BEULAH - An imaginary fence can be as hard to cross as one of concrete and barbed wire.

The first kind kept Beulah and Hazen apart for years, not feuding exactly, but fussing and competing when cooperation might have served them better, an attitude that's developing in these softer times.

They are not alone. Everyone knows the power of a real or imaginary fence between countries, between communities, between neighbors and between deer and a country garden.

Beulah is all over the idea of fences these days, as it makes grand plans to host a Smithsonian exhibit called "Between Fences" that will arrive in December and stay for a month.

The exhibit is intended to provoke thought as viewers examine the relationship of the fence to the land over time.

When notified that it was selected to be one of six North Dakota communities to host the exhibit, the committee immediately jumped its own fence to reach out to others and expand on the whole idea.

Steffanie Boeckel and Chere Allard, of Beulah, are mother-daughter and two of a dozen committee members working on the project.

Ideas were plentiful as the group brainstormed ways to include the community and the area in thinking about fences.

And they came up with some dandies.

It's possible that right this minute, one of 27 local artists from Beulah, Hazen and beyond is working on his or her fence. Each fence is the same, 3 feet wide, 6 feet high, the boards tightly spaced so as to present a canvas to the artist.

The artists' fences were the contribution of Union State Bank, with assistance from the Hazen Arts and Craft association.

Those artists' fences will be showcased Dec. 7, the same night the Smithsonian exhibit opens at Beulah's City Hall. The exhibit will stay there until Jan. 18, when it moves to Belcourt.

Other regional communities - Watford City and Medora - also will be host in a fashion described by the Smithsonian as "Museum on Main Street."

The local artists' fences will be sold at an auction to benefit the Knife River Care Center, which is being relocated into a new facility later this month.

Beulah businesses also are decorating sections of picket fence that were made by the Beulah High School shop classes.

Boeckel said those will be displayed around the community just to help keep the theme going.

The exhibit time also will be used for schoolchildren to tour, aided by a special curriculum their teachers can use, and the community will be invited to take part in a reading group. Special adjunct displays of barbed wire fences and Native American garden fences will be set up to add to the Smithsonian exhibit.

Beulah residents will be encouraged to participate in a fence decorating contest -probably seasonal with Christmas coming on - and compete for prizes.

Boeckel and Allard said the project has been a long time in the making and the committee is excited about the opportunity to host a Smithsonian caliber exhibit in downtown Beulah.

They're also excited about the symbolism of fences and hope that by seeing "Between Fences," people will take a moment to think differently about the boundary structures that are all around all of them.

The Smithsonian describes the exhibit this way: "'Between Fences' encourages visitors to feel the significance of a crucial aspect of their personal and national heritage. Fences, like barns, are tools that embody a culture and its values. By understanding both historic and contemporary fences, we can better understand ourselves as Americans."

To see more about the exhibit, go to http://www.museumonmainstreet.org.

(Reach reporter Lauren Donovan at 888-303-5511 or lauren@;westriv.com.)