MSU President's Newspaper Column

February 19, 2022

Weekend airing of Small Town Big Deal will be a big deal!

According to the show’s executive producer, the long-anticipated airing of the episode of nationally televised show Small Town Big Deal that features Mayville State, Mayville-Portland, and the greater Traill County area is close. The episode will air in syndication the weekend of Feb. 19, 20 and also on Feb. 23 on the cable network RFD-TV. Locally, the show airs on KVLY at 6:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 19 and on RFD-TV Wednesday, Feb. 23 at 5 p.m. CST. We have learned that there are some discrepancies with the Small Town Big Deal website that indicates where you can watch in various locations across the country. If you are out of the local area, we recommend that you check your local listings to verify when and where you can watch.

You may recall that Rodney Miller and Jann Carl, along with their production crew for Small Town Big Deal, joined in the Farmers Bowl 2021 celebration and recorded highlights for the episode of the show that will now air.

With a schedule that began bright and early on Sept. 18, 2021 and lasted well into the evening, the much-anticipated annual Farmers Bowl event was extraordinary. The television crew was able to take part in nearly all of the fun-filled schedule of events, including the Ceremony of Remembrance at the Military Honor Garden, the parade, the corn on the cob and hot dog feed and family fun festival, the Farmers Bowl game, the Sportsmen’s Raffle and Farmers Bowl Auction event, and the barn dance at Elroy Lindaas’s farm.

In addition to covering the Farmers Bowl, the television crew was able to visit Soholt Bakery and the American Crystal Sugar plant in Hillsboro during their visit to Traill County. We expect that there will be segments of the episode featuring these two important Traill County entities.

The people of Traill County and Mayville State University stepped up to the plate and hit a home run in showing our guests all about what makes the place we call home special. In the process, I think it’s safe to say that everyone involved enjoyed the camaraderie, teamwork, and great memories that came along as a bonus. It will be exciting to see how the Small Town Big Deal folks portray their experiences and their first visit to North Dakota. Rodney, Jann, and their production crew were extremely complimentary of our campus and community and all the wonderful people they were able to meet. Small Town Big Deal airs nationwide to more than a million viewers.

AZluncheon2022-08.jpgFollowing up on last week’s edition of my column, our Arizona activities wrapped up in true Mayville State fashion with warm feelings of family and friendship experienced during the annual Traill County/Mayville State University luncheon in Mesa on Feb. 8. We enjoyed a delicious meal and heartfelt socializing with our Mayville State alumni and friends at the Apache Wells Country Club.

The decades-old tradition provides an opportunity for current and former Traill County residents and members of the Mayville State family to gather and celebrate the ties that bind them together. It was my privilege to be a part of the group and to bring greetings on behalf of the university. This year’s gathering was extra-special since it had been a couple of years since we’d held the luncheon because of COVID-19 concerns.

I sincerely believe that it is the people who make Mayville State University, Traill County, and the surrounding areas extraordinary. I can point to example after example of the kindness and generosity of the people who make up and support the university as a whole and our students as individuals. We are grateful for sure and look forward to shouting this great news from the mountaintops so-to-speak as the a part of the story of our small town and small county is viewed by people nationwide. Our story truly is a big deal and something in which we can all take great pride. 

Photo caption: It was great to meet and renew acquaintances with many Mayville State alumni and friends, as well as current and former Traill County residents during the annual Traill County/Mayville State luncheon in Mesa, Ariz. on Feb. 8. Pictured from left to right are Dale Johnson, Dr. Brian Van Horn, Jeff Strand, and Donald Olstad.