Charles Crane/MDN Theodore Roosevelt "repriser" Joe Wiegand regales an audience at the Roosevelt Park Zoo Children’s Discovery Barn on Presidents’ Day.

With school out for President’s Day, Roosevelt Park Zoo provided an opportunity for students and their families to enjoy the relatively pleasant weather and the chance to rub elbows with a president in the flesh.

Joe Wiegand, a “reprisor” with the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation, dropped in on Minot on Monday to spread some North Dakota’s favorite president’s enthusiasm for the Badlands of North Dakota and share gobs of historical factoids. Wiegand covered all of the highlights of Roosevelt lore, from his early health struggles, the birth of romance in his life while in Badlands, to the origin of the original “Teddy Bear.” Wiegand also took time to acknowledge the serendipitous connection Roosevelt shared with the Minot community’s namesake, renowned ornithologist and railroad executive Henry Davis Minot.

“Many in Minot many not know or remember. Minot is named for my old college friend, Henry Minot. The first thing I ever published was a pamphlet on the birds on Franklin County, New York, when I was a college student, and Henry Minot was my best friend,” Wiegand said in character. “Minot is a wonderful city in great part for the education the children are receiving here, the fact neighbor cares about neighbor and that we are wonderful hosts here to the United States Air Force. I greatly appreciate the families of the Air Force who make Minot such a wonderful place and watch over all Americans through their service.”

Wiegand hoped the children in attendance would embrace a sense of adventure, a desire to be in the outdoors, an enjoyment of animals, preserving their habitat and being good citizens.

Wiegand has performed as President Roosevelt at the White House, in all 50 states and beyond, including appearances at the North Dakota State Fair and in Medora. Wiegand concluded by highlighting several educational and entertainment opportunities available to youth and by inviting the public to attend the grand opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library on July 4.