Two Upcoming Events

Two upcoming events that I would recommend for those who care about the future of rural places are the annual Minnesota Rural Health Conference June 15-16 in beautiful Duluth, Minnesota; and the first ever Midwest Rural Assembly August 10-11 in Sioux Falls.

The Annual Rural Heath Conference is an event that I have attended every year since its inception and have never been disappointed. The idea of once a year having health care providers, academics and just plain folks who care about rural health come together and share their ideas and knowledge is a great concept. In addition, I will be facilitating a legislative panel with 5 or 6 state legislators (both GOP and DFL) to discuss the fiasco that occurred in St. Paul this year. That alone is worth the price of admission!

As I stated above, the Midwest Rural Assembly is a first-ever event. It will be held in Sioux Falls. South Dakota on August 10-11. I really don't know much about it except that it is a spin-off from the National Rural Assembly which I attended a few years ago outside of Washington, DC and was sponsored by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. While I don't know many of the details about this event, I'm going to go because that's what THE RURAL GUY does! The rule is simple, when a group of rural folks come together --show up. It's a rule that has seldom disappointed me; besides, I'm sure the Assembly will make great fodder for my magazine columns.

So if you take a chance and check out either of these events, please find me and say hello. It's the only way I would know that anyone is actually reading this dribble!