LoveSmallTownAmerica.com Mothers Are…

Posted on May 13, 2013 by anne

Yes, Mothers’ Day was yesterday. But, here at LoveSmallTownAmerica.com, we celebrate the amazing women in our lives every day of the year. Small towns are full of hardworking mothers who care for their families and give back to their communities. We wanted to take a moment to celebrate our small town mothers on our blog. We asked for submissions on our Facebook page and got quite the list of shining adjectives to describe LoveSmallTownAmerica.com mothers. Our mothers are all these things and more. Mothers – Love Small Town America appreciates you!

Love Small Town America mothers are all of these things and more. Word cloud courtesy of Wordle.com.

Get the Best of the Internet with RSS

Posted on April 22, 2013 by anne

“Subscribe” to RSS Feeds from Love Small Town America Community Calendars.

Instead of browsing the internet, checking websites for updates and new content, wouldn’t it be great if you could instantly access the latest from your favorite sites? RSS (Often believed to stand for “Really Simple Syndication”) is technology that delivers up-to-date information from your favorite websites directly to you – in a format that saves you time and is saved for you to review at your leisure. Think of it is a subscription version of a news feed.

Using RSS feeds can not only make your internet browsing experience more fun – you can use them with Love Small Town America to keep up-to-date on important things like:

Updates to community calendars – know if the time of an event is changed!
New events on community calendars
To receive the latest from our blog about small town life and new LSTA opportunities

How to Use RSS

Depending on what type of computer and internet browser you’re using to surf the web, there are a few different ways of using RSS.

Get an RSS Reader – A variety of free “reader” programs exist online to aggregate the content you desire. Bloglines is a popular option, but there are many programs to try (search for “RSS Reader”). Using a reader allows you to “subscribe” to feeds from your favorite websites. New, unread content from the sites you’ve subscribed to will show up in your reader with bold headings. You can read all your content within the reader, instead of going to dozens of different websites, or click through to visit the site. It’s easy to track what you’ve read and notifications of new content is instant.

Clicking the “Subscribe” button on a webpage or blog will add that site to your reader.

Use Your Internet Browser – Many internet browsers now have built-in RSS capability. You can use the “in-browser” reader directly through your browser, or you can use your browser preferences to designate an alternate RSS reader program (see above). If your browser visits a website with an RSS feed, the address bar will often display a “reader” graphic or another designation that lets you know that page has a feed. You can add content to your RSS reader by clicking the graphics during your web surfing session and read the marked content later.

In Safari, text like “RSS” or “Reader” appears in a blue box on the right hand side of the address bar. Clicking it adds the current webpage to your feed.

Deliver Straight to E-mail: Many websites also allow you to subscribe to RSS feeds via e-mail, if you don’t want to use an RSS reader. By subscribing via e-mail, you can get a daily summary of latest posts delivered straight to your inbox. Not all RSS feeds are available this way, but it can be a great way to get digests of information in a convenient format.

Sources:
http://www.problogger.net/what-is-rss/
http://paulstamatiou.com/how-to-getting-started-with-rss

Annual Race Celebrates Lifetime Fitness in Quinter, KS

Posted on April 4, 2013 by anne

THE FUN RUNNER Here’s a fellow out for a run He takes it easy and its great fun. He may go one, three, or ten miles – He’ll be back late but all in smiles. If challenged to a race, He can set a fast pace. His moves are gentle, rhythmic and free, Whether he’s 14, 15, or 83. -Waldo McBurney

The annual Waldo McBurney 5K, 10K, 1 mile (marathon mile) and 200 meter kid’s race will be held in Quinter, KS on June 8, 2013. The race is sponsored by Castle Rock Wellness Center and has grown into a popular event for all ages.

“Participants have ranged in age from 2 to 85 over the years,” said one of the race organizers, Shelly Gruenbacher.

The race is named after Waldo McBurney, a Quinter resident who took up long distance running at age 65 and made waves internationally competing as a runner into his 100s before finally passing away in 2009 at age 106.

“Mr. McBurney himself really embodied our mission of ‘life-long fitness in Gove County’,” said Gruenbacher. McBurney was known for being America’s oldest worker, walking to his office most days of the week even in his 100s.

The same group, including Gruenbacher, who organized the first Waldo race 6 years ago also rallied support for the Castle Rock Wellness Center. Now, the race serves as a fundraiser for the health and wellness facility. Participation has grown to well over 250 each year, said Gruenbacher, with many walkers and runners without local ties making the annual trek to Quinter.

This year, the race includes a 200-meter fun run for kids, a 1-mile walk/run for kids and adults, a 5K and a 10K. The 5K and 10K will kick off the races at 8:00 a.m. in the city park, with the 1-mile following at 9:30 a.m. and concluding with the 200m run at 10 a.m.

The Waldo McBurney race is fun for all ages of walkers and runners.

All kids younger than 12 will receive a medal for participating, plus many children will complete a marathon mile that will be awarded at the end of the race. Grade school children will finish the final mile of a marathon, completed in short increments over the course of the months preceding the race, explained Gruenbacher.

