Community - Final Thoughts

I have been in the FM area for an awesome 17 years! During my time here, I have witnessed and experienced many a things. My first ever flood (in 2010), the expansion south of 32nd Avenue, the installment of the "Herd About the Prairie: A Visual Art Stampede, the Broadway lamppost fiber arts installation (the lamppost cozies), the demolition of the historical Lashkowitz High Rise (footage below - speakers down, it's loud), the rise and fall of Fargo Brewing Company, and the closure of the historical grocery store - Hornbacher's Express on south University.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/aa5032_a91630f8a3d345a9a5dafc4b8fd159fb/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

While there have been many fantastical changes, the thing that has always stuck with me is how our community, no matter how it grew, has remained the same - strong, supportive, kind, and helpful. I have watched our community come together to sandbag and save each other's homes and rally to save businesses like Wild Terra and Hornbacher's Express. All of these efforts were driven by every day people like you and me, and they're the kind of stories that inspired me to start this newsletter.

When I first started, I didn't imagine that this would get the traction that it did. I wasn't sure that people would find as much value in the stories that I wanted to cover, but I knew they were special and deserved to be heard. I've had the pleasure of sharing these stories to approximately 100 weekly readers over the last 5 months and it has been the greatest honor.

While it breaks my heart to let go of this project, and on such short notice for that matter, I hope that its success inspires others to pick up the mantle and continue sharing the stories of the people that build up this wonderful community. Our community members deserve to have their voices heard and efforts uplifted.