Senior Connections SeniorConnections Oct 19

FOREST CITY from Pg 12 Time to Focus on the Joys of Life handed me a check and I just folded it up and put it in my pocket. Later, when I looked, it was $500! The next year it was a $300 donation again. It was just so unexpected and kind,” Bob said, tearing up. “We regularly host groups,” Bob said. He and Dale Root conduct educational school group tours. But they also have musical groups, senior groups, and many more. “We have a connection with a travel company out of Fargo that has about four groups a Carolers sing in the lodge. year come from Norway to Minnesota. One ag group ﬂ ew into Minneapolis on a Sunday evening. They hopped aboard a Holt Tour bus at 8 a.m. Mon- �� day on their way to Fargo. But �� their ﬁ rst stop in the United �� States was for a 2-1/2 hour �� tour of the Stockade. �� “The travel agent said these people wanted to experience �� what their ancestors experi- �� enced coming to Minnesota �� all those generators ago, and �� see how they must have strug- �� gled in their ﬁ rst years,” Bob said. “They want to come here Line to purchase warm fry bread rolled in sugar and because it’s the most accurate cinnamon. depiction of what life was like then. That’s what motivates us to do what we do for 40 years. If we didn’t love it, we would have stopped years ago.” In addition to the two scheduled public events and �� tours, the Stockade is also open for private events. “We have ﬁ ve weddings booked so far for 2019,” �� Bob said. �� Through word of mouth people from all over hear �� about the Stockade, even though they don’t advertise �� outside the area to avoid crowds too large to handle. The people that come are genuinely interested in what the Stockade Committee has to offer and they want to tell their friends and relatives. �� It’s a family event for those that visit, but also �� for those that come together around the vision each year. Like a stone in a pond, their constribution has a ripple effect. �� “We play a big part in peoples’ lives,” Bob said. Laura Ingalls Wilder would have been proud to �� see an accurate picture of what she could only write �� about. For more information about the summer Rendez- vous, the Pioneer Christmas, volunteering, donating and more, visit their website at forestcitystockade. org. �� Senior Connections HJ.COM Senior Connections October 2019 13

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