Flood '09 Update #2

It's wait and see time here in Fargo-Moorhead. The river has crested (hopefully) and seems to be on its way down. However, this isn't a time to breathe free and clear. Dikes need to be watched and maintained around the clock. Nothing is remotely close to normal. Schools and many businesses are still closed.

We're in the same boat here at the HoDo. We've cleared out our basement and put up our furniture on the first floor. As for being open, it's a little touch and go. Be sure to give us a call at 701.478.1000 before stopping by.

Stay dry, Fargo-Moorhead, and keep your spirits up.

Flood '09 Update

(Photo courtesy Britta Trygstad)

It's the eleventh hour here in Fargo-Moorhead. Everyone with a pulse is out sandbagging right now, trying to hold back this tremendous river, and we probably will be for the next 48 hours.

Please send your thoughts and prayers to everyone in our area filling and placing sandbags, trying to save their homes, neighborhoods and businesses. You can find lots of coverage of the flood fight at www.in-forum.com and http://minnesota.publicradio.org. A cadre of area photographers have been out documenting the flood, too: Britta Trygstad, Dave Arntson, Penny Burns, Bruce Crummy, and Ann Arbor Miller. Check out their extraordinary coverage to get a sense of what's going on.

As for the HoDo, we're on a bare-bones operating schedule and may not be open. Tonight's Front Fenders show has been cancelled. Please call ahead at 701.478.1000 to ensure that we're open for business. And, if you're able, please get out and help sandbag.

Fargo's 'Renaissance Zone' Bearing Fruit

Click here to view a recent Forum article commenting on the status of Fargo's burgeoning downtown area. The future certainly looks bright. New buildings and renovations continue to pop up, new businesses continue to open and property values continue to rise. And still, downtown Fargo has retained a neighborhood feel with a healthy mix of people.

Dig Out Day!

It was a humdinger! If you haven't heard, the Fargo-Moorhead area was smacked by a big ol' blizzard yesterday. Upwards of eight inches of snow fell, with some areas getting close to a foot. The wind blew and it was dangerously cold, too.

But, that was yesterday. Today is a Dig Out Day, one of those rare times where thousands of people have the same goal: get the snow out of the way and get things back to normal.

Here was the scene around the HoDo today:


(Above: Looking west down 1st Ave. from the roof. Normally at 10 a.m., there would be plenty of traffic.)


(Above: Our cab stand along 1st Ave. The drift out front was about three to four feet high. The plows added another foot in spots.)


(Above: The cab stand drift from ground level.)


(Above: A ridge rift on the roof. Pretty, but it's also about three feet high.)



(Above: A sundog, one of the most peculiar weather phenomena on the Upper Plains. It means it's very, very cold - when I took the photo, the air temp was -11.)