FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Marilyn Snyder
February 29, 2008
(701) 328-2792

POPULAR SENSATIONAL SUNDAYS SERIES CONTINUES
THROUGH MAY 18 AT NORTH DAKOTA HERITAGE CENTER

BISMARCK – The popular Sensational Sundays series continues through May 18 at the North Dakota Heritage Center in Bismarck.  There will be no program Easter Sunday, March 23.

The programs are free and open to the public, and will begin at 2 p.m.  The series has featured programs since January 6.  Sponsors are the State Historical Society of North Dakota (SHSND), the North Dakota Humanities Council, and the North Dakota Geological Survey.

Here is the Sensational Sundays schedule through the final program in May:

March 2: March is for Music, featuring the Old Five ‘N’ Dimers from Mandan, who play acoustic music, from the classic cowboy tunes to bluegrass, with a variety of guitars, mandolin, and banjo.

March 9: March is for Music, featuring Neil Diamond impersonator Tim Persell, and Elvis Presley impersonator Bill Schott, named one of the Top 10 Elvis Presley impersonators in the world at the International Images of Elvis competition in 2004 in Memphis, Tenn.

March 16: March is for Music, featuring the Beseler Sisters from Hazelton, N.D.  This is a walk down memory lane for those who remember the Andrews Sisters, and an opportunity for the younger ones to get acquainted with some of the great music from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.

March 30: March is for Music, featuring the Fauske Fiddlers of Bottineau, N.D., playing fiddle favorites from bygone years, from the songs of the voyagers to the fiddle music of Saturday night at the hall.              

April 6: April is for the Ancient Past, “Changing Views of North Dakota’s History and Prehistory,” by Dr. Raymond Wood, professor emeritus of anthropology at the University of Missouri in Columbia, featuring recent excavations at the Huff Indian Village, Menoken Indian Village, and Double Ditch Indian Village State Historic Sites.

April 13: April is for the Ancient Past, “A City Built on Stilts: How Geology Influences Building Construction in Fargo and Other North Dakota Cities,” by Dr. Donald Schwert, professor of geology, North Dakota State University.

April 20: April is for the Ancient Past, “Geothermal Energy: Another Affordable Energy Source in North Dakota,” by Dr. Lorraine Manz, geologist, North Dakota Geological Survey.

April 27: April is for the Ancient Past, “The Dinosaur Origin of Birds,” by Dr. John Hoganson, state paleontologist, North Dakota Geological Survey.

May has been designated Preservation Month by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, serving as a showcase for America’s diverse and unique heritage.  During this month, thousands of state and local community groups will honor their heritage and bring historic preservation to the forefront of daily life in the United States.  The SHSND will join this celebration by featuring Sensational Sundays programs about history and preservation in North Dakota, all beginning at 2 p.m.

May 4: Historic Preservation Month: Using Historic Buildings for Today’s Businesses, Lonnie Laffen will discuss the adaptive reuse of the Grand Forks Opera House.

May 11: Historic Preservation Month: Using Historic Buildings for Today’s Businesses, Roy and Chris Sheppard will discuss the adaptive reuse of the Franklin School in Jamestown.

May 18: Historic Preservation Month: Using Historic Buildings for Today’s Businesses, program topic and speaker still to be scheduled.         

For more information, contact Marilyn Snyder, the SHSND’s curator of education, at (701) 328-2792 or visit the SHSND’s website at www.nd.gov/hist.

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