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Find out at Convention '80 - July 15-20

Fargo Is More Than A Five-Letter Place

By Sylvia Paine Fargo, ND

Sure, you've heard of Fargo. Halfway between and unfashionably to the north of New York and Los Angeles, it's Johnny Carson's idea of a joke, nowheresville, the end of the world.

Fargoans put it differently. "If the end of the world comes," they announce with a chuckle, "I want to be in Fargo because everything happens here ten years late."

The joke, of course, isn't really on Fargo, but on those who don't realize that Fargo, ND, and its sister city, Moorhead, MN, are the hub of a repidly growing, affluent metropolitan area in the heart of a rich farming region. If things happen late here, it's probably because the sturdy North Europeans who settled these parts left a legacy of common sense which makes their descendents wary of fads.

But if a novelty makes sense, it will get here in good time; you can be sure of that. After all, juggling got here, didn't it?

Olson at the helm

In the past 18 months, thanks to performer/teacher/ organizer Larry Olson, coordinator of the 1980 IJA convention, Fargo-Moorhead has adopted juggling as part of its tradition, like picnics in the summer or carameled apples in the fall. People like it, they expect it to be around, and they're beginning to want to do it themselves.

This is not surprising. Fargo-Moorhead is a city of 100,000 people who love to be entertained. The city supports a semi-professional symphony orchestra, a community theater, an opera company and an art museum. With these and a dozen other arts organizations, along with three colleges offering a full schedule of theater, music, art and guest performers, the city fairly bursts with activity.

The three colleges make Fargo-Moorhead a college town. On one side of the Red River that defines the state line there's North Dakota State University, with a student population of 7,600. (Many IJA convention activities will be held on its sprawling grassy campus.) On the other side are Moorhead State University with 7,200 students and Concordia College, with an enrollment of 2,600.

Audiences from all sides

The colleges bring a sophisticated audience of faculty and students to cultural events. Big businesses like Steiger Tractor, American Crystal Sugar and Northwestern Bell also have a core of cosmopolitan employees who recognize and appreciate quality entertainment. And because this is a city still close to its rural roots, audiences are also loyal.

If someone goes to the trouble of putting on a special show, they'll be there. The potential audience also includes a substantial artists' community, which has spawned Community Arts, Inc., host of the IJA convention. This organization of artists and arts supporters exists mainly to help worthwhile projects find lunding.

Because of its college orientation, Fargo-Moorhead is busiest during the school year. But summer's charms grow every year. Though the lure of Minnesota's clean blue lakes is less than an hour away, thousands stay in town for the ten full summer weekends of performances, arts and crafts exhibits and pure plains air at Trollwood Park, set in a horseshoe bend of the meandering Red River.

Trollwood

Trollwood, whose cultural program (both educational and entertaining) has been highly successful for its two summers of existence, testifies to the state of the arts in Fargo-Moorhead. It's a folksy place where the arts are fun, where everyone is welcome to participate, and where the simple beauty of the prairie landscape and the open sky smile on the creativity of the people.

Convention details

"Conventioneers will notice a lot of community involvement this year," revealed Larry Olson, convenvention coordinator. During convention week, which begins with registration Tuesday afternoon July 15 at North Dakota State University, several major arts events are planned in Fargo.

The annual Fargo Street Fair occurs Thursday, Friday and Saturday, during which about 100 people will exhibit their arts and crafts on the main street Red River Mall, one 'mile from the convention site. IJA'ers will be encouraged to perform on the mall during the noon lunch hour Thursday and Friday.

The traditional convention parade Saturday morning will include musical and community groups as well as IJA jugglers. After the parade and all day Sunday, convention activities will shift from the NDSU campus to Trollwood Park, a 13-acre natural area in a bend of the Red River. Olson has scheduled a jugglers' picnic and workshops in Trollwood, along with plenty of opportunities for performers to do their thing.

"The age of the small convention center has ended," said Olson, preparing to detail the UNDS facilities. The tartan surface gym floor, which will be limited to IJA members only, is 180 feet by 320 feet. A balcony ringing the floor has 1800 permanent seats where the public may sit to view activities on the floor below. A teaching area will be set aside on the balcony for people who want to learn to juggle.

Three nine-story dorms capable of housing 800 jugglers are being reserved for IJA conventioneers. Though Olson said an exact price for convention activities has not been set, he noted that pre-registration will definitely be cheaper than registering on site. The next Newsletter will have a full schedule of convention activities, prices and preregistration form. Questions may be directed to Larry Olson, Fargo, ND.