Living in McKenzie County

Host Vawnita Best marks the 50th episode of the Living in McKenzie County podcast by welcoming student council co-advisor Amy Polivka and student leaders Abby Ryberg, Clara Wisness, and Kenji Son. The group previews Watford City High School's Homecoming Week and takes a look at the homecoming activities and themes.

Monday, October 5

• Wrong Occasion Day

Tuesday, October 6

• Board Game Day
• 10:30 am - Candidate Feud

Wednesday, October 7

• Neon Day
• Morning - Community Cleanup
• 1:00 pm - Boys' Volleyball
• 2:30 pm - Girls' Powder Puff

Thursday, October 8

• Minions Day
• 10:30 am - Pep Rally
• 7 pm - Homecoming Volleyball

Friday, October 10

• Maroon and White Day
• 2:30 pm - Homecoming Coronation
• 4 pm - Homecoming Parade
• 7 pm - Homecoming Football vs. Jamestown
• After the Game - Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Saturday, October 11

• 12 pm - Home JV2 Soccer vs. Bismarck
• 2 pm - Home JV1 Soccer vs. Bismarck

Email [email protected] if you are interested in having a float in the Homecoming Parade

Homecoming week webpage: https://www.watford-city.k12.nd.us/homecoming

2026 Watford City High School Hall of Fame Announcement: https://youtu.be/y2ngAEXdxFE

00:00 Welcome

03:19 Student Council

06:56 Monday

11:00 Tuesday

14:29 Wednesday

26:20 Thursday

29:26 Homecoming Volleyball Game

35:32 Friday

37:12 Hall of Fame and Food Trucks

41:44 Homecoming Themes

46:35 Parade and Coronation

53:04 Homecoming Favorites

In this episode of the Living in McKenzie County podcast, Vawnita Best visits with McKenzie County NDSU Extension staff Ryan Odenbach, Shantell Dukart, and Kim Neprash. They outline services residents can access through the Extension office, including 4-H enrollment and clubs, youth programming beyond livestock, and the Livestock Enhancement program with the Ag Expo. They also share upcoming Extension events in McKenzie County.

McKenzie County NDSU Extension Website: https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/extension/extension-county-offices/mckenzie-county

00:00 Welcome

01:28 Introductions

08:33 Extension Services Overview

10:25 How to Join 4-H

14:44 4-H Beyond Livestock

17:23 Livestock Enhancement Program

22:02 Enrollment Timeline and Volunteers

28:37 Ag and Natural Resources

32:50 Research Centers

34:36 Extension History in McKenzie County

41:57 Awards Banquet

49:16 Fall Extension Conference

55:23 Caregiver Tools and Real Colors

01:01:09 Range Judging and Pesticide Certification

01:06:24 Closing

Host Vawnita Best welcomes Watford City Park District Superintendent Robin Arndt, Rough Rider Center Director Sarah Fitzpatrick, and Park Board President Justin Johnsrud to kick off Season 3! They highlight the Park District's 100-year legacy and the September 3rd centennial celebration at Kent Pelton Park during the farmers market. They also look back on how land donations, volunteers, and collaboration built and expanded local parks, trails, and facilities over decades including the Wild West Water Park, Veterans Park, and the Tourist Park. Finally, they take a look at the future of Watford City Parks and Recreation.

Honor Pole Nomination: https://www.watfordcityparks.com/Parks/Kent-Pelton-Nature-Park

00:00 Welcome

01:19 Introductions

04:49 100 Year Celebration

16:00 Looking Back

26:35 McKenzie Bay

30:38 Community Built Facilities

38:05 Mckenzie County Athletic Park

41:13 Programs and Activities

46:48 Rough Rider Center

58:44 Trail System

01:02:56 Veteran's Park

01:06:57 Watford Market Schedule

01:08:57 Looking Ahead

01:18:46 Honor Pole

01:22:18 Community Projects

01:29:12 Future Plans

01:32:36 Closing

Host Vawnita Best welcomes guests Irene Sealy, director of the McKenzie County Public Library, and Bakken MomCo leaders Emily Brown and Kat Hartel. They discuss McKenzie County as a place intentionally built for families and highlight ways that mothers and families can connect through Bakken MomCo and the public library.

