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Thursday, January 20th, 2011 The Official Newspaper of the City of Drayton and Drayton Public School
Cents
Volume 29 - Number 3
IPad Bingo Being Tested at Drayton National Weather Service
Releases Preliminary Spring
Curling Club and Gaming Sites Flood Outlook
The National Weather
SErvice released today
(Tuesday) its preliminary
spring flood outlook. Frankly,
it sounds a little grim. The
following is their report, in
their words:
While most of the United
States has now received part
of its winter snow cover, the
Red River of the North and
Devils Lake Basins have
already received more than
a typical winter's snowpack
and stand poised to receive
twice their normal snowfall
throughout this winter
season. The typical winter
season is about halfway
through and Fargo ND has
received 55.8 inches of snow,
or 15.8 inches above its
long term annual average
for an entire winter season.
West central Minnesota,
southeastern North Dakota,
and portions of northeast
North Dakota (which
includes the Devils Lake
Basin) are in similar stead.
[compare: Fargo had 66.3" as
of 1/17/97]
To compound this
problem, most of this same
area received 50 percent
above normal summer
and fall precipitation (10-
12 inches above normal
rainfall), which means that
area lakes, rivers and streams
are freezing in at (seasonally
adjusted) record high levels.
Climatologicall; our current
La Nine pattern is expected
to hold through the spring,
which means we have
the possibility of a colder
and snowier winter plus
the possibility of a cooler,
stormier, and wetter spring.
Thus excessive and residual
rainfall in calendar year
2010, coupled with excessive
winter snow to date, and with
the prospects for a cool and
wet spring to come, means
that we can expect major
Continued on Page 7
Official Rock Girl
The lovely Randy "Boomer" Hills was so kind as to agree to model the Drayton
Curling Club and Gamings experimental electronic bingo game. The game,
which is being evaluated at a number of sites throughout the state, operates
on an Apple Ipad. Players can play one or multiple cards and select a cost of 5
cents, 10 cents, 25 cents or 50 cents per card. The card price proportional to the
payout amount.
Drayton Curling Club and
Gaming has introduced a
new twist on bingo at their
gaming sites, "Quick Shot"
Bingo, bingo played on an
Apple Ipad. The game is
actually being field tested
with nineteen organizations
across the state, by the
North Dakota State Gaming
Commission. The field tests
began July 19th, 2010 and
will run through the end of
March of this year. Once the
field tests are complete and
data and feedback analyzed,
the commission will decide
whether or not to go forward
with the device.
Anyway, I heard about it
a while back and decided I'd
have to go in and try it out. I
did, and it was fun.
The game is contained on
an Apple IPad, which players
can check out at the gaming
table and play solo, anywhere
in the facility. Basically you
put down a bit of cash which
is credited to the machine,
play out your credits and
when finished cash in your
winnings.
Players can play one or
more (up to 12) 5 cent, 10
cent, 25 cent or 50 cent cards,
per round of bingo. You can
change the card amount
and number of cards every
round. So for five bucks, you
can play 100, single card, 5
cent games, one round of 10,
50 cent cards or any other
combination you like. I put
ten dollars down and played
a variety of games just to get
the hang of it and left with
ten dollars.
Playing a game isn't quite
as intense as playing regular
bingo. You don't have to pay
attention to the bingo caller,
because the IPad manages
it for you. Your cards are
presented in very nice
graphics on the IPad screen.
grand Las Vegas casinos, that
haul in handsome profits
that go into the pocket of
the hotel and casino owners,
North Dakota gaming has a
higher purpose. After taxes,
half of the net proceeds must
be set aside for dbnations.
The other half is used to
cover expenses which
The Iittle bingo balls that-,lncludes payroll for workers,
are called are rolled across purchasing equipment and
the bottom of the screen product and rental space
while the cards are filled in in establishments, with
automatically. It happens whatever is leftover going to
fairly fast so you don't get the the sponsoring organization,
nervous wait for that one last which must be a non-profit
winning number to be called, organization.
but still pretty fun. Drayton is lucky to
Drayton Curling Club have a local organization
and Gaming has sponsored sponsoring gaming. In
gaming in Drayton since 2006, Drayton Cuffing and
1986. Unlike the tables of the Continued on Page 2
Ariah McClintic, Valley News and Views Kid of the Week
This week's Kid of the
Week is Ariah McClintic.
Ariah is an energetic and
out-going 4th grader in Mrs.
Raricks 4th grade class. Her
parents are Daniel and Patty
McClintic.
