Groundbreaking for addition slated

MEDORA -Groundbreaking ceremonies for a major expansion of the Chateau de Mores State Historic Site's Interpretive Center will be held at 1 p.m. MDT Wednesday.

The site, located in Medora, is managed and maintained by the state's history agency, the State Historical Society of North Dakota.

The event will take place at the existing Interpretive Center site.

The expansion will add about 5,700 square feet, nearly tripling the size of the current center, which was built in 1974 and measures about 2,700 square feet.

After expansion, the existing building will house a temporary exhibit gallery, a loading dock, new ADA-accessible restrooms, and staff and storage space. The addition will house the permanent gallery, the museum store and a meeting room for about 50 people.

The grand opening for the expanded facility is targeted for the spring of 2007.

Portion of road to be closed

A portion of Airway Avenue will be closed on Monday and Tuesday for road construction.

Airway Avenue between Yegen Road and Sykes Drive will be closed to install permanent roadway surfacing.

The closure is expected to last only two days, depending on weather conditions.

Alert systems to be tested

Various alert systems in the state will be tested from 11:10 and 11:20 a.m. CDT Wednesday.

The alerts being tested include outdoor warning sirens, radio and television broadcasts, all-hazards radio and cable-interrupt alerts.

The National Weather Service, North Dakota Department of Emergency Services and North Dakota Emergency Management Association, along with other agencies, are sponsoring the tests.

Grass collection site changes

The grass collection site that was at Normandy Street and Versailles Avenue has been moved to Fourth Street and Dominion Drive.

The grass collection site that was at South Third Street, south of Ascension Church, is shut down for the next three weeks. Use the site at Santa Fe Avenue and South 12th Street, located north of the Cottonwood Soccer Fields.

Exhibit on winter life opens April 29

WILLISTON - An exhibit depicting how North Dakotans have had fun and stayed warm during the winter months on the Northern Plains will open April 29 at the Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center, near Williston.

"Winter Memories: Having Fun and Keeping Warm" features photographs, artifacts and other items.

During the day, visitors will have the chance to participate in some of the traditional activities North Dakotans do to keep busy during the winter months.

From 9 a.m. to noon, Kathy Johnson from the Bent Pin store in Williston will present a class on hand-piecing quilts. The class fee is $5. Participants need only bring paper scissors, fabric scissors and a thimble.

Anyone interested in participating must register by noon Wednesday. To register, contact Site Supervisor Genia Hesser at 701-572-9034 or email ghesser@;state.nd.gov.

Following the class, at 1 p.m., will be the presentation "If Quilts Could Talk." The program is free.

Throughout the day, visitors also will be able to have fun with other "winter" activities, such as puzzles and board games.

Archaeological group to meet

The North Dakota Archaeological Association is holding its annual meeting on Saturday. The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. at Fort Totten State Historic Site, in Fort Totten, and is free of charge and open to the public.

Activities will include tours, artifact tables, demonstrations and presentations at Fort Totten.

An afternoon business meeting and series of lectures will then be held in the afternoon at Sully's Hill National Game Preserve in Benson County.

For more information, contact Timothy Reed at 701-328-3567.