Bakken MomCo meets has two meetups a month from September to May at the Watford City Assembly of God church. The morning group meets the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month from 9 - 11 a.m., and the evening group meets the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month from 6:30 - 8 p.m.

Bakken Mom Co: https://www.facebook.com/bakkenmomco

McKenzie County Public Library:

https://mckenziecountynd.gov/departments/mckenzie-county-public-library/

https://www.facebook.com/p/McKenzie-County-Public-Library-100090772545642/

My Town Episode:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbeiKFXf9OI

00:00 Welcome

02:52 Introductions

05:03 About Bakken MomCo

06:31 Meetups & Park Days

13:24 Importance of Connection

16:39 Multi Generational Support

20:48 Community Health

23:01 MomCo Activities

28:40 Library Walk & Wonder

30:52 Library Resources

33:51 MomCo Fall Kickoff

36:18 Wrap-Up

Host Vawnita Best visits with guests Tim Fjeldahl, president of the Wolf Pack Booster Club, and Mitch Lunde, the new McKenzie County School District Athletic Director. They explain the booster club's purpose as a centralized, one-stop support system for all school activities and athletics. They also highlight upcoming events: the Friday Night Lights Golf Scramble on August 21 and Meet the Wolves at Watford Market on August 27. Families and community members are encouraged to show up, get involved, and support students.

2026-2027 Individual Membership: https://givebutter.com/wolf-pack-booster-club-membership-tv7cy7

Wolf Pack Booster Club Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/watfordcityboosterclub

00:00 Welcome

01:52 Introductions

08:40 About the Booster Club

12:57 Board And Fundraising

15:45 Support Beyond Sports

18:42 Volunteer Opportunities

20:59 Friday Night Lights Golf Scramble

26:53 Booster Club Membership

29:52 The Importance of Student Involvement

31:53 Meet the Wolves

36:34 Looking Ahead

42:22 Supporting the Wolves

47:31 Closing

In Season 2, Episode 24 of the Living in McKenzie County podcast, Vawnita Best sits down with Watford City Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Mary Fish-Gumke, Lund Oil Marketing Director Jessica Hollenbeck, and Chamber Board Member Stefanie Russell of Dakota West Credit Union to highlight Chamber resources and the upcoming 2026 Best of the West Ribfest on August 14. They also take a look at other Chamber events including Trail of Treats, Turkey Bingo, and the Parade of Lights, along with networking luncheons and Business After Hours.

Best of the West Ribfest: https://www.watfordcityribfest.com https://www.facebook.com/BestOfTheWestRibfest

Watford City Area Chamber of Commerce: https://www.watfordcitychamber.com

Chamber Membership Form: https://live-watford-city-chamber.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2022ChamberMembershipApplication.pdf

Upcoming Events: https://www.watfordcityevents.com

00:00 Welcome

02:25 Introductions

05:14 Volunteers in the Community

07:31 Homefest Recap

12:57 2026 RibFest

18:54 Ribfest Team

26:34 Watford City Area Chamber of Commerce

32:02 Chamber Membership and Reach

34:42 Chamber Network Luncheon

37:17 Joining the Chamber

39:01 Board Members

40:41 Fall and Winter Events

45:57 Business After Hours

47:53 Ribfest Origins

51:55 Sponsorship

55:42 Closing

How did McKenzie County keep the lights on in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s after the oil bust? Season 2, Episode 23 of the Living in McKenzie County podcast features community leaders Tim Taylor, Steve Stenehjem, and Neal Shipman discussing how McKenzie County has endured historic hardships, and what we can learn about resilience and community as we look to the future.

