Historic photos of Wahpeton show a growing community, complete with a trolley. Courtesy photo

“We want to make everybody feel welcome, whether they are from here or traveling through,” said Madison Schuler, the owner of Dakota Coffee Co. in Wahpeton. “It’s our ‘North Dakota nice’ welcome.”

“The small businesses found in every community across our state provide the amenities, hospitality and service that make trips to North Dakota memorable,” Sara Otte Coleman, tourism director with the N.D. Department of Commerce, wrote in this month’s North Dakota Living.

Robert and Linda Sprague, Dawson, create large and small outdoor light displays. PHOTOS BY LIZA KESSEL/NDAREC

The business was started by George and Elaine Gross in Napoleon after the two saw similar displays during a trip to Branson, Mo.

Meanwhile, the Spragues, who live on their third-generation family farm near the shores of Lake Isabel, had a tradition of stringing Christmas lights on the evergreen trees lining their driveway each season. But as the trees grew larger, that task was becoming more difficult. So, the couple visited George and Elaine one afternoon to look at their light displays.