[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Page 20765]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                125TH ANNIVERSARY OF DAZEY, NORTH DAKOTA

 Mr. CONRAD. Madam President, I am pleased to honor a community 
in North Dakota that recently celebrated its 125th anniversary. From 
July 18 to July 20, the residents of Dazey gathered to celebrate their 
community and its historic founding.
  Dazey is located in Barnes County. It is proudly named after the 
famous playwright C.T. Dazey. Classic plays such as ``In Old Kentucky'' 
and ``Abie's Irish Rose'' were written by C.T. and performed on 
Broadway during the turn of the 20th century. C.T. Dazey purchased land 
from the Mack Brothers and donated half of it to the Northern Pacific 
Railroad to build a new town with the agreement that it would be named 
after him.
  World War I sparked life in Dazey giving this ``boom town'' energy to 
build houses, hotels, banks, churches, a newspaper company, and a post 
office. The first baseball team in Dazey was put in motion in 1888; it 
played its first game against the neighboring township of Getchell. 
Dazey was a thriving community until the Depression. Despite hard 
times, Dazey hung on and began to grow again. Today, homes are being 
built and community members have restored the great atmosphere in 
charming Dazey.
  The city's 125th anniversary celebration kicked off with an all-
school alumni banquet and karaoke dance. The celebration continued into 
the weekend and included a parade, a play, a tractor pull, a buffalo 
feed, and a North Dakota mysteries and oddities museum. There was the 
popular ``mud run'' as well as a play at the Dazey theatre titled 
``Stop the Villain.'' It was an event that will be remembered by these 
residents and visitors for years to come.
  Madam President, I ask the Senate to join me in congratulating Dazey, 
ND, and its residents on their 125th anniversary and in wishing them 
well for the future. By honoring Dazey and all other small historic 
towns of North Dakota, we keep the pioneering, frontier spirit alive 
for future generations. It is places such as Dazey that have helped to 
shape this country into what it is today, which is why this fine 
community is deserving of our recognition.
  Dazey has a proud past and a bright future.

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