I first started at the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer as an intern in the summer of 1996. That would begin six years as a news reporter, sports reporter and copy editor for a small, six-day-per-week daily newspaper in northern Minnesota. I wrote a large range of stories from multiple beats, to features to sports, my favorite being the coverage of the Red Lake Reservation High School basketball team named the Warriors. Here is a collection of my stories from my time at the Pioneer.
Aug. 11 1996
By Devlyn Brooks
Staff Writer
In 1998, Lake Bemidji State Park will celebrate its 75th anniversary. In recognition, the state Department of Natural Resources announced an emblem depicting the park will be featured on the 1997-98 Minnesota state park vehicle permits.
According to Assistant Park Manager Chris Weir-Koetter, the $18 vehicle permits are statewide permits that allow access to all of the 66 state parks. On the 1997-98 permit, some sort of artwork depicting Lake Bemidji State Park will be featured.
The artwork will be chosen from a local artist, Weir-Koetter said. So, the park has sent out letters to local artists calling for the submissions of artwork for the permit.
The project is unique, said Park Manager Paul Mork, because it has been driven by the local Lake Bemidji State Park Citizens' Association. The group has helped to establish a committee of local citizens to work with the Region 2 Arts Council to review the artists' submissions and choose the winning piece.
This is new in the permit's selection process, Mork said. Previously, state office officials in St. Paul controlled the process from beginning to end. This time, the state officials will only be handling the process after the artwork has been selected.
"We're kind of excited about being featured," Weir-Koetter said, "because there's a line of merchandise that goes with it."
Not only will Minnesota's 120,000 state park vehicle permits that are sold depict Bemidji's state park, but T-shirts, sweatshirts and mugs sold at all of the state parks' gift shops will be emblazoned with the logo. On the state park mugs, not only does the emblem appear, but an interpretive story of the emblem appears on the back. This might leave an opportunity open for area literary artists to get involved, Mork said.
Weir-Koetter said the theme the park would like the artwork to be tailored to is the northern bog because Lake Bemidji State Park is so well known for its bog walks.
"We have bogs people can access with the boardwalks. It is one of the main interpretive themes of our park," she said. "They are one of the last unexplored environments."
Mork said he believes honoring the park is important, but also important is that the exposure of the park's 75th anniversary should attract visitors to the park. Which, he said, would in turn bring people to Bemidji.
The park staff is planning a kick-off party for the merchandise and permits in October 1997, because that is when the official sales begin, but the merchandise will be for sale at next year's annual State Fair.
The artists' submissions must be received by Aug. 28, Mork said, because the final selections must be made soon after.
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