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Special Olympics of North Dakota hosts ‘Polar Plunge’

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Special Olympics of North Dakota hosts ‘Polar Plunge’


GRAND FORKS – Taya Lulay, 6, of Michigan, North Dakota, looked a bit apprehensive but eager as she waited with her team to participate in the annual “Polar Plunge” on Saturday, March 21, at Choice Health and Fitness.

Taya was among about 40 courageous souls who braved the 39-degree temps, chilly winds and a tank of frigid water to raise funds for the Special Olympics of North Dakota organization.

“She’s the reason we’re doing this,” said Erick Houde, of Grand Forks.

The daughter of Brandon and Amy Lulay attended the event last year and apparently convinced five others to join her in taking the plunge, all for the first time.

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Members of “The ReNewed Penguins,” ranging in age from 6 to 53, have raised about $700 for the Special Olympics of North Dakota.

Erick Houde, Brandon Lulay and Luke Syrup are employees of PCL Community Contractors.

“We do a lot of volunteering” as employees, Houde said, “and we like to keep on doing it. We decided to do it as our own team this year.”

“And it’s fun,” said Joan Houde, Erick Houde’s wife, who confessed to being “a little bit” nervous before the plunge. “It’s just the cold.”

“We felt the water,” she said, “and we shouldn’t have.”

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Joan Houde, of Grand Forks, along with five others on “The ReNewed Penguins” team, braved chilly waters as they participated in the annual Polar Plunge on Saturday, March 21, near Choice Health and Fitness in south Grand Forks

Pamela Knudson / Grand Forks Herald

Dressed in black-and-white penguin costumes, Erick Houde added that “the layers are pretty cozy.”

At the far end of the tank, three volunteers from Grand Forks Water Rescue were positioned in the water to help the plungers steady themselves after the jump and exit the tank.

Others on hand to help, if needed, included Altru ambulance, fire and police personnel.

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This is the 17th year the Polar Plunge event has been held here, said Nancy Hanson, president and CEO. The funds raised support year-round competition and sports training for Special Olympics of North Dakota athletes.

Anyone who raised $100 or more before the event was welcome to walk-up and participate, Hanson said.

The organization set a goal of raising $25,000 through this event, about the same as last year, Hanson said. People could participate as individuals or as members of a team.

Travis Nelson, a trooper with the North Dakota Highway Patrol, was taking the plunge for the 12th time. He has served on the event’s organizing committee since 2011.

He does it because Special Olympics “is a great organization to raise money for,” he said, emerging from the water.

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Awards were given for best costume, best belly flop, oldest and youngest plungers, the team and individual who raised the most funds for the Special Olympics of North Dakota organization.

Judges for the event were Rod Clark, UND chief of police; Mike Hedlund, East Grand Forks police chief; Jeremy Moe, Grand Forks Police Department; Captain Joel Lloyd, Grand Forks County Sheriff’s Office; and Tyler Lee, SOND athlete.

This spring, SOND will host another major fundraising event, “Dancing for Special Stars,” on April 16. Local celebrities and other well-known residents team up with dance instructors to learn routines which they perform for the audience. The dance couple with the most votes wins the competition at the Mirror Ball Trophy; a People’s Choice Award is also presented.

Pamela Knudson
Pamela Knudson is a features and arts/entertainment writer for the Grand Forks Herald.

She has worked for the Herald since 2011 and has covered a wide variety of topics, including the latest performances in the region and health topics.

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Pamela can be reached at pknudson@gfherald.com or (701) 780-1107.





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ND State Fair completes 2026 grandstand lineup with EDM artist Zedd, ‘Turn Up ND!’

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ND State Fair completes 2026 grandstand lineup with EDM artist Zedd, ‘Turn Up ND!’


MINOT, N.D. (KMOT) – We now know the entertainers who will round out this year’s North Dakota State Fair grandstand lineup.

In what is a first for the state fair, Zedd will put on an EDM show at the grandstand on Friday, July 24. He’s an award-winning artist and DJ, known for hits like ‘Clarity’ and ‘The Middle.’

The show will feature immersive production, sound and visuals. Tickets will be just over $58, including fees.

The fair wraps up on Saturday, July 25, with this year’s ‘Turn Up ND’ show. It features TI, Da-Baby and Waka Flocka Flame.

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All three have made a name for themselves in the trap and hip-hop music genres.

Tickets for this show are just over $78, including fees.

So here’s a look at the full lineup, which is packed with some major stars, featuring Alex Warren, Jon Pardi, Jessie Murph, Niko Moon and Zach Top.

