This fall, Chase Dauenhauer will wake up each morning in his home off Bismarck’s River Road to the idyllic view of orange pumpkins streaming through his yard. His neighbor, Dave Pearce, knows the scene well. Every September through October for 43 years, it marked the start of a meaningful day’s work.
Children dance below the stage at the Washington Elementary School in Minot, skipping in circles and clapping wildly after every song while their parents watch from the sidelines.
On stage, four high schoolers in sequin hair stickers and star freckles, play songs new and old for their audience, from Chappell Roan’s viral hit “Pink Pony Club” to classic tunes from times before.
After spending decades of his life in public service, former Gov. Ed Schafer believes the future of American democracy depends less on what happens in Washington, D.C., and more on what happens between neighbors.
As America approaches its 250th anniversary, Schafer believes restoring civility can strengthen democracy. He says it begins around the kitchen table, in churches, community organizations and small towns, where people learn not only to understand differing opinions, but welcome them.
As part of its commitment to informing voters, North Dakota Living introduces readers to candidates seeking statewide office.
For the 2026 general election, North Dakota Living asked candidates in certain statewide races, including the U.S. House of Representatives and North Dakota Public Service Commission, to respond to two questions.
Besides the statewide races highlighted in this issue, voters will see legislative, county and local races on their ballots Nov. 3.
This summer, take a road trip through 250 years of history without ever leaving North Dakota.
On July 1, “ND 250 Road Trip: Our American Story” opens in the Touchstone Energy® Cooperatives Governors Gallery at the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum in Bismarck. The exhibit traces the state’s history from 1776 to 2026.
Long before North Dakota’s statehood, Indigenous people shaped the Northern Plains.
Along the banks of the Missouri River, Mandan and Hidatsa women crafted earth lodges from willow, grass and sod. With hoes made of bison bones, they tended vast fields of corn, squash and beans – the Three Sisters. These nutritious crops could be dried and stored, making them valuable for trade.
While farmers across the nation faced an economic collapse during the 1980s farm crisis, Brian Maddock studied.
As a legacy farmer, his family heritage runs deep. Maddock Ranch, located near the town of its namesake, traces back to Brian’s grandfather, who homesteaded in the area in 1889; the same year North Dakota gained statehood.
But it wasn’t until Brian attended a course on holistic resource management (HRM), that he put his faith into treating the ranch as one interconnected ecosystem. It worked.
Most mornings, before the sun even rises, Ashley Bruner starts her day checking backpacks, making breakfast and mapping out the day before shuffling her four children off to elementary school. From there, she heads to a garage about 250 feet from her house. It’s a space her dad helped convert into a mini meat shop, complete with a walk-in freezer stocked with beef.
Routine, Bruner will tell you, is the last word to describe life on the ranch.
“No two days are the same,” she says.
