Lawrence welk birthplace
His big break came when ABC picked up his eponymous television show in 1955.
Not a fan of farm life, Welk left North Dakota when he was 21 after performing at barn dances and other community events. Though Welk returned home often, "He never lived to see the place restored," she said. Welk donated about $140,000 for the restoration before his death in 1992 at age 89, Evelyn Schwab said. Welk's nieces, Evelyn Schwab, 84, and Edna Schwab, 80, have given tours of the farmstead since it was restored with private funds in the early 1990s. "Just because people think we have lots of money people think they can come at us with ridiculous requests," he said. North Dakota's newfound oil wealth has placed unprecedented demands on lawmakers for spending, from the mandatory to the absurd, Miller said. "It's just less money we could put toward tax relief, roads or whatever," Miller said. Joe Miller, R-Park River, said he's a fan of the North Dakota-born bandleader - but he doesn't think the state should foot the bill for Welk's birthplace. "We'll be taking input from people, locals and interested parties." The home, about 75 miles southeast of Bismarck, has been on the market since last fall. The property is still owned by Welk's extended family and includes a barn, summer kitchen, granary, buggy house, blacksmith shop and outhouse. Merl Paaverud, director of the historical society, said the agency's board meets July 12 and may decide whether to spend $100,000 on the six-acre parcel that includes the home where Welk and his seven siblings were born. Embarrassed lawmakers later withdrew the money when the idea was mocked nationally as a symbol of wasteful spending. The idea comes two decades after Congress earmarked $500,000 to develop a tourist industry in Strasburg, including a museum of German-Russian heritage to draw visitors to Welk's birthplace.