Thirty people from across the state met at The Barn Bed and Breakfast Inn near Valley Falls as part of the Kansas Sampler Foundation s 24th annual Retreat for Rural Leaders. Sally Fuller from Liberal Convention and Visitors Bureau was one of the participants.
The retreat is designed to provide community leaders and rural advocates a positive environment of support, idea-sharing, solution-making, and networking in order to re-energize for the work back home and the year ahead.?�
One of the goals was to begin forming the plan about what would replace the Kansas Sampler Festival in 2018. Foundation director Marci Penner said, I think you could say that we re all excited about the next iteration of promoting Kansas. We have a little more work to do before sharing the ideas but people should be confident that it s going to be exciting.
The group brainstormed a new way to recognize community volunteers and doers and also helped think about possible solutions for individual s issues.
The group spent several hours exploring downtown Holton before visiting the five-million dollar health and fitness facility in Netawaka. A trip to the Banner Creek Observatory and Science Center was the final stop.
This retreat is an energizing way to start the year brainstorming with a very positive group of individuals who love their communities and the state of Kansas, Fuller said. I always come back full of ideas and renewed enthusiasm for promoting Liberal.
The next event staged by the Kansas Sampler Foundation will be the March 7 Big Rural Brainstorm which will feature civic engagement.