Camp Hancock

It’s been 140 years since the city that became Bismarck, Edwinton, was founded with the establishment of Camp Hancock. A birthday party celebration will be held today from 6:30pm-8:00pm at Camp Hancock, which contains Bismarck’s oldest remaining building, to commemorate the occasion.

Camp Hancock was first established as an infantry post and supply depot to support expansion of the North Pacific Railroad. Edwinton, as the city was originally called, named after Edwin Ferry Johnson, was renamed “Bismarck” in July 1873.

The birthday celebration is free and open to the public. Camp Hancock is located on Main Avenue near 1st Street. In addition to having Bismarck’s oldest building, the historical site also contains a recently restored vintage 1909 North Pacific Locomotive and the Bread of Life Church, which was originally built in 1881.

Click here to learn more about Bismarck history.

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Bismarck Civic Center

A 3-day oil expo being held in Bismarck is expected to attract more than 4,000 visitors to the region, resulting in an additional $1.7 million in local spending for such businesses as restaurants and hotels. It’s expected to be the biggest flood of visitors to the area since Bismarck and Mandan hosted the Women’s International Bowling Congress Tournament in 1989.

The event is being held May 22-24 at the Bismarck Civic Center. Click here to learn more about the event.

What other intersections around town do you think should get upgraded to traffic signals? Share your thoughts below.

MacKenzie River is best known for specialty pizzas, but some locations also feature a grill and pub.

External Link:
http://www.mackenzieriverpizza.com

Bobcat Manufacturing Plant / Melroe

It’s been just over two years since Bobcat Manufacturing shuttered its Bismarck plant, which it had operated since 1974. While Bobcat has continued to maintain some presence in Bismarck following its plant’s closure, the company is apparently adding more jobs to Bismarck through its partner, Menlo Worldwide Logistic, according to the Bismarck Tribune.

Reportedly, the additional jobs will amount to about 150 new jobs as a result of moving compact attachments production to the manufacturing plant located on 26th Street. Additionally, Bobcat is planning to add about 50 jobs to its facility at the Northern Plains Commerce Centre.

Read the original Bismarck Tribune article for more information.

Best Buy

None of Best Buy’s four North Dakota locations are on its list of 50 stores closing.

Best Buy has felt increased pressure from shifting consumer habits favoring online shopping, which Best Buy has had difficulty gaining a strong foothold against online market leaders Amazon.com and Walmart.com.

Best Buy first announced its plans to shutter 50 stores last month, but the full list was not released until now. In nearby Minnesota, where Best Buy’s roots began and where its company headquarters are still located, six stores are expected to close. In addition to closing stores, Best Buy is also experimenting with a new concept store being tested in two markets, including Minnesota.

View the full list.

3rd Street Ramp

The Bismarck Parking Authority will do a trial run on a proposal to allow free parking in the downtown ramps during certain time frames. The six-month trial will only include the ramp located at Third Street and Main Avenue, during the hours of 4pm-2am.

The exact details of the trial have yet to be determined, including the start date.

New signs, such as this, have recently begun appearing in downtown Bismarck referencing the new no re-parking ordinance recently passed.

Taco Palenque

Taco Palenque, located on Airport Road next to Dvorak Motors, is now open. Taco Palenque is an authentic Mexican restaurant that currently only offers take-out, but reportedly plans to eventually also also offer dine-in.

Contrary to what has been previously reported, Bismarck’s Taco Palenque is not affiliated with the Texas-based chain of the same name, according to Palenque Group, the parent of the Texas-based company of the same name.

Parkade

As reported by the Bismarck Tribune, Bismarck’s Downtowners Association is supporting an idea to lift parking fees for the downtown ramps during nights and weekends in an effort to provide a better parking solution for patrons of downtown businesses during these times. While it won’t completely solve downtown’s parking problems, I agree that it would help to offer additional incentive for people to patron downtown.

Lifting ramp fees during certain hours or for certain individuals, such as downtown employees to free up parking for guests, is something that I’ve suggested in the past so I’m happy to hear that others are on the same plane.

