North Dakota Rural Community Form
I have long been a great fan of rural communities. I was born in one. Raised in one. And when our children were old enough to start school my wife, Alva, and I made a decision that we wanted our children to receive their education in one.
At first the transition to rural living from city life was a little difficult. But I became ingrained in the slower pace of rural living. Over the years my joy in living here has continued to grow until, now, I find it hard to picture myself living anywhere else.
On Friday June 13th Alva and I attended a rural community forum in Bismarck sponsored by the ND Community Foundation and facilitated by Cher Hursrud. The purpose was, not only to give rural communities a chance to share their success stories, but to encourage us to network and problem solve. The room at the Heritage Center was infused with the kind of positive energy that successful adventure always brings.
We heard how Reeder, population 150, has renovated their old school into a multi purpose building that houses rental rooms for hunters, a first class work out room, commercial kitchen, and a gym. It is the gathering place for the community. We were cheered by the success of New England in starting a community owned store. We marveled at the creativity of North Dakota folks as Annette Schilling from ND Tourism, shared information on learning based vacations now offered in the state. We were challenged by Cheryl Planert of Beach and her quest to organize organic farmers and spread the word about the benefits of knowing where our food is grown. (Consider this fact: most of the potatoes we buy are sprayed 10 times before they find their way to our local grocery stores.) Patti Pettri inspired us with her report the Bowdon Development Group who are working on keeping their meat locker plant and grocery store open since the owner suddenly died this spring. And, lastly, we were given pertinent information about starting a community Foundation by Patricia Bowen of Ellendale.
Yes, Friday was a refreshing day. A day that was spent with great people who have great vision. I am more certain than ever that the future is bright for rural communities who will accept the challenge of finding new ways to grow.