The Daily News

Wahpeton Mayor Jim Sturdevant officially proclaimed June 21 to be Cherish the Child Day in the city during Monday's council meeting.

"Cherish the Child - A Walk to Remember" is an event that was started in the Wahpeton-Breckenridge area to honor the memories of children who have passed away. It is also a day to appreciate those children who are still with us, as detailed in the proclamation.

The event will be held each year with a dedication at the heart-shaped memorial garden on the Lake Breckenridge trail. The event is open to anyone who is interested.

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In other council business:

Brian Meckler of Absolute Marketing in Moorhead, Minn., spoke about the success of the "Wahpeton, Welcome" marketing campaign that began in April.

The campaign's Web site (http://wahpetonwelcome.com/) has had 438 hits since starting, with 55 percent of its traffic coming from direct searches, a sign that the media campaign is having a palpable effect. The site details area jobs, homes, activities and schools for prospective residents.

The iconic "Wahpeton, Welcome" door mat used in the print ads was also shown at the meeting.

The campaign will wind down in November, and then after December be limited to its Facebook page. There is no marketing planned for 2011.

"You've got a great campaign going there," said Sturdevant.

The idea for a marketing campaign was originally pursued by City Economic Development Director Jane Priebe and council member Chris DeVries.

City Public Works Director Randy Nelson announced that it has received four bids for upgrades to the main Leach Public Library entrance. The lowest bid, of $39,800, came from Gast Construction Co. Inc. of Wahpeton, which has worked on St. John's Church and Horton Hall at the North Dakota State College of Science. With a unanimous roll call vote, the council approved the recommendation from Nelson to award the contract to Gast Construction.

Last, council member Alisa Mitskog reminded everyone present that the Twin Towns Gardeners' Market was "up and running." The first such market was held Thursday, July 15 at 4 p.m. It was reported that of the six vendors there, all of them were sold out well before its scheduled ending.

"The only complaint I got is that at 5, 5:30, they were out of vegetables," Sturdevant said. "That's great."

The next Twin Towns Gardeners' Market will be held Thursday, July 22 from 4-8 p.m. on the lawn of Leach Public Library.

Comments

Jake Krohn wrote on Jul 20, 2010 11:33 PM:

" Thanks to Councilwoman Mitskog for the mention. We were all absolutely astonished by the response. Our vendors will be back in a big way this week with even more great fresh produce.

Visit us online at twintownsmarket.org. "




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Erin K wrote on Jul 20, 2010 7:32 PM:

" Thank you to the council members for declaring June 21st Cherish the Child day. I know it is hard to even begin to understand what it is like to lose a child until you have been there and the support at the Walk to Remember this first year was absolutely amazing. The stories, letters and awareness we have seen and heard has been overwhelming. THANK YOU to all! May you never have to walk in our shoes and experience this loss. "




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