New Hillsboro business partners touch base with HBA members

Beth Christianson-Melby and Teran Brown, partners in the new advertising and marketing agency opening downtown Hillsboro, met with Hillsboro Business Association members this week.
The two entrepreneurs have clients on board and are “excited” about entering into the privately-owned business world, all centered around their location on Caledonia Ave. in the heart of downtown Hillsboro.
The two women are moving into the old bank building most recently owned by Connie Kamesch. The building was once Hillsboro’s post office.
Brown, from Bismarck, lives outside Cummings. Christianson-Melby and husband Doug moved to Hillsboro four years ago.

Technology linking HBA member businesses

The Hillsboro Business Association is moving closer to establishing a website, in addition to communicating regularly with its members by e-mail.
Titled HBA Bulletin, the monthly e-mail will alert HBA members of the most recent meeting and what is planned for the next month. The e-mail newsletter will also welcome commentary from its members.
“For years we’ve been trying to figure out how we can get more participation in HBA. We’re still asking how we can accomplish this, how can we get more members to attend the monthly meetings?” said Gail Mooney, HBA vice president.
Perhaps, she continued, we’ve been asking the wrong question.
“We should be asking how can we get to them?”
And that, she said, is through the Internet, which is available to everyone 24-7.

Characters of the season add excitement to HBA promotions

HBA members have enlisted the help of scarecrows, ghosts and goblins, in addition to snowmen, in helping with two of its seasonal campaigns this year.
The snowmen are selling the Christmas Cash promotion this year.
Not that it needs much of an introduction or a sales pitch, HBA members said this week, but as they say in the business world, if you’ve got a good product sell it, don’t shelve it.
It’s certainly not the time to think the campaign will sell itself.
“And we’re certainly not shelving the Christmas Cash promotion,” Neil Nelson, HBA president and Hillsboro Banner editor, assured organization members meeting this week.

Christmas Cash 2007 promotion starting Oct. 15

Interest generated each year by the Hillsboro Business Associations’ Christmas Cash campaign is enough to make any snowman melt.
Or so a person would think.
We hope not, say HBA members, who this year have enlisted the help of snowmen to help promote the annual holiday campaign that means thousands of dollars in revenue to member businesses every year.
Last year, for instance, more than $161,000 was spent with HBA member businesses.
It was a record year, one of many recently.
Records have been set every year for the last five years, according to Neil Nelson, HBA president.
Snowmen, in fact, were part of the team selling the Christmas Cash campaign two years ago. Santa’s elves took over the job single-handedly last year.

Reynolds treats kids to Halloween haunted house

By ANNA AUSTIN
Halloween is just around the corner and most parents’ heads are spinning trying to think of a safe — yet fun — way their kids can enjoy the night.
Reynolds has a trick up its sleeve — a haunted house — and a treat — warm, indoor Halloween fun.
In its second year, the haunted house is put on by members of the community, volunteers and people who were on the committee for the Reynolds 125+2 celebration last summer.
There is a change of location this year — the old city hall on Main Street will be transformed into a spooky ideal haunted house.

Buxton, Reynolds plan community fall festival

By AnnA AUSTIN
Buxton will hold a fall festival Saturday, October 27 at 4:30 p.m. at Ny Stavanger Lutheran Church in Buxton. It’s hoped the event will become an annual affair.
Recently, various members of the community have been working together to plan different events for Reynolds/Buxton area residents.
Several weeks ago, a community social was held in the parking lot of Ny Stavanger church. Bars and cookie were served, all made by volunteers, as well as donated drinks, buns, Mexican sausages and egg salads. Much of the food was donated by Reynolds and Buxton’s only grocery store, Weber Meats.
They also had an air jumper for children to play in.

Burro assistant coach patrols sidelines

By MARK THUESON
If you plan a trip through or around east central North Dakota, watch your speedometer and obey the law.
Otherwise, you’ll see the flashing reds of a squad car on your tail with Trooper Tracy Buzick behind the wheel.
On October 1, he celebrated 12 years as a veteran of the North Dakota Highway Patrol. After training at the police academy, he picked Finley, N.D., to be his first assignment. Buzick enjoyed his time there, but was soon given the opportunity to help lay down the law in another location: Hillsboro.
To this day, he still ventures around the Finley area, though, so don’t be fooled into a false sense of speeding security there.

October 12, 2007

50 YEARS AGO
October 10, 1957 — Fire destroyed the Farmers Union Elevator in Buxton, N.D. More than 23,000 bushels of barley were lost in the Saturday evening blaze. Hundreds of onlookers watched until early Sunday morning as the fire completely consumed the elevator structure, which had been remodeled during the past year with new metal sheeting, wiring and overhead drive. Firemen from Buxton, Reynolds, Mayville and Hillsboro worked to contain the fire to one building. Concrete units on either side of the wooden elevator, belonging to Buxton Co-op and Farmers Union, were not affected. The fire continued to smolder all day Sunday.
Hillsboro city leaders considered adding an iron filtration plant to the city’s water treatment facility.
40 YEARS AGO
October 11, 1967 — After 28 years of ownership, the Mehl family sold the Hillsboro Gambles Store to Lyle Larson of Genuine Auto Supply. Larson planned to move his store into the building by the end of the month. The Gambles store would close.
Dead fish below the dam on the Goose River in Hillsboro concerned local game warden Lee Johnson. He speculated that pollution might be the cause. Debris had also plugged the channel and limited the flow, he said.
The Hillsboro football team was credited with playing the “finest game ever seen” on the local field in their 35-0 homecoming win over Mayville. With 23 consecutive wins, the Burros were on track to complete their second undefeated season. Coach Dennis Nelson praised defensive play by Richard Flieth, Terry Beach, Bill Koering and Stephen Basol for repeatedly stopping drives by Mayville and forcing three fumbles.
30 YEARS AGO
October 13, 1977 — Hillsboro’s municipal swimming pool ended the season with a $10,500 operating los. The pool cost about $26,000 to operate and only generated $8,700 in fees. A $7,300 Community Block Grant provided additional funding. City commissioner Merrill Knodle insisted that pool expenses should be the responsibility of the park board, not the city. The city planned to turn over the operation of the pool and the summer recreation program to the park board in 1978. Knodle urged the park board to seek a mill levy increase to cover the additional costs. More than 9,270 swimmers used the pool in 1977.
20 YEARS AGO
October 12, 1987 — Hillsboro’s Ford man for the past 25 years, Ed Baumgartner, welcomed visitors to Hillsboro Auto’s showroom to see the new 1988 Ford line of vehicles.
Public health nurse Julie Johnson alerted residents to a small outbreak of headlice in the Hillsboro schools.
10 YEARS AGO
October 11, 1997 — Hillsboro High School homecoming candidates included Josh Rude, Christy Juelson, Adam Cotton, Kim Kraby, Erica Larson and Jason Brustad.
First too warm and then too wet, weather conditions failed to cooperate for the annual sugarbeet harvest. For the first five days of the scheduled harvest , lifting was limited to the cool overnight hours. After three days of cooler weather, three inches of rain fell in the valley, forcing a stop to all lifting. Only 16 percent of the harvest was done.

— compiled by Michelle McLean

John Strom

John “Johnnie” Lynn Strom, 86, Westminster, Calif., died Sunday, September 30, 2007 in St. Joseph’s Hospital, Orange, Calif.
A memorial service was held Friday, October 12 at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Hillsboro.