The Bison Turf is Bringing Some of its Historical Old in With Some Renovated New

After a fire destroyed the classic NDSU joint in 2016, many didn't think much would remain in its place

FARGO, N.D — After almost two years in the works, the iconic Bison Turf is ready for its re–opening in just a few weeks.

People from NDSU are excited about the newly renovated spot and what is has to offer.

After a fire destroyed the classic NDSU joint in 2016, many didn’t think much would remain in its place…

“That community was a little bit lost and that there wasn’t a gathering place for students to just go and hang out,” said Tori Benders, an NDSU Graduate Student.

But two years later, the Bison Turf is bringing back some of its heart and soul.

“After the fire we discovered it hadn’t burnt down here on the main floor but they put like 500,000 gallons of water through it,” said Pete Sabo, the owner of the Bison Turf.

From an identical menu to the signature mugs, even the main floor booths and bars…

“It’s everything they loved about it; only it’s going to be better,” Sabo said.

They were able to preserve some of its legacy.

“The history of the place you can look at any table and we went through a lot of work to preserve them. They all have little writings on them and initials carved in,” Sabo said.

Many NDSU students say…

“There is a lot to be said about the concept of a tradition,” said Timothy Sizemore, a student at NDSU.

And that is exactly what they feel the turf embodies.

“So I went to Concordia and me and my friends would still come over for Wednesday nights at the Turf so it was just really fun, really good energy,” Benders said.

“I think it’ll re-energize the campus, re-energize that sense of community and that sense of pride,” Benders said.

Those at the Turf have saved part of its history, but they’ve also added on, including an additional floor and outdoor patio.

The owner says it adds more space for even more people to connect in true turf fashion.

“A 21 year old sitting next to a 65 year old and it’s like there from the same family but they’ve never met each other before they got here,” Sabo said.

After all this time, bison students are ready for it to be back.

“I’m really looking forward to the food and the atmosphere again. I think we lost quite a bit of that,” Sizemore said.

“I think it’s going to be really beneficial to the sense of community here I think students that especially turned 21 when it was closed I think they’ll have something to look forward to,” Benders said.

The Bison Turf will be back in action bringing some of the old in with the new.

The official opening day is May 8th and the owner says pretty much all of its original staff stuck around to continue its legacy.