Author Archives: Andrew Jason

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About Andrew Jason

My mother has always said I'm funny, charming, handsome and nice but my mother lies. Really I love to run, travel and play music. I'm majoring in Spanish and Online Journalism at MSUM. I love both of these things and hope to do both of them throughout my life. Oh, and when I get a chance I'm still working on those things my mom thinks I am.

The Broadway of Old

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Story and photos by Andrew Jason
MSUM journalism

Everybody is familiar with the famous, almost cliché, signs downtown. The Fargo Theater’s sign glows for everyone’s recognition. Most native Fargo residents will recognize the Bismarck’s flashy sign. However there are numerous other gems waiting to be seen. Many of these gems have been there for upwards of 100 years. If one keeps their eyes open during a walk or drive downtown they will see many signs advertising the Fargo of old.

According to Fargo-history.com, operated by the Institute for Regional Studies at North Dakota State University, the Hotel Bison opened in 1910 as the Viking hotel and in 1940 became the Hotel Bison.

A Coca-Cola sign has faded into history above the Broadway Barber Shop.

One can almost imagine farmers coming into town to buy their overalls.

Scherling Photography has been open for 92 years and this sign shows its history.

A sign outside the Ford building describes how this water tower was built along with Ford building and opened July 23 1915. The 40,000-gallon tank provided water for the 200 employees. Water was provided for sanitation facilities, lunchrooms, boilers and sprinkler systems.

According to the National Park Service this sign is on the Smith, Foller & Crowl building. It was constructed in 1917 as a warehouse for men’s “furnishings, notions and dry-goods.”

This sign overlooks Downtown Fargo.

The Friends of Youth painted this mural in 1986. A sign next to it allows you to see names of the “youth” who painted it. All these “youths” are now in their 30s.

A beautiful Peacock mural is painted on the back of the Robert’s Street Studio building.

(Edited by Matthew Liedke, MSUM Mass Communications Major)

Pub-crawl on a budget

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Some of my friends in the budget pub-crawl on a mission to save money.

Story and Photos by Andrew Jason

MSUM Journalism

The itinerary was set. The shoes were laced. Everybody was looking his or her best. Eight friends and I gathered together to see if it’s possible to go pub-crawling to six bars in six hours for 25 dollars.  Solely for journalistic purposes, I spent a grueling night of barhopping with my friends to do research on how to save you money on a Saturday night. I learned that not only is it possible to save money but watching your budget when you go out is a lot of fun.

It’s one of eternal problems for college students. Your friends invite you out on a Saturday to go barhopping. You want to join your friends for a good time, but you don’t have money to waste.

Fortunately enough, drinking on a budget is a great idea for several different reasons. There’s the obvious money saving objective, but one of biggest perks is that it keeps you from drinking to excess. Binge drinking is dangerous. There is a fine line between having a few drinks with friends and drinking excessively. When you are watching your budget you’re also watching your pace as well.

Planning the night out

We made a detailed list of where to go and what to get in order to save money.

We made a detailed list of where to go and what to get in order to save money.

We decided to create an itinerary so that we could plan out the specials. Many bars have specials that go to a certain time so a little planning can save lots of money in the long run.

“Bar hopping is awesome as long as you know the specials,” says pub-crawler, Kirsten Gunderson. “Otherwise it can get really expensive.”

The most important planning you can do for a night out is making sure you have a ride to and from the bars. Nothing will ruin your night faster than a $250 fine and 91-day suspension of your license with a DUI.

The Bomb Shelter has partnered with Lucky 7 Taxi service to offer seven-dollar taxi rides to and from the Bomb Shelter. The Sports Bar has transportation that will bring you anywhere for ten dollars. If you want to go the cheap route like we did, find a friend who is willing to come pick you up when you’re ready.

We begin the night


View Pub-crawl in a larger map

I’m about to tell you the route we took but creating an itinerary with your friends is half the fun.

7:30 p.m.: We got to the Sports Bar to take three dollar Chuck Norris’. Here we really got what we paid for. The drinks are very large and can hardly be considered a shot.

8:30 p.m: After a good hour we walked over to Fort Noks. The drinks here were too expensive for me so I held off ordering any. Not buying any drinks at certain bars really helped me pace myself.

8:55 p.m: We ran to the Sports Zone at the Old Broadway before nine because we needed to catch two-dollar Long Island Teas that ended at 9 p.m. They were  good sized and actually tasted good so I bought two. This put me at eight dollars for the night with four hours left. I was right on track.

