Bakken Rocks CookFest Returns To Area
The Bakken Rocks Cookfest returned to the area this year with a stop at the Powers Lake High School on Thursday, July 16.
Turnout was great for the day with temperatures cooler and a slight breeze. Held each summer in communities in oil and gas producing areas, the Bakken Rocks CookFest offers residents the opportunity to get out and learn more about the oil and gas industry, meet some of its players, attend an information session where they can listen to and visit with the experts of the industry and enjoy an afternoon and evening of food and music.
Informational sessions included speakers Ron Ness of the North Dakota Petroleum Council, Eli Puckett of Chord Energy, Marc Binns of the ND Dept. of Mineral Resources, Justin Kringstad of the ND Pipeline Authority, and Alison Ritter of the Western Dakota Energy Association.
The CookFest has been the hallmark event of the North Dakota Petroleum Foundation’s (NDPF) Energy of North Dakota community outreach program, which was founded in 2008 to develop better relationships with communities and stakeholders. In this, its eighteenth year, the CookFest has now been held in nearly 30 different communities. In its first year, the cookfest was held in Belden and Killdeer.
“The Bakken Rocks CookFest is more than just a BBQ, it’s a celebration of the communities that power North Dakota’s energy future,” said Ron Ness, CEO of the North Dakota Petroleum Foundation. “We had a CookFest in Powers Lake in 2013, and we’re proud to return to this great community again, as there is lots of oil drilling and production happening in this area of the state. This event brings families, friends, and industry partners together for a day of connection, conversation, and community pride. We are proud to share that our industry is celebrating a new milestone this year, 75 years of oil production in North Dakota.”
People come from a wide area for the annual CookFests. It has become a summer event of its own, with people traveling sometimes long distances and attending the event year after year.
Companies cooking this year included Balon Valves/ONEOK, Bell Supply Company/Badlands Contracting, Chevron, Chord Energy, ConocoPhillips, Continental Resources, Creedence Energy Services/Phoenix Energy, Devon Energy, Enbridge, ExxonMobil, GO Wireline, Kraken Resources, Marathon Petroleum Corporation, 1st International Bank & Trust/Mineral Tracker, Nabors, Well Werks Energy, and Wescom Inc.
Devon Energy was the winner of the People’s Choice Award and Enbridge was the winner of the Judges Choice Award.