MN Heartland Day 4

 Life In Motion 

The line kept growing longer as more and more folks of Holdingford came to the BoHo Cafe to test their knowledge of local history. Thursday night was the first ever Holdingford Trivia night. Greg, founder of Arts in Motion and BoHo cafe, had designed two rounds of 24 questions each to test his community’s memory. Former pro wrestler “Sod Buster” and MLB umpire Joe Brinkman were natives of Holdingford, named after Randolf Holding. And of course the museum was formally the city maintenance shed. There is a Yellow house that acts as a point of reference for all directions to all places in town. 

Everyone was having a grand ole time sharing food and drink and of course their guesses to the questions. BoHo closes at 8, but folks hung around to visit as staff cleaned up. 

Oh the staff: the nicest and most polite. A reminder of what customer service was like pre Covid. 

We pulled out our bed rolls and slept under the veranda as the night air finally cooled. We slept comfortably and again awakened early to the birds singing as the sun rose. 

Greg’s wife Cindy showed up early to bake muffins and scones for the breakfast crowd and made me an early cup of coffee. Alyssa, their cafe manager arrived and we visited well into her prep shift. She was wearing a BoHo Coffee Club t shirt. Every Friday morning  from 9-11 the locals gather to share life. The cafe was originally planned to be closed for the winter months. Where was the Coffee Club to meet? Cindy and Greg winter south, so Alyssa arranges to open the cafe on Friday mornings just so the coffee club and others can keep up with each other. 9 am came as did the town. It was a hopping place. 

I’m reminded of what Steve “Last Name Unknown” told us last summer on a deck in Vermont: this is “rubbing shoulders with reality. You don’t get this driving 80 down the interstate”. 

It was hard to leave. Greg and Cindy have done so much with “Art in Motion” to give back to the community that raised him. 

In addition to great food and trivia games, there is an art curator who arranges gallery showings for local artists, of which she is one, and also prepares projects for youngsters of all ages to develop their creativity. During the weekend, area singer/songwriters have a stage to perform. 

It was time to say good bye. Our bikes loaded we pedaled away. Our goal was Alexandria, 55 miles away. We crossed the covered bridge(built by the Lions Club and Army Corps of Engineers-I was paying attention) and passed the lush green fields of growing corn and oats and soybeans.

We rounded the corner at Albany and headed north back to lake country. 

Post Script

Our tour was cut short. My dad has taken a turn and is entering hospice. I have a great and wonderful family. My cousin Scott left work early and drove to Alexandria, picked us up and drove us and our bikes to retrieve our van in Bemidji. 

We are now back in Cavalier, ND with dad, Rhonda and my sisters. 

Life Remains in Motion