Fargo North Dakota

Fargo North Dakota really surprised us! I pictured it as a frozen wasteland, but it was nothing like what I imagined.

Fargo North Dakota

Of course, we were there at the beginning of July, so there wasn’t any snow. But after being disappointed by the North Dakota’s capitol, Bismarck, I figured we’d get to catch up on work during our stay in Fargo. Boy was I ever wrong. Fargo is a bustling town with lots of attractions to enjoy.

Sickies Garage

Our first outing was to Sickies Garage for a fun and delicious lunch. Steve and I knew as soon as we drove up to the restaurant that this would be a cool experience. Everything about Sickies made us want to enter. Once inside and seated we perused the huge menu of burgers, brews and other goodies, and both decided we were more in the mood for a basket of chicken tenders than burgers.

I’m very sure that the burgers at Sickies Garage are great, but for us, we made the perfect choice. Our baskets were filled to the brim with amazing French Fries, ultra crispy Chicken Tenders and luscious sweet and tangy BBQ sauce. We were good children and joined the clean plate club!

Roger Maris Museum

Totally sated, we headed to the West Acres Mall because Steve couldn’t wait to see the Roger Maris Museum. If you follow baseball, you surely know that Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s long standing home run record by hitting 61 home runs. And if you don’t know, I’ll give you a bit of insight.

Roger Eugene Maris was a very humble and shy hero. He was born in Hibbing, MN in 1934. But in 1942 the family moved to North Dakota because his father’s job with the Great Norther Railroad took them there. Roger attended Shanley High School in Fargo and excelled in football and basketball. He met his future wife Patricia in 10th grade at a high school basketball game.

During the summer months Roger played baseball in the American Legion program because North Dakota weather is too cold for a high school baseball program. He led his team to the state championship. But he also set a national high school record in football too.

He had a dilemma on his hands. He was recruited by the University of Oklahoma to play football. But he was also offered a baseball contract with the Cleveland Indians organization. Roger ended up signing a $15,000 contract with the Indians and gave up his football scholarship.

Maris hit 14 home runs and drove in 51 RBIs during his first year with the Indians. But halfway through his second year he was traded to the Kansas City Athletics, finishing the season with 28 home runs and 81 RBIs. Then in his third year he was elected to the 1959 All-Star team.

Following that he was traded to the New York Yankees and in his first season with them he led the majors with 27 home runs and 69 RBIs halfway through the season. Again he made the All-Star team. Roger also hit two World Series home runs and won the Gold Glove Award for outstanding fielding. He was named the American League’s Most Valuable Player.

Breaking Babe Ruth’s Record

Then, in 1961, there was a real competition between Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle as they chased the single season home run record of 60 set by Babe Ruth way back in 1927. The two Yankee sluggers kept going back and forth leading the majors in home runs that summer.  Roger became the first player in history to hit 50 home runs by the end of August while Mantle wasn’t far behind with 46.

The pressure on Roger Maris was incredible.  But on September 26, 1961 he tied Ruth’s record by hitting his 60th home run of the year.  And then it happened! On October 1 1961, the very last day of the regular season, Roger Maris hit his 61st home run against the Boston Red Sox, to set the new home run record.  The Yankees won that game 1 to 0 on Roger’s home run. And then went on to win the World Series.  Roger was again named the Most Valuable Player in the American League, as he led the league in home runs and runs scored and tied for RBIs.  Roger and Mickey also set the home run record for teammates hitting 115 home runs between them.

From the Roger Maris Museum we headed to downtown Fargo for a bit of art and culture. We visited the Plains Art Museum in the heart of downtown.

Plains Art Museum

The Museum began as the Red River Art Center in 1965. At that time it was housed in the former Moorhead MN post office. It acquired its present name in 1975 and stayed in Moorhead until 1996. The Museum renovated a turn-of-the-century warehouse in downtown Fargo, North Dakota, changed its name to Plains Art Museum, and opened to the public in the fall of 1997.

There are approximately 12 special exhibitions along with smaller exhibitions each year. These exhibitions feature art of the 20th and 21st centuries. In addition classes, lectures, studios, collaborations with other disciplines as well as social events and performances complement the exhibition schedule.

We thoroughly enjoyed wandering through the varied exhibitions and the wonderful art on display there.

Bob Dylan Mural

Before leaving downtown Fargo, we saw a great mural of Bob Dylan. The mural is on side of former Bison Hotel where the singer hung out in 1959. This new mural was painted by graffiti artist Jules Muck, aka Muckrock, who is from Venice, California. The mural is part of The Trust Project. Seeing Bob Dylan larger than life reminded us that the first concert Steve and I ever went to was Bob Dylan at the Spectrum in Philadelphia PA!

Roger Maris Gravesite

As we were driving back to Lindenwood Campground, we decided we’d stop to pay respects at the gravesite of Roger Maris. We realized that we had already driven by without noticing the memorial. How did we miss the fact that the park was on Roger Maris Drive?