South Dakota

Where did the week go already! I was in Sisseton on Friday so I didn’t post this week’s BOTW, so here it is…

Sanborn Central has been named Blog of the Week for this past week for:

• Highlighting a community service that helps to alleviate poverty (the Food Pantry & Super Bowl of Caring)
• Explaining how Horizon’s and the work of community residents has changed the future of their 3 communities.
• Marketing the upcoming Regional Collaborations Seminar and being willing to learn from our first Horizons cluster of communities.

Congratulations to Forestburg, Artesian & Letcher for their continued progress!

 Faith has been named this week’s Blog of the Week for highlighting a Horizons project idea that has come to fruition in their community! A brand new fitness center was created with donated equipment. They started small, and are hoping to work their way up to a bigger, better one in the future. Great job on making things happen in your community! We’d love to see some pictures, how about a grand opening photo opportunity? Watch the Faith blogs for more in the future!

Estelline plan is finalized

By Michelle Sihrer, Staff Writer

Published: Thursday, January 17, 2008 12:16 PM CST

ESTELLINE — The Horizons program in Estelline recently released a finalized version of its strategic plan for the community. After surveying area residents, the group decided to focus on four areas: community coordination, community clean up and development, family activities and extended education.

Included in the community coordination plans are a welcome wagon and a community cable access channel.

“We are looking into the public access channel to see if there is some way of doing a short area range broadcast system… hopefully over the next couple of months the welcome wagon will be ready,” said Horizons member David Ebbers. (more…)

Mike from North Dakota has created a work around for dealing with the photo glitch some of you may be experiencing with Word Press. Click here for some instructions that may be helpful to you.

Estelline was featured in a recent news article in the Watertown Public Opinion…

Estelline plans farmer’s market
Published: Thursday, January 10, 2008 11:15 AM CST

ESTELLINE — The Estelline Horizons Program is organizing a farmer’s market in the area that will open this year. A committee has been formed and volunteers are still needed.Area residents interested in the farmer’s market are encouraged to attend a farmer’s market workshop at the Northern Plains Biostress Laboratory on the South Dakota State University campus in Brookings.To register for the workshop, log on to www.downtownbrookings.com and look under the events section.

Here’s a question from the bloggers in Murdo…

Does your community have a Chamber of Commerce?  Murdo bloggers are looking for suggestions on how to get current members to attend and get more involved in the monthly meetings.  We have been discussing this situation on our blog and would like other Horizon communities to share their ideas with us either here on the South Dakota site or on the Murdo blog site.  As Dan O. would say…..”Two heads are not enough!”   :-)

Leave a comment here, or go to the Murdo post on this topic at Chamber Meetings-Why Don’t Members Attend?

Ok, we are catching up a bit on the “BOTW” awards, so this is cumulative from late December into January. Tripp was chosen as this week’s blog of the week for adding videos! It was fun to see Tillie and Maureen, and the committee. Thanks for being willing to try a new technnology by adding video! Keep up the good work Tripp!

Some of our communities had the idea of creating farmers markets, here’s a good opportunity to learn something new…

Farmers market workshop set for Feb. 2

BROOKINGS, S.D. – The South Dakota Cooperative Extension Service will host a farmers market workshop Feb. 2.

The training session will be 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Northern Plains Biostress Laboratory on the campus of South Dakota State University, Brookings. (more…)