Grand Forks has a rich history that many individuals are unaware of. Thanks to Tour De Forks, the history of Grand Forks was unleashed last Saturday.

Tour De Forks was put on by the Sharon Lutheran Young Adults Community. This is a church community who strives to help young adults feel comfortable and thrive in the Grand Forks.

Pastor Dominique Buchholz was in charge of this event.

“I asked a lot of young adults what their biggest challenges are and a lot of them said meeting new people and finding friends,” Buchholz said.

She herself had moved to Grand Forks about two years ago and understands the struggles of meeting and connecting with new people, including the struggles of not knowing the town.

Buchholz put on this event to help people make connections while learning about Grand Forks. The tour started at Archives Coffee House with a coffee tasting where people were able to learn more about coffee and where it came from. After that, the tour went downtown where a tour was given along with the historical facts of Grand Forks. Lunch was next at Half Brothers Brewery, then everyone was sent on their way to grab dessert or explore downtown.

The tour was guided by local history buff, Matthew Leiphon. Leiphon studied history at UND and has always been interested in the history of North Dakota because he had spent his whole life here.

“I like to know where I live,” Leiphon said.

He is able to do tours every once in a while when his friend calls him in to help. Giving tours of the community helps build the community.

“I think that knowing the history of the place gives you a new appreciation of where you live,” Leiphon said.

His favorite part about doing tours is being able to meet new people. He likes to share information with them because there is always something new to learn.

Tour De Forks was all about being able to meet new people and explore the Grand Forks community. It was interesting to learn about the history of the town and how it came to be.

Did you know, Grand Forks was founded because a man got drunk and got snowed in around the downtown area one winter?

If you didn’t know, now you do.

It was nice to go and to try out a couple of places around town. Coffee tasting at Archives gave people some knowledge not only about the coffee but of the coffee shop itself. Same goes with the Half Brother’s Brewing Company. It was nice to be able to go into a few places around the area and try new things.

Overall, Tour De Forks was a great way to meet new people and learn all about Grand Forks. Between the coffee tasting, tour and lunch, it was nice to be able to experience new things with new people.

If you missed Tour De Forks but are interested in getting involved in the community, the Sharon Lutheran Young Adults Community has a Facebook page with a bunch of upcoming events. They have things to do all month, every month so if you are interested be sure to check it out.