Cavalier County
Republican
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Single Copy Volume 135
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In this issue:
Copyright © Langdon, North Dakota
Card of Thanks can be found on Page 6.
Index
OPINION PROF DIR CHURCH COMMUNITY SPORTS AG PN CLASSIFIED
PAGE 4 PAGE 5 PAGE 6 PAGE 7 PAGE 8-10 PAGE 11 PAGE 11-12 PAGE 13
This is the final article covering National Women's Small Business Month, highlighting the benefits and industry brought to communities by women in business. Gael and Mindy Balsdon, Quilt 4 U Gael Balsdon attended a long arm machine quilting show with a friend of hers a little over 15 years ago and remembers thinking she would never do that. “Don’t ever say never,” warns Gael. She bought a small version and started doing long arm quilting at home. “I quickly decided that wasn’t enough of a machine. I wanted something bigger.” Gael bought the bigger machine she wanted and put it in their Sports & Shirts store in 2006, launching Quilt 4 U. Her daughter-in-law, Mindy Balsdon, joined her in 2014. “I fell in love with it,” said Mindy. “I love fabric. I love to see what people create and bring in.” “That’s the best part,” said Gael, “the show and tell.” When customers bring their finished quilt tops to the store, Gael and Mindy will help them choose the thread color and stitching pattern to be used to stitch the layers of the quilt together. “If you want to personalize it, Gael has the machine to embroider it before it gets quilted,”
said Mindy. “We’ve done a lot of that,” acknowledges Gael. “Names, dates, weddings, births, baby blankets. We usually embroider on the front and then quilt it so the back side of the stitching isn’t seen on the back of the quilt, which is nice.” COVID was a challenge in that it only made things busier. “People needed something to do,” said Gael. “It’s a good hobby. A lot were finishing old projects. It was a little bit of a
challenge getting enough batting. We started stockpiling it because it was hard to get for a while. Now it’s pretty good.” Quilt 4 U has polyester/cotton batting and cotton batting for sale that you can use in your quilt if you want. Gael and Mindy want their customers to be happy. If they’re not, they will try to make it right. “We always stand behind what we’ve done, and we will fix it if you’re not happy with it,” said Gael. Quilt 4 U is located in Sports & Shirts at 203 7th Avenue in Langdon. They are open Mon-
Area schools celebrate Red Ribbon Week
color-changing glasses, and activities. • Monday: PJ day “Don’t let other trinkets. They also made signs to be hung uptown at lodrugs ruin your dreams” • Tuesday: Hats and sunglass- cal businesses. Red Ribbon Week is celebratIn library classes, the students ed nationwide the last week of es “Block out drugs” • Wednesday: Red Day “Cel- will be playing Red Ribbon Week October every year and focuses bingo after discussing how kids on educating youth, mobilizing ebrate Red Ribbon Week” • Thursday: Jersey/Cardinal can stay drug free. Jenny will communities, and encouraging be taking photos of the classes participation in drug preven- gear “Team up against drugs” • Friday: Halloween Dress up throughout the week and will tion activities. Counselor Beth post them on Facebook and in Romfo and Librarian Jenny “Scare drugs away” “We will distribute red brace- the paper. Romfo have been doing some “The 6th graders have worked project-based learning activi- lets that say 'Proud to be drug hard on this ties with the and will be 6th grade class treated durat Langdon ing their HalArea Elemenloween party tary School for on Friday for this event. all their hard “The first work,” said project has Jenny. been planning The MuRed Ribbon nich Public Week for the Schools are elementary also planning school,” said Red Ribbon Jenny Romfo. Week activi"The students ties. have divided “We trying into groups and will be Pictured are Langdon Area School 6th graders and one of the to participate and take adp r e s e n t i n g posters they made for Red Ribbon Week. vantage of to the other the opporgrades. They have researched Red Ribbon free' on the inside and 'I believe tunity to provide some educaWeek and have developed pre- in me' on the outside,” said Jen- tion for the students about the sentations that are age-appro- ny. “There will be daily drawings dangers of drugs and alcohol,” priate along with an activity to in each classroom for the stu- said Munich Elelmentary Prindents and a surprise for all the cipal Curt Kram. Second grade end the presentation.” They also chose dress-up students on Thursday thanks teacher Seth Hansen has been days for the week of Oct 25-29. to Alison Podhradsky and Thri- spearheading the school’s team The Langdon Area High School vent.” The students decided effort in planning and preparwill have the same dress up what kind of prizes there would cont. on page 3 days and will be doing similar be and ordered water bottles, By Linda Timian Republican Writer
Farmers & Merchants State Bank 816 3rd Street, Langdon, ND 58249
(701)256-5431 • www.fmbanklangdon.com
Member FDIC
Monday, October 25, 2021
Number 43
October is Women’s Small Business Month
By Linda Timian Republican Writer
Catch up with the latest from the Langdon Area School Board on Page 3.
