Arts & Entertainment

With the showing of “Daddy Long Legs” finishing in September, “Into the Woods” moved into the wings of Bismarck State College theatre. Even though “Into the Woods” isn’t opening until early November, theatre productions must start early. And where does any good musical start? With set. BSC Associate Professor of Technical Theatre Dean Bellin is behind the choreography of the lights, sound, and set for “Into the Woods.” Bellin stated that they began working and that the set

Narrator Ben - Benjamin Wolff Narrates the store as Max Wild and Kat Elrod act out the scene. While the actors focus on their characters, the music is another major part of bringing “Into the Woods” to life. Much of the play’s dialogue is delivered through song, making the music an important part of telling the story. Brittany Bearsheart, the Music Director for the production, said one of the challenges is the amount of overlap between characters’ vocal parts. With multiple

In the Line - Benjamine Wolff, Marisa Angermeier, Peyton Schock, and Rebecca Wilhemi line up and talk through a scene in rehearsal. Some of the names and faces of the cast for “Into the Woods” may look familiar, and some may look new. Before going to see the show, let’s take a look at who the cast is beyond their characters. Max Wilder will be playing the Baker, Kaitlyn Delabarre will be part of the ensemble, and Reese Dever will be playing Little Red Riding Hood. Question:

Fear the Cheer - Olivia Welch dressed as a zombie cheerleader. Rock Legend Replica - Cierra Mack dressed as the lead singer of KISS. A Perfect Pumpkin - Kennedy Senn dressed as a pumpkins. Disney Dress Up - Gracie Rauschenberger dressed as Rapunzel as a bride. Story Written by Maren Gaebe & Madelyn Gefroh. Halloween is a time to get creative, dress up, and become someone or something completely different. Bismarck State College students have worn all kinds of costumes over t

From the Haunted Fort Facebook Fort Lincoln State Park has been full of history, stories, and scares. This year, Fort Lincoln is opening its Haunted Fort once again. The Haunted Fort’s story first started when the Custer House was being reconstructed in 1989. The reconstruction pushed forth spirits of the ones who once lived and died there. Many encounters of this haunted spirit involved a mysterious woman in a black dress to weeping voices along the boardwalk. These encoun

Fall Fun - BSC Track and Field team and Cross Country teams take a rest day to bond at Papa's Pumpkin Patch. Story by Maren Gaebe & Madelyn Gefroh The changing of the leaves has signaled the time for fall activities. Whether it’s carving pumpkins, visiting a pumpkin patch, or watching movies, there are plenty of activities to enjoy during the autumn season. A popular fall activity is carving pumpkins. This activity can be done with family or friends. Start by choosing your

Sneaky, Sneaky - Kat Elrod terrorizing the BSC campus. The Cat in the Hat is one of the most beloved children’s books ever. Written by Dr. Seuss, he wears a red and white striped hat and has a goofy smile. His whole idea is to make harmless chaos funny and entertaining for kids. Yet somehow, the Cat in the Hat has become internet nightmare fuel. There was a trend which originated by taking clips from the 2003 live action movie to edit and caption them into creepy, disturbin

Soaring - Charlee Brought Plenty soars through her final contest. Photos taken by, Story written by, and Layout Created by Clayton Sicble-Fox United Tribes Technical College celebrated their 56th Annual Powwow Sept. 10-13. This is one of UTTC’s most anticipated events of the year, and people from all over the nation come to enjoy and partake. “Our powwow committee was selected in January (2026), so we have been working to make sure the event was ready,” Judith Redtomahawk,

1st Place - Jaycelin Coronado Bismarck State College just held its annual Pet Photo Contest, where students could enter photos of their pets during the BSC Club Fair to see if their pet would be voted as the favorite. This was the third year of this event and was created and coordinated by Erin Schwalk, the Congress of Student Organizations adviser. It all started in the spring of 2024, during a meeting of club officers. The event was inspired by a growing desire to find a

Papas! - Papa's Pumpkin Patch is welcoming guests to join in the festivities. Show up for the coolest fall photo opportunities. After more than four decades, Papa’s Pumpkin Patch is entering a new chapter this upcoming season. A longtime tradition is now under new ownership and moving to a new location next door. Dave Pearce and his family decided to sell after seeing a need for a succession plan. “The family realized an ‘aging core group’ and understood the need for a suc