All kids under age 12 will receive a medal.

“The variety of distances makes it a perfect race for any fitness level. Some years we have even had long term care staff or the Hope House kids pushing nursing home patients in wheelchairs across the finish line!”

A pastoral park setting adjacent to a community playground makes for a perfect family event. The Gove County Medical Center Is sponsoring a community health fair at the park and nearby city building to correspond with the race.

“This race and the fitness center itself would not be a reality without help from sponsors, donors, and volunteers all coming together to work for something positive in our community,” said Gruenbacher.

More information, including registration documents, is available online here.

Highlights of Hoxie, Kansas

Posted on March 29, 2013 by anne

Welcome to Hoxie!

“Good crops and great families” is the motto in Hoxie, Kansas. Here, the pioneer spirit that founded this farming enclave never died. Closely tied to the community traditions of Sheridan County, Kansas, where Hoxie is located, Hoxie is the largest town in the county. Hoxie’s population is around 1,200, hitting a Goldilocks-esque “just right” size for this easy going community.

Hoxie, Kansas – where the buffalo still, literally, roam.

Hoxie is known for working hard, like its entrepreneurs and progressive business district, and playing hard, too. Hoxie’s proximity to Sheridan State Fishing Lake, numerous community festivals and events, parks, and ample recreational opportunities make it easy to kick back.

The Sheridan County Fair is an annual treat.

The friendly neighborhood vibe and safe, quiet streets entice families to make their home in Hoxie, where kids grow up in the school systems’ outstanding athletic tradition. Opportunities for involvement abound, and even adults get in on the action with Hoxie’s numerous clubs or by helping run the volunteer-operated carnival ride at the Sheridan County Fair. For 1,200 Kansans, Hoxie offers a perfect slice of prairie life. Why don’t you plan a visit and find out why?

A fisherman proudly displays his catch from the waters of the state lake – within easy proximity of Hoxie.

To learn more about what awaits you in Hoxie, Kansas, visit their official webpage on Love Small Town America and find out why Hoxie might be the place for you. County webpages on LSTA offer residents and visitors information about the county’s geography, history, events, businesses, and more.

Have you visited Hoxie or Sheridan County? Share your favorite highlights with us in the comments!

We are always growing our network of small towns, organizations, and businesses. If you’re interested in joining Love Small Town America and getting an affordable home on our small town network, e-mail us to get started or learn more here.

Highlights of Sheridan County

Posted on March 27, 2013 by anne

A strong agricultural tradition dating to settlers who populated the land in the 1860s-1880s is part of Sheridan County’s identity.

A tradition of living off the land and celebrating earth’s bounty with a tight-knit community defines Sheridan County, Kansas. With a population of right around 2,500, Sheridan County is a cozy destination in Northwest Kansas home to several towns, including Hoxie, Selden, Studley, Tasco, and others. With access to great fishing, recreation, and community involvement opportunities, Sheridan County is a place its residents are proud to call home.

Continue reading →

Share it from the Rooftops – New Features on LSTA

Posted on March 22, 2013 by anne

Share pages and content, like new job postings, with the networks you use the most!

We’re excited to announce that several new features are fully operational throughout our site! If you’ve visited recently, you may have noticed some new buttons at the top of each page.

New features allow visitors to share pages, subscribe to events, and more.

Visitors to any of Love Small Town America’s community and business pages can now share specific content on a variety of networks. The above screen capture shows the options available on the community calendar page. You can share events on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and more — AND you can even subscribe to receive updates via RSS feed. That means that residents of Quinter, for example, could subscribe to the Quinter calendar, and then be notified instantly each time an event in their community is added or changed.

On the far right, the iCal button allows visitors to add events directly to their Apple iCal, making it easy for everyone to stay in synch. Imagine you’re at the grocery store, and your iPhone buzzes, letting you know your son’s baseball game this weekend was canceled in time for you to pick up extra snacks for him and his friends – who you now know will be hanging around the house! With these new features – that’s a real possibility!

Pin it! You can even pin content from LoveSmallTownAmerica.com directly to Pinterest.

Or, the new sharing options make it a breeze to share, remember, or promote anything on our site. You could pin photos of a small town that you’d like to visit to your Pinterest “Vacations” board. Or, maybe you saw a job posting that would be perfect for someone you know. With a click, you can e-mail it straight to them, or post it on their Facebook page.

These are just a few of the things that you can do with our new features. We designed these with our members in mind, but they give our visitors just as many options. What do you think?

We’re Ready for Our Closeup!

Posted on February 27, 2013 by anne

Introducing, the Love Small Town America video! We’re excited to share with you our new video presentation. We hope that this new tool makes it easier than ever for communities to share the LSTA advantage with their local stakeholders and get back on the map with a LSTA membership and website package.

Watch here:

Can you guess whose voice you’re hearing?

Help Bart and Rorie Discover the Best of Small Town America

Posted on February 15, 2013 by anne

Bart Russell was called the “voice of small town America” by none other than Ronald Reagan. So, why does he need your help?

