Make like a
Viking at the
Hjemkomst Center
Getaway
North of Normal
take another look at the Fargo you thought you knew
by shel Zolkewich
As MAnitobAns, we shAre the border
with North Dakota, so it’s naturally our
state of choice for weekend getaways
and shopping trips to stock up on only-
in-America goods. Grand Forks and
Fargo have become our go-to cities,
with the former getting the bulk of
visitors owing to its drivable distance
from Winnipeg.
Fargo—an hour further south—
tended to play second fiddle. But it
all changed in 1996, when the Coen
brothers debuted a peculiar crime
thriller at the Cannes Film Festival.
Their little project, Fargo, went on
to collect an armful of awards and
inspire a television series of the same
name. In the minds of moviegoers, the
film solidified Fargo as a city of quirky
speech patterns, fur hats and inventive
uses for wood chippers. But it also put
Fargo on the map, inviting visitors to
explore the city’s celluloid legacy.
Fargo has since evolved from an
my itinerary is jam-packed, so it’s time
eccentric town to a city with a posh
to move along.
side—while maintaining its polite
Moorhead, Minnesota, is Fargo’s
prairie hospitality. If you were to
equally eclectic sister city, separated
ask Marge Gunderson, Frances
by a short bridge. I cross the bridge
McDormand’s beloved character, if the
to the North Star State and visit the
city is worth another look, she’d surely
Hjemkomst Center. You can’t miss
reply: “You betcha!”
it—just look for the steeple
My weekend starts with
of the Harry Potter–esque
a quick stop at Hotel
Hopperstad Stave
Donaldson to drop
Church, a replica of
off my bags. I resist
the almost 900-
the urge to linger in
year-old original in
the spacious room:
Norway. Inside you’ll
One of only 17 in the
find another unique
converted Oddfellows
reproduction: a full-
Temple, it boasts
scale Viking ship. The
exposed brick, weath-
locally built vessel made
ered beams and decor by
her maiden voyage from
local artists. Instead I head
A pint of
Duluth, Minn., to Norway
to the hotel’s HoDo Lounge,
Drekker stout
before finding a permanent
where I order the signature
home at Moorhead’s museum. The
Fargo Tea. It’s tempting to while away
church and ship both speak to the
the afternoon here, just sipping tea and
Norwegian heritage of this region.
watching the action on Broadway, but
CAA ManitoBa
Fall 2018
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