Senator Byron Dorgan's Home Town Pride essay winners from Grenora.
  Featured on Senator Dorgans website.

Grenora
Home of the Gophers

Ryan Bendixson
7th grade, Mrs. Betty Lundby
Grenora Public School
Grenora ND

The Community of Grenora

Grenora is a very small community. They have a few stores and lots of very kind people. In the Northeast part of town there is a school. The school has only 60 students. Grenora has a golf course and a trap shoot range. Outside of Grenora in every direction there is farmland. For about 30 miles in every direction you go there are farms. Fields that contain peask lentils, corn, canola, spring wheat, barley, durum and much more.

In the fall you go out in the country and look all around you and you can see that there are combines in the fields and grain trucks driving back and fourth. Just after harvest there is hunting season. Tons of vehicles most with dogs in the back are roaming around at only twenty miles per hour searching for pheasants, grouse, ducks, and even deer later in the fall.

In about October it starts cooling down. Around Halloween it will start to snow and as you look through the country there are snowmobiles going all over and when the night falls it can get to be around -20 degrees compared to 95 in the summer. Then it is Christmas. The best holiday there is. There are lots of cars and a ton of presents and church services, too.

Then spring comes. All the snow melts and it warms up just after and the birds start to return.

Alison Carlson
7 th grade, Mrs. Betty Lundby
Grenora Public School
Grenora ND

Grenora is a small, rural community, where people are friendly and most people know each other.

The school has small classes, with a variety of classes for kids to pick from, and extra curricular activities most kids may participate in.

There are 3 churches in town. 1 church especially offers many non-denominational activities all ages of kids may take part in.

There are several businesses in town that meet your every-day needs. There's the Farmers Union Full Service Station, the Farmers Union Grocery Store, a café, a one of a kind hardware store, a credit union, a post office, a bar, which serves food and serves as a community meeting place, the Plant Place, a ceramics shop, a beauty salon, a bowling alley, an insurance agent, and an auto repair shop. There is also a Senior Citizens Center which is also used for many community events.

The Community Club and Today's Women are two organizations in Grenora that are very active and supportive of all ages and needs in the community. The American Legion and Auxiliary are also very active in Grenora.

Children are provided with a summer recreation program which includes swimming, baseball, bowling, tennis, basketball, and others.

4-H is also active in Grenora as well as a community band.

There is a golf course east of town and Writing Rock, a historical site, is northeast of Grenora.

Thus, it is written, Grenora is a small town with a lot of ways to stay busy.

Phoebe Bjerkhoel
12th grade, Mrs. Betty Lundby
Grenora Public School
Grenora ND

"Friendliness lives here, you'll only be a stranger once", is the motto of this small town in the northwest corner of North Dakota; for nothing could be said more true, due to the kind and caring nature of the community.

This well-maintained community has a population of approximately 200; however, although small, this town in not far from some of the major attractions of the state. Grenora is only fourteen miles from one of the state's historic sites, Writing Rock. The Great Northern Railroad ran through the town, giving the town its name. Grenora is also home to the Sunset Park .

Some of the local businesses in Grenora include an elevator, a beauty salon, a bar, a café, a ceramic shop, a gas station, a hardware store, a post office, a bank, and agrocery store.

Grenora is an excellent place for families with children to live. The town has a very low crime rate. As for education, the school has a small teacher/student ratio, providing more one-on-one help, and greater opportunities for students to participate in extra curricular activities such as sports, music, drama, and speech.

These are just some of the reasons Grenora would be a great place to live or visit. The town is known to be "small in numbers, but mighty in pride."

Vanessa Ibsen
12 th grade, Mrs. Betty Lundby
Grenora Public School
Grenora ND

Grenora, North Dakota, is a quiet, isolated little town. When I say little, I mean little. Our population is under 200 people. It may be "small but it is mighty in pride". This is one of our mottos, besides, "Friendliness lives here"; you will be a stranger only once."

This town of mine is an experience most kids couldn't even imagine. It has most of the kids walking to any destination point, such as our local grocery store. This is because our town is about 5 by 4 blocks in size. Locals gather at our comfy little café to have a daily gossip while sipping coffee. It is quite peaceful at night, especially welcoming on those romantic summer nights that you can spend with you partner staring at the beautiful sunset. It is a nice get-away for anyone.

I say "no" to those comments made about how we live in the middle of "nowhere" and that we have no means of communication with the outside world. To surprise some people who live in bigger cities, yes, we do have: telephones, running water, modern restrooms, television, computers, internet, and, of course, modern vehicles. No, we don't all dress in cowboy apparel or drive covered wagons. Living here may not be "high class" or in any way fancy, but our country and people prefer the simple things and way of life. We prefer to listen to the gentle sounds of the night while staring into the deep, night skies' glittering stars. I can only describe my small town as sheer loveliness or a small part of heaven placed on earth. My town is a nice, quiet solitary, little town.