ABCDE Monday Messenger

June 25, 2007

ABCDE – Better Together 

Greetings!  This is the seventy first edition of the Monday Messenger.  Its purpose is to bring you current information about the ABCDE project and area.  ABCDE consists of local residents from Atlanta , Burden, Cambridge , Dexter and Eastern Cowley County working together for community development.  If you have anything to submit for the newsletter, please send it to shannonthom@hotmail.com. 

Did You Know?????

The Cowley County Vision 20/20 committee has released the Objectives and Action Plans for the county Strategic Plan.  A copy for your review is attached.

ABCDE Monthly Meeting

The next monthly ABCDE meeting will be held on July 2^nd at The Gathering Place in Dexter.  The meeting will start at 7:00 and a meal will be available for $6.50 starting at 6:00 p.m. 

USDA Community Leadership Training

A USDA Community Leadership Training will be held in Newton during July facilitated by Department of Commerce, USDA, Federal home Loan bank and KSU Extension.  The theme is Empowering Community Leadership.  Each session will be held from 8:00 – 5:00 on July 11, 18, 25.  Members of ABCDE are encouraged to attend.  There is a cost of $65 per person, which will be covered by SKT.  Please contact Philip if you are interested in attending.  The deadline for registration is July 6^th. 

Flint Hills Tourism Coalition Workshop

The Flint Hills Tourism Coalition is sponsoring a workshop in Winfield on July 11^th.  Entitled “Marketing and Networking”, the workshop will be held from 1:30 – 4:00 and there is a $10 fee.  For more information contact, Bill Smith at (620) 341-5729 or wsmith@emporia.edu.

July Garden Parties

Based on the book Miss Twiggley’s Garden Party, the Gathering Place in Dexter is hosting a children’s garden party for ages 5-10.  The $12.00 charge includes lunch, take home gift, goodie bag and a visit by Miss Twiggley.  The event will be held on July 17^th, from 10:30 – 12:30.  Parents are encouraged to accompany their children.

On July 24, area Junior and High School girls are invited to attend a Diva Garden Party.  The $20.00 charge will include lunch, makeup demonstrations, fashion show, and goodie bag.  The event will be held from 10:30-12:30.

To register for either event, call (620) 876-3188 or (620) 876-3525.

KDDA Training

Mark your calendars!!! The Kansas Downtown Development Association (KDDA) and the Kansas Mainstreet Program is bringing a training close to home.  The session will be held on August 2 in Winfield.  It will be entitled “Million Dollar Marketing on a Shoestring Budget”.  Watch for more details in the Monday Messenger.

Also, KDDA will be hosting a conference on October 10-12^th in Hutchinson .  ABCDE is a member of KDDA.

Dexter BBQ

The annual Dexter BBQ will be held on July 14.  Events include:

Parade – Noon

Kid’s and Adult games, Volleyball, Car Show – Afternoon

DEDA Sponsored Pie Tasting – 1:00 – 5:00, Community Building

BBQ Meal – 5:00

Watermelon Feed - 6:00

Dance – 8:30

QUAD Update

Mark your calendars for the QUAD Annual meeting to be hosted by Eastern Cowley County on October 13^th.  The meeting will be held in Atlanta at the Community Building .  Watch the Monday Messenger for more information.   We will need auction items for the event.  There will be an Annual Meeting planning session over supper at 6:15 prior to the ABCDE meeting Monday night. Everyone’s welcome to come. Eastern Cowley County is hosting this event, so everyone in ABCDE is welcome and encouraged to be a part of the Annual Dinner.

Do you have an idea for a business?

Jack has assisted 20 businesses in Eastern Cowley County since ABCDE joined QUAD.

Through 2007, business owners and those with business ideas have access to a Professional Business Coach.  His name is Jack Newcomb and he is available for free, confidential advice and he will even come to you.  Through the ABCDE program, we have joined the Quad EF project and have access to their business coach.  Many local banks, businesses and Cowley First assisted to pay the Quad membership fee through December of 2007.  For more information contact Jack at (620) 249-2108.

ABCDE Website

Don’t forget to visit www.cowleynet.com for information about the ABCDE project.

Upcoming Activities/Events

July 2               ABCDE Monthly Meeting, Dexter, 7:00 p.m.

                        QUAD Annual Meeting Planning, 6:15 p.m.

July 12             QUAD Monthly Meeting, Sedan Country Club, 5:00

July 14             Dexter BBQ

July 27             Flint Hills Tourism Coalition, Council Grove

ABCDE Monday Messenger

Did You Know?????

Photo Contest Winners

QUAD Meets Thursday in Yates Center

QUAD will be meeting Thursday in Yates Center at 5 PM. All members of ABCDE are welcome to come. If you need more information or want to carpool, call Julie at 394-2794 or countrycookin@sktc.net.

Symphony in the Flint Hills Experience

Jack Newcomb Joins NetWork Kansas Board of Directors

Flinthills Aromatherapy wins State Small Business Merit Award 

Do you have an idea for a business?

KDDA Training

ABCDE Website

Upcoming Activities/Events

ABCDE Monday Messenger

Sorry this is late.  I was out-of-town Monday and Tuesday.  Shannon

ABCDE Monday Messenger

June 6, 2007

 ABCDE – Better Together 

Greetings!  This is the sixty-eighth edition of the Monday Messenger.  Its purpose is to bring you current information about the ABCDE project and area.  ABCDE consists of local residents from Atlanta, Burden, Cambridge, Dexter and Eastern Cowley County working together for community development.  If you have anything to submit for the newsletter, please send it to shannonthom@hotmail.com.  

