Upside Down Under: Hangin’ with Liz
Because I listen to Canadian radio a lot, I found out that Queen Elizabeth was coming to Regina so I quietly applied for press credentials through the British Consulate in Ottawa.
Thinking that it was a shot in the dark, I never thought a small-town reporter like myself would get a pass to see the queen. But in two days, a man with a heavy French accent called from the consulate to tell me my credentials and itinerary were coming in the mail.
I was shocked but hey, this is my job so I’m going to make the best of it.
The day was May 19, 2005 and Queen Elizabeth was scheduled to officially open the Saskatchewan Centennial celebration at the provincial capitol in Regina.
And having gone to numerous Saskatchewan Roughrider football games over the years in Regina, getting to the capitol was a no-brainer.
But I thought about something that made a lot of sense then and still does. I decided to get there grossly early because, as an American, I was not allowed in the media pool. That was reserved for Canadian and British journalists.
As a result, I took my camera and notebook and got positioned as far forward as I could get to the stage; right up against the barricades in front of the provincial capitol steps.
There was a light rain and it drizzled for the entire three hours I was early, but in effect, I got the best spot because as it got closer to the opening, people started filling in beside me and behind me.
By the time the event was ready to begin, there were approximately 30,000 people there, a number the Regina Leader-Post grossly underestimated.
The way this thing started out, Premier Lorne Calvert (equivalent to governor) welcomed everyone to Regina, said a few words and turned the microphone over to Prime Minister Paul Martin.
The prime minister spoke for a short time and he welcomed the queen to Canada and to Saskatchewan.
Her Royal Highness joined the premier and prime minister on stage and I happened to be close enough to get a photo of all three of them on the same stage at the same time.
That is something that would never happen today because of security. The photo wasn’t the greatest, but it’s proof they were all together on that stage.
After the queen made her remarks, she and Prince Philip took a walk “among the people.” In other words, there was a path leading away from the capitol steps and into a garden of sorts with native plants and trees.
Somewhere in that garden, the path made a U-turn and the royal couple turned around to go back to the podium.
That’s where my grossly early idea came in handy. Not only was I as close to the steps as I could get, but I was right next to the path and Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip walked right past me. They were so close I could have reached out and tapped her on the shoulder, and may have been arrested.
I did, however, take a number of photographs, which I found out later violated British protocol because you are not supposed to be within 20 feet when you photograph the queen.
She probably thought I was the Canadian paparazzi or something. Little did anyone in that crowd know that I was an American reporter.
That’s another oddity of the day. The Regina Leader-Post found out I was the lone American journalist at the event and reporter Will Chabun later interviewed me.
Regardless, it was a work day, and in some cases I wish it wasn’t so I could have had some time to absorb more of the pageantry.
But I had to get back to Minot and get a story filed. First, I had to get out of the city of Regina with all those extra people and second, it was usually a 20-minute wait to get through the border at Portal.
Despite that, on the entire 250-mile trip back to Minot, I didn’t turn on the radio and just tried writing an article in my head because I knew by the time I reached my desk, deadline was going to be dangerously close.
I got to my desk an hour and 10 minutes before deadline and I had a major story written in an hour, giving me 10 minutes to spare.
My protocol violating photograph and article went to press and the first thing that happened the next morning when I got to work, was the phone rang.
It was Early Pomeroy. He said he didn’t know the queen was going to be in Regina. Apparently, neither did anybody else on the American side. It was an opportunity of a lifetime.
Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute Provides Expertise Special to Times-Record Rural roads and bridges serve as the initial link in the overall supply chain – allowing the soybeans and grain produced on a farm to be eventually consumed by both domestic and international customers. Of the bridges in the country classified as deficient and, in many cases, subject to closures or restricted access, a significant percentage are located in rural areas.
“Our nation’s rural bridges serve as the initial step in a lengthy journey to the ultimate customer,” explains Mike Steenhoek, executive director of the Soy Transportation Coalition (STC). “Unfortunately, the region of the country in which bridge conditions are most severe – rural areas – also happen to be the region in which available funding to improve these conditions is stagnant or on the decline. The concern remains that if this starting line for farmers is not well-maintained, soybeans and grain will not effectively reach the finish line in delivering to our customers.”
Given the significance of this need and the limited resources to address it, a potential response by bridge owners is to simply close or restrict access to existing bridges or hope federal, state, or local government will be willing and able to supply the necessary revenue. While pursuing increased investment is appropriate and closing or placing restrictions on certain rural bridges may be prudent, increased energy and attention must be devoted to addressing the cost side of the equation and making existing tax dollars stretch further.
In the effort to promote more cost-effective approaches to replacing and repairing rural bridges without compromising safety, the STC has released the report, “The Top 20 Innovations for Rural Bridge Replacement and Repair.”
Jonathan Miller, a soybean farmer from Island, Kentucky, and chairman of the Soy Transportation Coalition says “This can easily result in replacing a bridge for $100,000 to $150,000 compared to the prevailing method of $250,000 to $400,000. Farmers understand with their own operations that simply spending our way out of a problem will rarely be successful. We also need to embrace innovative ways to save our way out of a problem. This approach that works so well on the farm also applies to maintaining and improving our infrastructure.”
In order to select the featured innovative concepts, the STC assembled a group of 13 bridge engineers and experts from the 13 states that comprise the organization. Three engineers served as principal analysts including North Dakota’s own Kelly Bengtson, P.E. (Bridge and Pavement Engineer – Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute at North Dakota State University), for the project with the remaining ten engineers or experts serving as advisory committee members.
The innovative concepts for bridge replacement and repair featured in the project are not an exhaustive and comprehensive catalog. Numerous other innovative concepts exist and are worthy of being explored. The goal of the principal analysts and advisory committee members was to highlight a relatable number of innovative concepts that 1.) Will provide initial or lifecycle cost savings, 2.) Have been validated by a credible engineering entity or organization, and 3.) Are accessible in a large section of rural America. The featured bridge replacement and repair concepts reflect the broad consensus of the principal analysts and advisory committee members. Readers should not assume the bridge replacement and repair concepts featured in the above list are in complete alignment with the lists of each individual principal analyst or advisory committee member.
For more information visit www.soytransportation.org.
About Soy Transportation Coalition
Established in 2007, the Soy Transportation Coalition is comprised of thirteen state soybean boards, including the North Dakota Soybean Council, the American Soybean Association, and the United Soybean Board. The goal of the organization is to position the soybean in- dustry to benefit from a transportation system that delivers cost effective, reliable, and competitive service.
Just For Kix dancers performed at their winter show to give viewers a preview of their competition season. Mostly, it was about the fun.
The show’s dancers ranged from 3 years old to those in 12th grade, and they performed various styles: high kick, jazz, lyrical, Pom, hip hop.
The little ones are tiny kick, 3 years-preschool (top two photos)
The ones in the black/ white/pink are wee petite kick, K-1st grade (bottom right photo).
They’re starting new routines as they prepare for their competition season. Coach Megan Gilbertson says that now is a great time to join, because everyone is starting new!
For more information on the Just for Kix program or classes, email Megan Gilbertson at valleycity_nd@justforkix.com