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What can you do when a traffic detour cuts down on visitors to town?

By Becky McCray

Next year, Kristina Vonberge’s town is going to face bridge construction and a major traffic detour. She asked for ideas during the discussion session of our SaveYour.Town webinar on the arts. People coming to town are going to have to detour 17 miles out of the way to get to town. How can she draw […]

April 30, 2018 Filed Under: economic development, rural, tourism

Tourism idea: host a rural retreat after a big conference in the big city

By Becky McCray

When I saw this news article, the light went on over my head! This is such a great fit for small towns to boost their tourism. Norfolk County, Ontario, is hosting the culinary industry at the Terroir Rural Retreat. It will be the day after the major Terroir Symposium held in big city Toronto, almost […]

February 26, 2018 Filed Under: economic development, entrepreneurship, rural, tourism

Business Idea: A new use for old church buildings: camping and lodging

By Becky McCray

  Your town probably has one: an empty church building. I’ve seen several converted to private homes, but I hadn’t seen one used as camping or lodging until this: champing, or camping in churches. ‘Champing’™ is the ultimate ‘slow tourism’ escape, with England’s historic churches offering their own unique havens of tranquility, a peaceful night’s sleep interrupted only […]

September 11, 2017 Filed Under: entrepreneurship, ideas, rural, tourism

How we got a filmmaking crew to tell our small town’s story

By Deb Brown

Guest post by Deb Brown We had filmmakers from San Francisco in our town this month making a movie about us. They are telling the story of Webster City, Iowa, and how we’ve bounced back from the loss of a major manufacturer and the hundreds of jobs they took with them. It’s a big deal […]

May 29, 2017 Filed Under: community, economic development, rural, survivors, tourism

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