It took much patience, a lot of grinding of teeth, some hair pulling and several pounds of a fist to the table, but I finally graduated.
Graduated from my Explore Rural Kansas Class that is.
For the past two days, one spent in Fredonia, Thursday at the Southeast Kansas Education Service Center at Greenbush, the Kansas Sampler Foundation, thanks to a $50,000 grant from the Kansas Department of Commerce Division of Travel and Tourism, presented the Explore Rural Kansas class to work with destination management organizations (DMOs) and volunteers from small towns throughout Kansas to train individuals on the Explorer Mindset and the finer points of web maintenance and social networking.
To get the gist of the class, picture the many small towns in Crawford County – Walnut, McCune, Arcadia, Arma, Girard, Frontenac, Opolis, Cherokee, Mulberry, Hepler, Farlington and perhaps even a few points in between – and imagine each of them with their own Web page, each with their own Facebook page, each with their own blog and each with their own Twitter account.
Sound impossible? Not with the Kansas Sampler Foundation.
They are making the impossible possible.
While the program is still in its grass roots, the groundwork is being laid to network all the rural communities under the title “Rural Kansas Come … and Get It” with the direction to preserve, sustain and grow rural culture in Kansas — the core mission of the Kansas Sampler Foundation.
Eventually, the game plan is to develop a Web page, Facebook page, blog and Twitter account for every town in Crawford County. It can be and will be done, especially if Crawford County wants to keep pace with every other part of Kansas who is well on their way to participating in this project.
The key will be to identify a volunteer in each community to step forward, take on this task and subject themselves to the Explore Rural Kansas class.
To get a taste of the project, log onto www.getruralkansas.org and explore the many Kansas communities who have completed the class.
Don’t see your community there? Don’t sweat it, you’ll be a part of it soon enough.
8 Wonders of Kansas Customs
With less than five days left in the 8 Wonders of Kansas Customs, the Franklin-Arma Sidewalk needs your help and your support.
Voting will conclude at midnight on Tuesday, Oct. 20 in the 8 Wonders of Kansas Customs contest and with only 7,500 total votes cast, the Franklin-Arma Sidewalk needs your vote.
Voters can vote up to three times per e-mail address or can vote by paper ballot. Paper ballots are available at the Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce, 117 West Fourth Street, at the Franklin Community Center and Heritage Museum and various locations throughout Arma.
The Franklin-Arma sidewalk, representing the Kansas custom of walking to school, is the longest sidewalk in the United States to connect two towns between Franklin and Arma.
For more information on the 24 finalists in the 8 Wonders of Kansas Customs contest or to vote, log onto www.8wonders.org. You must vote for eight of the 24 finalists in order for your ballot to count, please be sure to vote for the Franklin-Arma Sidewalk.
Upcoming events
For those of you not making the trek to Topeka (or staying home and watching it on TV) here are a few things to enjoy in Crawford County this weekend and on into next week (don’t forget PSU Homecoming events next week either):
• Today and Saturday, 99.1 Free FM and Meadowbrook Mall will present the 2009 Health and Wellness Fair from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Numerous health and medical vendors are scheduled to participate and events include free diabetes testing, exercise demonstrations, healthy food demonstrations, information on eye and dental health, hospice, assisted living, addition and crisis intervention. The Pittsburg Police Department will provide the DARE Indentikid program at 4 p.m. Friday and EagleMed has scheduled a helicopter landing for 11 a.m. Saturday. For more information, contact KSEK FM at (620) 232-9912.
• Saturday, the Colonial Fox Theatre Foundation will present its Off-Broadway Festival between Fourth and Fifth Street on Pine from 2 p.m.-10 p.m. Events include street painting on Pine from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., children’s fine and performing arts workshops from 2 p.m.-4 p.m. and live performances on two stages. Stage 1 performances include the Jody Philips Dance Company at 2 p.m., “Ride into History” at 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. and the Pittsburg Community Theater at 3 p.m. Stage 2 performances include Treiber and Robinson from 5 p.m.-6 p.m., Misty Mountain Revival from 6:15 p.m.-8:30 p.m. and HYPO-LUXO fro, 8:45 p.m.-9:45 p.m. For more information, contact the Colonial Fox Theatre Foundation at (620) 235-0622 or log onto www.colonialfoxttheatrefoundation.com
• Saturday, the Southeast Kansas Old Time Gas Engine and Tractor Club will present its annual Swap Meet at 10 a.m. at the Crawford County Historical Museum featuring a free bean feed, free admission and no vendor fee. For more information, contact the Southeast Kansas Old Time Gas Engine & Tractor Club President Dean Harris at (620) 421-5342, Show Director Joe Winter at (417) 927-3254 or club vice-president Jamie Gull at (620) 724-6051.
• This Saturday and Sunday, the Heart of the Heartlands Railroad Club will conduct its annual Jack-O-Lantern Train Ride from the Carona Depot and Railroad Museum to the Wood Farms Pumpkin Patch. Although both rides are sold out, parents and children enjoy a fun ride on 1950’s era coaches from Carona Depot in rural Cherokee County to just outside of Chicopee where a wagon ride takes you to the Wood Farm Pumpkin Patch where kids can pick out their favorite pumpkin. A train ride back to the Carona Depot completes the day. For more information, contact the Heart of the Heartlands Railroad Club at (620) 396-8594 after 6 p.m.
• Saturday, Crawford County Ducks Unlimited will conduct its annual banquet at 6 p.m. at the Mirza Shrine Temple. Buffet dinner will be offered at 7 p.m., live auction at 8 p.m. with a silent auction and raffles held throughout the night. Tickets are $25 for a single, $40 for a couple, $250 for a sponsor and $10 for youth 18-under. For more information, contact Ruth Ellen Simpson at (620) 231-2041.
• Thursday, Project Warmth will present its annual Chili Dinner Fundraiser at Memorial Auditorium. Chili will be served from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4 p.m.-7 p.m. For more information, contact Memorial Auditorium at (620) 231-7827.
• Starting next Thursday and continuing through Saturday, Oct. 24, the Pittsburg State University Department of Communication will present “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at Memorial Auditorium. Showtimes are 8 p.m., admission is $8 for adults, $5 for 17-under or 65-over or free with a valid PSU ID. For more information, contact the PSU Department of Communication at (620) 235-4796.
Craig Hull is the director of the Crawford County Convention and Visitors Bureau. It is the purpose of the Crawford County Convention and Visitors Bureau to promote travel and tourism in Crawford County, Southeast Kansas and the Midwest. He can be reached at chull@pittsburgareachamber.com or at 1-800-879-1112.
PITTSBURG —
