GRAND FORKS — While Roland Riemers is known now for his frequent runs for political office in North Dakota, in 1,000 years, he may be known for putting together a large and comprehensive time capsule that reflects what life was like in 2022.

For the last few years, Riemers has been building the Athena Millennium Time Vault, a concrete monument that houses a time capsule he intends to be opened in the year 3001. Riemers plans to dedicate the monument, which is located outside of Grand Forks on U.S. Highway 2, in a ceremony on Sunday, Sept. 11, at 2 p.m.

With around 700 pounds of material in the time capsule, Riemers seeks to give people in the future a glimpse into the lives of common people today.

“You don’t really get too many firsthand accounts of what it was like to live at a particular time period, and that’s what we’re trying to do,” he said.

Materials included in the Time Vault range from current-day technology to historical items dating back to World War II. Included are issues of recent news publications, 40 years of National Geographic Magazine and letters written by himself and others.

Without a way to determine what people in the future will find important, he included a variety of objects.

“What we may consider junk and totally worthless might be invaluable at a future time,” he said.

He also experimented with various methods of preserving the materials included in the time capsule, like different wrappings, sealants and containers.

“A thousand years from now, if even 1% of the material makes it through in usable condition, hey, it’s going to be a success,” he said.

The time capsule is encased in a 5-inch thick concrete structure that rests above ground on a concrete slab. Atop the structure is the statue of a girl reading a book. Riemers named her Athena, after the Greek goddess of wisdom.

Visitors will also be encouraged to kiss the monument.

“Like the Blarney Stone, you go up and you kiss the monument and you have good luck or good fortune for the next 1,000 years,” said Riemers.

Riemers says his interest in time capsules has evolved over the years. While building houses in the past, he had put newspapers in the walls in hopes somebody would find them during a future renovation.

He chose to start making the Time Vault in the last few years because he feels that with current events and politics, history is at a pivotal point, like the fall of the Roman Empire.

“I finally decided because we seem to be at a cusp in history,” he said. “I really need to do this because who knows, maybe next year or the year after, it may not even be possible because of change in politics or change in the economy.”

The time capsule and Time Vault are complete, but the area surrounding the monument is still under construction. Eventually, Riemers plans to landscape the area into a park with a small pond. The grounds will be open to use for events and for others to add time capsules of their own.

For Riemers, the Time Vault is a form of time travel. He has dubbed himself the Time Lord, a reference to British television show "Doctor Who." The letters he has written and included in the time capsule are intended to communicate with people in the future, and even invite time travelers from the future to come back to 2022 for the dedication on Sunday.

“I invited them if they invented time travel to travel back to (Sept. 11), 2022, at 2 (p.m.) to join us,” he said. “So we’ll pause for a second to see if anybody came back from 1,000 years.”

Though invited, Riemers doubts anybody from the future will show up.