Annual Ice Cream Social

The free afternoon community event is celebrating the 150th Birthday of Bismarck and the people and places connected to the history of the Former Governors’ Mansion with an expanded slate of activities this year. The day will kick off with the Capital in Farm Country Walking Tour. The tour starts at Camp Hancock State Historic Site, 101 E. Main Street, at 10:00 am and will involve about a mile of walking. The tour typically lasts about an hour and ends at the Former Governors’ Mansion State Historic Site. Participation is free, and no RSVP is required. At Noon the United Tribes Technical College Color Guard will present the colors. Music will be provided between noon to 4 by John Lardinois, known locally as Fiddlin Johnny, and his father John Jay Lardinois. Hot dogs and ice cream will be served throughout the afternoon. The El Zagel Shrine Duster Club which is celebrating its 150th birthday along with Bismarck will have antique cars on display in front of the mansion on Avenue B., as well as a 1917 fire engine on the north side of the mansion that children can climb into. In honor of Bismarck’s 150th anniversary, the City of Bismarck, in partnership with InnovatAR, have created an entertaining and engaging way to explore some of the city’s most historic places. The Former Governors Mansion is proud to have been chosen as the fourth History & Mystery Virtual Scavenger Hunt were people using their cell phones can find beacons on the site during the Ice Cream Social and be entered for prizes including two youth ATV’s. There will be a petting zoo from noon to 2 p.m., and free flowers while they last donated from Baldwin Greenhouse. Children’s games will be available, as well as face painting by Theo Art School. Self-guided tours of the Former Governors' Mansion with one of Bismarck’s original 1872 settlers Linda Slaughter greeting visitors at the front door of the mansion. Seating will be available, but the public is welcome to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets. This event is sponsored by the State Historical Society of North Dakota and the Society for the Preservation of the Former Governors’ Mansion.