We are offering North Star Electric members an exceptional summer opportunity that’s fun for all ages. The tour is scheduled for Tuesday through Thursday, June 9-11.

The first day we will tour Minnkota’s control center and print shop at Grand Forks, and then it’s off to the Baymont Inn & Suites in Mandan, N.D.

On the second day we will visit the Milton R. Young Station near Center, N.D., where most of our electricity is generated. This will include a tour of the open pit mines where machines strip the coal and reclaim the land so it can once again be used for agriculture. This is where we will see the huge electric dragline Liberty, with its 300-foot boom and 70-cubic-yard bucket, which is used to remove the overburden soil from the coal. Then, it’s off to see the Garrison Dam and the hydroelectric plant. We will end our day by returning to the Baymont Inn & Suites for supper.

On the third day we will drive by the Ashtabula Wind Energy Center near Valley City, N.D., and then visit the Infinity wind turbine by Petersburg, N.D. Some of our energy is generated at both sites. The wind towers at Ashtabula are 250 feet tall with 120-foot blades. After that, we’re off to Grand Forks for lunch and then back home.

The cost to members is just $100 per person or $175 per couple, which covers your cost of the bus, hotel, tours and meals. Members who have not been on this trip are encouraged to go. Find the signup sheet for the bus tour in the April Enlightener!