Whether you're spending Thursday morning eating $500 pancakes with Kristi Noem and John Boehner at the country club or enjoying free pancakes with the South Dakota Democrats at Sherman Park (oh, the metaphors!), you'll want to hightail it up to Howard for the afternoon. The Rural Learning Center is holding a grand opening for its new Maroney Commons Thursday. Think a six-million-dollar conference center in a town with a population is a crazy idea? Maybe! But Jim Beddow, RLC president Joe Bartmann, and a bunch of other rural visionaries aren't afraid to dream big.
The grand opening takes place at 1 p.m. with a ceremony featuring remarks from Senator Tim Johnson and USDA Undersecretary for Rural Development (and local dude!) Dallas Tonsager. The agenda includes two even more tantalizing items: a "special announcement from Mark Messier, VP of training at Airstreams Renewables, and the announcement of the "Parry Initiative for Rural Leaders" by farmer, engineer, and RLC board chair Mads Andenas.
For those of you interested in seeing how to reimagine rural, here's the full agenda for Thursday's event on Main Street Howard (updated 08:28 MDT):
Maroney Commons Grand Opening Celebration
1:00 p.m. CDT &ndash August 18, 2011
- "Architects of Change" performed by Monte Selby
- Welcome and Proclamation: Howard Mayor Andrew Dold
- Recognizing the Power of Partnerships: Joe Bartmann, President, Rural Learning Center
- Introduction of Board of Directors: Mary Stangohr, Chair, Miner County Development Corp
- Remarks: Dr. Jim Beddow, Rural Learning Center
- Remarks: US Senator Tim Johnson
- Remarks: Undersecretary Dallas Tonsager, USDA Rural Development
- Remarks: Ben Ready, Office of US Senator John Thune
- Remarks: Lance Hildebrandt, Office of US Congresswoman Kristi Noem
- Remarks: Mike McDowell, CEO Heartland Consumers Power District
- "You Were the Wind" recitation: Sigurd Andenas and Morgan Andenas
- Special Recognition of Maroney Family
- Special Announcement: Mike Messier, Airstreams Renewables, Inc.
- Announcement of Parry Initiative for Rural Leaders: Mads Andenas, Chair, Rural Learning Center
- Closing Remarks: Faye Oines, Director of Hospitality, Maroney Commons
- Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
- Maroney Commons Tours