No, it wasn’t an early April Fool’s joke.

Wolford did have a New York Times reporter and photographer in town last week to visit with residents there about their eagerness to return the 2010 Census questionnaire.

“I got the call on Tuesday night that a reporter and photographer from the Times was coming,” said Jim Wolf, Wolford mayor. “And they showed up on Wednesday.”

The reporter, Monica Davey, who works out of the paper’s Chicago bureau, visited with Wolf and a number of other residents at the Farmers Union station.

Wolford had the distinction of being one of a few towns across the state with 100 percent census participation so far. All residents who have received a questionnaire have returned it, according to the article, Few to Count, but All Eager to Get It Done, which appeared on the Times’ website on April 1.

“I guess it’s part of our patriotic duty,” Wolf said about returning the questionnaire. “We take it seriously.”

According to the story, the 2000 Census listed the town’s population at 50, and Wolf said it would be lucky to be at 40 now.

The reporter and photographer also stopped by the school, visiting with staff and students, asking about life in a rural North Dakota town. Many photos appeared on the website.

Wolf said the unexpected attention was a surprise.

“It’s not every day we draw national attention around here,” Wolf joked.