I woke up with a start on Saturday morning, July 1st, 2023 and was pleasantly remembering a dream that I had where a lady had stopped me in the street in Cando, North Dakota and asked what our small community had to offer if someone wanted to come to live there. It was hard to know even where to start! People living in Cando, ND, which is the county seat of Towner County, ND, are incredibly blessed and fortunate. Does Cando really have all this to offer a person contemplating a move or a visit:
Towner County Record Herald – weekly newspaper, Cando Area Food Pantry – 5-star accredited, Cando Audi Theatre - Historical Theatre/Movie Theatre, Cando Art Gallery, Cando Golf Club - 9-hole golf course with recently renovated clubhouse, Country Lanes Bowling Alley – 8-lanes, Cando Community Library, Cando Volunteer Fire Department, Cando Hockey Arena and Booster Club, Baseball and Softball Diamonds, Basketball Courts, Tennis/Pickleball Courts, Horseshoe Pits, North Star Public School Football Field – newly-built, Cando Public Swimming Pool – recently renovated, Cando Public Park with 100+-Year Old Historical Band Shell/Gazebo, Towner County Medical Center with a new medical hospital, clinic and living center currently being built, Cando Living Center – retirement home, Cando Congregate Living Center, North Star Public School – Northstar Bearcats – serving K-Grade 12, Towner County Ambulance Service, Inc. – county-wide service, Towner County Community Foundation, Cando Pioneer Museum, UFFDA Fund for Animals – animal rescue, Cando Arts Council, Cando Baseball Association, Can-Do Senior Citizens, Inc., Veteran’s and Auxiliary Groups, 4-H Clubs and Shooting Sports Club, Heartview Foundation – Cando - treatment facility, Towner County Sheriff’s Dept., Towner County Governmental Offices, Local Post Office, Towner County Courthouse, Area Churches and Other Religions in Towner County, World-Class Farmers/Agriculturists/Growers/Ranchers - growing many varieties of food and raising livestock that helps feed the world, Banks, Attorneys, CPAs, Tax Preparers, Financial Planners, Realtors, Abstract Company, Insurance Agencies, Funeral Home, Cemeteries, Electric Company, Cando Public Airport, Photographers, Water Treatment Plant, Rural Water Access, Garbage Service, Landfill Access, Childcare Providers, Lumber Company, Florist, Drug Store, Hardware Store, Grocery Store, Greenhouse/Nursery, Restaurants, Bars, Bake Shop, Gas Stations/Fuel Oil Sales/Propane Supplier, Package/Bait/Tackle Store, General Store, Convenience Stores, Car Wash/Truck Wash, Body Shop, Electricians, Plumbers/Heating/Excavating, Carpenters/Woodwork Specialists, Contractors and Painters, Machine, Motor and Tire Repair, Vehicle Detailing Business, Construction Equipment, Materials, Redi-Mix and Aggregate Sales, Implement Dealerships, Grain and Seed Elevators, Fertilizer and Chemical Plant, Agriculture Consulting Services, Federal, State and County Agricultural Governmental Offices, Hair Stylist Shops, Meat Processing and Specialty Meats, Pasta Plant, Apartments/Rental Homes/Affordable Housing, Homeowners and Facilities that rent places to stay overnight or longer, Mobile Home Park, Public Campground, Antique Restoration and Sales, Pet Boarding, Portable Toilets and Septic Service, Appliance Repair, Parts Store, Thrift Store, Cable/Internet/Phone Providers, Auctioneers, Snow Removal/Lawncare Services, Highway and Road Maintenance Facilities, Monument Preservation, Armory, Masonic Lodge, Exercise Center affiliated with the hospital, Waterfowl and Big Game Hunting, Fishing, Bird Watching, Nature Photography, Winter Sports, Annual Children’s and Adult’s Musicals, Ongoing Arts Programming and Art Shows, Service Clubs, Meals on Wheels, Cando Area Public Transit Service, including transportation to our largest cities in North Dakota for medical appointments for a small fee, Pinball Museum, Historical Farm Museum West of Cando, and the Towner County Historical Society Museum North of Cando. What is it that we don’t have in Cando/Towner County, ND? Not much!
(All of the above were listed in no particular order, and if there are businesses, services, amenities and groups served either by professionals or volunteers which were not listed above, it certainly was not intentional, and we apologize for missing them.)
With a passion for giving back to their hometown area and the help of 336 individuals, families, organizations, and businesses over that time, the Impact-Cando Connection Fund has been able to serve as the catalysts for funding and addressing identified needs in the Cando/Towner County area. An important point, there are still many things being identified to address into the future.
There's a reason there is a small group of people who set out in 2008 to raise dollars to give back to their hometown area and county – it was to recognize the people, places, and things that helped mold them into who they are today – thriving, successful, charitable leaders, no matter where they have chosen to live, who fully realize the very special place their hometown and area have played in their lives!
They are happy when they read of a new event being hosted - like a color run, a pet walk, cuisines from around the world, art shows, new musical production, movies, or sporting events, parades, car shows, holiday gatherings, auctions, military honors at funerals, special events and school and family gatherings - many events, probably too long to list here completely, it confirms once again how special the Cando/Towner County, ND area truly is for many people.
For a town of around 1,100 in population, it is extraordinary! The area was blessed and fortunate to have had the forefathers that had the vision, the ambition, the drive to see what their small communities and their greater county could become in the future.
Suffice it to say, Cando and Towner County have a tremendous population and core groups of community leaders, citizens, volunteers – again, people with a passion that want to give back to their communities and the area. The region is fortunate and blessed to have these outstanding leaders and a vast amount of knowledge to draw from right in their own small communities and county.
There are so many volunteer opportunities whether you are going to be serving on a City Council, Schoolboard, County Commission, Township Board, Park Board, or other governmental entities, or serving in one of the many service groups or organizations - the list is long, as are the events and responsibilities. What all have in common, is they want to make sure that they maintain, and where feasible, improve what it is that they currently have, which is spectacular! There are things in Cando/Towner County, ND that larger towns in North Dakota don’t even have in their cities/towns.
When people ask why is it that you're volunteering your time to raise dollars to give back, after reading this article, why wouldn't you? An idyllic part of the world - you bet! Hard-working - most definitely! Proud - why shouldn't all of us be. So, to answer the woman in my initial dream, if you live in Cando, you have nearly everything that you might need.