Official Newspaper of Cavalier County Published since 1889
day through Friday, 9:00 a.m.4:00 p.m. Saturdays are by appointment only. The number at the store is 701-256-4200, and they also have a Quilt 4 U Facebook page. “Some will call ahead and ask the store hours and if we’re taking quilts,” said Gael. “There’s a lot of places that are out 6 months before you get your quilt in. We are about 2-3 weeks.” Their customers are from Langdon, nearby towns, and from as far away as Minot, Minnesota, Iowa, and K e nt u c k y. M i n d y travels to Cavalier occasionally and will deliver quilts if there are any ready to go. “If they have stuff ready, they bring them to me and vice versa,” said Mindy. “If they need it before my next trip then they come up and get them.” Mindy also does some custom quilting for customers, making the quilt tops for them, quilting the layers together and binding the edges. Both Gael and Mindy make quilts for themselves and like giving some as gifts. “It’s kind of fun to make a quilt and give it as a gift and watch the expression on the people that you give it to,” said Gael. “There’s a lot of work, a lot of time, a lot of money put
into them, but it always feels so good to give it.” “We love what we do,” continues Gael. “It’s been a good combination for both of us. We get along really well.” Mindy smiles. “She let me in, and I never looked back.” Karrie Mikkelsen, Cavalier County Senior Meals & Services Karrie Mikkelsen has been the director at Cavalier County Senior Meals & Services since 2013. She has been working at CCSMS for 21 ½ years starting out as the activities coordinator, bus driver, and kitchen helper. “I remember walking into the Langdon Senior Center years ago because I had heard there was a job opening for an activities coordinator. At the time, Beatrice Delvo was the director, so she and I talked about the job. As we were chatting the senior bus pulled up outside of the building and Beatrice pointed towards the window and asked me if I thought I could drive that bus. I preceded to tell her that I drove truck on my dad’s farm for years. Her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree, and I knew the minute I had said it I shouldn’t have! I have been driving bus ever since.” A year and a half into her new job, the bookkeeper moved away, and Mikkelsen took over that role as well. “I remember when I started, I didn’t even have a computer on my desk,” she said. “Now we cont. on page 2
Dr. Chirumamilla promoted at LREC By Linda Timian Republican Writer Dr. Anitha Chirumamilla has been promoted to extension specialist in cropping systems at the Langdon Research Extension Center (LREC). The promotion was effective October 1, 2021. Filling the position will be a benefit to area growers, the NDSU extension system, and the Ag industry. “As a cropping systems specialist,” said Chirumamilla, “I will develop extension programs to disseminate research results of the various experiments conducted at the REC to update the knowledge base of the extension professionals, growers, crop consultants, and agronomists.” The extension specialist in cropping systems position was previously held by Lesley Lubenow and has been vacant since she moved to the position of extension district director/east. “This specialist position has actually been open for the past two years,” said LREC Director Randy Mehlhoff. “The
governor’s request for NDSU to submit an 85 percent budget last session put the position on hold. No cuts in the budget occurred last session, and authority was given to fill the position.” Chirumamilla will be a member of a statewide Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources team. The team is responsible for providing leadership to create and deliver innovative learning ex p e r i e n ce s that empower North Dakotans to improve their lives and communities. Programming will focus primarily on production agriculture issues and providing expertise and continuing education to Extension professionals, producers, industry, and others regarding crop production practices. Chirumamilla will work closely with extension agents and build collaborative relationships with commodity groups, the ag industry, private enterprise, and others to identify production issues and develop programming cont. on page 3
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