FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 29, 2007
Contact: Mark Sundlov
(701) 572-9034
FREE CONCERT, SHOWING OF NORTH DAKOTA REMEMBERS WORLD WAR II DVD
AT MISSOURI-YELLOWSTONE CONFLUENCE CENTER NOVEMBER 11
WILLISTON – A free concert and showing of a World War II program will be featured during Veterans Day activities Sunday, November 11 at the Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center. Refreshments will be served throughout the day. The concert will start at 2 p.m. Central Time and the DVD showing will follow. Admission to the Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center will be free for veterans on both Saturday, November 10 and November 11.
The free concert Sunday afternoon will feature the band, Sage Grouse Stomp. This Helena, Montana-based band plays fiddle tunes, waltzes, as well as original and traditional folk songs. Drawing from previous experience in contra-dance bands, symphonies, jazz combos and eclectic bar bands, the four-member group provides an exciting and diverse performance featuring mandolin, fiddle, viola, guitars, bass and foot percussion.
The program, North Dakota Remembers World War II, features interviews of North Dakota World War II veterans recorded for the state’s Veterans History Project. The program consists of two half-hour segments. One of the segments features eight interview segments with veterans from the European Theatre. The other features 11 interview segments with veterans from the Pacific Theatre.
The North Dakota Veterans History Project is coordinated by the SHSND. It combines the efforts of the SHSND, U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan’s office, the Library of Congress, the North Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs, the North Dakota Humanities Council, North Dakota colleges and universities, AARP-North Dakota, county veterans service officers, and North Dakota veterans organizations.
The SHSND’s archives in the North Dakota Heritage Center in Bismarck is the primary repository for the oral histories and other materials, including written histories, gathered statewide. Biographical information on every North Dakota veteran interviewed will eventually be sent to the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Several hundred have already been posted on their website. To view the data, visit www.loc.gov/vets and click on “Search the Veterans Database,” using either the veteran’s name or searching by state.
Congress created the Veterans History Project in 2000 to collect and preserve memories, accounts and documents of the men and women who fought or who supported our troops during wartime, and to preserve these stories of experience and service for future generations. Each state is responsible for identifying and interviewing veterans for the project.
At first, Veterans Day was called Armistice Day in the United States, officially established by Congress in 1926 to recognize the ending of fighting in World War I, at 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918 ( the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month). In 1938, Congress established it as a national holiday. If the idealistic hope had been realized that World War I had really been “the War to end all Wars,” November 11 might still be called Armistice Day. But following World War II and the Korean War, Congress was called upon to make this day an occasion to honor those who had served the United States in all wars. In 1954, President Eisenhower signed a bill proclaiming November 11 as Veterans Day. In 1968, a law was passed changing the national commemoration of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. It soon became apparent, however, that November 11 was a date of historic significance to many Americans, and in 1978, Congress returned the observance to its traditional date. In Canada, November 11 is known as Remembrance Day.
Located one-half mile east of Fort Buford, the Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center tells the story of the confluence of these two mighty rivers, as well as provides the same magnificent view that Lewis and Clark Expedition members enjoyed when they visited in 1805 and 1806. The Confluence Interpretive Center is open year-round. Now through May 15 it is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesdays through Saturdays, and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. From May 16 through September 15, its hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Central Time, seven days a week. It is closed on New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas. Admission is $5 per adult, $2.50 per child, ages 6-15, and children 5 and under are admitted free. The fee also covers admission to Fort Buford State Historic Site, and vice versa.
The Center also includes a meeting room, rotunda and an open plaza facing the Confluence. The meeting room is available for use during and after operating hours. Equipment is available for no charge, including a slide projector, overhead, screen, easel with white board, public address system, and a coffee percolator. The rotunda and open plaza are available to groups after operating hours only. A $25 security fee is charged for after hours use, with a minimum use requirement of two hours. The admission fee is waived for groups that rent the facility.
Free admission to all sites administered by the State Historical Society of North Dakota (SHSND) is one of the many benefits for members of the SHSND Foundation. Others include a 15 percent discount on museum store purchases, and the quarterly publications North Dakota History and Plains Talk. To become a member, call the Foundation at (701) 222-1966 or click on the membership button on the agency’s website www.nd.gov/hist.
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