YUM! - An Iced Pumpkin Spice Cookie Butter Blondie with pumpkin drizzle and cold foam outside of 7 Brew At this time every year, a select group of people go crazy and yearn for fall drinks, while individuals who don’t get it look at them like they are in a state of psychosis. Corporations make millions in the industry catering to people’s need for fall themed fuel. Every local and chain coffee shop in Bismarck has officially released their fall drink menus. If you find yours

Bismarck State College Theatre announced their 2026-2027 season. This year’s productions are some of the most well-known, contemporary pieces presented at BSC. Each show promises to deliver extraordinary storytelling through music, dancing, and acting derived from the heart of each student. In the fall, a timeless story intertwining favorite beloved fairytale characters, Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods” is coming to campus. Featured characters include: Cinderella, Rapunze

I love the beginning of the new school year. Students are back on campus saving us from the sometimes too-quiet summer silence. Faculty and staff adding fun activities and discussing new ways to engage their students. Let’s not even start on the rabbit holes we all go down when learning something new. We have worked hard over the summer to revamp the library by adding new things to the collection and making sure we are fully supporting everyone on campus with our materials.

Boat Day! - Mygel's cabin out for their tubing ride. Summer camp has a special place in my heart. Unfortunately I never got the opportunity to go to camp as a camper. The closest I got to that feeling was going on a couple “father-son” retreats where the whole weekend is just tailored to us, but I never went to a weeklong summer camp growing up. It is something that looking back I wish I got to do, but I digress. This summer I got the opportunity to lead again at Castaway

Kayden Schmitcke (left), Liberty Friez (middle), and Sophia Fafard (right) stop for a photo before entering Canada. Over a weekend in July, Sophia took Kayden and me to her home back in Rocanville, Saskatchewan. We left on a Friday, and some road construction and a mishap with Google maps turned a four-hour trip into an eight-hour excursion. Oh well! Frustrating at the time, but now we look back on it fondly. We arrived around 10 that night, exiting the car and being bom

Water Meets Ingenuity - Pictured is the bottom side of the Hoover Dam and the entrance of the Colorado River. Started in 1931, the Hoover Dam was the largest dam in the world during this time and supplied much needed energy and clean water to millions of people. Nothing says summer like a girls trip! Over the last couple days of July, our family decided to take a generational Vegas girls trip with my grandma, my mom, my sister Kayla Hilzendeger, and me. We stayed at the Pari

High school students gather to learn about acting techniques as they rehearse with experienced professionals. The theatre camp group reads through a script in the Advanced Technology Center’s Rogers Black Box Theatre. From July 15 to 18, Bismarck State College hosted a camp aimed at helping students grades 9 through 12 refine their theatre skills. The camp, which ran for its second consecutive year, was organized and run by Camp Director and BSC Associate Professor of Tech

Mygel Porter with Matteo, one of the many new friends he made in Honduras. I recently got back from a week-long mission trip in Honduras which was such a great experience. We partnered with a local church down there to build a house, and that whole journey was so amazing. Also the culture down there was a bit of a different lifestyle. The organization I went with was Young Life, a youth ministry. We had partnered with a local church in Choluteca, Honduras, that does many o

Liberty Friez and Kayden Schmitcke pose for a photo with other members of their mission group. The previous Mystician Editor, Kayden Schmitcke, and I recently arrived back from a two-week long mission trip to Stuttgart, Germany. Apparently, it is the month of mission trips. We went with an organization called Couriers for Christ located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Twice a year, Couriers picks a city in Europe, contacts the local missionary, and plans a campaign. These campaigns

I love eating out at different places, from burger joints, pasta places, chinese places, and even corndog places. So when it comes to choosing a favorite fast food place it gets difficult. After some consideration though, I can list the top three of my favorite fast food places in the Bismarck and Mandan area, with my first being Chick-Fil-A, my second being Taco Bell, and my third is Dairy Queen. My two honorable mentions are Subway and Pancheros. They were really close co