Local
#MuchInHutch Imagine your main street is also a state highway
Imagine that your Main Street is on a state highway. And major work needs to be done. This happened in Hutchinson in 2020. Repairs were going to happen and included the replacement of all city services below ground, and the Chamber had 3 years to get the town and businesses ready for it. The project…
Read MoreI love a good tour – Indie Bookshops, Paper Trail, empty buildings and more
Stacy Moore, Tourism Director, in Shawnee, Oklahoma, told me about three of her Iowa friends and the tour they took. They participated in the Iowa Indie Bookshop Tour! Three Iowa Friends out on a magnificent road trip! Becky, Kayla, and Tammie visited all 45 shops. Becky said, “(We) completed the 45 stops on the Iowa Indie Bookshop Tour!!…
Read MoreAging Out as Volunteers
There are ways for older volunteers to still make a difference, without serving on three-year committees and doing all the work. And they are having fun too! The Old Broads in Long Beach, MS Jenny Proctor shared the Old Broads photo on Facebook. She said, “Good afternoon! Missouri mom, here. This group recently connected me to…
Read MoreCoffee and Calendars
It’s the antidote to “I wish I’d known about that!” Ever find out about an event or project in your town only after it was happening? Ever wish you could have helped with something or offered some insight, if you only knew it was coming? You want to collaborate more with local and regional organizations, but you can’t possibly…
Read MoreGet Them Off The Highway
Duane asked this question on a recent webinar: I am a county commissioner and also serve on the board of directors at [my town]. We have tried desperately to get visitors to make the left turn into [our county] instead of the right turn to return to the interstate. We need marketing ideas to promote my town…
Read MoreBuy? Rent? What one family did with a small business in Pittsburg, Kansas
On a Kansas State University/Extension webinar I did about my book, Pam Thompson shared about their small business in SE Kansas. Arggghh old buildings My husband, Don, and I have been in business for over 10 years now. Last August, we were scouting around for a place to move his business to a better location.…
Read MoreWhat do flowers have to do with community?
Chris Brogan has picked up his camera again. He takes photos on his daily walk and shares them on YouTube. Here’s a bit of advice about how he finds the motivation to keep on going. I was watching a video about how some people lose motivation to go out and shoot photos, and that their…
Read MoreWhat’s one thing missing in small towns? Communication!
Becky and I are working in Lander County, Nevada, on an Intensive Idea Friendly Project. I visited in August, and as I was preparing my follow-up presentation, I noticed something important. People said they wanted certain things, and I found out many of those things were already available in their county! People asked if they could get…
Read MoreStart your own beautification project
I’ll be traveling to a small county in Nevada to help with a beautification project. So will Becky later on – it’s an Intensive, Idea Friendly Package. Back in my chamber days, this kind of thing would scare the bejesus out of me. It would involve endless meetings with boring, important-feeling people. No talking to the…
Read MoreJust get started – take small steps
Memorial Day weekend of 2024, a block-long building in Alpine, Texas, burned to the ground. In a small town, that’s just horrible. There was a cooperative art gallery, bakery and cafe, hair salon, antique shop, and jewelry store located in the historic structure. As you can imagine, the store owners were in shock. Some said…
Read More