The Extra Newspaper

12/27/2024

Skate Street To Soon Draw Families to Viking Ship Park

The lights come on at dusk along Skate Street, the sparkling new winter attraction that was taking shape in Viking Ship Park at press time. The long, broad ice-skating route northwest of the Hjemkomst Center lies between the River Corridor Trail and the cross-country route at the edge of the river. It has been created over recent weeks by a group of local volunteers.

12/27/2024

Spud Girls Celebrate 30th Anniversary of MN Girls' Hockey

Today’s hockey fans have plenty to cheer about, with Moorhead High’s boys and girls teams both going strong at mid-season. The Spud girls, though, have something extra to celebrate – the 30th anniversary of female teams being sanctioned by the Minnesota High School Sports League.

The cheering rocked the rafters on Saturday, Dec. 21, when the Spuds varsity team triumphed over perennial rival Warroad, 4-3. But the real victory goes much farther than a single winning game. For all female athletes who play hockey, the most significant victory of all took place back in 1994: The debut of sanctioned girls hockey competition in Minnesota, followed by rapid growth and exceptional staying power.

“Before then, there were no programs for girls,” recalls Jim MacFarlane, who coached the team for 11 years throughout the 2000s. “A few girls played with the boys in Youth Hockey. But when the MHSSL finally sanctioned girls teams in 1994, plenty of people doubted there would ever be enough interest to sustain them.”

That question was settled in 1992. When the MHSSL surveyed its member schools to assess which sports high school they were most interested in playing, 8,000 girls spoke up: They would love to play high school hockey, they responded, if only it were offered.

They got their wish. In March 1994, the Minnesota league voted to become the first state high school association in the country to sanction girls’ ice hockey as a varsity sport. Twenty-four varsity teams took to the ice in the inaugural 1994-1995 season. On Feb. 24, 1995, with the eyes of the nation upon them, the puck was dropped in the first-ever State High School Girl’s Hockey Tournament in the country.

“We organized our team in 1995-96, the second year,” MacFarlane recalls. “There were 48 teams by then. By 2003, there were 140 teams – fairly close to the boys’ level.” He notes that Moorhead Youth Hockey also developed programs for girls from Squirts and P*e Wees through high school, helping shape the talent that now excels on the ice.

MacFarlane, who still teaches English at MHS, was one of three coaches who laid the foundation for the Spud girls’ success. The others: Mark Jensen, who coached the first four seasons (now the superintendent of Detroit Lakes Public Schools) and John Schultz. The three “Godfathers of Spud Hockey” were honored during Saturday’s game against Warroad, along with alumni of the very first team and members of the 2000-2001 squad, the first to reach the state tournament. (The Spuds beat their perennial rivals, 4-3.)

Read the rest of the story about girls' hockey's 30th anniversary in the Dec. 26 edition of the FM Extra, on the stands now, and online at https://www.thefmextra.com/spuds-celebrate-30th-anniversary-of-mn-girls-hockey/

12/27/2024

Saint Nicholas and Santa Lucia
by Markus Krueger, HCSCC

Santa Claus can now relax after a very busy day. How does he deliver presents to every good girl and boy on Christmas Eve? I’ll let you in on a secret: he delivers some early on December 6, and his friend Santa Lucia handles the kids in northern Italy.

Nicholas and Lucia go way back. In fact, before they were saints, they lived at the same time and in the same country, though far enough apart that they likely never met during their lifetime. Nicholas was a bishop in Myra, Anatolia, Roman Empire (what is now Demre, Turkey) from about 280-350, and Lucia lived from about 283-304 in Syracuse, Sicily, Roman Empire.

It was a bad time to be Christian. Roman Emperor Diocletian didn’t like Christians, so in 303 he passed some laws to persecute them… throw them in jail, feed them to lions, etc. Nick got thrown in jail. Lucia was killed by Roman soldiers who, according to some stories, gouged her eyes out in the process. Apparently her eyes miraculously grew back by the time she was buried, but she was still dead, so that miracle wasn’t all that helpful. She died on December 14, so that is when we celebrate her saint day.

