Blog in Transition

Hello Followers and Visitors,

First, let me start by saying thank you to all of you who have shown interest in my blog. I've appreciated the comments, mentions, and networking opportunities.

Technically, I am no longer required to keep a blog as of last Friday when my Rural Capacity Internship ended. But internship or no internship, I've grown to enjoy sharing stories of rural and discussing #ReasonsRuralRocks. I've been hired to do some program evaluation for my internship supervisors and will continue to work within the field of rural sustainability. For these reasons, it seems a shame to let this blog die.

On the other hand, I am no longer "Podcasting through the Prairies" (though there may be a small video component to the work that I will be doing). Likewise, this blog has evolved over the summer into less of an examination of the role of video in development and into more of a forum for fans of rural.

Therefore, I felt that there was a need to make a blog transition. I will continue to blog about things rural at my new blog Reasons Rural Rocks. All of the #ReasonsRuralRocks blog posts from this site will be copied over to the new one and it is my hope that the conversation will continue with new reasons every week. I encourage those of you who are following this blog to consider becoming followers of Reasons Rural Rocks.

Again, thanks for a great summer. This experience has strengthened my love of rural and that is definitely something that I am grateful for.

Please continue to send your #ReasonsRuralRocks to me @sherbani or post them on the blog!

#ReasonsRuralRocks Top Ten Aug 22-26

I'm very please to announce that, after a bit of a dry spell last week, the #ReasonsRuralRocks are coming in faster than ever! There were so many good ones this week that I couldn't narrow it down to only ten. That's right lucky readers, today you get 2 bonus reasons for the price of ten!

Honourable mentions:

You can drive your truck in the yard and no one cares @CircleBalpacas
Being able to park right outside the bank, drugstore, museum, etc. @midgelambert

10. Woodpeckers (5-6) on my lawn; a hummingbird hovers over the planter with bush and garden in the background. @celticperegrini
9. On Wednesdays in our town you can get a heaping plate of German food for cheaper than fast food. @WishekND
8. Seeing a game of road hockey in the streets and not feeling frightened that the children are in danger. @ACSRC
7. The first jars of pickled carrots. Grew the dill and carrots myself. @centralABBeth
6. Rural rocks because your neighbor will cut your lawn if need be. @Tojosan

and of course

5. If you really live rural they'll harvest your entire yearly crop for you! @CraigGMoore
4. You can live and work in a rural area for 4 months, yet have experiences and memories that will last a life time! @KendraKerrigan
3. It's easier to connect (and be connected) with the right people to get things done & make an impact. @creativebug
2. Your hometown is not where you are from, it is who you are. @royprevost

And, chosen by popular response, the Number One Reason Rural Rocks....

You can leave a bottle of wine on a doorstep, and be sure it will reach the right person. @BecyMcCray

A big thank you to all who shared #ReasonsRuralRocks this week. It was great to hear some new voices and to continue the conversation with old friends. @BeckyMcCray's response was clearly the most popular this week, showing up in multiple retweets. Maybe we were all feeling a bit thirsty?

Here's hoping that the weekend finds you enjoying rural, whether that be with a bottle of wine and good friends; out in the field; or simply gazing at a breathtaking view and thinking, "This is exactly where I'm meant to be."

Engaging Rural Youth

I'll start with a disclaimer: I was in no way involved in the planning, organizing, or facilitating of this event; all of the credit goes to my fellow intern Naomi; I simply held a camera.

Meant to be a fun event for local youth, Edgerton's Amazing Race did a wonderful job of showcasing many of the unique features of the community. Contestants completed a series of activities that had them racing around the village, much like how participants on the Amazing Race t.v. series race around the world. While the challenges themselves were just for fun, and some were plain silly, the event had a real impact on Edgerton. The community came together to support Naomi both in the lead up to the big day and during the race. There was a group of interested residents that followed the contestants around to the various challenges. Many business owners and village staff volunteered to help supervise a challenge location.

At the end of the day, volunteers, participants, and their families gathered for a community BBQ. For me, it was a great example of an innovative, low cost way to foster community engagement.

Prairie Fun Days

On August 20-21, the County of Camrose hosted Prairie Fun Days. Many rural communities within the county took advantage of the amazing weather and showcased what makes them unique. I figured I wouldn't be much of a rural intern if I didn't see what Prairie Fun Days was all about. In an attempt to fully take advantage of this family friendly event, I brought my two young cousins along for the ride.

The event was set up so that you could pick and choose which of the eleven attractions you wanted to visit, though I heard many people saying that they were planning to stop at each place. We were able to visit a total of five and really enjoyed them all.

Camrose County Nature Conservation Centre

Our day began with a visit to the Camrose County Nature Conservation Centre which was once a gravel mine. As the pictures below will demonstrate, the reclamation is truly amazing. The county was able to turn the land into an area that can be used for picnics, bird watching, swimming, scuba diving...and the list goes on. We took a walk along one of the paths and simply enjoyed the beauty that surrounded us.

A breathtaking view!

A map showing all the possible activities. 

It's obvious why this place is so popular. 

Alberta's Littlest Airport

After the peace and quiet at the Conservation Centre, the sights and sounds of the Littlest Airport really energized our senses! The pilots held their audience captivated as they performed absolutely astounding aerial feats. I think we could've happily stayed there all day. It was definitely challenging to convince the girls that we should move on to our next stop. 

