Lodge open for all seasons, thanks to donations

The City of Sheyenne received a $10,000 donation from the New Rockford Eagles earmarked for boiler repairs at the former Sheyenne School building, which houses the Open Season Lodge and Event Center.

This contribution from the Eagles, paired with the generosity of the community puts the Open Season Lodge very close to meeting their $25,000 goal for the boiler repair project. As always, the community was generous in their support of the lodge, through their private donations and attendance at fundraising events.

The Open Season Lodge Board of Directors includes Laurie Westby, Karen Rieger, Sara Myhre, Alyson Myhre, Richard Hofner, Gary Christianson and Liz Swenson. In an interview with the "Transcript" Alyson Myhre stated the board is very "hands-on" as the lodge is entirely run by volunteers.

The boiler system issues, together with the fire that destroyed the old part of the school in December of 2015, were financially devastating to the lodge. The fire caused significant smoke and water damage to the section of the school that houses the lodge and event center. They incurred many expenses as a result of the fire, and were forced to be closed for many months during the busiest time of year.

Myhre says the boiler parts have been ordered and are expected to be in this week. The main components of the two boilers will be replaced, and a water purification system will be installed on the line that goes into the boiler to help keep impurities out of the system.

The boiler repairs are expected to be completed before Oct. 1, and the Open Season Lodge will once again be operational during the winter months. After being closed for the last two winters, the board announced that they are again accepting reservations for the winter months and they are pleased with the response they've received and the requests for reservations.

The idea for the Open Seasons Lodge came to be when the New Rockford and Sheyenne school districts consolidated, and the Sheyenne school was closed. Sheyenne community members wanted to save the school building and not let it fall into disrepair. A community member purchased the school and sold it to the City of Sheyenne. A board was then formed to convert the school building into a lodge that now has seven large rooms and can accommodate groups of 35-40 people for retreats and family reunions.

The lodge has a kitchen with four cooking areas that can seat 25 people, a commons area with a piano, large television and comfortable furniture for lounging or playing games. The lodge still has the full court gym and playground area, which makes it great for family reunions. Individual reservations are also available. With good hunting available nearby, a meat processor and taxidermist in Sheyenne, hunters also enjoy staying at the Open Seasons Lodge.

Myhre said they are excited about some of the new plans for the lodge. For example, a new program gives people the opportunity to sponsor the decorating of one of the rooms. One of the rooms that has already been spoken for will be decorated with a hunting theme. One of them will be decorated with a kid's theme. That room will also be used to host kid's birthday parties. The room isn't even complete yet, and they already have reservations for parties! Four of the seven rooms have already been sponsored but the are looking for sponsors for three more rooms.

Myhre said there are more plans ahead, so keep watching their Facebook page for news.