Judge refuses to evict museum from State Fairgrounds

MINOT, N.D. (AP) - A judge has refused to order a museum moved off the North Dakota State Fairgrounds in Minot.

The North Dakota State Fair Association asked Judge Todd Cresap late last year to evict the Ward County Historical Society’s Pioneer Village, saying the society’s lease of the property is up and it wants the land for other uses.

The society maintains it has a right to maintain its museum on the fairgrounds under the terms of a 1966 agreement.

Cresap this week ruled in the society’s favor. The long-running dispute isn’t over, however. It’s still likely headed for a trial.

Cresap says the dispute “has the feel of a long-term marriage going through a divorce.”