The Fergus Falls Daily Journal

The changing faces on the city council was welcome news for Friends of the Kirkbride, according to its most vocal leaders. “We are pleased,” said Maxine Schmidt, who along with her husband, Gene, and countless other supporters, have advocated for its preservation. “Let’s hope (the changes) will mean preserving the Kirkbride and the talk of [...]

The management of a West Virginia Kirkbride facility has confirmed to The Journal that it has expressed interest in purchasing the Fergus Falls Regional Treatment Center property in order to preserve the Kirkbride building and turn it into a major tourist attraction. “We’d do the same as we are doing here,” said Rebecca Jordan Gleason, [...]

One month after the Fergus Falls City Council engaged marketing firm Colliers International to promote the redevelopment of the Regional Treatment Center, the firm gave the city a brief report with some positive news. Most notably, three parties previously interested in the property, as well as a potential developer from West Virginia, have all expressed [...]

When asked about the fate of the Regional Treatment Center, all four candidates said they believe the building could be saved. House candidate Chet Nettestad, who in the past has supported restoring the building to some kind of mental health institution, said that he believed the building could be refurbished into a trade skills training [...]

Have you ever thought the RTC looked spooky at night? You haven’t seen anything yet. The Edge Dance and Performing Arts Studio is holding its annual haunted tour at Fergus Falls’ Regional Treatment Center this year, promising big scares and a larger-than-normal area to be scared in. The studio is holding an audition Sunday, Sept. [...]

With the Fergus Falls City Council’s approval of a marketing contract with Colliers International last week, many residents have their fingers crossed that the global brokerage firm can land a Regional Treatment Center developer with potential. If such a developer comes around by next year, local Rep. Bud Nornes believes the state could give Fergus [...]

As Fergus Falls’ two-week filing period for city office went by, 18 people decided to throw their hats into the ring. Some were familiar faces, some were new, and all of the current city leaders up for election were among them. Except one: JoEllen Thacker, current alderman of Ward Four. She’s ready to retire, save [...]

The call for movie extras has gone out again in the Fergus Falls area. With the horror film “The Control Group” preparing for a mid-August shooting start at the Regional Treatment Center, the film’s director and crew will be in town Friday night looking for local talent to fill out the movie’s minor roles. “We’re [...]

The Regional Treatment Center will be getting another opportunity for stardom starting next month, when producer/director Peter Hurd begins shooting “The Control Group” inside the Kirkbride building. The film has also landed an old hand at the horror genre as one of its stars: Brad Dourif, perhaps best known as Grima Wormtongue in “The Two [...]

Confused shouts mixed with enthusiastic cheering as Hug the Kirkbride participants stretched out hand-in-hand halfway around the Kirkbride building Saturday morning. Despite the sometimes-chaotic situation, about 450 people came together in an ambitious show of support for keeping the former state mental hospital standing. Clipboards were passed around during the event to collect signatures for [...]