football fans fill the Alerus Center parking lot hours before each game with food, festivities and fun. Here are the game winners and the entries for “Tailgater of the Year”:   August 30 – Al Pearson has been enjoying UND Football since 1961, and when he is tailgating he is decked out in UND gear …

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Taking the pumpkins to the patch

October 17th 2012 | Posted by julier | 0 Comments

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Since we are in full swing in the fall season and only a couple of weeks until Halloween, we grabbed our pumpkins last week and headed to the “patch”, that is Nelson’s Pumpkin Patch, which is only about 18 miles west of Grand Forks.   This is an annual day for my family, but we were pleased with all the new additions inclusing the Pumpkin Patch Corn Maze, more games, animals and more fun! This was the first year we dared to enter the Haunted House, and we were not disappointed!   Check out our pics, and grab your pumpkins for a great day at the “patch”!

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Nic’s Five Faves in the Forks

September 26th 2012 | Posted by julier | 1 Comment

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The Greater Grand Forks Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) wants to assist visitors in every way we can, so we are starting a new addition to our blog. We are asking members of our team as well as other members of the community to share with us their Five Favorites in the Forks. That way visitors can hear what the locals enjoy with some special hints. Today Nicole, who is the Sales & Services Coordinator at the CVB, is sharing her five picks for shopping, dining and things to do…   1.  Lincoln Drive Park – I have three kids, so outside play and activities are important to my family. Lincoln Drive Park coves 120 acres and park amenities include 4 shelters, park activities building, outdoor pleasure skating rink, 10 horseshoe courts, playground, restrooms, biking/walking trails, cross-country skiing groomed trails, boat launch, disc golf, dog park, sledding hill and sand volleyball court. Lincoln Drive Park is the location for many festivals including: Family Fun Night (July), Tour the Trails Bike Rally (September), Trail Trek 5k Family Run/Walk (September), Veteran’s Day X-Country Race (November), Christmas in the Park (Lions Club Tour of Lights – Nov/Dec) and Greenway Ski Days (February).   2.  …

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Shelley’s Five Favorites in the Forks

August 28th 2012 | Posted by julier | 0 Comments

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The Greater Grand Forks Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) wants to assist visitors in every way we can, so we are starting a new addition to our blog. We are asking members of our team as well as other members of the community to share with us their Five Favorites in the Forks. That way visitors can hear what the locals enjoy with some special hints. We are starting with Shelley who is the Communications Coordinator at the CVB. She is sharing her five picks for shopping, dining and things to do…   Little Bangkok – Lunch and dinner at Little Bangkok is always a great experience with a variety of Thai and Japanese dishes on the menu including an array of fresh sushi creations. Shelley’s faves include the DeMers Avenue (sushi roll), Drunken Noodles (entree) and Vinho Verde (wine). Macy’s – Shelley is always on the lookout for a deal in the coolest trends, and she finds them at Macy’s in the Columbia Mall. She also recommends using the 10% off International Visitor Pass that can be found on the Deals & Discounts section of our website. University of North Dakota Women’s Basketball and Volleyball – There is nothing …

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