by Larry Campbell | Feb 3, 2017 | Rollin' On The River 2016 |
On my first morning in Bismarck ND, I was having breakfast with my Chamber contact, David Leingang. As we were finishing, he said “I want to show you Art Alley, one of our new projects.”
I agreed, so as we stepped out of the restaurant, we crossed 5th Street and arrived at what I later learned is called Alley 5.5. Art Alley is a unique partnership between a six-member volunteer group of the 2016 Bismarck-Mandan Chamber of Commerce Leadership Program and the Dakota West Arts Council. Here, an alley is being transformed, by several greater-Bismarck artists, into a beautiful – and eclectic – collection of art. It’s estimated that up to 25 artists could be involved with this colorful project. The idea, David tells me, is to use the power of the arts to enliven alley space in the community.
The Project is in its infancy, and – in early August ’16, anyway – was still a work in progress, but from a glance at some of that early progress, it looks like it’s well on its way! See for yourself: ArtAlley
by Larry Campbell | Jan 29, 2017 | Rollin' On The River 2016 |
With Marianne Ward, Club President – I received the coveted Pulaski County Rotary Mug. 🙂
by Larry Campbell | Dec 17, 2016 | Rollin' On The River 2016 |
I was in South Dakota, enroute between my stops in Ft. Pierre and Chamberlain, and I was on a road that was at least 3 steps down the ‘off the beaten path’ ladder. My ongoing desire to stay somewhat close to the River had me on Highway 5, off of Highway 10, off of Hwy 1806, coming south out of Ft Pierre. I was navigating through the Lower Brule Reservation area, looking for Hwy 47, in order to cross back over the River (mostly Lake Sharpe by then), find Hwy 34, leading to Hwy 50 with smooth sailing south to Chamberlain from there!
And this was not turning out to be as easy as that sounds!
I wasn’t 100% sure I was on the ‘right’ (or chosen) path to start with, and I hadn’t seen a vehicle for quite awhile (normally the way I like it) – or anything else really. I had just allowed the notion ‘this wouldn’t be a great place to break down’ pass through my head, when I suddenly came upon a ROAD CLOSED sign!! And it was like no Road Closed situation I had experienced. In the first place, the structure itself seemed confused. The sign looked like it was built to be installed vertically (it was on its side), yet the barrier was situated horizontally – and, even then, across just my lane of the highway only. Up ahead (100 yards or so?) was what appeared to be the exact opposite situation in the other direction.
I was puzzled (and a few other emotions). Was the road closed or not? Why ‘close’ the road, other than for some relatively good reason? But why appear to allow (even invite!) driving around the signs if it was closed?
I was simultaneously pondering what to do, whether or not I could find my way back the way I came, and remembering how long it’d been since I saw any traffic, when, out of the clear blue, up drove . . . . . a FedEx truck!!! Not just a local resident in a vehicle,mind you, but a FedEx truck! The driver rolled down the window, smiling. I asked if we could go around, and she (!) said “Sure – do it all the time! Follow me!!”
I had just enough time to snap a picture (see below) as she headed off, hop in the car to follow, and at the same time, share a huge laugh with my guardian angel!
by Larry Campbell | Nov 29, 2016 | Rollin' On The River 2016 |
I was in Fort Benton, MT, still early in the trip. I was on my early morning walk/run on a path close to the River. In the early morning faint light, I came upon a deer standing in shallow water very near the bank. I slowed, then stopped, not wishing to disturb. After what appeared to be some consideration, it apparently decided it didn’t want to share the space with me. It turned toward the river, and began bounding away. “Oh, wow”, I thought, “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a deer swim!”
I didn’t then either. The deer continued bounding all the way across the River and up onto the bank on the other side, never even getting close to knee-deep. Despite appearances and width at that point, the River was that shallow! I stood for a few moments, transfixed, before I was able to continue. It was just so unexpected, and so amazing.
by Larry Campbell | Nov 17, 2016 | Rollin' On The River 2016 |
It’s not a blend you often run into – or would expect to, really, but there it is, and there she is, in flesh and blood. From my first 10 minutes in Sunny’s office, I began to suspect there was more story to her than ‘my excellent Ft. Pierre contact’ – and I was right!! Climb into your saddle, or strap on your ballet shoes, and enjoy the story:
Sunny was born and raised on a ranch in the Bad River valley, near Ft. Pierre. As the only girl in a family of 5 children, she grew up riding horses, and breaking & training them! After all, it was in her blood, as her uncle was the nationally famous rodeo star, Casey Tibbs! She loved it – still does. (The riding, that is – not so much the breaking anymore.)
At age 13, her life changed when she saw her first dance recital and suddenly the cowgirl had an alter-ego! After graduating high school in 1961, she went to the University of Utah (UofU) where she majored in ballet. She spent her first two college summers at Jacobs Pillow University of Dance in Lee, MA, and quickly decided that New York was the place to be if she wanted to dance. She left the U of U behind and became a professional dancer. The list of her successes (Broadway shows, traveling companies, Ballet Repertory Co., Radio City Ballet Co, etc) is simply too long to list for this section, but suffice it to list this stunning example: She was selected for the famous and prestigious Ballet Russe in 1967, and spent a year in Europe, even dancing before Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly!
She came back to South Dakota in 1971 to help her parents move off their Bad River ranch, and her life changed drastically again. By the end of that summer, she had met and married her husband, and had returned to SD to ranch! In 1973, they bought Two Rivers Ranch on the Belle Fourche River, which at 40,000 acres, was the largest contiguous ranch in SD at the time. By 1980, they had stocked the ranch with 4000 head of buffalo. Caught between bad times and high interest in 1984, they sold out and moved to California, where Sunny learned how to train and show cutting horses (not unlike dancing on horseback, she says) and taught dance!
Time marched on and circumstances changed. Following a divorce, Sunny moved back to South Dakota. She finished her college degree, acquired a dance studio, and also became involved in newspaper journalism, tourism & travel management, and State government. When she retired, she came to work for the Ft. Pierre Development Corporation, which is, of course, how I met her and first knew her!
Sunny continues to own and operate Hosanna Dance studio, and still dances herself. She also continues her riding -boots, spurs and all – and has participated in all but one of Ft. Pierre’s Trail Rides of various lengths.
She has said “Apart from my strong faith, dance and horses have been the passions of my life” I’m just glad she also helps promote Ft. Pierre as she does, or I might never have gotten to know her!
