Barn Cafe

This café was located inside the Clarence Parker Hotel in downtown Minot. Both the Clarence Parker and the Leland Parker Hotel had café’s in their hey day. The Clarence Parker Hotel actually began as an office building. George Valker, Sr. started construction on the office building in 1920. It was never finished and was left vacant for about 20 years., except for birds roosting in the incomplete top stories, hence it was known as the “Sparrow Hotel”. After WWII, Clarence Parker completed the construction and created the Clarence Parker Hotel.

Evacuated 2011 - Day 45 - Aug 5, 2011

45 days out of our house and counting. The basement is almost cleared of all the stuff that we did not have time to get out. Not the best way to do spring cleaning as a lot of things went that should have been saved. The second construction dumpster will be full tonite and then I will start on number three. When all items are cleared out then the sheetrock walls and ceiling demolishion will begin. Both in the basement and on the man floor. Darla from Muus Lumber will have some kitchen plans for us to look at by early next week. All for now.... Have some radio work to do before I head to the house.

Arvid's Red Carpet Restaurant

This restaurant was a buffet line boasting more food than one could imagine. It was on West Central Avenue and 1^st St . It was located in the basement of what is now the Brady Martz accounting office. Arvid’s Red Carpet featured a Large red canopy over the entrance and red carpet going down the stairs to the restaurant. For the time, some say it was pretty fancy, boasting white linen on the tables.

Toot & Tell'em

Toot & Tell’em – This apparently was located on the bottom of North Hill on North Broadway. The premise of the drive-inn was to pull up and “toot” the horn, then “tell-em” what you wanted when they came out to take the order.  I believe this was at the same location as the Twist Inn. I’m not sure which came first.

Evacuated 2011 - Day 42 - Aug 2, 2011

Things are progressing in the basement cleanout. 2 1/2 rooms to clean out the remains and then off comes the sheetrock. Most of the ceiling is down, the flood took care of that. It will be easy getting it off the walls. When basement is done then the upstairs walls will be stripped of sheetrock and cupboards. It is a slow process. I am on vacation from the radio station. I drop Pat and Dacotah off so she can continue to work while I go down and clean out the house. We have filled one consturction dumpster so far, working on the second. It will be great when the "Mud Out" team arrives to help. they will help finish the cleanup and sheetrock removal, then power wash and treat with mold chemicals and then we need to dry it out.
It is good that the house will be rewired as I am seeing a lot of old style wiring now that the ceiling is down in the basement. We will be making a few modifications when we put the basement back together.
The "Mad Max" trucks, (I refer to the big trucks cleaning the boulevards as this as they look like something out of the Mad Max movies), have been through the neighborhood once and did a good job of cleaning up the debris. Still no word from neighbors on the fate of the houses with collapsed basements......

Oppen's Grocery

At one time there was an Oppen’s Grocery Store o Central Avenue, where Val’s Cyclery is now. The one I remember best was on Valley Street , where the Work Shop laundry facility is now located. As a kid spending my summers on my Grandparent’s farm on top of Speedway Hill, I remember shopping at the Valley Street Oppen’s every Friday after selling eggs to Trinity Hospital. Now there was also an Oppen’s Grocery on South Broadway where the Goodwill  Store is now located. When the South Broadway store opened, the cafeteria was on the north side of the store. I have a picture showing this. Later, this store became South Hill Super Value and the cafeteria was moved to an addition on the south side of the store, now the home of Coach & Four auto sales.

Jay's Mens Store

This was located on the west side of Main Street in the 60’s. It was in the middle of the block between 1^st Avenue and 2^nd Avenue.  Jay’s Clothing Store was owned by Jay Obedin. His oldest son Elliot pretty much ran the store. Jay’s was a full line men’s clothing store with two levels, the main floor and the basement.