I live in California but vacation in Minnesota every summer. I know that sounds backwards. Most people would think of vacationing in California to get a break from the winters of Minnesota. Well, the truth is, I’m from Fargo, ND, which borders MN. I grew up spending much of my summers at my cousins’ lake cabin. I have many cousins and most of them had lake places. I knew one day I would live on a lake. Several years ago, I bought my own lake place in MN about 35 miles from Fargo. My family still lives in or around Fargo so it gives me the summer to spend time with my Mom who just turned 93 this Fall and my brother and sister-in-law, and lots of cousins and childhood friends.
This summer I had gone into KFC for dinner because my Mom likes fast food. I placed my order, holding a $5 bill in my hand. The total came to $5.26. I reached for my purse to get more money when the cashier said “oh, wait, I have $.26 in my pocket” and she pulled it out. Stunned, I said “you’re going to pay for part of MY meal”? She said “it’s only $.26”. She paid and I walked back to my car where my Mom waited. I told her what had just happened. She said “well, how Fargo of her”. It seems there is a book written by Marc de Celle called “How Fargo of You”. Marc and his family moved to Fargo from Phoenix and several other large cities and shares his experiences of living in Fargo. His subtitle is: “Stories from the Northern Prairie That People Who Haven’t Been Here Will Never Believe”. He’s right.
On another day I was driving in from the lake going to Fargo but stopped at the local Menards (like a Home Depot, sort of). When I came out, my battery was completely dead. A couple of guys were walking by and I asked for their help. Not sure why since I have AAA and could have called them. They cheerfully came over. I told them what had happened and popped the hood. As soon as I did that, 3 more guys came over and asked if we needed help. Amazing! They jumpstarted the battery and told me where I could get a new one. I managed to drive into Fargo to the auto store. They had one battery in stock that would work with my car. I asked him if he could install the battery since my car was now, again, dead. He said that they usually didn’t, but he would (and didn’t charge me anything for it and wouldn’t take anything for his time). I was completely blown away by the kindness of strangers and very proud to be from Fargo!
How Fargo are YOU?
