I have to give a big shout to my hometown of Thief River Falls today.

(To other TRF expatriates in the know: “I’m shouting so loud of it, because I’m so proud of it, Thief River, my home town.”)

Gov. Tim Pawlenty was in the town this morning to kick off the sesquicentennial “Capital for a Day.”

For those who don’t know, Thief River Falls is in Northwest Minnesota, just to the east of North Dakota, just to the south of Canada in the fertile Red River Valley.

Other “Capitals” include: Bemidji, May 12; Detroit Lakes, May 14; New Ulm, May 15; and Winona, May 16.

No telling what influence Thief River Falls will wield as Capital, but I’m guessing we’ll all be riding Arctic Cats, wearing hockey masks and eating lefse by the end of the day.