9:45 p.m: Rooters was our next stop for their $1.50 12oz draws. Four more dollars down the drain leaving me at 12 for the night.

Let me pause to address one of the major cons of being on a budget; tipping. When you don’t have a lot of money tipping becomes a difficult subject. I realize servers don’t get paid much and they rely on tips so I solved this by tipping every other server. I hope that the good karma from the grateful servers will overwhelm all the bad karma wished on me by the neglected servers.

10:15 p.m: Our itinerary led us to the VFW where we got a small eight-ounce drink which was overly strong for three dollars. 18 dollars down and three hours to go and I start to wonder if I might not be able to follow my budget.

10:35 p.m: Empire has the unfortunate nickname of the Dirty “E’ but I think it’s a nice bar with friendly people. Due to my budget I don’t order anything.

11:15 p.m: We made it to the last stop of the night, the Bomb Shelter, which also turns out to be the most fun because of a shot wheel. For five dollars you can buy a delicious shot that allows you to spin a wheel giving you the chance to win one of several different prizes, such as a $50 bar tab or a shot from the bar. I do a little quick math, which seems to get harder the later into the night it gets, and realize I had spent $26 dollars. I think I can live with one dollar over my budget.

Warning: friends may cause alcoholism

Our ride comes around 1 a.m. and delivers us all home safe. I laid in my bed I realized that spending six hours at six different bars is grounds for alcoholism. However, I consoled myself with the fact that the bars were just the setting and the drinks were the props for the bigger play that is time with your friends. Coming up with the itinerary, traveling from bar to bar, doing math along the way by adding how much you spent together over a drink is just another way to spend time with the people who matter in your life.

Tell me what you think

Where are your favorite places to go? Where are the best specials? Share with everybody so we all know the best places to go.

(Edited by Grant Nelson, MSUM journalism major)


Favorite bar downtown 

1 ) Sports Bar
2 ) Old Broadway
3 ) Fort Noks
4 ) Hodo
5 ) Rooter’s
6 ) VFW
7 ) Dempsey’s
8 ) Empire

View Results

Make your own poll

Living a Life of Karaoke

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Story by Andrew Jason

MSUM Journalism

Photograph by Dave Diebel

Wild Bill can be found singing “My Way” every Monday and Thursday at Rooters.

Every Monday and Thursday at Rooters, bar goers get their 15 minutes of fame by singing karaoke. One man, affectionately known as Wild Bill, has been enjoying his 15 minutes of fame for the last 50 years. Bill, who was born and raised in Fargo, has been singing for almost all of his 78 years.

“It makes me happy,” Bill says. “I used to work for my money, now I sing.”

Anybody who has seen Wild Bill perform can instantly tell you that “My Way” by Frank Sinatra and “Moon River” by Henry Mancini are his two staple songs. Bill explains his favorite song is “My Way” because he has been living most of his life in that manor.

Music has had a large influence in Bill’s life since retiring from American Crystal Sugar Company. Bill had worked there most of his life. After retiring he decided to make music a more important part of his life.

“Music is very important to me,” says Bill.

Being the life of the bar

Rooter’s isn’t the only bar Bill frequents. He also can be found at Dempsey’s on Tuesdays. As Dempsey patron Dan McCollum points out, he’s much more to the bar than a regular patron.

“Wild Bill is this bar,” McCollum says. “We were worried when he didn’t show up… I always get an eerie feeling when he’s not here.”

McCollum also refers to him as Norm from “Cheers,” sighting the fact that everyone knows him and always say hi as soon as he walks in.  After meeting him people quickly fall in love with him.

“He is a positive presence,” says Rooter’s patron Bre Anderson. “After talking to him only once, I feel like I’m his best friend.”

Newcomers to Rooter’s karaoke find it weird to see a 78–year-old man singing karaoke but they quickly accept the fact and the man.

“I was surprised to see a man his age singing karaoke and being out so late,” says first time karaoke attendee, Mack Ternes. “After seeing him sing and seeing how much he’s loved by everyone there I was fine with it.”

Wild Bill doesn’t care what anyone says though.

“I love singing,” Bill says. “I’m going to keep doing it.”

Exploring the karaoke underground

Bill has seen the popularity of karaoke rise, and the effect it has had on bars around town. Bar patrons can now find a bar on any night of the week for them to sing their heart out. Competitions can be found all throughout Fargo. Divas and Rockstars offer karaoke every night and Bordertown in West Fargo is offering a chance to sing on-stage at We Fest in August. At some places, winning karaoke at a local competition can even qualify a person for a trip to a national karaoke competition.