After Diocletian retired, a bunch of people fought for the throne, and Constatine came out on top. Emperor Constantine was more tolerant toward Christians (he better be, considering his mom is the Christian Saint Helena), and he sprung Nicholas from jail. Nicholas lived a life of kindness, charity, gift giving, and some miracles are associated with him, so he became a saint after he died. His saint day is December 6.

Read the rest of Markus Krueger's column in the Dec. 26 edition of the FM Extra, on the stands now ... and online at https://www.thefmextra.com/saint-nicholas-and-santa-lucia/

12/27/2024

From the Kitchens of Amy & JJ --
Hawaiian Roll Sliders

These would make a great appetizer, an easy lunch idea or a perfect addition to your News Year’s Day brunch!

Ingredients –
1 package King’s Hawaiian original sweet rolls 12 rolls
12 ounces black forest ham
8 ounces cheddar cheese
5 Tablespoons melted salted butter
1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon onion powder or dried minced onion
fresh cracked black pepper

Instructions –
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Without pulling the rolls apart, slice the whole tray of rolls in half.
2. Line a baking dish with parchment paper.
3. Place the bottom half of the rolls in the prepared baking dish.
4. Layer the ham evenly across the bread.
5. Layer the cheese evenly across the ham.
6. Top with the other half of the bread.
7. Stir together the melted butter, dijon, honey, worcestershire, parmesan, parsley, garlic, and onion until well combined.
8. Spoon the butter on top of the rolls and spread.
9. Cover with foil and bake covered for 15-20 minutes.
10. Remove the foil. Bake for another 5-10 minutes, or until the rolls begin to brown.

Some notes about the recipe –
– Hawaiian Rolls: Substitute any sweet brioche dinner rolls.
– Cheddar Cheese: Substitute for sliced swiss, provolone, or American cheese.
– Honey: Substitute for brown sugar.
– Carefully cut the Hawaiian rolls. You do not want the rolls to separate when you cut them. I recommend using a sharp serrated knife when cutting bread.
– Evenly place the fillings and toppings. You want to ensure every slider has a little bit of everything.
– Do not skip the butter. This is the best part of baked ham sliders. It adds so much flavor and makes these the best.
– Keep them warm. If you are serving these at a party, cover them with foil so they stay warm.
– Reheat in the oven. This prevents the leftover sliders from becoming soggy.

12/27/2024

Garden Options for the Gloomy Season
by Ross Collins

On the plus side, the gloomiest time of north country winter is over. That would be Dec. 21, the shortest day of the year, also my birthday. Coincidentally, perhaps, after my birthday our world starts to brighten. We can make a positive reframe of that. Sort of.

Writing in January 1974, my mother Dorothy mused, “mid-January is enough to send the gardener into a case of the gray glooms.” Okay, it’s not December, but still. Whatever houseplants we have inside show little enthusiasm. “Most of the indoor plants, which should give us a little solace, produce little new growth,” Dorothy wrote. “They’re just biding their time, waiting until the skinny rays of the winter sun lengthen and widen as we move toward spring.”

While she didn’t mention it, I do know Dorothy occasionally included in her houseplant collection a crown of thorns (Euphorbia milii). I have one now that’s more than 30 years old. It has bloomed continuously. Even in the gloom of winter, a cheery pink accent to the pale greens and browns. Carefree, perfectly content if you forget to water.

But to be honest, we can’t expect much gloom-chasing from our houseplants. Still, all is not frost. “Cheer up,” Dorothy suggested (though without an exclamation point). “Do what you can. Visit the library or the bookstore and get yourself a new garden book. Or read the seed catalogs that are coming in nicely now.”

Read the rest of Ross Collins' column in the Dec. 26 edition of the FM Extra, on the stands now, and online at https://www.thefmextra.com/garden-options-for-the-gloomy-season/

12/27/2024

Ross Collins: Gardening Took Root Early

When you’re raised by the woman who wrote a gardening column for more than 50 years, the passion for plants was bound to find a way of taking root.

How else to explain how Ross Collins – writer, photographer, author, teacher – blossomed into a garden columnist himself?

The title of Ross’s column in Extraordinary Living magazine sums up the “how” of the story: “The Accidental Gardener.” The NDSU professor of communication is the son of the late Dorothy Collins, whose weekly words of wisdom were weekly staples in the Moorhead Daily News starting in 1954. After its closure, they were transplanted to The Forum, where she covered Minnesota news until retiring in 1981. She carried on with her column, though, until two weeks before her death in 2008.

