Web posted
Monday, October 22, 2007
Dexter celebrates end of rural project
By JEANNE RICHARDSON
Staff Writer
Dexter residents and friends were treated to a beef and noodle dinner and an uplifting message Saturday night at the celebration dinner for the Governor's Pilot Project.
Marci Penner, of the Rural Life Task Force and president of the Kansas Sampler Foundation, spoke to the crowd of about 40 people at the Dexter school about keeping their small towns alive.
The Governor's Pilot Project was started a couple years ago and was the impetus for many small businesses and tourism entities around the eastern part of Cowley County. ABCDE (Atlanta, Burden, Cambridge, Dexter, Eastern Cowley) began as a way to get those interested in enhancing the opportunities in the area together to work towards a common goal
"What you all did in the last two years is amazing," Penner told the group. "You may think it was just OK, but it was great!" Penner said she drove through all four towns in eastern Cowley earlier in the day.
"Your towns all look like you've been paying attention," she said. "The answer to our survival is in our hearts and our heads."
Penner also commended the residents for all their hard work , and encouraged them to continue "being the best you can be at being yourselves."
Penner spent two years traveling to all 627 incorporated towns in Kansas to put together the Kansas Guidebook for Explorers. Her Sampler Foundation promotes rural and out-of-the-way places for people to explore in Kansas.
Following the dinner, the Dexter County Music Opry started in the old gym.
Despite a power outage that lasted about 30 minutes, the lights were restored and the Opry continued.
The crowd heard the talents of the Briarpatch Band, Micah Thom, Kaylie Berkley, Julie Stinson and Junior Beckham before the intermission. The refreshments at the Opry were provided by the Dexter kids earning their way to Washington, D.C. A new group, Jenny Lou and the Buckaroos, performed later, along with Norman Krug, and Jena Wedman.
The ABCDE Fall Countryside Excursion Tour was also held both Saturday and Sunday. The tour involved many of the new businesses that have been created in the last few years.
|
