Winter Optimism

What do people think of when they hear “North Dakota”?  That’s easy – cold winter months with seemingly no end.  That’s what my husband thinks of when I ask him to accompany me home for a visit.  Whenever I tell people that I am from North Dakota, their first comment is about the cold, “How did you stand those cold winters?”, “Does it ever get above 50 degrees up there?”.  Yet, why is it that no one ever makes such comments about Minnesota?  Whenever someone brings up Minnesota people say “What beautiful country.  They know how to live up there!”.  So what’s the difference?  Other than a few more trees and lakes, I’d say a lot of it has to do with optimism.  In my winter travels to Minnesota, I have seen an endless lineup of winter festivals and outdoor events.  Sure you have to dress like Nanook of the North, but there is still much beauty and opportunity for fun in the cold winter months.

 

Here is what I propose for North Dakota – let’s make some lemonade out of our cold winter lemons.  Let’s embrace what we have and show the rest of the country that it can be FUN to live in North Dakota, even in the winter.  No more winter hibernations, let’s plan some hockey conventions, ice skating festivals, snowmobiling trips, snow shoeing, and cross country skiing events.  We could get really crazy and build the world’s largest snow fort, or get into the Guinness Book with the largest organized snow ball fight – heck – let’s make it an annual event!  I’ve always wanted to do a snowmobile scavenger or treasure hunt – why not make it in North Dakota and get some press behind it to let the nation know about it?  With a little creativity and inventiveness, maybe we can pull in some tourists and new residents to join in on the fun.

 

Michelle Wedell-Mertz