“When I was growing up, Mom had a huge garden all around our house,” the Moorhead native explains. “She’d employ me to do whatever was too hard for her to do, like digging holes, or that she didn’t want to do herself. I picked slugs off her perennials for 5 cents each.”

Read more about Ross and how gardening blossomed into one of his interests in the Dec. 26 edition of the FM Extra, on the stands now, and online at https://www.thefmextra.com/ross-collins-gardening-took-root-early/

12/27/2024

12/19/2024

Lutefisk ... A Seasonal Delicacy
by Kelly Wambach

The pleasing and familiar smells of the holidays are everywhere. Pumpkin spice, hot spiced cider, a freshly cut Christmas tree … and, of course, a big platter of steaming hot lutefisk. For many of us, these are pleasing reminders of the holiday season and the festive gatherings we share with friends and family.

I grew up in Georgetown, Minnesota, and am of mostly German and Irish decent – no Scandinavian blood line that we can trace back so far. Where my taste for lutefisk came from, I’m not sure, since it’ s largely considered a Scandinavian dish. I guess when in Rome you do as the Romans do!

One of the first general stores established in Georgetown was by the Norwegian family of Mrs. Frida Randa in the latter part of the 1800s. Coming into the old store, you entered first into a small, unheated entryway. This is where the big waxed cardboard barrel of lutefisk (and the smell that came with it) was stored during the holiday season. You ordered your fish from Mrs Randa, who fished it out of the barrel by hand, weighed it, and then wrapped it tightly in waxed butcher’s paper. Today lutefisk is sold tightly sealed in pre-portioned amounts, ready to cook and eat.

Lutefisk is found locally in many of our major grocery stores throughout the holiday season. The price you’ll pay today is a far cry from the 45 cents a pound you see in the 1966 photo of my little brother on Grandpa’s grocery store scale. Expect to pay something closer to $10 a pound for this seasonal delicacy. Although you might find a church or two that may still be serving their traditional lutefisk and meatball dinner, your chances are getting fewer every day as the holiday season comes to a close.

12/19/2024

Chef Kelly Cooks Up Tradition ... with a Twist

Kelly Wambach never intended to be a chef. Yet, thanks to a twist of fate, he built a career that has raised him to the upper rank of Moorhead’s culinary wizards.

“When I got out of high school, I signed up at Moorhead Tech (now known as M State) to be a commercial artist,” the Georgetown, Minnesota, native remembers, “but its art program was full. I had to come up with something else on the spot. I’d been cooking since I was knee high, so I thought, ‘I’ll do that for a year, and then see if I can get into commercial art.

“Well, I’m glad that didn’t work out. I saw that I could make a career out of cooking, and I love to cook. Cooking is my therapy.”

Kelly has spent much of the last five decades years delighting Moorhead and Fargo diners with his creations. Now semi-retired, he looks back at a lifetime that has nourished his appetite for good food, good friends and a steady flow of opportunities to learn, experiment and delight the community’s diners.

Read more about Kelly's career in the kitchen in the Dec. 19 edition of the FM Extra, on the stand now, and online at https://www.thefmextra.com/chef-kelly-cooks-up-tradition-with-a-twist/

12/19/2024

Winter Can Be a Pain

No single season invariably dominates the need for chiropractic care, Drs. Matt Lau and Matt Gilbertson agree. But these snowy, icy months may hold the record, from backs thrown out of line from reckless snow-shoveling to the stress of shuffling like a penguin on endlessly icy walkways. Then, too, there are those sore muscles and misaligned spines when the awkward “penguin walk” has failed to keep you upright.

“We do see more patients at this time of year who’re suffering from seasonal-type problems,” Lau concedes. “Winter always brings its own set of challenges.” And while proactive steps year-round can ease some of those woes, chiropractic adjustments are a popular solution to easing the pains caused by frigid mishaps.

Lau and Gilbertson operate Downtown Chiropractic. Long an occupant of the Moorhead Center Mall, their practice is one of the last handful of businesses in the east end of the largely demolished structure. Like their neighbor Moorhead Vision Associates, they are awaiting completion of the new quarters into which they plan to move later this year.

