86 Years of Winter Show History
From the first show in 1937 to today. NDWS continues strong and growing!
When the first group of valiant Valley City men began the North Dakota Winter Show (NDWS) with articles of incorporation on September 27, 1937, they had no idea the tradition they had begun.
For the past 86 years, the NDWS has beckoned agriculturists, ranchers, farmers, adults and children from far and wide, to enjoy the show. No matter if they were showing livestock, exhibiting their vendor wares, having their grains judged, or just having a good time, it’s been a show that people have flocked to.
The first show was held March 8-11, 1938, with more than 1,700 head of livestock, over 2,000 grain samples, and a profit of $1,500.
Early organizers were worried that the show might not be successful, but with $8,000 to cover bills of $6,500, they had the funds to invest into the next year’s show. One of the early bills included $100 for liability insurance, which “made the directors breathe easier when the bull jumped into the bleachers, and when the bleachers seemed a bit weak-kneed with the big crowd at the sale,” according to M.J. Connolly, secretary of the Civic and Commerce Association of Valley City at the time.
Throughout much of the Winter Show’s history, there haven’t been enough hotel rooms to accommodate the visitors and exhibitors, so they often stayed in residents’ homes. FFA and 4-H youth were housed in the City Armory and other locations, and sometimes breakfast and noon meals were provided for them. For a particular high school livestock judging team in the early 1940s, they didn’t have the money to get hotel rooms and it was too far to go back home for the evening, so they were housed in the city jail overnight, as a place to sleep.
Show entertainment has changed as the times have changed. In the ‘30s and ‘40s, musical groups and radio stars were popular. The NDWS hosted the Amphion Chorus in 1938, an eighty-man choir from Fargo. The next year, a Ukrainian dance group and the Concordia College Choir performed. The Hoosier Hot Shots, a music group from NBC’s Barn Dance, was in Valley City, and vaudeville and boxing shows were among the rage.
Peggy Lee, a local American jazz and popular music singer, originally from Wimbledon, ND, was the main entertainment in 1950. Reserve tickets for her show were $2.50.
As TVs became more common, radio and musical group entertainers gave way to performers like Minnie Pearl and Grandpa Jones, both headlining the Grand Ole Opry, and LuLu Roman of the TV show “HeeHaw.”
Commercial exhibits in the early days of the Show were all local businesses and were not allowed to sell from the booth. Many of them were
educational, like the mini-animated circus and the three-eyed four-horned bull.
The rodeo was added to the Winter Show in 1963, and through its six decades, has seen big talent through its gates: Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame announcer Clem McSpadden, specialty acts like Jerry Olson and Bobby “Toad” Cook, and numerous world champions.
Livestock shows have changed, too. Three cattle breeds were exhibited the first year: Shorthorn, Hereford, and Angus. Now a dozen different breeds can be found at the NDWS. Draft horse and dairy shows used to be on the schedule but were discontinued when farms and ranches shifted to motor vehicles, and fewer people had their own milk cows. Some of the cattle and horse showing took place on the street.
Women’s exhibits have played a large part in the NDWS. The Women’s Division of the NDWS was formally organized in 1962, but women’s activities were taking place well before that. Exhibits designed specifically with women and homemakers in mind included a hobby show, antique show, style show, a luncheon and a tasting bee. In 1938, being short on preparation time, there was only one exhibit: the canning and preservation of meat on the farm. Other exhibits have included a quilt and rug exhibit, a “war edition” in 1943, with an emphasis on home activities that could benefit the war effort, and knit and crochet handiwork.
A ladies hospitality room was provided, which included a place to rest, visit and share a cup of coffee. The first ladies’ luncheon began in 1948 in the Salvation Army Hall, and by the 1950s, hobby shows grew to include
classes in natural history, stamps and seals, radio, crafts and handiwork, models, art and photography.
The NDWS has been an event people have looked forward to for years. After what is sometimes a long winter, the show provides an opportunity to get out, be social, reacquaint with old friends and make new ones. Attendance at the 1939 show was estimated at between 15,000 and 20,000. In 1963, attendance was more than 51,000 people; a record was set in 1981, with over 79,000 visitors over the show’s eleven-day run.
The Winter Show has never been canceled. In 1945, the livestock show was the only event held, due to World War II restrictions. In 1966, after a three-day blizzard and ten to fifteen foot snow drifts, the show was postponed to the following weekend.
In recognition of the event’s fiftyyear anniversary in 1987, attendees
were asked to share their fondest memories of the Winter Show. Someone commented, “every Winter Show was like Christmas for us; we counted down the days.” Someone else noted “the Winter Show was a major outing for people.” It was entertainment for visitors and residents alike.
It brought, and still brings, money into the coffers for Valley City businesses, and is on the social calendar for everyone within a three-state area.
The Show’s founders envisioned an event that entertained as well as educated, and that was the biggest and best it could be.
And 86 years later, the ND Winter Show still entertains and educates. Billed as “the oldest and longest running agriculture show in North Dakota,” it’s still the meeting place for old friends and new, and where memories are made for generations to come.