Still gets nervous after all the years

Bill loves putting on a show, but as he’ll admit, he still gets nervous every time he goes up to sing. It doesn’t matter though because he is beloved by all, especially for the way he ends all his songs.

“We all love him,” McCollum says. “He always ends his songs with ‘God bless America’.”

Where to find karaoke downtown

  • Rooters- Karaoke every Monday and Thursday
  • Dempsey’s- Karaoke every Tuesday
  • Chub’s Pub- Karaoke once a month. The next chance will be April 1
  • Bomb Shelter- Karaoke every Wednesday
  • VFW- Karaoke every Wednesday

Watch Wild Bill sing his heart out

Watch as people in the beginning seem to pay no attention to Bill singing but as he goes on he gathers their attention until everybody is cheering and applauding him at the end.

Show Fargo what you have

Please tell us which bar is your favorite bar for karaoke and what night it happens. If you happen to have a video of yourself singing, please share it so the world can enjoy your 15 minutes of fame.

Everything a Biker Needs Under One Giant Roof

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Story and Photos by Andrew Jason

MSUM Journalism and Spanish

Great Northen Bicycle Company has been serving Fargo-Moorhead for over 23 years.

Over three hundred bikes line the wall and floor while the smell of gelato fills the nostril as customers enter the Great Northern Bicycle Company. This company has been serving the needs of Fargo-Moorhead’s surprisingly large bike culture for over 23 years.

Three years ago the Great Northern Bike Co. moved to a location that made them much more recognizable and spacious. They are now located at the 12,680 square foot, 104-year-old Great Northern Railroad Company building at 425 Broadway N.

The 29-employee bike store has found good success in the last couple of years. The success of the Great Northern Bike Co. is not easily earned in a town the size of Fargo. A lot of work must be put into it to keep it running.

“We do a pretty good job,” said manager Kari Smith. “We plug away at it and try to give some good service. We’ve been doing it for many years so we’ve grown gradually.”

Customers can get their bike serviced while enjoying fresh Gelato.

Many services offered under one roof

Smith explains that their services don’t just stop at selling bikes. Their services also include:

  • Gelato, coffee and sandwich shop
  • Bike shop which services any make or model
  • Spin classes
  • Over 100 rides led during summer. These rides range from the competitive to casual. Different rides are offered for families, road rides or for women.

Any type of bike of can be found at the Great Northern Bike Co. Prices range from $250-$3,000. Many people may wonder who would pay $3,000 for a bike.

“It’s definitely aimed at a performance market,” explains worker Fernando Bales. “The more you pay for a bike the lighter it is and the better the components.”

All bikes and models are serviced.

Bike service doesn’t discriminate

One of the big attractions of the Great Northern Bike Co. is their bike shop. Any type of service is performed there no matter the make or model.

“For the most part we’ll take in any bike no matter how many wheels,” Bales said.

Many customers have proven to be quite happy with the service they and their bikes received. All the prices for a repair job can be observed at the Great Northern Bike Co. website, www.gncycles.com.

“My service was great,” said customer Cooper Taylor, who had his bike redone there. “They were extremely friendly. They explained a lot of things that I knew nothing about and it was pretty cool.”

The bike shop is surprisingly open all year round. In the winter they’re obviously not as busy but they still offer all the same services, except for the races.

“We don’t sell very much in the winter but we work on building new bikes, revamping things and gearing for spring,” Smith said. “There’s also a lot more winter riding than there was 10-15 years ago. There are quite a few people who commute in the winter so we do see some people in but it’s mostly gearing up for spring.”

Many different forms of bikes are available to look at for anybody.

History of Great Northern Building

Almost anybody who has lived in Fargo or Moorhead for a while have seen the Great Northern Building. However, few know the history of this historic building, until now…



Running with a New Heart

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Story by Andrew Jason

MSUM Journalism and Spanish

Me surrounded by some of my amazing friends. Photograph by Rachel Lense

As I finished the seven-mile run my scar glistened with sweat. This isn’t one of those cool lightning shaped, be the chosen one, save the world, Harry Potter scars; but rather, a life changing surgery, laid up in bed for several weeks, painfully close to death kind of scar.

On Sept. 18, 2010, I was diagnosed with Endocarditis, an infection of my aortic heart valve. The condensed story is that four months earlier I had ran the full Fargo Marathon, three months before that I was training for a triathlon and two months before that dreadful day I was hiking up mountains in Montana. After returning from Montana I slowly became weaker and weaker and by the time school started I was barely able to run a mile or stay awake for several hours at a time.

