Handshake brings hundreds together By: Abiola Odutola Posted: 11:02 PM CDT Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 Last Modified: 8:41 AM CDT Monday, Aug. 11, 2025

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This article was published 10/08/2025 (228 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

INTERNATIONAL PEACE GARDEN – On a rainy Saturday morning, the line along the 49th parallel was anything but quiet.

Hundreds of people — some clutching umbrellas, others simply braving the drizzle — stood face to face across the invisible border between Canada and the United States. At a signal, they reached forward, clasping hands in a symbolic act that has meant peace and co-operation for generations: the Handshake Across the Border.

It was the first time in decades the International Peace Garden had hosted the event, and for many participants, it felt deeply personal.

“We’re thankful for the Peace Garden,” said Danny Luecke of North Dakota, attending for the first time with his wife and children. “Even though maybe on a national level there are frustrations, we still want to be friends. That handshake is about showing that friendship.”

Luecke and his family moved to the Turtle Mountains three years ago and have visited the Peace Garden frequently. “We go to Boissevain all the time — best bakery ever,” he laughed. But Saturday was different. “We heard about it last year but missed it, so we made sure to be here this year.”

As for Donald Trump’s suggestion that Canada should become the United States’ 51st state, Luecke was blunt: “No, I think that’s stupid. We’re just grateful for what the Peace Garden does to foster peace.”

The event drew people from both near and far.

Kevin Friedt, also from North Dakota, drove about two hours for his first handshake.

“It’s just cool to see the peace between the two different nations and everyone being friendly,” he said. Though unsure about Trump’s proposal — “I don’t know how that would work… but I don’t know” — he was sure of one thing: “It’ll be fun to see everyone come together.”

Some came for more than the ceremony.

Kathy Chatz, who moved to North Dakota about a year and a half ago, used the event as an opportunity to meet a Canadian friend from Saskatchewan.

“If it exists here, it can exist anywhere,” she said. “We can reach across borders to build relationships, share stories, find our common ground, and create the world we wish to see — one handshake at a time.”

For Camille Armstrong, a visitor from California, the handshake was about setting an example. She and her travel companions had been exploring Canada for weeks, visiting family in Winnipeg, when they decided to make the trip south to the Peace Garden.

“We as people are connected, and we need to be leaders for our leadership in the U.S.,” she said. “They need to see that the people can lead in working together to solve problems and be peacemakers.” As for the idea of Canada joining the U.S., Armstrong didn’t mince words: “Absolutely not. That’s ridiculous. No way.”

Daniel Richter, another North Dakota resident, appreciated the event’s deeper meaning.

“I don’t get too political, but in the U.S. right now, so much politics is focused on isolation,” he said. “This is about inclusion, about culture, about appreciating other people.” Laughing, he added, “We were joking we might be lucky if the Canadian we shake hands with pulls us across into Canada and doesn’t let us come back.”

Not everyone was there for political statements. Hugo Cota-Sanchez, a University of Saskatchewan professor originally from Mexico, used the handshake as a reunion point with an American friend he hadn’t seen in nearly a decade.

“I think it’s a fantastic opportunity to show the friendship between our countries and to make sure it continues,” he said, adding that he hoped to return and possibly volunteer at the Peace Garden in the future.

For Maiia Laloma of Winnipeg, the handshake was a celebration of new beginnings.

“We just became Canadian citizens this March,” she said. “We want to feel, as Canadians, being friends with Americans too — this is our first time experiencing that.”

It’s estimated that 300 to 400 people turned out for the event.

Although no government officials from the United States were present at the event, two of their Canadian counterparts, Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett and Manitoba Municipal and Northern Relations Minister Glen Simard, were in attendance.

By the time the last hands were shaken, drizzle had lightened and the sun peeked through the clouds. Conversations lingered, photos were taken, and promises were made to meet again next year.

For some, like Luecke, it was about showing up for the first time. For others, like Cota-Sanchez, it was about reconnecting after years apart. For all, it was a reminder that peace between nations is built not just by treaties, but by the everyday gestures of ordinary people.

As Armstrong put it while leaving, “It’s just one handshake, but maybe it’s the kind of thing the world needs more of.”

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