The fair will hold two days of the popular MHA Indian Horse Relays on July 20 and 21.

For information on tickets, dates and more, go to ndstatefair.com.

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Darlene Struble

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Darlene Struble


Darlene Kay Struble was born April 11, 1946 in Valley City, ND to Frank and Ruby (Satreaas) Klima. She grew up in LaMoure, ND and graduated from LaMoure High School 1964. After graduation, Darlene continued her education at North Dakota State School of Science in Wahpeton before completing her LPN training in Grand Forks. 

Darlene married the love of her life, Charles Struble, on October 25, 1969 at Trinity Lutheran Church. Together, they made their home in Jamestown where she began her career in the OB department at Jamestown Hospital. Her dedication to caring for others continued throughout her professional life, later leading her to Dakota Clinic in Jamestown. Her work was an extension of her compassionate spirit, and she touched many lives until her retirement in 2009. 

She filled her days with many loves; her family above all, but also the quiet joys of gardening, flowers, sewing, crafts, and scrap booking. She had a special gift of preserving memories, and spent countless hours gathering family history. Darlene started her day at the Depot Cafe nearly every morning. It was a simple tradition, but one she shared with her children, friends, and eventually grandchildren. Not only were Depot mornings filled with love and laughter, but an abundance of Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes. 

Darlene passed away peacefully on March 23rd 2026 at Eventide in Jamestown, surrounded by the love of her family. She leaves behind her husband Chuck, her sons; Cory (Deb) Struble and Dave (Leslie) Struble, two sisters; Linda (Gary) Kraft and Roberta (Karl) Wilhelm, six grandchildren; Jayden (Darsh), Allie, Jonah, Grace, Evyn, and Owen, and seven nieces and nephews. She has been reunited with her parents, her daughter, Tiffiney Dick, and her sister, Mary Lee Guffy.

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In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Jamestown Regional Medical Center Foundations, specifically to the OB ward.

Memorial Service- 3:30 PM Saturday, March 28, 2026 at Haut Funeral Home in Jamestown, ND, with Pastor Kristi Weber, officiating.

Interment- Highland Home Cemetery, Jamestown, ND (at a later date).





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Hope’s Corner: Hope Springs Eternal

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Hope’s Corner: Hope Springs Eternal


I spent the first day of spring, last Friday, weeding my back yard flower beds. Let that sink in, because this is North Dakota. We have April showers in May, and May flowers in June. We sometimes have snow in June, too. Weeding my tulips in March is a first.

The tulips have been up for a couple of weeks in my south-facing gardens. The six inches of snow last weekend did not deter their enthusiasm. According to the South Dakota State University Extension Service, tulips close to our shared border usually begin to appear in late March and early April. Mine are early risers this year. I blame the switch to Daylight Saving Time.

My yarrow and hollyhocks have been green and growing for four weeks. The yarrow was a little miffed at the one subzero night a week or so ago, but the hollyhocks merely flattened out and took it in stride. Our friends at the South Dakota Extension Service assure me both of those plant varieties normally sprout in mid-May. Maybe the frequent solar storms and northern lights displays have affected them.

Shortly after that subzero stretch in February, which Katie the Wonder Puppy and I called The Degrees of Despair, the pussywillow began to bud. I cut my first bouquet this past Friday the 13th. And did you know the blossoms are called catkins?

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That shrub is only a couple weeks early in blooming. Obviously, like all cats, my pussywillow is indifferent to solar storms, the northern lights, and Daylight Saving Time. When its feet get warm enough, it stretches out and basks in the sun. Wild catnip has, however, sprouted near the pussywillow’s trunk. I suspect some deep-rooted drug dependency at work there.

But, weeds? There is wild horseradish marching across my tastefully scattered scoria chips. There is quackgrass strangling daylilies and yarrow. There are weeds of unknown name towering over my tulips. Actually, I have a name for those weeds, but that name is best kept to myself.

I pulled out one quackgrass clump, and I am pretty sure its far end stretched all the way to Gladstone. It was like pulling one of those string strips from the top of a fifty-pound sack of sunflower seeds. Not that I regularly buy fifty-pound bags of sunflower seeds for the neighborhood birds, or anything.

I was feeling pretty smug last Saturday after I finished all my weeding. I figured I would need to start mowing in a few more days. I began looking at seed catalogs and dreaming of Big Boy tomato plants.

Late Saturday evening Katie and I went outside to take in the fresh air. It was snowing. Gotta love North Dakota.

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Jackie Hope is the longest running Dickinson Press contributor and columnist. Hope’s Corner is a weekly humorous column with a message of hope.





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