Rutland, ND

County Fairs are a great opportunity for county residents to showcase their garden produce, craft, food or sewing item that was made by them.  Tonight, for the first time, I went to enter some items into the Sargent County Fair.  Being a “city girl” I never entered anything in Minnesota but now that I’m a “country girl” I finally got my act together!  My boys - age 7 and 5 - also had some projects to enter.  My 7-year-old did his project about a month ago - which meant he didn’t have many K’Nex pieces to work with for some time. 

The kids look forward to returning on Saturday to find their projects and also participate in Fair events like the tractor pedal pull.  Even if none of us get any other recognition, the sense of self achievement and pride is something they have discovered this year. 

Don’t forget to come to the Fair and to stop by the Food Building (the white building).  The Rutland Park Board is there again this year as another means to raise funds for our town.  Stop in to say “Hi.” I’ll be in the kitchen Sunday so I’m hoping it won’t be too hot this weekend!  See you there!!!

Wednesday, July 10, Rutland took a step back in history when vintage vehicles lined the streets.  I’m not sure what car group rolled into town (maybe the Fairmount Car Club?) but it was fun to look at them. The drivers and their gals were inside the Rutland General Store having a private gathering.

The Rutland-Cayuga Fire District annual Barbeque Supper will be this Saturday, July 19, 7-9 p.m. in Rutland City Hall.  This is the time for everyone to come out and support the crew.  Adults $10, 15 and under $5, Preschool is Free Will.  They will also have their annual drawing for door prizes.  We did buy tickets already which includes the drawings.  Last year when we walked into the Hall for the dinner my name was drawn for a First Aid kit.  (I’ve already won two or three fire extinguishers!).  I’m waiting to see who wins this year (and I’m hoping they spread the prizes around).

Diane Smith and Deb Liermark have gratiously accepted the challenge as Rutland’s “volunteer coordinators.”  These two women will now have the responsibility to coordinate service needs and match those needs with volunteer interests, abilities and availability.  The appointment of these two residents accomplishes the first action step in Rutland’s Vision Plan.  Residents willing to volunteer services — providing rides, getting groceries, mowing lawns, etc. — can contact either of them.  If you need volunteer services, let them know!

Yesterday, Carolyn Christensen, Diane Smith and I attended the Horizons Final Celebration in Bismarck. Representatives from all 21 communities were there to share in the recognition.

Lynette Flage, NDSU Horizons Extension Project Director, emceed the program. She highlighted several community achievements including: Steele formed a non-profit organization for their local food pantry; Harvey set up a local community foundation for long-term philanthropic efforts (several other communities are in the process); Cando increased the local library mill levy; Dodge received a grant to purchase library resources; Walhalla got two new cell phone towers (something we could use around here in Rutland!). Other initiatives include Farmer’s Markets, walking trails, community theatre building renovations, and neighborhood watches. She mentioned that “Rutland, Steele, Maddock and Hazelton are working on housing issues in their community by surveying residents and working to develop various housing opportunities for all.”

Dr. D.C. Coston, NDSU Vice President for Agriculture and University Extension, spoke to attendees and recognized the achievements of the communities.

Governor Hoeven also spoke at the program and recognized the great strides that the Horizon communities have taken. He noted that North Dakota’s future depends on the six pillars of growth: education, economic development, agriculture, energy, technology and quality of life. The Governor said North Dakota has expanded its economy, adding thousands of new jobs, and grown its targeted industry sectors, including value-added agriculture, advanced manufacturing, energy development, technology-based business and tourism.

Following the Governor’s talk, there was time for photos and presentation of a plaque (and an $8500 check) to each community. Carolyn, Diane and I had our photo taken with The Governor, Dr. Coston, representatives from the Northwest Area Foundation, and Jodi Bruns, our advisor throughout the Horizons project.

Horizon community representatives gave a quick five-minute presentation or skit to communicate what they accomplished through the 18-month involvement with the Horizons program. Carolyn and I gave a quick PowerPoint presentation about Rutland’s work through the Horizons program and showed photos that demonstrated the involvement of our residents.

We all learned a lot and developed contacts to help us proceed with some of our action plan goals. I returned with a new sense of energy and a true feeling of accomplishment for what Rutland has done already. As Hubert H. Humphrey once said, “You don’t have to save the world. Just save your hometown. It will add up.”

I cannot believe it!  We were “shooting for the stars” with our blogging, but getting frustrated that we weren’t getting the bloggers we needed.  All of a sudden, people pitched in & we reached our goal.  We were notified yesterday that we will receive a computer and printer for our community.  The Rutland General Store, which has a wireless hook up, has generously donated space for them.   It will be wonderful for people that do not otherwise have access to a computer, to be able to come to the Rutland General Store and use the one there.