All of North Dakota should be grateful, and the city of Minot proud, that we have such a willing and capable state ambassador as Josh Duhamel.

Oh, and let’s not forget how could we Josh’s wife, Fergie.

A lot of states, North Dakota among them, lay claim to any local who happens to make good in life or has the slightest brush with fame, whether the “star” wants to remain associated with the state or not.

It’s only natural, we suppose, for us to fall victim to Eric Hoffer’s “True Believer” philosophy that we want to associate ourselves with others’ achievements thus inviting ourselves into their realm.

Thank goodness it’s a lot more simple and honest with regards to Josh: He still loves North Dakota and North Dakota loves Josh Duhamel.

As he has done so ably in the past, Duhamel is again advocating for the state of North Dakota in TV and print ads that will run later this year promoting tourism “back home.”

According to a recent Associated Press article, Duhamel and his family get home to North Dakota a couple of times a year to destress, catch up with friends and family, and travel the open roads like, well, like everyday tourists.

“They treat us like we’re regular people,” Duhamel told The AP.

It’s likely that most North Dakotans keep an eye out for appearances anywhere by Josh Duhamel and he’s everywhere so we all have something to look forward to in the months of May and June when the ads will run. But consider then that plenty other readers and viewers, some who know little or nothing about North Dakota, are tuned in too, not just because they’ve never seen a butte or a bison before, but because Josh Duhamel’s face is on the page they are reading or the screen they are watching.

For those of us who are native North Dakotans, perhaps we should take a look around for ourselves and notice again exactly what we have that keeps the Duhamels coming back home again and again.