I think the only way this would work, however, is if the ramps are completely opened during these time frames without any hassles, such as needing to get vouchers validated. One major reason people don’t use the ramps is the hassle of it – not the cost.

The Parking Authority has already voted against such a proposal in the past because of “unresolved issues”, according to the Bismarck Tribune article. I do agree that there are issues that need addressing before passing the ordinance, such as determining what happens when vehicles are parked longer than during the free parking time frames and a means of tracking such vehicles to determine which of those hours would be exempt from payment under this policy.

In an effort to tackle downtown parking issues, Bismarck recently passed a new parking ordinance that required vehicles not re-park on the same block within the same four-hour span of time, on top of the already in-place ordinance requiring vehicles be moved within 90 minutes.

External Link:

• Free ramp parking proposed for night, weekends (Bismarck Tribune)

Dakota Wizards Logo

The Dakota Wizards, Bismarck’s D-League basketball team, has announced plans to move the team to Santa Cruz, California beginning next season. The Santa Cruz city council is set to vote on final approval in May.

The Wizards move is not all that surprising. Shortly after its 2011 purchase by the Golden State Warriors, its new owners confirmed that it was considering moving the team.

The Dakota Wizards was formed in 1995 as a member of the International Basketball Association. The team became affiliated with the Continental Basketball Association in 2001 and then the NBA Development League in 2006. The Wizards have had quite a successful run during its tenure in Bismarck, winning several championships.

This isn’t the first professional sport team that Bismarck has seen come and go. The Dakota Rattlers were a founding member of the Prairie League in 1995, but the entire league disbanded in 1997. A couple of professional football teams, both indoor and outdoor, have also made attempts in Bismarck. Bismarck does still have the Bismarck Bobcats, which was formed in 1997 and remains quite popular in the area. Hopefully, the Bobcats continue to call Bismarck home for years to come.

Taco Palenque

Bismarck will soon be getting a new Mexican restaurant. Texas-based Taco Palenque is an authentic fast casual Mexican Restaurant opening on Airport Road next to Dvorak Motors. Most Taco Palenque locations feature both indoor seating and drive-through service; however, the Bismarck location does not appear to feature a drive-through.

CORRECTION: According to a representative from the parent company of Taco Palenque, the Bismarck Taco Palenque is not affiliated with the Texas-based chain of the same name.

Golden Corral Restaurant will soon be re-opening, this time under corporate ownership. The buffet-style restaurant first opened in May 2007, but changed names to Iron Kettle late last year before shuttering shortly after. Golden Corral’s corporate office has decided to take ownership and re-open the Bismarck, Fargo, and Grand Forks locations.

The company has recently begun the hiring process with expectations to re-open within weeks.

The Bismarck Tribune first reported Golden Corral’s reopening last month.

Related Link: Golden Corral Directory Listing

Walmart Logo

Walmart is often ridiculed as an evil behemoth when it moves into new towns, especially in smaller communities like Mandan. However, in this case, could Walmart’s arrival actually be good for Mandan?

For years, Mandan has seemed to get left out in the dust while Bismarck development exploded to record levels. As Bismarck added a brand new shopping center, two Walmart Supercenters, and numerous other major developments, Mandan saw very little interest from developers – especially for commercial buildings. All that seems to be changing, at least for now.

There seems to be a sudden spark of interest from developers in Mandan, many of which are clustered near the proposed site of a new Walmart Supercenter. A hotel, restaurant, hardware store, housing, and offices are all in the planning stages near the future Walmart site. Could Walmart be responsible for sparking a much-desired mini-boom in northwest Mandan?

This is nothing new. Walmart has a history of sparking sudden development booms whenever a new store opens, same as with new shopping centers. This certainly happened – and continues to occur – in Bismarck at both Supercenter sites.

Walmart may have helped spark these new Mandan developments, but the behemoth retailer isn’t solely responsible for them. These are a valuable pieces of land even without a Walmart – located right off Mandan’s first main exit off I-94 coming from the oil-booming west. With an increase in consumers coming from the west to patronage Bismarck-Mandan, this seems like a developer’s haven and the addition of a Walmart certainly does help.

