Chamber of commerce looks for parade participants

Diane Hagen

The Williston Area Chamber of Commerce is closed for the Thanksgiving weekend to give our employees time with their families and to get ready for the Light-Up Harmon Park Parade which is at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

The Williston Area Chamber of Commerce is honoring the veterans who were guests on the Honor Flight by inviting them to ride the float in the Parade of Lights.

We are still looking for entries and all are welcome to participate. Please have lights on your entries.

Registration for the Christmas Cash ($2,000) Give Away begins Friday at all participating stores.

Pictures with Santa are at Service Drug following the parade.

Montana Dakota Utilities, Mountrail-Williams Electric, and the Williston Area Chamber of Commerce are once again sponsoring the “Spirit of Christmas” House Decorating Contest on Dec. 20, which coincides with Luminary Sunday.

The judging is by the staff at Head Start.

You must enter your home or that of your neighbor’s by calling the chamber office at 577-6000.

Kids and Santa is from 2-4 p.m. on Dec. 5 at the Old Armory and from 2-4 p.m. on Dec. 12 at the New Armory to give parents a chance to shop Williston without their children.

All children must be potty trained; (3 -10 years old) Chaperones are on site.

On Dec. 12, JUMP-IN-FUN INFLATABLES, a new chamber member, is in the New Armory for your children’s entertainment.

The chamber wants to welcome other new chamber members who have invested in the Williston Community: Scully Design Build, Don Pedro’s Family Mexican Restaurant, Williston Area Builders Association, American Truck & Equipment, Alpha 6 Inc., Altitude Analysis Inc., DL Enterprises, Kovacs Chiropractic & Nutrition Center and Williston Limo Bus Inc.

Conference Shares How America’s Bioeconomy Can Clean the Planet

Agriculture’s contribution to carbon footprinting and greenhouse gasses is pointed out in headlines from the Wall Street Journal to Successful Farming. But 12 Midwest universities are collaborating to host a virtual conference that rewrites the headlines and suggests agriculture can clean the planet.

In a collaborative effort, the universities are offering “Growing the Bioeconomy: Solutions for Sustainability” on Dec. 1 to share how that might be done. The video conference is at the Williston Research Extension Center (Ernie French Center) starting at 8:30 a.m. (CST).

“This conference will be a day filled with presenters offering solutions for sustainability,” said Paul Brown, Iowa State University Extension Agriculture & Natural Resources Assistant Director and conference chairperson. “Keynote speaker James Lovelock is one of the world’s most renowned thinkers on global environmental science. In his message, Dr. Lovelock calls upon farmers to convert agricultural residues to biochar for incorporation into the soil as the solution to global climate change.”

Lovelock’s presentation is delivered via live feed to all participants.

The morning plenary session also include presentations by Johannes Lehmann, associate professor of soil fertility management and soil biogeochemistry at Cornell University and Matt Liebman, Wallace Chair for sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University.

Lehmann discusses the combined benefit of biochar for carbon sequestration and improved soil fertility.

Liebman presents research findings on integrating conservation with biofuel feedstock production.

The Ernie French Center is 4.5 miles west of Williston on Hwy 2.

The event is free to the public and lunch is on your own.

If you have any further questions, please call Chet Hill, NDSU Extension Area Ag Diversification Specialist, at (701)774-4315.

Congratulations to Joel Swanson winner of the football pool for week 10.