Hotline // September 10, 2025
This week’s Hotline includes the following articles:
- 2025 Summer Vikes on Central Set for Sept. 11
- VCSU Hosting Sept. 26 Ribbon Cutting for McCarthy Hall
- VCSU hosting Family Weekend, Oct. 10-12
- VCSU hosting 22nd Ployhar Honor Band
- Viking Sports Update
- What’s happening at VCSU and around Valley City…
2025 Summer Vikes on Central Set for Sept. 11
Valley City State University and the Valley City community will come together for a night of live music, fun games and delicious street food on Thursday, Sept. 11, in downtown Valley City.
The 4th annual Summer Vikes on Central welcomes incoming and current VCSU students to Valley City and introduces them to local businesses and community members in a fun and relaxing atmosphere on Valley City’s Central Avenue.
The event features live music by 2 Weeks Notice – a Midwest cover band playing an infectious blend of country, rock, and pop tunes. Summer Vikes on Central also features numerous food and beverage vendors, a dunk tank, inflatable games, activities and booths set up by local businesses and organizations.
The VCSU freshmen class will join President LaFave at the VCSU footbridge before the event. From there, the VCSU Marching Band will lead the group downtown to join the community celebration. All current VCSU students and members of the campus community are invited to meet at the footbridge at 5:30 p.m. for the march to downtown.
Summer Vikes on Central is a free public event for all ages. The community is encouraged to attend and join VCSU students in the last downtown party of the summer.
Businesses are encouraged to set up a booth where they can provide information, freebies, drawings, games, giveaways or college student discounts. Those interested can sign up at https://www.valleycitytourism.com/summernights
The annual event is part of the Summer Nights on Central schedule, which is a series of street dance events held each summer on Central Avenue in downtown Valley City. The events all feature live music, late night shopping, food and beverage vendors and more. Booths and vendors open at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 11 and live music begins at 6 p.m.
Summer Vikes on Central – Schedule of Events
- 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. – Shopping Happy Hour
Support your local businesses. Head out on the town and shop at your favorite Valley City stores or visit somewhere new. - 5:30 p.m. – Campus community meets at VCSU Footbridge
VCSU participants will be led downtown by the VCSU Marching Band! - 5:30 p.m. – Vendors Open on Central Avenue
Delicious food vendors open at 5:30 p.m. and will be ready to serve you some amazing meals! - 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.– Street dance featuring 2 Weeks Notice
Hailing from Fargo, N.D., this dynamic trio of brothers has been shaking up the Midwest music scene since 2012 with their infectious blend of country, rock, and pop tunes.
VCSU Hosting Sept. 26 Ribbon Cutting for McCarthy Hall
Valley City State University is hosting a ribbon cutting for the newly renovated McCarthy Hall on Friday, Sept. 26.
After a yearlong complete remodel, McCarthy Hall reopened to students and employees in August as the new home for VCSU’s renowned School of Education and the Department for Technology and STEM Education. The Ribbon Cutting is the culmination of a project that modernized the building and brought first-class education spaces to VCSU’s students. The remodel was headed by PCL Construction and designed by Foss Architecture and Interiors.
The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony is set to begin at 1 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 26, in McCarthy Hall classroom 104. Following the ceremony, VCSU is offering guided tours of the building and an ice cream social until 3 p.m.
“I’m happy we were able to preserve this historic facility and renovate it to its grandeur,” said President Alan LaFave. “McCarthy Hall will serve as the destination school of education for our state and region for the next 50 years. This will have an incredible positive impact for our community, the teacher workforce in North Dakota, and for the cutting-edge educational experiences that our faculty provide to students.”
McCarthy Hall was built in the early 1930s and initially used as a training school for prospective teachers attending VCSU. The building later housed a wide variety of VCSU courses including technology education, art and psychology.
“The ribbon cutting at McCarthy Hall marks a proud milestone for PCL Construction,” said Trent Johnson, vice president and district manager for PCL’s Midwest operations. “Leading the renovation of this historic building was an honor, as we transformed it into a vibrant, modern space for VCSU’s School of Education. Collaborating closely with university partners, we preserved its legacy while enhancing functionality and connectivity. This space is built for the future, where educators will be inspired, and innovation will thrive.”
The renovation of McCarthy Hall is part of the first-ever capital campaign project at VCSU. The $13.5 million project was made possible through the generous support of donors, VCSU funds and $11.5 million allocated by the North Dakota Legislature and approved by former Gov. Doug Burgum.
“During the design of the McCarthy Hall renovation, Foss Architecture & Interiors celebrated its 125th anniversary—a milestone that made the project especially meaningful,” said Adam Peterson, architect and principal at Foss Architecture. “Just as VCSU has been preparing educators for over 125 years, our firm has been shaping the built environment for generations of students. To bring these two legacies together in one project was an incredible honor, and it reflects our shared commitment to creating inspiring, future-focused learning spaces that continue to serve students for decades to come.”
