Sheyenne, ND is more than a town, it is a community!
As I sit here thinking about this.  I realize that it takes a lot for a town to truly be a community.  It runs much deeper than a place to live.  My grandmother explained to me when I was younger that it takes more to make a house a home.  This is how I look at the community of Sheyenne, ND.  I had an opportunity to move to this community in 1999, moved away in 2006 for Arizona and returned in 2007.  In the year away from Sheyenne, ND, I realized many things.  It wasn’t just returning home to my immediate family, but something much deeper.  The people here are far from anything that I had experienced in Arizona.  It doesn’t matter where, who or what you are, there is always a friendly hello, a warm hand shake or hug that says you matter.  Many times I have seen these acts of kindness displayed by the Sheyenne Community.  The people are always there to help one another through personnal deeds or as a community.  It maybe something as little as being there to talk and listen/a hand on the shoulder, providing someone with transportation/a meal or as big as putting on a benefit/community development.  It is not just one person, but instead the community that comes together. 

SHEYENNE, ND is truly more than a town, IT IS A COMMUNITY. 

Sheyenne, ND, Home of about 250 people, knows how to serve. In the past five years we have done numerous benefits for the people who can’t afford medical bills or just need some financial help. In the past five years, with the help of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, we have raised approx. $27,000! Wow. That is a pretty big number. We would like to thank all who have helped with the benefits; from the volunteers, to Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. We appreciate your help!

  The April 18th Horizons meeting was abuzz with excitement as 43 Sheyenne residents discussed the community’s future. Plans for the 4th of July Celebration and the All School Reunion were shared with everyone. They include a band, bull-o-rama, a parade, a gun raffle/auction, and of course lots of good food. Main Street clean-up is scheduled for May 9th. All these things are coming soon!

The second half of the meeting energized everyone even more. Patti Larson shared information from the meeting with LADCO representatives that took place on April 17th, and what exciting information it was! Seeing actual plans drawn out that show how the school building can be utilized as a lodge/wellness center was VERY encouraging. 

Committees are being formed to help LADCO with planning/development, business (analyzing costs), and marketing. If you’re interested contact Patti Larson. Keep the ideas coming. Thanks LADCO and thanks to the Sheyenne residents!  

April 11 was moving night for many active life styles in Sheyenne over at the School. At the school, about 25 people total showed up to move tables, chairs, desks, T.V.s, computers,***** etc., into the shop. When the shop was full we started to move desks into the class rooms. After working hard for about an hour, the group went to eat pizza and hamburgers, supplied by the Sheyenne Horizons.

At the April 18 community meeting we will decide what to do with the items in storage and set a cleaning date for the adopted rooms.

*****IF THERE IS ANYONE IN THE COMMUNITY THAT YOU KNOW OF THAT WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO PAY FOR A TV, COMPUTER, ETC. AND WANTS ONE. YOU CAN CONTACT COLLIN (996-4721) OR PATTI (996-3531) IF YOU KNOW OF ANYONE IN NEED OF A TV OR COMPUTER, PLEASE CALL AT A REASONABLE TIME IN THE EVENING. PLEASE HELP US IN OUR FIGHT AGAINST POVERTY!

At the March Horizons meeting, those in attendance were asked to complete a short survey about where they purchased various items and what sort of services they would support if available in Sheyenne. The results of the survey are listed below and seem to indicate that it might be probable that a small store would be advantageous in Sheyenne and would possibly keep more shopping dollars in Eddy County. There does not appear to be a strong enough need for a delivery service. What do you think?

1. Where do you purchase most of your groceries?
a. Devil’s Lake 10
b. New Rockford 19
c. Carrington 4
d. other 1 (wherever)

2. Where do you purchase most of your household and cleaning supplies?
a. Devil’s Lake 20
b. New Rockford 7
c. Carrington 2
d. other 1 (Base)

3. Where do you purchase most of your personal care items?
a. Devil’s Lake 20
b. New Rockford 8
c. Carrington 2
d. other 1 (Base)

4. Where do you purchase most of your household hardware items?
a. Devil’s Lake 21
b. New Rockford 15
c. Carrington 1
d. other 0

5. Would you purchase basic items in the above categories if available in Sheyenne?
a. Yes 22
b. No 2
c. Sometimes 2

6. Would you use a delivery service if available?
a. Yes 11
b. No 13
c. Probably 0
d. Probably not 2

7. If given the option would you prefer a general store or delivery service?
a. store 25
b. delivery 1

8. What % more would you pay for the convenience of shopping in Sheyenne?
a. 0% 0
b. 2% 5
c. 5% 16
d. 10% 8

Comments/Suggestions:
“I supported our store in Sheyenne about 90%.”

“Hope to see either Cenex or a new store carry convenience items.”

“Would be wonderful to have a store.”

“With working in New Rockford M-F—more convenient to pick up there because of time getting home is often after 5 pm.”

“It would be great to have a general store in Sheyenne that carried basic items, especially with gas prices increasing.”

Number of Respondents: 26
*Note: Not all totals for each question equal the number of respondents. Particularly for questions 1-4 people often responded to more than one location. Devil’s Lake was used whenever a specific store (such as WalMart or K-Mart) was designated.

The Sheyenne School has been purchased by the City of Sheyenne. This building holds many great memories for all of us that were priviliged to receive our first years of education in this wonderful place!
We would like to keep you all posted on what is happening with the school. As of now the Economic Development Committee, the Horizons Group and the Town Board are working on many avenues to use this building. Our first venture is to work with LADCO Development Company to make a plan for the building. Jon Garnaas is the owner of this company and he and his colleagues were in Sheyenne to help us oversee this venture. Thank you to Jeff Labrensz,Gradyn Albrecht,Bob Hanson, Dean Warren, Richard Hoffner, Pastor Sharron, and Peder Larson for taking time out of your schedules to meet with LADCO at the school and share your expertise with them. Thank you to the crew at LADCO for taking your time to share your talents and expertise with all of us! Thank you to all who made and served the wonderful lunch and for all who attended the meeting in the afternoon. If I have missed anyone I apologize in advance. Just blog your name in. Together we can make a difference!
What a great day this was for Sheyenne and we now have begun our journey to make our school come alive!

             The Horizon’s Group has been a busy bunch the last two months. With everyone taking part and getting involved,things are beginning to take form. Following are a few things that have been happening.
Becky Meredith, Paula Myhre and Collin Hanson attended the blogging training in Harvey. What a great experience this was!
We have started the blog to keep everyone up to date on what is happening. If you have any additional comments, please feel free to comment on this blog page. We would love to have your input!
Patti Larson and Pastor Sharron Lucas have submitted the Stategic Planning Document and it was written beautifully! Here are a few of their comments. Sheyenne will celebrate its 125th anniversary in 2008 with a renewed sense of heritage and a vision for the future. We as proud citizens are committed to improving our community’s image and to restoring civic pride, to offering inviting oppurtunities to tourists and residents, to taking advantage of our natural resources and community skills and talents, and to improve our quality of life.
The steps for creating a community 501(c)(3) organization is in the process. Thanks Jon Olson for your expertise in this area!
The next Horizon’s meeting will be January 26th with a noon lunch and sleigh ride and more exciting information about our next endeavors.
A great big thanks to all who have been involved and are choosing to spend their time for making our town a better place to live in! We all have our individual talents and if we so choose to make them available to others we will make Sheyenne a wonderful place to live and to visit!
In closing I would like to leave you with a quote “If you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go far go with others.”
Wishing all of you a blessed and wonderful Christmas Season!