Hazelton, ND

“The Wizard of Oz” will be at HMB School Gym April 13 & 14 at 6:00 PM. Tickets are available at the door. Cost of Tickets: Adults $5.00; Students $3.00; Preschool Free. 

Be there with Dorothy, Scare Crow, Lion, Tin Man & Toto to meet the great Wizard of Oz.   It promises to be a very musically entertaining experience for the whole family. 

 There are about 15 kids in the main cast who have been practicing since January.  Several more will become involved before it is all over.  These kids work very hard to learn their lines and characters for the three performances that will be given.   It means a lot to these kids if you could show them your support.  Please plan to attend. It promises to be a very entertaining experience for the whole family.  We are very proud of each of them. 

 The April 4, 5 & 6^th production was postponed as our community mourned the loss of our friend, Mike Mastel.  On Saturday, April 5th, the gym filled with family and friends for Mike’s funeral service.  We recognize Mr. Mastel and his family for exemplary support to our school and community.   His son is one of the cast members for this production. 

It’s fitting that Hazelton’s newest business, Activities for Learning, Inc. (AFL) held Open House in February. It’s heart month - and the heart of the program, developed by founder Dr. Joan A. Cotter of Minnesota, comes from her heart - a desire to give youngsters the right start in education - and so it is that her RightStart Mathematics program came to be.
Dr. Cotter developed the program because a family member was having difficulty with math. Her keen interest in making learning easier led her to tutoring children with learning problems and teaching junior high math. Her research led her to developing a math program which includes the use of the ALAbacus and card games. She started a Montessori school for children ages 3-6 years old; she also studied the Suzuki method and taught violin and piano to young children. Dr. Cotter is presently developing programs for grades 5-7 which will take them through math and prepare them for algebra.
AFL publishes classroom materials for a math curriculum developed for home schooling grades K-4. Word of its success has spread and now 70% of all orders go to home schoolers; 30% goes to private, charter, and public schools either as full curriculum, a supplement, for tutoring or for Title I. The program is used in several North Dakota communities including Hazelton. A rural low income community in Texas received a grant for the RightStart program. Since it began, those students’ math scores have nearly doubled.
The program is sold worldwide and is even used at a school for the deaf in Norway.
The Hazelton AFL facility covers 5,760 square feet but phase 2, 3, and 4 are already planned for future expansion. AFL provides jobs for 10 full-time employees as well as customer service representatives. It is looking for professionals to help with sales, support, and development.
We’re excited about this new business that is producing learning tools for youngsters worldwide as well as employment opportunities for our community.

I’ve never been a homecoming queen (I don’t recall ever wanting to be); and, no, I’ve never been on a track team (unless you can call coming in last in foot races at the County Play Day event (it seems like a hundred years ago) as being on the track team. But you might say I’m a daydream believer and I’m not too bad at jumping hurdles.
What brought that thought to mind? It came to me in between bouts of wakefulness and sleeping - in the middle of the night. And so it is that, once more, I will try to master this blogging thing because I want to tell the world (that’s www. as in world wide web) that we live in “one of” the most progressive thinking and friendliest small town communities in the ___________(county, state, country) It’s multiple choice. You fill in the blank. You notice I emphasized “one of” lest someone be offended.
Hazelton’s story is much the same as most other small towns in our area. It grew from a pioneer town to a small city of nearly 600 people in the late 1940s and early 1950s. And then the alarm went off (it seemed like overnight - it was actually 40 years later). We woke up and our population was down to 240.
What a wake up call! Hey, it does take some people a while to rub the sleep from their eyes. We began to realize that we needed to do something to save our community. We dug in our heels and put on our thinking caps. Community members rallied. And guess what? Slowly, but surely we are making strides.
Careful planning and determination to get the job done have made the following possible:
*A remodeled elementary and new high school (I might say second to none for a community our size)
*A new mall
*Several new and remodeled businesses
*Several new homes - and last, but certainly not least -
*Several wonderful new families have moved into the Hazelton community
Change doesn’t come without struggles and even setbacks but if you want to be successful, you have to look ahead - not back. If you come to a roadblock, you build another road. You may not always agree on which path to take; the important thing is you work it out together.
We have learned a lot by trial and error. We also learned a lot when we became involved in the Horizons program nearly two years ago.
So here we are! Looking ahead and looking for people interested in moving to Hazelton and owning a business in our friendly community.
Our new mall has lots of space for manufacturing and retail; the grocery store and Coffee Shop can be leased; and the welcome mat is out for any families, couples, or individuals who want to be part of a friendly hometown.
Call 701-782-4368 for more information.
And one more thing - I’m so excited! I just mastered my first blog.

Hazelton Park was illuminated as the citizens celebrated the beginning of the Christmas Season!  Carolers sang as the park board served chili and hot cider. The park board had out done themselves again this year.  Good job!  The park, east of highway 83, is filled with decorated trees, fences and special displays. The twinkling lights send a quiet and but joyous greeting to all that pass by.  Like magic, the streets, businesses and local homes caught the fever and now sport more joyous displays!  Drive through and say hello as you enjoy the sights! On December 7 & 8th, the ”2nd Annual Holiday Happening” was held at the Hazelton Prairie Mall.  The days were light and merry, with tables full of bustling crafters, merchants and bake sales. Their products brought happiness to all as the town opened it arms to those attending the event.  Santa appeared December 8th to greet all the children and finalize his list for those boys and girls - and he was checking it twice to find out who was naughty or nice.  He promises to be back on Christmas Eve to surprise these children.  December is the time for School Christmas Programs, as well as annual appreciation days, held by local businesses.  What fun and good times to visit neighbors and friends while attending these events!  Small town is such fun!  The merchants appreciate all their clients.  But most of all, I appreciate the faithful businesses serving the town of Hazelton and our surrounding communities.   Applause to you!  Your service in our community is vital! We wish you much success in all your ventures.  Merry Christmas and Happy 2008 to EVERYONE.