Because of the infection my muscles weren’t getting the appropriate amount of blood and thereby not working.  When school started professors asked why I was walking on crutches but even I had no idea why I was on them, so I  made up lame excuses about twisting my ankle. However, the worst of the inquisitive looks and probing questions came from my mom and dad. Every time they asked me why I was so tired and sick I shook them off by telling them I was fine and I just had a stubborn flu and would be better soon.

As all good parents do though they kept nagging me. This annoying persistence eventually led me to the ER where I found myself in a hospital bed, diagnosed with endocarditis and scheduled for surgery in December. Although, as all people in Fargo know, when it starts to flood all hell can break loose. A near miss with a stroke caused my surgery to be bumped to Oct. first.

“Risks include skin numbness, minor infections, nausea…death.”

So the surgery  I wasn’t ready to face three months away was now occurring in two days. The day before the surgery  many friends, family, cards, and prayers surrounded me as several doctors related  the risks of the surgery. As my surgeon, Dr. Newman, reminded me, risks included nausea, minor infections, skin numbness… death. They hurried over the last one rather quickly.

On the day of the surgery I was waken at 5 a.m. to get “prepped,” which basically means they came to shave all of my chest hair, shove needles into me like a voodoo doll and do all sorts of unpleasant things that I’m not very fond of looking back on. I was very happy when the anesthesiologist put me to sleep on the operating table.

I was told afterwards how Dr. Newman began the operation by hooking me up to a respirator to do all my breathing. Then another tube was inserted down my nose and throat to prevent liquid and air from collecting in the stomach. Then my heart was stopped and cooled. Without going into graphic detail my aortic valve was  cut off and my new mechanical valve, consisting of two carbon leaflets in a ring covered with polyester knit fabric, was attached. I woke feeling amazingly well and surrounded by my family. Alas as the day wore on the painkillers wore off. The day was then replaced by night.

Photo of a mechanical aortic valve. From St Jude’s Web site

The aftereffects

The night after the surgery was the worst night of my life up to that moment.  The pain medicines made me nauseous and I vomited every couple of hours so I could not take any  painkillers. Every move ached my body. I couldn’t even enjoy the sponge bath by the cute nurse. Nothing seemed right in the world.

After a painful week in the hospital I went home to recuperate at my parents house, three hours away from my friends and school. After a brief period of feeling better, I slowly began to feel worse  until I found myself vomiting over a toilet. I thought it wasn’t possible, but the night of Oct. 11, proved even more painful than the night of my surgery. I couldn’t lie down or find any comfortable position because of fluid that had built up in my chest. I returned back to the hospital to get readmitted. There I saw all the faces of the nurses and doctors who I hoped never to see again.

At the hospital I found out my blood pressure had risen dangerously high into the 180s and my pulse was in the 160s. I found out I was going to be given a surgery and 20 minutes later I was in the operating room. After a quick surgery of fear, during which I was conscious and aware of everything happening to me, I was sent back to my room and eventually sent home a couple of days later. After 23 days in the hospital the surgeries and hospitalizations were finally over.

The hard part begins

My recovery is what I want people to take out of this story. Getting out of the hospital I could barely climb the stairs to my room. I would stop halfway to catch my breath. Every day  passed slowly and painfully. Soon I began to show improvement. Soon, slow walking led to a little bit faster pace, eventually slow jogging, finally ventured to fast running.

Looking back I try to find plus sides of having open-heart surgery but they’re hard to find. Some highlights I have been able to find though are:

  • Having surgery and a huge scar is a great conversation piece with new people. I get many weird looks in the locker room or at the pool.  One of my new favorite lines with the ladies is, “My heart is broken for you.”
  • I found out how much I’m worth. After much adding I found out my surgery came to a total of $160,495.25.
  • Because of a tube that was inserted to help drain fluids I have a scar underneath my long scar, combining the two it looks like I have an exclamation point on my chest. I’m always excited.

A painful realization

After going through the most painful, emotionally challenging experience of my life, I found out a couple of things: Life is hard. Pain is all around you but when the love of others and the love for yourself are stronger than that pain, anything is possible.

After being operated on twice, being used as a case study patient in med classes, I’ll be running the half-marathon in downtown Fargo with a new heart.

After months of being laid up I finally can return to running. Photograph by Dave Diebel