Preparing for take-off. 

A super loud jet entertains the crowd. 

It takes a great pilot to pull off this move!

Jojo's Maze Craze

Jojo's Maze Craze and 18-hole mini golf is located close to my parents' farm. I visited it a couple times the summer it first opened and it was neat to see the new additions. The girls loved the bouncy slide and castle (again it was hard to convince them to leave). We got lost once or twice in the corn maze but eventually found our way out. 

There is a petting zoo too.

Tons of bouncy fun.

No wonder we got lost.

Look up, way up.

Kingman Museum and Tea House

Kingman is a significant place in our family history. Our grandma was actually one of the people who helped paint the wonderful mural that is on the outside of the Tea House. It was great for the girls and I to learn about the history of the place our grandma calls home. We also enjoyed a special treat of cake, fresh berries, and ice cream compliments of our gracious hosts. 

The mural that commemorates Kingman's 100th anniversary.

Pretending to be a one-room school teacher.

Can you picture guys wearing this bathing suit (circa 1930) today?

A glance into the past. 

Hay Lakes Telegraph Park

We ended our day with a visit to Hay Lakes. My fellow intern, Shara, played a big roll in organizing the Prairie Fun Days activities at Telegraph Park. Lucky visitors got to tour the area, make crafts, and learn about hobo signs. My cousins had fun on the playground and we all enjoyed finding hobo messages.

An example of a secret message hobos used to communicate.

Hobos beware!

By the end of the day, though I was physically exhausted, my appreciation for the local area was refreshed. We didn't even see half of what Prairie Fun Days had to offer. I know that the event strengthened the solidarity of the county and brought out many interested visitors. For me, it was a prime example of why it is a good idea to be a tourist in your own local area. 

In the News

While the #ReasonsRuralRocks trend appears to be slowing down on Twitter, it remains the topic of discussion. It was the recent subject of an article in the Camrose Canadian as well as being featured on the popular ReImagine Rural blog.

Thanks to Laurie Callsen and the Canadian and to Michael Knutson for promoting positive rural news. If you're on the Twitter you can hear more from them by following @Laurie_Callsen @CamroseCdnNews @Michael_Knutson

#ReasonsRuralRocks Aug 8-12

Sadly there were not enough tweets to make a Top Ten for last week. Maybe we've already mentioned all the reasons rural rocks? I seriously doubt it. But in any case, there were some honourable mentions that deserve some attention:

• We know how to grow stuff- corn, beans, kids, cows, you name it. @monicambailey
• Rural rocks because a few hour 'unplug' hiking, climbing, skiing, fishing is often just out your back door. @Nancymcatqq
• Rather than a 45 minute commute across the city, you can take a 45 minute walk across the town! @ACSRC

As always, I encourage you to follow these tweeters on Twitter. I hope to keep hearing your #ReasonsRuralRocks and a big thank you to all who have participated! 

Internship Highlight

The Rural Capacity Interns were asked by the Alberta Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities (ACSRC) to reflect on the internship highlights. Here is my highlight:

Growing up I was never ashamed to admit that I was a rural kid but I would be lying if I said that there weren’t times when I felt that living in a rural area had disadvantages. Of course, I know now that both urban and rural come with their own unique advantages and disadvantages. A highlight of the internship for me has been being able to connect with people, via social media, who share an appreciation for all things rural. It was exciting to learn that there is a movement to get people talking about rural in a new light. I think that as interns, we have played an important role in bringing fresh insight into the rural discussion.

#ReasonsRuralRocks Top Ten Aug 1-5

I am very happy to present this weeks Top Ten #ReasonsRuralRocks list. There are some wonderful new commentators on this trend. I encourage those of you with Twitter accounts to consider following these lovers of rural. An important part of rural sustainability/development is highlighting the positive features of rural settings. Yes, there are challenges. Anyone working in this field can tell you that, and they are big challenges. However, there is value in discussing what makes rural great. There are no better reasons to celebrate rural than these:

10. Laboring in the soil as the sun sets over a corn field on a one hundred degree day soothes the soul. @NERenaissance

9. the quiet and the sounds of the birds, crickets, and frogs, the dark nights, the Milky Way @ripplenw

8. Full Service Gas Stations @KendraKerrigan

7. Bacon & eggs are a way of life. @brentnathaniel

6. Children in rural schools often receive more personal attention from their teachers because of small class sizes @Michael_Knutson

5. My crazy commute is 10 miles in 10 minutes @return2rural

4. A great sense of Community! @JanaeHansen

3. Kids in rural schools learn how to coexist with those who aren't friends. Like 'em or not, you're together for 12 yrs! @abruralgirl

2. Locavesting investing in main street instead of wall street @Cre8tiveDanT

1. 5 minutes to work, lake, dinner, & nearly everything else @veelhoeden

Obviously, this list could have been re-ordered in an endless variety of combinations. The order, I’ll admit, is rather arbitrary. I’m just so glad that people are excited to share their favourite things about rural. Please continue to spread the trend. A big thank you to those who have been working hard to get people talking about #ReasonsRuralRocks 

Trending: The Movie

A story of how the #ReasonsRuralRocks trend came to be. Please share with other lovers of rural.