The two chiropractors are watching their new facility taking shape just to the east in the 650 Block, the two-building complex being constructed on Center Avenue between Sixth and Seventh Streets.

The 12,000-square-foot space will permit them to expand their practice, which currently offers massage therapy in addition to chiropractic care. Among the anticipated additions: a 24-hour fitness center, physical therapy, athletic training, dietetics, acupuncture and other wellness services.

In the meantime, they’re helping patients recover from the inevitable issues caused by living through the Minnesota winter.

Read more about the Drs. Matt in the Dec. 19 edition of the FM Extra, on the stands now ... and online at https://www.thefmextra.com/winter-can-be-a-pain/

12/19/2024

Nelson & Oslund Honored for Support of Guard

Minnesota State University Moorhead Director of Public Safety Ryan Nelson and Patrol Operations Lieutenant Mitch Osland have been honored for their support of the National Guard and Reserve. The two were nominated by Matthew Stubstad, a sergeant in the Army National Guard and MSUM campus security sergeant.

The Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Patriot Award is presented to employers who support the Guard’s citizen warriors on the job. It recognizes measures taken to support Guard members, including flexible schedules, time off prior to and after deployment, caring for families, and granting leaves of absence if needed.

The two MSUM public safety employees were nominated by Matthew Stubstad, a sergeant in the Army National Guard and MSUM Campus Security Sergeant, nominated Nelson and Osland.
“Ryan and Mitch have always been very supportive of my military service,” Stubstad said in his nomination. “They even have allowed additional time off to accommodate for travel and rest periods beyond what they’re required to do. They’ve incorporated my military skills, such as entrusting me with instructor roles in the department based on my experience as a military instructor.” Not all soldiers, he said, receive that kind of support from their employers.

Stubstad added, “MSUM as a whole has been very pro-veteran and pro-service member. I wanted to recognize my direct supervisors and the Public Safety Department.”

Photo: MSUM’s director of public safety Ryan Nelson and patrol lieutenant Mitch Osland received the Patriot Award for support of employees who serve in the National Guard. (From left) Matthew Stubstad, Olsland, Lois Robinson of ESGR, and Nelson.

12/19/2024

From the Kitchens of Amy and JJ --
A side dish sure to please!

We tried this recipe as our “cheesy potato” option for Christmas dinner one year and it has been requested many times since.

Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onion
Ingredients –
– 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
– 4 cups thinly sliced onions, sliced crosswise
– 6 medium Yukon gold potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick
– 3/4 cup grated Gruyère cheese, divided
– 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
– 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
– 1/2 teaspoon white pepper (or black pepper if that is what you have)
– 1 teaspoon butter, for greasing the baking sheet
– 1/3 cup stock (chicken, beef or vegetable)
– 1 teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary

Instructions –
1. Preheat oven to 400°
2. Caramelize the onions. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium high hear in a thick-bottomed sauté pan. Add the sliced onions, stir to coat with the olive oil and cook until golden brown. About 15-20 minutes.
3. Put the sliced potatoes in a large bowl and gently toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese, 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan, salt, and white pepper.
(If you are making ahead, make sure that the potatoes are well coated with the olive oil, even if you have to add more olive oil. This will help prevent them from turning grey.)
4. Butter a large gratin dish (2 to 3-quart capacity) or 9 x 13-inch casserole lightly and line with the caramelized onions in an even layer at the bottom of the dish.
Arrange the sliced, cheese-coated potatoes in a pattern over the onions.
Pour stock over the potatoes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
5. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 50 minutes (or until fork tender).
6. Remove aluminum foil. Broil for 5 minutes, uncovered, until lightly browned.
Sprinkle with minced rosemary to serve.

12/19/2024

By 3-2 Vote, Clay Commission Bans Sale of Flavored To***co

Clay County Commissioners voted 3-2 to ban the sale of flavored to***co products, excluding menthol ci******es and flavored chewing to***co on Tuesday in Moorhead.

In a packed room during the public hearing, the board heard more advocacy from citizens for the ban than opposition.

