(water trickling) (gentle hopeful music) (gentle hopeful music) - Well, there's a lot of highlights here at the International Peace Garden, but most folks come each summer to see the 25 acres or so of formal manicured gardens.

There's big displays of annual flowers and a big sunken garden that has a lot of perennial flowers.

On top of that, we have a year-round conservatory, full of an incredible collection of cacti and succulents.

There's a peace chapel with incredible quotes about peace and cooperation on its walls.

Another thing is the 9-11 memorial that has remnants of the Twin Towers and what happened that day on 9-11, 2001.

The conception of the International Peace Garden is really a pretty fascinating story.

In 1929, a collection of gardeners through the National Association of Gardeners met in New York City.

They were primarily from Toronto and New York, and they thought it was important that as two peaceful countries living along the longest unfortified border, that that peace and coexistence be recognized in the form of a garden on the border.

And it's truly special 'cause there is no other International Peace Garden, this is the only one, and it is a tribute to a lot of folks in the '20s and '30s who really pushed for the International Peace Garden to be centrally located in the continent rather than on the east coast or the west coast.

(gentle hopeful music) (gentle hopeful music) What happened this year at our 90th anniversary was really wonderful because it came at a time following two years of low visitation due to the pandemic, where we were able to bring a lot of people on site for a big weekend to celebrate 90 years of the International Peace Garden.

There were all sorts of vendors, makers, musicians.

We had traditional, indigenous, and Metis powwow demonstrations and storytelling.

When you have this much space and this beautiful of a setting, you can do a lot and bring a lot of people here, and everything you see here is its own form of art.

It's a beautiful setting that really contrasts nicely with the surrounding prairie.

So when you think of the formal manicured parts of the garden, we really try to make sure that the edges of that meld in nicely with the surrounding forest, and then as we start to bring in more sculpture, more performing arts, really just trying to highlight how wonderful it is to appreciate art when you are outside and in a more natural setting.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music) Probably in August, we start thinking about what next year's layout of the flowers will be, 'cause it really is an annual process that begins right after, right as the season's wrapping up.

And so this year, we wanted to recognize International Music Camp and all the music and arts that they bring to the grounds, because they were off the last two summers due to the pandemic.

The relationship between the International Peace Garden and the International Music Camp is one that goes back almost 70 years.

And it's a special one because the International Peace Garden is not the International Peace Garden without international Music Camp.

- So the International Music Camp is for campers mostly ages 10 to 19, but we also have a four-day adult camp at the end of our season, and it's just so fun to see people of all ages coming together to make music and art.

When you walk around IMC today, you're gonna see orchestra, so string players, practicing all over the place.

We also have band happening this week so there'll be concert band folks practicing.

And for art, we have sculpture, painting, and cartooning happening.

So campers will come and they'll work on their art, and at the end of the week, they either put on an art show or a concert, kind of a capstone experience of their week.

It's really incredible what happens when you have faculty who are so excited to work with the campers, and then the campers who are so excited to be here, and just the magic of them all working together always produces amazing results.

(drums beating) (people clapping) - I think for a lot of young people, coming to the International Music Camp is actually a really validating experience.

So often we maybe go through our life and we think, oh, I'm the only person that really enjoys this.

But when you come to the International Music Camp and when our campers come here, they're surrounded by people with similar interests.

Whether it's their counselors or their teachers or the other people in their class, they really get a lot of validation of like, it is okay that you have a passion or an interest in this, and then that goes back home with them and that really encourages that growth, that change, that progress within communities, and I think it helps make all of our communities, large and small, a better place, a healthier place, and a stronger place too.

(upbeat music) The peace gardens has been a beautiful and important factor in what the International Music Camp is, being in between the two countries, truly being international, between nations.

And in music and the arts, we're devoted to bringing people together from different backgrounds and different life experiences, and what a great place and what better place to do that at a location that is known for promoting and celebrating peace across the world.

- The International Peace Garden is such a special place because there's really nothing like it in the world.

We're on an international border.

We're funded by and really honored and shared by North Dakota and Manitoba and Americans and Canadians as a whole.

It's really incredible to think that so many people come from all over because they really see the value in a place that stands for peace, that wants to promote and advocate for peace, and to do that through a natural setting, given that we're in the heart of the continent, close to the geographical center of North America, it really kind of brings home the theme in how important piece is to all of us to be centered.

And that's one thing that I think draws so many people to the International Peace Garden.

(gentle music) - [Narrator] Funded by the North Dakota Council on the Arts and by the members of Prairie Public.