By: Karson Sorby
Photographer: Julia Sattler
Fargo, North Dakota is the home of many special activities. Fargo can offer a small town vibe located in the old downtown district. It boasts impressive sporting events for fans of the North Dakota State Bison, Fargo Force, and the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks. Fargo is a hot spot for family time as well, with the Red River Zoo, Bonanzaville, and an indoor Ferris wheel inside of Scheel’s shopping center. Last but not least, Fargo has an impressive array of restaurants and bars, and has even welcomed a few breweries and distilleries into the area in recent years.
It would appear that every person could find plenty to do in Fargo, North Dakota, but one demographic is being left out. With three universities in the Fargo-Moorhead area, the 18-20-year-old demographic is surprisingly neglected.
Think about it—too old to spend their nights hanging out at children’s museums and movies, too young to check out the bar scene. Though NDSU’s campus hosts various activities for students, but many crave more of a night life downtown with their 21+ peers.
Many places are skeptical to create a party scene for minors, including one of downtown Fargo’s most popular bars, Old Broadway. With a full dance floor and loud music, it’s a fun alternative to traditional, more mellow bars. Many bars or clubs in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area (and similar sized cities) offer at least one 18+ night per week. Despite the popularity of bars like this in bigger cities, Old Broadway isn’t jumping at the chance to let minors in—even if it is just one night per week: “We will probably always remain a 21+ establishment after 10 pm,” nightclub manager P.J. Smith said. “The biggest thing with the idea is the possibility of underage drinking and being able to control that at all times,” he explained.
Liquor licenses in Fargo can be hard to come by, and anything that would put that at risk for a company is less than appealing. “We’re a really busy place, so to make sure minors aren’t drinking would be close to impossible,” Smith said.
A party scene for teens has been attempted in Fargo in the past. The event was a Facebook-organized party called “Night Storm.” Roughly ten years ago, an organized under-aged party was created as a Facebook event and hosted at venues such as the Holiday Inn Conference Center in Fargo or Scheel’s Arena. These parties allowed high school freshman to 19 year olds the opportunity to socialize and dance. The organized event ended up causing trouble as younger kids were sneaking in alcohol and dancing provocatively. The original creator of these parties stated that his goal wasn’t to encourage any inappropriate behavior, but instead give young adults a place to have fun in a safe and supervised environment.
But despite this idea turning sour years ago, many feel our growing community should be ready to give young adults a second try at the night life. The OB isn’t willing to offer underage entertainment, but would other locations be more open? Between NDSU, MSUM, and Concordia Moorhead, there are over 23,000 students, a large portion of which are under 21. Campuses host different events such as movie nights, exercise classes, or crafting nights. But are craft nights what 20-year-old students want to do while their 21-year-old friends make memories downtown? Fargo’s night life is an important part of student life in the Fargo-Moorhead area, and many are missing out. As the population grows, entertainment opportunities for the under 21 crowd should as well.
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