Treated like a king in Fargo

January 8, 2014
Day 253

In May 2008, my Publishers Clearing House Co-Deputy and I drove into Fargo in our Prize Patrol van.  We'd attached the Prize Patrol sign just before crawling into town (it would fly off in the wind on the open road otherwise), and we happily waved to passersby who beeped or waved at us everywhere we went.  Working as a Publishers Clearing House Prize Patrol Deputy was a great privilege, but it also meant people treated you a little better.  And no where was this truer than in Fargo, North Dakota.

When I say I was treated like a king, I'm not really exaggerating too much.  Get this: at the gorgeous boutique hotel we stayed in, The Hotel Donaldson, fellow patrons at the rooftop bar bought us drinks and even gave us free HoDo (Hotel Donaldson) sweatshirts. 

We called one of our new friends for a restaurant recommendation just before leaving town, and she gave us the name of a great place called The Old Broadway.  My colleague Jack was hoping to try their specialty Bison Filet Mignon, but when we got there, we learned it was only served later in the day.  No problem though!  Our friend had called ahead to let the restaurant owner know we were coming, so he called his night chef to come in early!  Jack got his steak, and we both enjoyed one of the best meals we've ever had anywhere!

Sharon, the friend who'd been helping us so much, had another surprise for us at the restaurant too.  While we were eating, a woman from the local art museum came in and walked over to us, presenting us each with gorgeous posters from the town's art gallery!

We were floored by all the generosity of the residents of Fargo, but it didn't end there...

As we checked in at the airport, a voice called from behind, "You must be Jack and Sean from Publishers Clearing House!  I don't mean to be a stalker, but I've been trying to track you guys down."  He was David K. Martin, President of the Fargo Chamber of Commerce, and he'd been trying to catch us at two of our previous locations that day, just to thank us for coming to town and wishing us all the best on our journey.  How nice!

And just when we thought it was over, one more person caught up to us before we went through security at the airport: Shawn A. Dobberstein, Executive Director of the Fargo Airport!  He too wanted to just thank us for coming to Fargo, and he even gave us free souvenirs from the airport gift shop!

We found out afterward that our friend Sharon had planned to surprise us with a meeting with the Mayor of Fargo too, but he was unfortunately away on state business in Bismarck that day. 

Can you imagine what this was like?!  I still can't believe it, and I was there!  My co-deputy and I surprised people with money all over, and we met so many people along the way in Michigan, Indiana, Minnesota, and North Dakota, but by far, the trip to Fargo was the most amazing.  It's not a destination on most people's to-see lists, but I promise you, even if you aren't in town surprising someone with money, you'll still fall in love with the people and the charm of this beautiful little city!