New Salem, ND

Morton County Fair

Well... if you haven't been to a county fair, you should try it!

Local music, animals, and usually some kind of FREE food - what's not to like?

So, MOST of the fairs we have attended, have some kind of free food, whether it is samples, candy, ice cream, wine or beer tasting; but Morton County Fair hosted a FREE Hamburger Lunch! AND it was good! The burgers were juicy and the beans tasty. We also got chips, lemonade, and ice cream. The tables were a little tight... due to the crazy lighting storm, but everyone was pleasant despite the cramped space. The lights went out at least four times, but The Little Bluestems siblings band kept right on playing - what troopers!

Highlights of the fair:

The goats and pigs - they were friendly and entertaining! The pigs were so curious, they wandered over and looked deep into our eyes, as if to say, "You don't really want to eat bacon, sausage, and pork chops anymore, do you?"

The 4H projects - the variety of categories was amazing - from growing plants, to building chairs, to needlework, canning, cake decorating, engineering projects, and last but not least - flower arranging. Our favorite entry was The Potato Masher potato launcher!


The music - we heard some great toe tapping, polka, bluegrass, and original country. Musical acts included: Marv & The Moonlighters, Clyde Bauman aka Mylo Hatzenbuhler, The Little Bluestems, and Carrie Cunningham.

The only things we missed out on were the beer garden and tractor pull - both were canceled due to the weather. Once the sun came out, we did catch the Kiddie Tractor Pull, which was super cute! If you have never seen one, the child pedals a tractor pulling a trailer with weights on it - talk about a workout!

All this, with the grand Salem Sue overlooking the events. Well... so long til next year, Morton County Fair. Thanks for the fun!

Strasburg, ND - Welk Homestead State Historic Site

Ever heard of Lawrence Welk or Strasburg, ND? No, well you are missing out!





Ever since flying by the Welk Homestead sign last fall, we knew we had to make an actual visit. I mean, Lawrence Welk is North Dakota's golden boy - a North Dakota Music Hall of Fame Inductee. With his Germans from Russia heritage and work ethic, he made it to the big time with his bands and the Lawrence Welk Show.

We began our journey by traveling south on US 83, down the two lane highway through the fields of wheat, corn, and other crops we couldn't identify. As we neared Linton and Strasburg, we began to see lovely rolling hills. The Welk Homestead was easy to find as it has the state historic site sign AND another larger sign.

The small sod house sits next to the summer kitchen, the blacksmith, the livery stable, the red painted barn - and most importantly - the privy! We ran into a nephew of Lawrence, who showed us the children's table in the summer kitchen that his grandfather built, and where his mom played the organ. While touring the sod house, we learned Lawrence convinced his father to buy a $400 accordion for him in exchange for several more years work on the farm.

Our visit coincided with an annual event - Welk Homestead State Historic Site - Music at the Homestead - FREE music, kuchen, and black smith demonstrations. It was fun listening to the local musicians during the Accordion Jam Session. They played classics like Du Du Liegst Mir Im Herzen.

Even more interesting than the music, were the two blacksmiths demonstrating their craft! This entertaining duo will be at the upcoming Corn Feed/Harvest Festival (this event has two names!) at Buckstop Junction in Bismarck, ND and the Annual Braddock Threshing Bee in Braddock, ND. The most interesting event was the blacksmith demonstration. One of the gentleman demonstrated how to make wall hook with a decorative heart.

Before AND after heading to the Welk Homestead, we ate at The Grille and Lounge, nine miles to the north, in Linton, ND. Yum! The breakfast - Farmer's Omelet, eggs, and caramel roll was the perfect start to our trip. We looked longingly at the homemade pies... and couldn't resist returning to sample some! After seeing the size of the slices, we could have shared... but who would want to share something so tasty?