Bud Grant, the legendary coach of the Minnesota Vikings, was always an avid outdoorsman who loved hunting and fishing. One of the places where he hunted waterfowl was Kenmare, in Ward County.
Kenmare, with a population of about 1,000, is located in the Central Flyway for geese and ducks migrating from Canada to warmer southern locations. The town calls itself the “Snow Goose Capital of N.D.” because three nearby wildlife refuges provide a haven for over 400,000 snow geese each fall. In fact, with more geese than people, it was entirely logical for local civic leaders to conceive the idea of an October hunters' festival. Thus, in 1989, Kenmare founded its GooseFest.
One of the goose hunters invited to the first GooseFest was the renowned former coach of the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings, Harry Peter Grant known as “Bud.” Coach Grant, who led the Vikings to four Super Bowls, had visited Kenmare for waterfowl hunting in 1989 and “liked it so much he wanted to come back.” So, the festival’s founders invited him to the second GooseFest in 1990, where they honored Bud Grant as the first inductee into its “Goose Hunters Hall of Fame.”
The week-long GooseFest featured live entertainment, raffles, and free food at wild-game feeds, along with plenty of contests and fun activities.
On this date in 1992, the editors of the Kenmare News reported that former Vikings Coach Bud Grant would again participate in the 3rd annual GooseFest and would take part in the induction of Archie Kress, the “original organizer” of the festival, into the “Snow Goose Hall of Fame.” Kress “came up with the GooseFest idea” after “reading about a similar celebration in Maryland.”
With “nearly 500,000” snow geese in the area’s wildlife refuges, the 1992 festival was a big success. Coach Bud Grant returned to Kenmare for GooseFest many times afterward; in fact, he attended every year for at least a decade. Grant, the greatest head coach in Vikings history, died in 2023 at age 95. He was revered by Minnesotans and North Dakotans for his accomplishments and his persona.
Interestingly, Bud Grant entered GooseFest’s Hall of Fame four years before he was inducted into Pro Football’s Hall of Fame. In 1994, the Selection Committee elected Coach Grant into the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
Grant enjoyed hunting and loved Kenmare. “Snow geese are the ultimate challenge for a hunter,” Grant said, “and you can’t find nicer people than here.”
Dakota Datebook by Steve Hoffbeck, retired MSUM History Professor
Sources:
- “GooseFest Activities Continue This Week,” Kenmare News, October 21, 1992, p. 1; “Kenmare’s Fourth Annual GooseFest,” (advertisement), Kenmare News, October 21, 1992, p. 12; “Snow Goose Count Nears 500,000 On Area Refuges,” Kenmare News, October 21, 1992, p. 2.
- “Geese Won’t Enjoy Ward County Event,” Bismarck Tribune, October 23, 1990, p. 18.
- “Discover GooseFest,” Kenmare, N.D., Real Life, www.kenmarend.com, accessed September 4, 2024.
- Candi Helseth, “Nature’s Fall Spectacle in Kenmare, N.D.,” American Profile, in Herington [KS] Times, October 4, 2001, p. 24.
- Dennis Anderson, “More Than A Coach,” Winona Daily News, February 4, 2018, p. B4.
- “Finally, Grant Wins The Big One,” Minneapolis Star-Tribune, January 30, 1994, p. 1C.
- “Bud Grant,” Pro Football Hall of Fame, www.profootballhof.com, accessed September 5, 2024.
- Dennis Anderson, “Bud Grant, 1927-2023; Hunting For Peace,” Minneapolis Star-Tribune, March 19, 2023, p. C8.
- “Former Vikings Coach Plans Kenmare Visit,” Bismarck Tribune, October 12, 1991, p. 22.
