Dalagutan U.S.A. tour 1989

U.S.A. tour

1989

In 1989, we were fortunate to be invited to tour North Dakota, Minnesota and South Dakota. So, from June 19th to July 11th, we had three wonderful weeks, getting to know and love the places and the people. The tour was arranged by Carrol Juven in Juven Tours and Travel in Fargo, ND. He is very professional, and a friendly man, making our tour an unforgettable positive experience.
On this picture from Minnehaha Park in Minneapolis, are the band members on this tour, together with Carrol Juven. From left: Per Holten (bass guitar and accordeon), Jostein Dønnem (guitar and bass guitar), Arne Bergheim (accordeon and diatonic accordeon), Carrol Juven, Helge Nilsen (drums), and Odd Inge Rotmo (guitar).

We played on the following places:

- Cooperstown, ND (Coachman Inn, Kjell Haaland)
- The Eagles Club in Detroit Lakes, MN
- we played on a mock wedding at a street parade i Main Street, Detroit Lakes, MN
- we performed in the First Lutheran Church in Detroit Lakes, MN
- at the Elks Club, Detroit Lakes, MN
- in Trollwood Park, Fargo, ND
- the Veterans Of Foreign Wars club in Pelican Rapids, MN
- in the park in Sisseton, SD
- on the 4th of July, we played in the park at the Moorhead State University, MN
(a sunny day with 104 degrees Fahrenheit...)
- Village of Smokey Hills, Osage, MN
- the Community Hall in Hawley, MN
- the University in St Cloud, MN (at the "7 lag stevne")
- and in the park by Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis, MN.

It was the first time in America for all of us, and so many things were different. The prairie, of course - us coming from the land of mountains. Agriculture and farm machinery were so much bigger...
And the wildlife was a great experience too, from the small prairie dogs and chipmunks, to the great buffalo. This one (left picture) was made from concrete though, in Jamestown ND.

And back in school, we had learned about the great rivers, and now we got to cross both of them - the Mississippi in Minneapolis, MN and the Missouri at Bismarck, ND (pictures to the right, Mississippi top and Missouri bottom).

Another example of "everything being bigger" in America, was this barbecue we attended in Medora, ND (Theodore Roosewelt National Park). The buffalo beef chuncks were so big that they used hay forks on them... (picture to the left)

Medora was an incrediblee experience, as if the time had stood still since the 1890's. We spent some late hours at the Badlands Saloon, pretending we were real cowboys...

Another interesting encounter with the American history, were the Lakota Indian legacy.

In Sisseton, South Dakota, we attended a real Pow Wow. The performance of native Americans, with their dance, drums and beautiful clothing was impressive. A true display of the indians' proud history. Sadly, in other places, we could not help but see the misfortune of some native Americans vs modern U.S. urban culture. It made strong impressions upon us.

Also in Sisseton, SD, we made another time-travel, as we were invited for a ride into the beautiful sunset in bank manager Harold Torness' 1963 Lincoln Continental convertible. A car in perfect original condition, and the exact same type of car that President John F Kennedy drove in when he was shot in Dallas, TX.

And most of all, we remember all the nice people we met, and the hospitality we were shown. From that summer on, it was not a question "if" we ever came back - but "when"...
(And that happened in 1993, follow the link to that page...)