Ariah's dad works for
American Crystal Sugar as
a Shift Administrator. Her
morn is at home taking care
of her brand new 9 month old
Talk about energy and enthusiasm, Ariah McClintic has got
enough to power up the state of California. She gave me a
physics lesson, explained to me about Golden Birthdays and
gave me some sound advice on the Tooth Fai She loves art
and would like to design clothes someday and I can sure see
that happening. She's a lot of fun and a challenge to keep up
with. She's also this week's Kid of the Week
sister Aubrey. Currently they
live in Kennedy, Minnesota,
but will soon be residents
of Drayton. The family has
spent the winter renovating
the Vollmers house, just west
of the Blessing Museum and
will be moving in .... soon.
Ariah has a younger brother,
Alden and two younger
sisters, Abigail (Abby) and
new-comer, Aubrey. The
family also has a cat named
Tom and a dog named
Brody.
Ariah told me a little bit
about Tom, who she said
has the tendency to relieve
himself in the wrong places.
She told me that Tom had
an eye frozen shut a while
ago and as a result his vision
is a little off. Therefore she
theorizes that because of
the frozen eye, he has a
problem hitting the liter box,
or perhaps at times, not even
being able to find it. Anyway,
they're very patient with
Tom, and hopefullyTom will
improve with practice, lest
he find himself permanently
banished to the giant liter
box outside.
Ariah just celebrated
a birthday, her 10th, and
informed me that last year,
she celebrated her Golden
Birthday, a term I wasn't
familiar with. She explained
that your Golden Birthday
is the birthday on which
both your age and your birth
date are the same number. I
had one of those about two
hundred years ago.
Ariah's favorite color is
blue, although she doesn't
have a reason why, except to
say it's the color of blue jeans,
of which she is a big fan. Her
favorite classes are math,
science and art. She likes
math because it's problem
solving. When I asked her
why she liked science,
she explained to me with
enthusiasm and great detail
some experiments they did
in her class with gum and
heat, which I think border on
chemical thermo dynamics.
She went on to explain how
the particles that make up
the gum are accelerated by
heating and thus the gum
becomes soft and pliable.
The opposite when cooled
down. I got the impression
she liked the sciences
because for her, they were
fun. All that said, she was
even more enthusiastic, if
that was possible, about art.
Ariah likes to paint and will
have one of her paintings
going to an art show in April,
at Hazen, North Dakota.
Prior to going to school in
Continued on Page 8
While the duties and responsibilities of the "Rock Girt," have
not yet been established, it's pretty much decided that curling
enthusiast, Madison Hermanson, is the Tuesday night curling,
Rock Girl. I don't think anyone will dispute it. While on the
subject of curling, see last week's curling results on page 8.
d the
Driving around this week
I noticed that the Christmas
lighting around the town had
almost totally disappeared,
except for a small handful
of Christmas enthusiasts,
myself included.
Last week I moved my tree
out of the window and slid
it into a corner because I
didn't have the heart to take
it down. Also, it seemed it
was still as fresh as the day I
put it up, which was before
Thanksgiving. I decided I'd
see how long I could make it
last. Could be a while.
This week when I went to
examine the top of the tree,
expecting the needles to drop
off with the slightest touch, I
discovered instead that it was
growing a bunch of fresh new
branches at the top. So, I'm
thinking with a lot of water
and plant food I might keep
it going until next Christmas,
which would be great. Great
tree. Don't have to take it
down or put another one up
and it's already decorated.
Will update in July.
Benefit for Joe Kilichowski
A benefit dinner for Joe
Kilichowski, Drayton, will be
held Sunday, January 23 from
11:00 am to 1:00 pm at the
Drayton Public School. Cost
is $5.00 per person or $15.00
per family and the menu will
feature a baked potato bar,
desserts, and beverages. The
event is hosted by Drayton
Knights Inc. and area
churches. Donations can
also be made at KodaBank
(701-454-3317).
Secret Sect of Lutefisk
Worshippers Have Annual
Meeting
A secret sect of lutefisk
worshippers had their fifth
annual meeting last Saturday
at Tisdale Manor. Doug
Quibell was this years host
with Gay lensen, cooking
the lutefisk, which he picked
up in Roseau, and Doug
QuibelI preparing bbq ribs.
It's said that Gay makes the
best lutefisk this side of the
Atlantic. Erma Raney made
the white gravy and buns,
but I wasn't supposed to say
that, so...
Others in attendence were
Marlys and Merle Nelson,
Larry and Shirley Jensen, Bev
lensen, Harriet Johnson, Lon
Johnson, Michael Jensen,
Gary and Karl lo lensen,
Kenneth and Marilyn Mosolf,
Doretta and Jim Olson, and
Tom Britian.
The tables were set with
place cards which read, "I
never met a lutefisk I didn't
like."
It's said that a good time
Continued on Page 3
