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TUESDAY, JULY 13, 2010
ISSUE NUMBER 1 • PARK RIVER, NORTH DAKOTA
SINGLE COPY $1.00
The weet of victo v l[,auae
tnts
By Terra Linn and Katrina Hodny
Of The Press
Noted as the "best victory he's ever had",
Cody Skytland, Edmore, N.D. native currently
living in Fargo, sped into victory lane over 23
other drivers, including two-time NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart.
Wed., Jun 23, the
Red River Valley
Speedway in West
Fargo had one of its
largest crowds for
the 25-lap Late
Model feature with
some fans coming
from five hours
away.
Skytland, 25, a
third generation
driver, said that
Stewart is "a guy that
We are
all one big
r a c i n
family and
we wouldn't
have it any
other way
a lot of us look up to, but
when he's lined up next to you, you have to look
at him as just another driver."
Hoping to at least be able to "rub fenders with
him," Skytland was thinking the race against
Stewart could be something he could tell his kids
about in the future, but he was in for a surprise.
Claiming the dirt track was "tricky," it took
Stewart longer to find his niche giving Skytland
the perfect opportunity around lap 10 .to battle for
the lead and not give it back.
Victory Lane after Edmore native, Cody Skytland, takes the win over Tony Stewart on
Wednesday, June 23: (I-r) Cody, Katie Aasen, Kayla Laaveg, Blaine Laaveg, Doreen and
Dale Skytland.
(Photo: Submitted)
With Skytland taking the straightaway to the to Dad and Vernie and Casey Slininger and Mike
checkered flag, Stewart was able to hold on and Olson for their help," said Skytland.
finish third. Earlier this year, Skytland also raced against
"I'd like to thank my car owner, Jake Bitket, NASCAR's Kenny Wallace and Ken Schrader.
and Lucas Johnson for all of his help, also thanks Skytland is the son of Dale and Doreen
Skytland of Edmore, N.D.
"This was truly a big accomplishment for
him," said Doreen. "We are very proud of him."
Racing for nine years, Skytland began is career
in Super Stocks before moving up to Late
Models.
"It is nerve wracking at fu'st to see your son
out there racing," commented Doreen, "You
never lose that feeling of nervousness.
According to Doreen, he has been nic[mamed
'The Dakota Kid' partly because of his young age
and also because of his many earned
accomplishments in the Late Model circuit,
Skytland's father, Dale, is a 25-year racing
veteran who raced Late Models for two decades
ending in 2007. At one point father and son raced
against each other. The Grand Forks' River
Cities Speedway was .the rack Dale called his
home track.
When he was young, Skytland attended races
with father and watched him do what he loved,
claiming his dad taught him how to be a
champion and how to win.
"Racing is an addiction," said Doreen. "It's
kept us close as a family."
According to Doreen, the family tries to attend
as many races as possible and to be there for
support.
Skytland
'i
]Flmm the i/es of the Park River Gazette and the Pa -Ri er l%epubli, ""
By David Larson The local baseball team run.
For The Press may have been very late to Park River would
On July 1 the stage coach organize, but by July the undoubtedly have won, 0pined
operating between Park River season was in full swing, the reporter, if the game had
and Grafton went out of They beat Minto twice, butgone the full nine innings, but
business, after operating lost both games in a Conway's arrival had been
continuously since Park River tournament at Inkster. Thedelayed by a broken
was founded in 1884. The reporter noted that both automobile; and the game had
PostalService found that there opponents had beefedup their to be called on account of
wasn't enough business to teams for the occasion, darkness.
warrant operating it. The team also lost to In the next week, the local
The Park River Republican Conway, 6-5 in six innings, team tied the Colored Gophers
reported that a "strictly sane" The Conway team, too, had in a game called because of
Fourth was celebrated--it was imported outside talent, this darkness. The Colored
so sane that there weren't even time "an African from the Gophers had pretty much
any reports of firecrackers, county seat." He pitched for a cleaned up every team in the
The harvest was general bycouple inniflgs and playednorthern part of the state,
the end of the month. But right fielder, giving the losing only to Valley City.
even though the price of wheat Conway team five runs. Then,
was good ($1.13 per bushel), as the article put it, "the color Late (very late-)
the crop was terrible owing to line was drawn" and the iron{Re, 7
lack of rain. visitors scored only one more ,
e Lyric ma :es
e Times
Small town theaters have been making their
comeback in North Dakota. Proof of this feat
was printed in The New York Times on July 4.