About Valley City State University
Valley City State University is a member of the North Dakota University System and located in Valley City, N.D. VCSU offers more than 65 areas of study and is the leading North Dakota university in preparing K-12 teachers. Learn more at www.vcsu.edu.
About PCL Construction
PCL is a group of independent construction companies that operates throughout the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, and Australia. As one of the largest contracting organizations in North America, PCL completes more than $7 billion USD in work annually, building projects that shape communities. The company’s 100% employee ownership model fuels a culture of commitment for clients in the buildings, civil infrastructure, heavy industrial and solar markets. With a strategic presence in more than 30 major centers, PCL’s leadership teams consistently drive innovation and set new benchmarks for excellence, bringing unparalleled skill to every project. Watch us build at PCL.com
VCSU hosting Family Weekend, Oct. 10-12
Valley City State University is hosting its 2025 Family Weekend on October 10-12, encouraging families to visit their students on campus for a weekend of fun events and activities.
“We’re excited to bring back Family Weekend after an 11-year hiatus,” said Mark Nelson, vice president for student affairs. “This is the first time many families will see their students after dropping them off for college. We encourage families to take this opportunity to connect with their students and see what life is like as a Viking.”
Numerous activities and events are planned for the weekend, including educational activities, meals, bingo, movie night, and a planetarium show. There are also several events on campus, including an exhibit at the VCSU Art Gallery, a football game that includes the 100-year celebration of Viking athletics, tailgating, and basketball scrimmages.
There is no cost to register for Family Weekend. Special Family Weekend t-shirts can be purchased during registration. Families are asked to register for the weekend and RSVP for certain events so organizers can plan accordingly.
VCSU hosting 22nd Ployhar Honor Band
The Valley City State University music department is hosting the 22nd annual Ployhar Honor Band, bringing together more than 90 high school students from across the region.
The Ployhar Honor Band takes place Oct. 23-24 at VCSU’s Larry J. Robinson Center for the Arts, culminating with a free public concert at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 24. The two-day event is open to students in grades 8-12 in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Montana through an audition process.
Live auditions will be conducted during September at a limited number of sites. Schools interested in hosting a live audition site should contact Prof. Jerrold Heide: jerrold.heide@vcsu.edu or 701-845-7375.
Auditions can also be submitted online through the process below. Contact Jerrold Heide with any audition questions: jerrold.heide@vcsu.edu.
Online Audition Process
Each student’s audition should be recorded on an individual track and submitted as an .mp3 file. Files should be labeled with the name of the student, the instrument, and the high school they attend. Completed files can be either emailed directly or saved to your preferred cloud storage (Google Drive, OneDrive, etc.) and a link sent to jerrold.heide@vcsu.edu.
Along with completing an audition recording, either the student or director must fill out the required entry form for each audition. The information collected will be confidential and used for VCSU Ployhar event purposes only.
Viking Sports Update
Football
The Viking football team picked its first win of the year, a convincing 27-0 win over Augsburg in the 7th annual Ag Bowl, Presented by First Community Credit Union. Vikings are 1-1 on the season.
Volleyball
It was a busy week for the Viking volleyball team with three matches in four days. It started with a 3-0 win over rival Mayville State. That was followed by two tough matches against nationally ranked teams. A four-set loss to (RV) Montana Western then a five-set loss to #21 Montana Tech. The Vikings are 3-5 overall and 1-2 in the Frontier Conference.
Cross Country
The Vikings harriers had a good week, competing at the Dragon Twilight in Moorhead. Karly Just and Mason Brehmer set school records to pace the Vikings.
Men’s Golf
The Vikings men have a good showing at the Spartan Invite. Three top ten finishers and a overall second place team finish.
Women’s Golf
The women also had a great showing in Fergus Falls. Sydney Carslon earns medalist honors. Three women finish in the top ten.
Upcoming events:
September 12: Volleyball @ Montana State-Northern, 8:00 p.m. (Havre, Mont.)
September 13: Volleyball @ University of Providence, 3:00 p.m. (Great Falls, Mont.)
September 14: Baseball vs. Northland Community College (Charlie Brown Field)
September 15-16: Golf @ Blue Hawk Invite, 9:00 a.m. (Dickinson, N.D.)
What's happening at VCSU and around Valley City...
August 18 – October 23
8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Do You Feel What I Feel art exhibit, Larry J. Robinson Center for the Arts Gallery
September 11
11 a.m. VCSU Convocation, McFarland Lawn
5:30-9 p.m. Summer Vikes on Central
September 21
1-3 p.m. Clean the Sheyenne, required registration at Chautauqua Park
September 26
1 p.m. McCarthy Hall Ribbon Cutting
Find out what’s happening at VCSU: https://www.vcsu.edu/news-events/
Find out what’s happening in the community: https://www.valleycitycalendar.com/