After retiring last year from a career in small town advocacy, Russell is taking his passion for small towns in a new direction – quite possibly, in your direction.

As leader of the municipal advocacy group Connecticut Council of Small Towns (COST), Russell served for 18 years bringing small town issues to prominence. During that time, he also served as CEO of the National Association of Towns and president of its National Center for Small Communities.

Now, Russell is taking politics out of the equation and promising to shine a light on the 144 million small town residents in America and what they have to offer as part of a venture he calls “Everything Small Town.”

The mission: Everything Small Town™ shines a global spotlight on promising projects and programs designed to make America’s 30,000, plus smaller communities better places in which to live, work and do business.

Now, Everything Small Town™ is hitting the road for its inaugural “Discover Small Town America” tour this June. They’ll be heading to the west coast taking Route 40 to SoCal for 4th of July weekend and returning via Route 70 to the east coast in late July.

In between, they’ll be soaking up as much of small town America as they can.

Says Russell, “We’ve received invitations from wonderful people to check out wonderful towns, like Cloudcroft and Ruidoso, NM, Greenville and Dresden OH, Ligonier, IN, Grainfield and other [KS] towns. Some of you have said you’ll get back with your recommendations for experiencing the best of small town America on byways close to I-40 and I-70 in Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Indiana and Ohio. WE CAN’T WAIT TO HEAR FROM YOU…”

We here at Love Small Town America would love to show them what OUR great small towns have to offer. Have an idea on where Bart and Rorie Russell should stop on their Everything Small Town journey? Let them know, via their Facebook page.

“We’re really looking forward to meeting some new friends, visiting their hometowns and shining the spotlight on some amazing people and places. Thanks for all the offers of hospitality you’ve extended!” says Russell.

“We would love to have your thoughts, recommendations and your “likes” at Everything Small Town™.”

Let’s show Everything Small Town some “LOVE”…Small Town America, that is!

www.BartonRussell.com
www.facebook.com/EverythingSmallTown

New Features Coming Soon

Posted on January 17, 2013 by anne

Image source: phandroid.com

We’re always working on ways to make Love Small Town America more responsive to our members’ needs and more engaging. That’s why we’re excited to announce a few changes coming soon that we think will make our members’ webpages even more fun and useful! Which of these ideas do you like the best? Let us know in the comments!

Social Media Share : We’ve harped on how important social media is before. Now, it will be easier than ever to share content from Love Small Town America through social media. We’re adding a “social media bar” to every page so people can easily share the news from those pages.
Google Calendar : We are transferring our current calendar system to Google Calendar. This will make updates easier and will allow people to sync their Google Calendars with ours. This will also allow us to integrate RSS feeds on the calendar pages so people are updated when events have been added or changed. Let that sink in for a moment. This means if you follow the calendar of your son’s school sports team, if they change the time of a basketball game — it will be updated on your personal calendar!
Pop-up Boxes : For the events calendar and business listings, we’re adding pop-up boxes to share more information for those events and business listings. It will be easy to find the phone number of a local business, for example, or see at a glance important details about a church bake sale.

What new feature do you think you would use the most?

LSTA & KS Dept. of Commerce Offering ROZ Communities Free Webpages

Posted on January 9, 2013 by anne

Love Small Town America and the KS Dept. of Commerce Have Partnered to Bring ROZ Communities Free Webpages

ROZs Can Join LSTA for FREE

From now until Feb. 13, ROZ Communities (towns or counties) can apply for a free webpage and Love Small Town America membership. You get a great, worry-free web presence, free advertising and promotion, a listing in our directory of towns and/or counties, and connections to a growing network of small towns. It’s easy, it’s free, it makes a difference. The Kansas Department of Commerce feels so strongly that this is a vital step for ROZ communities to take, they’re footing the bill so ROZ communities can get in on this great opportunity. Scholarships are limited, so apply as soon as possible to ensure you are one of the lucky ones!

What is the ROZ Webpage Scholarship?

A one-year scholarship (valued at $225+) that covers the cost of a community webpage and membership in the Love Small Town America network to provide accurate, interesting information about your community, share events, post jobs and real estate listings, connect local businesses with publicity and affordable webpages of their own, and get your community noticed!

Check out a community webpage and click through the different tabs to see the many features. Visit: Grainfield, KS.

What Are the Benefits of a Love Small Town America Webpage?

Our members are part of a network of small communities. Every member gets a full-featured web presence that is completely hassle-free. We do all the work, from building the site, to writing the copy, to performing maintenance and updates. We also include free promotion as part of the deal to help you show the world why they should call a small town home and to showcase the best small towns in America. Learn more about the many benefits you’ll receive as a Love Small Town America member when you apply for the webpage scholarship.

How Do I Apply?

Fill out a scholarship application and return it to Chris Harris at charris@kansascommerce.com. Communities (counties or towns) participating in the ROZ program with a population of 5,000 or fewer can apply.

Or: Contact Luke Mahin at Luke@Lovesmalltownamerica.com or 785-374-3067 for assistance filling out your application or to ask questions.

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