In the article, Old Movie Houses Find
Audience in the Plains by Patricia Leigh Brown,
t[ae following theaters were mentioned: the Lyric.
in Park River, N.D., the Roxy in Langdon, N.D.,
and the Audi Theater in Cando, N.D.
According to The Times article, the Lyric was
a silent-picture-era theater once presided over by
Laura McEachern who stalked the aisles with a
pen flashlight to handle th6 rustle of candy
wrappers during the movie.
In the paper "The "Memory Palaces" of the
Dakotas" by Dr. Tim Kennedy, North Dakota
State University, he reported "on March 26,
1915, Will McEachern and Fred Walstrom
purchased 416 Briggs Ave, the lot on which the
theater was built. The theater opened July 8,
1915, and according to the town histbrical record,
"The pictures were as close to perfect as
possible." Pictures were silent, with a pianist
providing music. Some of the accompanists
were: Lila McLaughlin, Snow (Magoon) Leek,
Disa Spornitz and Marie Simmer (who also sold
tickets). Other background or "sound-effect"
music was played in the back of the theater by
vita phones. Florenz (Teeny) Ferguson Swanke
added that one benefit of the "silent" movies was
that you had to become a good reader because the
dialogue was written beside the picture. The
seats were wooden, and there was a stage in front
of the screen which was used for plays and other
entertainment."
More information on the Lyric can be found at
www.cityofparkriver.com.
Rostvet
In the spring of 2010, the
Chris Rostvet Memorial
Scholarship Fund officially
merged with the Park River
Community Endowment Fund
at the recommendation of
Rostvet family members.
The change was requested to
allow the Fund to benefit a
greater number of people and a
broader range of projects within
the Park River community.
Chris Rostvet, a graduate of
Park River High School, was
attending Bottineau State
College with plans to attend the
University of North Dakota
when his life was cut short by a
tragic boating accident on
Devils Lake.
Family and friends used
memorial gifts to establish the
Chris Rostvet Memorial
Scholarship Fund in ! 999.
Grants from the Fund will
now be made annually in
conjunction with the Park River
Community Endowment Fund
to aid projects in the Park River
area.
"The heartfelt generosity of
the family to think of the
community is very moving"
said Board Member Tom
Larson. "The projects we have
supported in the past have been
very beneficial to our
community and we will be
proud to honor Chris's memory
by supporting community
projects in his name."
Each year the local Advisory
Committee accepts applications
from organizations for a variety
. Chris
of projects.
To date, the Fund has granted
5ver $217,000 to 384 individual
projects.
"The g0al of the Endowment
Fund is for the money to follow
the needs of the community"
said Larson. "It may be
equipment for the hospital or fire
department this year and
daycare or historical society next
year.
The beauty of the
Endowment Fund is that we
have the money available when
those needs arise". The Park
River Community Endowment
Fund also offers the opportunity
Scouts Campout at Capitol
See paffe
Antique
Tractor Ride
See' lpa, , e 7
Be kind,to
on
way up, you need
i
on your way
Eagle Ridge
Park River
Rostvet
for donors to leverage their gifts.
Annually, every dollar raised
up to $10,000 is matched dollar
for dollar by the North Dakota
Community Foundation. This
program has helped to build the
Fund balance to just over
$244,000.
Those wishing to support the
Chris Rostvet Memorial Fund or
the Park River Community
Endowment Fund can send their
tax deductible contributions to:
Park River Community
Endowment Fund, PO Box C,
Park River, ND 58270. Gifts to ]
either of the above funds qualify
for the annual match.
I
Hillclimb Results 1
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Celebration Photos
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