There is little doubt to me that Mandan needs something like a Walmart. A city of nearly 20,000 citizens without a general department store is quite astonishing. Growing up, I remember numerous rumors that Kmart was planning a Mandan store, but those rumors obviously never came to fruition. Adding such a store will add much value to Mandan for not only residents, but businesses alike.

Residents seem to agree. In a recent poll featured on BisManCafe, 49.49% of respondents voted in favor of a new Walmart Supercenter coming to Mandan. There doesn’t seem to be much resistance to the national chain’s arrival, despite that nearby Bismarck already has two Walmart Supercenters and Mandan itself already has two grocery stores: Dan’s and Central Market.

Is Walmart’s arrival good or bad for Mandan? What do you think?

Jo-Ann Fabrics

Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts has completed its move within Gateway Fashion Mall into the junior anchor space formerly occupied by CVS/pharmacy. Jo-Ann had outgrown its previous space within the shopping center.

The space had been home to CVS (previously Osco Drug until purchased by CVS in 2006) since the center’s opening in September 1979. CVS relocated to a new free-standing store along State Street in February 2009 to fit the company’s more typical operating model.

The move pits two directly-related competitors, Jo-Ann and Hancock Fabrics, within extreme proximity to each other within the same shopping center, a matter that had caused legal tensions, according to this Bismarck Tribune article. Another craft store, Hobby Lobby, also sits adjacent to Gateway Mall.

Activity Stream

BisManCafe has recently completed a major upgrade of its growing online community, which contains many features common to social networking websites, including:

• A live Activity Stream with the ability to post status updates and @mentions functionality
• Public and private messaging
• Public and private group creation with built-in discussion forums
• The ability to “friend” other members
• Member blog postings that also appear site-wide

There’s never been a better way to connect with the Bismarck-Mandan community. Join today or browse the community.

Bismarck High School

In response to a rapidly growing student population, Bismarck Public Schools has unanimously approved the construction of a new high school and two new elementary schools. The plan totals an estimated $81 million and is to be voted on by the public before commencing.

The district’s last school to be completed, Sunrise Elementary, opened in August 2010. Bismarck hasn’t added a public high school since Century High in 1976.

All three schools are expected to begin construction this fall with the elementary schools opening as soon as the 2013 school year. If constructed as planned, these projects will see the addition of Bismarck’s third public high school and eighteenth elementary school.

The Board also examined short term resolutions, including adding or moving portables and possibly re-configuring grade levels to K-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Plans to construct a fourth middle school or add onto the existing middle schools were put on hold for the time being.

North Dakota has seen a surge of oil activity over the past couple years, rising from ninth place in 2006 to its newly established third-place position in 2012.

The oil boom has brought with it thousands of new jobs and people to the state, but has also brought with it increased crime and has put a strain on infrastructure. While many have benefited greatly from the oil boom, there has also been some debate on whether all this oil activity is really such a good thing.

What do think of all of this oil activity? Good or bad? Share your thoughts below.

CherryBerry Yogurt Bar

CherryBerry Yogurt Bar is now open at 1423 Mapelton Ave near Space Aliens. CherryBerry offers self-serve frozen yogurt that is charged by the weight. Most of its products are gluten-free, according to its website. Locations also recently opened in Grand Forks and Fargo.

Another yogurt restaurant, Tutti Frutti, also opened Friday in Bismarck.

Related Link:
CherryBerry Directory Listing

External Links:
CherryBerry Official Website
CherryBerry Bismarck’s Facebook Page

Another yogurt restaurant, CherryBerry Yogurt Bar, also opened Friday in Bismarck.

Related Link:
Tutti Frutti Directory Listing

External Links:
Tutti Frutti Official Website
Tutti Frutti Bismarck Facebook Page

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Beginning May 17, 2012, Frontier will offer flights for $60 each way on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays; departing Bismarck Airport at 1:45pm with returning flights arriving at 1:10pm.

Frontier Airlines joins current providers Delta, United, and Allegiant at Bismarck Airport, which has been witnessing a steady uptick in passenger bookings, along with most other North Dakota airports.

External Links:
http://www.frontierairlines.com/
http://www.bismarckairport.com/