Building Possibility
Christmas tree lights don’t always have to be matchy matchy in your downtown
I received lots of ideas on how to make my town a better place when I was a chamber director. One was to put up holiday lights in the trees downtown. Putting lights in trees would encourage people to spend time downtown and would be a visible sign of improvement and pride in our community.…
Read MoreDo we rebuild?
In July of 2022 Letcher County, Kentucky had a 100 year flood, that left many businesses having to decide if they should rebuild or not. The devastation was beyond believe. The IGA Grocery store in the small town of Isom was one of the many businesses affected. On a visit to the county one year…
Read MoreThursday with Townsel in Letcher County, KY
Bad roads in Carcassonne, Kentucky I presented the Idea Friendly Method to several groups in Letcher County, KY. The group from Carcassonne talked about bad roads being a problem. By bad roads, I mean they have two lane traffic on a one lane road. In the mountains of Kentucky. There are places to pull over…
Read MoreAdvice to those working in small towns
The International Economic Development Council published my article that includes advice too: Survey of Rural Challenges: Results Show Optimism and Big Disconnects, and what economic developers can do about it. The article was about the results from the Survey of Rural Challenges, and some advice to economic developers and others working in rural communities. You…
Read MoreSmall Towns or Big Cities?
Did you know more people are leaving big cities and moving to small towns? Why is that? There are several easy answers: Lower cost of living Recreational offerings like trails, beaches, and mountains Smaller and better schools Safer streets No traffic and shorter commutes to work What are some of the benefits of moving from…
Read MoreOur Young People are Leaving
In an email, the writer asked: Why are young people leaving their small towns? What can rural communities do, or are doing, to compete? Why are young people leaving? Here’s just a few things people told us in The Survey of Rural Challenges about why youth are leaving: This town experiences many of the same…
Read MoreSuccessful economic development involves the arts
The top conclusion of the survey was that rural people were twice as likely to say they were optimistic about their communities’ future as negative. Times they are a’changin. The old ways are no longer working, and new ways are being explored. People are realizing a community is made up of many people, and they…
Read MoreWe tried an idea
The Survey of Rural Challenges had a place to add comments. We were pleasantly surprised to see how many people shared something related to “we tried an idea.” Here’s a few: New idea for a restaurant: Adding a lunch counter and doing things totally different than anyone else in town. People either love it or…
Read MoreUse the assets you have in your small town
People in small towns often say “there’s nothing to do here.” I beg to differ. You will be surprised by the list of assets you can come up with. Caring people, good schools, local artists are a few assets your town might have. What are other assets? natural resources – like scenic landscapes, waterfalls, rivers…
Read MoreNotes from Placemaking Conference for Small and Rural Communities
I attended Placemaking in Small and Rural Communities online conference hosted by USDA and the University of Kentucky. It was all day, and I was able to attend most of the sessions. Enjoy this article that shares the tidbits I gathered. Why attend something like this? I work in rural communities and placemaking is vital…
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