Heritage Renewal

On Settende Mai (May 17), the Norwegian national holiday, Kringen Lodge of the Sons of Norway provided a wreath to be laid at the foot of the monument to Norwegian lyric poet Henrik Wergeland in Fargo's Island Park. The crowd was modest but appreciative. Verlyn and Yvonne Anderson brought the beautiful wreath. Sure enough, Claudia Pratt, great grand-daughter of Herman Fjelde (the organizer responsible for the statue), showed up in traditional costume. The surprise of the day came when Mark & Diane Wergeland of Northfield, Minnesota--Mark being a descendant of the poet Wergeland--walked up to join the festivities. Check out the album of photos at Webshots. Soon to come - video at Youtube.

There has been quite a bit of coverage in the Fargo Forum (www.in-forum.com) lately about the Can Pile, a historic roadside landmark in Casselton. The owner of the property on which the Can Pile sits, Loegering Manufacturing, wishes to demolish it. Citizens of Casselton, led by Ken Habiger, are trying to forge a plan for its preservation. As director of the Center for Heritage Renewal, and thus a party concerned about the preservation and use of heritage resources, I sent this letter to Mr. Habiger.