Watch Cowboys and Crude: The McKenzie County Story - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka_T8eMoOjg

00:00 Welcome

01:40 Introductions

12:45 Getting Involved on Boards

24:16 Community Growth

31:22 Communication and Transparency

36:08 Paying Down Debt

44:08 Black Friday

54:04 Keeping the Lights On

01:01:41 Local Programs

01:04:11 Renaissance Zone Project

01:07:32 2010s Oil Boom

01:10:50 Watford City Municipal Airport

01:13:44 The Boom As a Journalist

01:18:47 Expanding Opportunities

01:20:55 Bank Diversification

01:24:49 Leadership and Industry

01:30:11 Value Added Natural Gas

01:35:28 Looking Ahead

Jessie Veeder-Scofield hosts this special episode of the Living in McKenzie County podcast with guests Oksana Zvyagelskiy, Krystal Picklesimer, and Josh Nollmeyer to preview a busy summer of community events. The group takes a look a Homefest in Watford City, Art in the Park, the Minot Hot Tots baseball game, and Parks and Recreation programming.

Homefest

https://www.watfordcityevents.com/all/Calendar/Details/Watford-City-Homefest-Food-Music-on-Main-/4502

Art in the Park

https://longxarts.com/events/artinthepark/

Minot Hot Tots vs. St. Cloud Rox

https://roughridercenter.com/event/minot-hot-tots-vs-st-cloud-rox-watford-city-weekend-baseball/

00:00 Welcome

02:02 HomeFest

04:37 Parks and Rec Homefest Activities

07:43 Art in the Park

09:25 Family Fun Schedule

12:57 Why HomeFest Matters

14:40 Jonesy Sculpture

18:47 HomeFest Memories

21:45 Hot Tots Baseball Weekend

28:29 Rough Rider Center Camps

30:41 Summer Art Camps

34:28 July Art Classes

35:15 Little Market on Main

37:35 Community Partners Spotlight

39:31 County Fair Recap

42:22 Missoula Children's Theater

44:48 Wrap-Up

County Commissioners Howdy Lawlar and Craig Hystad, along with farmer and rancher Nathan Brenna and host Meghan Taunton recap an educational trip to Cheyenne, Wyoming with a 16-person delegation of local officials and landowners to learn about data center development. They describe hearing from the City of Cheyenne, Cheyenne LEADS, Microsoft, Meta, Black Hills Energy, utilities, and planners. Throughout their discussion, the group describes their take away lessons on zoning and permitting, partner expectations, infrastructure costs, water and wastewater handling, and noise levels.

The episode also previews the upcoming data center open house on June 25 from 5:30–8:30 PM at the McKenzie County Ag Expo to answer questions and share McKenzie County-specific information.

00:00 Introduction

02:04 Cheyenne Trip

05:45 Choosing the Right Partner

08:09 Crypto Data Centers

08:32 Cheyenne Data Centers

14:08 Why Do We Need More Data Centers?

16:23 Water Use

19:33 Job Opportunities

22:44 Cheyenne Data Center Moratorium

23:36 Noise and Power Grid Concerns

28:55 Youth Retention

31:15 Unanswered Questions

34:22 Data Center Open House

38:39 Permitting

39:52 Open House Details

42:02 Closing

Host Meghan Taunton welcomes McKenzie County Commissioner Joel Brown and North Dakota State Senator Dale Patten for a recap of the 2026 Williston Basin Petroleum Conference in Bismarck. They discuss the scale and purpose of the conference, consolidation among operators, and the central "Bakken 2.0: Crack the Code" theme focused on enhanced oil recovery to increase recovery rates and extend the Bakken's productive life. The conversation explains rising gas-to-oil ratios, North Dakota's flaring reductions and gas-capture investments, and the need for additional natural gas infrastructure. They go on to cover Artificial Intelligence and data centers, local ordinance control, and tax impacts from oil and gas revenue.

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

03:16 Williston Basin Petroleum Conference

09:47 Bakken 2.0 and Enhanced Oil Recovery

15:42 Energy Security and Demand

20:03 Rising Oil Gas Ratio

22:52 Natural Gas Capture and Pipelines

30:29 Competing for Capital

39:25 Utlizing Natural Gas in State

40:00 Artificial Intelligence and Data Centers

43:15 Property Taxes in North Dakota

45:10 Oil Industry Tax Revenues

54:20 Quality of Life

59:20 Local Siting and Ordinances

01:03:09 Data Center Discussion

01:08:39 Federal Lands in McKenzie County

01:13:47 Nuclear Energy

01:16:51 Closing