Find Out Friday: Part 2 – “It’s cold! What can we do in the Badlands? Socialize!

What can we do in the Badlands when it is cold? Socialize!

Small town cafe’s in Western North Dakota are known for cowboy coffee — hot strong and waiting to be drank.

Yes, it can be cold, but that doesn’t mean you have to crawl into a cave until spring.

There are old cowboy tricks learned a century ago. Part 1 encourages you to try an old cowboy trick: sample the coffee and treats of the Badlands.

Here’s our second idea:

Get out with your peeps. (The cowboys and pioneers didn’t have peeps, but you get the idea.)

Sprinkled throughout the early editions of the Golden Valley Chronicle of Beach, North Dakota are invitations, announcements, and stories about local dances.

For as far back as you can go in local newspapers advertised community events – usually dances in November, December, and January. That was the trick settlers and communities had to endure North Dakota’s legendary winters.

They socialized. Opera houses in Gladstone, Beach, and across the west were the gathering points for socializing, sharing meals and dancing.

This February 1908 social event was worthy of a story in the Golden Valley Chronicle.

So, today, use that time-honored tradition and break out of the isolating weather of the Badlands. Socialize. There are more than 100 opportunities for you to get out of the house listed on the calendar of events.

The Bismarck Tribune from the late 1800’s announced several dances for settlers, pioneers, and the 7th Cavalry to bundle up, take a wagon ride to town and socialize.

A reward

Here, we’ll sweeten the idea a bit. Send us, Beautiful Badlands ND your best shot of the event you attend, and we’ll assemble a collection to show the rest of the world that we know how to have a good time here in the Badlands. Use your phone’s camera or anything else that captures the moment. We’ll make it worth your while.

We’ve got something for the best of the best event photos.

Email the photos to us at beautifulbadlandsnd@gmail.com. Become a published photographer – and get rewarded, too!

Here’s where you’ll find the most comprehensive calendar of events for Western North Dakota.

Mike Kopp

Love to tell stories -- romantic, nostalgic stories of our explorations in the Northern Plains. 15 years a television reporter/anchor, 12 years radio news director, 3 years newspaper editor, 6 years documentary producer -- a lifetime of communication.