According to Jason McCoy, Clay County to***co prevention coordinator, the proposed ban on flavored to***co is to prevent children from using to***co products. He says between 87% and 92% of children who try to***co products first try flavored to***co.
“So, the way we look at it is the ni****ne causes addiction and the chemicals in the product are what causes disease and sometimes even death in the long term, but flavor is what starts the ball rolling,” McCoy said.

Clay County’s to***co ordinance does not apply to Moorhead, Dilworth or Barnesville, McCoy said. Those municipalities set their own to***co ordinances and collect licensing fees from stores selling to***co products, but are also responsible for compliance checks.

Commissioners David Ebinger, Paul Krabbenhoft and Frank Gross voted for the ban, with Commissioners Jenny Mongeau and Kevin Campbell opposing it.

Read more about the commission's decision in the Dec. 19 edition of the FM Extra, on the stands now, and online at

Clay County Commissioners voted 3-2 to ban the sale of flavored to***co products, excluding menthol ci******es and flavored chewing to***co on Tuesday in Moorhead. In a packed room during the public hearing, the board heard more advocacy from citizens for the ban than opposition. According to Jason....

12/12/2024

66 Million Years Ago: Worst Day Ever

-- Markus Krueger, HCSCC

Have you ever slumped down on the couch and wondered how you are ever going to get through this thing, whatever that particular thing might be? Perhaps you can take heart in the experience of some ancestors who made it through much worse. You, my friend, are directly descended from survivors of the worst day ever. Your ancestors made it through the asteroid impact that killed the dinosaurs 66 million years ago.

At that time, our grandmas and grandpas were small, furry, and adorable. At the end of the age of dinosaurs, our direct mammal ancestors looked like little red squirrels. Scientists named this species “Pergatorius,” but our family didn’t call each other anything back then because words weren’t invented yet (although I bet they were good at interpreting chirping noises).

Grandma and Grandpa Pergatorius were too small for Tyrannosaurus Rexes and most other dinosaurs to bother eating. They scurried around mostly unnoticed by the giant lizards and lived in underground burrows. They ate anything they could get their little fingers on – bugs, seeds, fruit, dinosaur eggs.

Read more of Markus's take on this earth-shaking event in the Dec. 12 edition of the FM Extra, on the stands, and online at

Have you ever slumped down on the couch and wondered how you are ever going to get through this thing, whatever that particular thing might be? Perhaps you can take heart in the experience of some ancestors who made it through much worse. You, my friend, are directly descended from survivors of the....

12/12/2024

Rec Director Holly Heitkamp Gets Ready to Relax

Holly Heitkamp has spent her entire career focused on other people’s favorite passions and pastimes. Now she’s just one week away from retirement, looking forward to her own turn to relax.

“I don’t plan to do anything at all for a month,” she suggests, sitting down briefly in her cramped office in the Hjemkomst Center, which she has managed since 1998. “I need a chance to catch my breath. Then … who knows?”

The director of Moorhead’s Parks and Recreation Department is wrapping up nearly 45 years of a professional life managing what others do for fun. She has worked for the city for 27 of those years, heading the department in charge of everything from 40-plus regional, community and neighborhood parks to miles of riverside and crosstown trails, from aquatics and ice-skating rinks to golf courses and dog parks, from the farmers market and River Arts to Greater Moorhead Days and Frostival, and more.

She oversees Parks and Rec’s $2.8 million annual budget. She’s also responsible for hunting grants and raising private funds, extending the department’s vision far beyond the funds allocated by the city: Among them, the 16-mile biking and hiking trail along the Red River, funded in part by $2.9 million from Minnesota Legacy Act funds; the upcoming $5 million makeover of Romkey Park’s swimming pool; and the new stadium and facilities at Matson Field, with a first-phase investment of $1.2 million.

You might say Holly was born for the recreation roles she has filled throughout her career. “Athletics have always been a big part of my life,” Holly says. Growing up in tiny Mantador, N.D., she was drawn early to her lifelong love of sports. She was big in track – “I was too short for basketball,” she notes – before finding her personal sport of choice, softball.

Read more about Holly's career in recreation in the Dec. 12 edition of the FM Extra, on the stands now, and online at https://www.thefmextra.com/rec-director-gets-ready-to-relax/