Cowley County Wildlife Tour

The bus tour on June 9^th will start at the Winfield High School with coffee and donuts at 8:00 a.m.  After a short ride to Winfield City Lake, participants will be able to identify and view beautiful Cowley County wildflowers.  There is no charge for the tour, but reservations are requested.  Please call Cowley County Conservation District at 221-1850, ext. 3.  The tour will end around noon.

Congratulations

Wanda Headrick and Flint Hills Aroma Therapy has been recognized by the state as a Kansas Business Appreciation Award Merit winner.

8 Wonders of Kansas

(Reprinted from an e-mail by Deb Zeinrer)

INMAN - The Brookville Hotel at Abilene, the Chase County Courthouse in Cottonwood Falls, the Eisenhower Center in Abilene, Keeper of the Plains in Wichita and the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve/Flint Hills in Chase County were honored Friday when they were among the top 24 finalists in a contest to determine the 8 Wonders of Kansas. These sites are within the 22-county area of the Flint Hills represented by the Flint Hills Tourism Coalition. The contest and finalists were announced by Marci Penner of the Kansas Sampler Foundation in Inman on June 1. Van Rothenberger of Osborne, a member of the Sampler Foundation’s Kansas Explorers group, initiated the idea.

“My hope is that this project allows Kansans to exhibit more pride in their state, in who they are and what they  have,” Rothenberger said.

The top 8 Wonders will be determined by the public, who can vote for their favorite wonders at 8wonders.org from now until Dec. 31, 2007. On Jan. 29, 2008, Kansas Day, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius will announce the top 8 Wonders as Kansas.

Nominees are the:

1. Arikaree Breaks, Cheyenne County;
2. Ball of Twine, Cawker City;
3. Big Brutus, West Mineral;
4. Big Well, Greensburg;
5. Brookville Hotel, Abilene;
6. Chase County Courthouse, Chase County;
7. Cheyenne Bottoms/Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, Barton & Stafford counties;
8. Cimmaron National Grassland, Morton County;
9. Constitution Hall State Historic Site, Lecompton;
10. John Steuart Curry murals, Topeka;
11. Davis Memorial, Hiawatha;
12. Eisenhower Center, Abilene;
13. Fort Larned National historic Site, Pawnee County;
14. Garden of Eden, Lucas;
15. Gyp Hills Scenic Drive, Barber County;
16. Kansas Cosmosphere & Space Center, Hutchinson;
17. Kansas Underground Salt Museum, Hutchinson;
18. Keeper of the Plains, Wichita;
19. Lake Scott State Park, Scott County;
20. Monument Rocks, Gove County;
21. Pawnee Indian Museum State Historic Site, Republic County;
22. St. Fidelis Church, Cathedral of the Plains, Victoria;
23. St. Mary’s Church, St. Benedict
24. Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve/Flint Hills, Chase County.

Each of the 24 finalists was selected based upon what Penner refers to as the 8 Rural Culture Elements: architecture, art, commerce, cuisine, customs, geography, history and people. The Brookville Hotel represents cuisine; the Eisenhower Center people and history; the Keeper of the Plains art and customs, the Chase County Courthouse architecture and the TPNP/Flint Hills a geographical representation.

Penner hopes the project will help to educate both Kansans and others about Kansas, encouraging people to see each of the sites in person.

To vote, go to 8wonders.org between June 1 and Dec. 31 and vote online for

your top eight choices. Each email address may be used up to three times for voting purposes.  If you are unable to vote online, call 620-585-2374 for a printed ballot.

Did You Know?????

Headrick’s Greenhouse is open for business!  Visit Kermit and Mary and pick up bedding plants and flowers for your garden.  Headrick’s Greenhouse is located a couple of miles north of Atlanta and a mile and a half east.  There is a sign at the intersection.  Call for more information 394-2385.

South Central Kansas Regional Initiative Topeka, KS – 

USDA Rural Development State Director Chuck Banks reminded Kansans that the Agency will be hosting a USDA / South-Central Kansas Regional Initiative meeting in Winfield on Wednesday, June 6. The presentation, part of the Agency's recently announced USDA / South-Central Kansas Regional Initiative, will cover USDA Rural Development programs available. Additional meetings are scheduled for Eureka, Hesston, and Pratt.

“USDA Rural Development’s South-Central Kansas Regional Initiative will provide an excellent opportunity for communities to expand affordable housing opportunities and job opportunities, along with enhancing local infrastructure.   Whether it be improving local housing or upgrading community projects such as health care services, USDA Rural Development is positioned to assist in this important Kansas economic development opportunity,” commented State Director Banks.

Breakout sessions will be presented for: [1] Homebuilders / Developers, [2] Lenders / Realtors, [3] Public bodies, including city and county governments, and educational entities, [4] Business organizations, and [5] Community nonprofits / Faith-based organizations.

The four USDA Rural Development informational meetings are as scheduled:

Winfield / June 6, 2007:  12:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Middle School (Commons Area), 130 Viking Blvd, Winfield

Eureka / June 7, 2007:  8:30 a.m. to noon, Jefferson Street Baptist Church, 300 S. Jefferson, Eureka

Hesston / June 13, 2007:  12:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Crosswinds Conference Center, Conference Room, 8036 N. Hoover Road, Hesston

Pratt / June 14, 2007:  8:30 a.m. to noon, Pratt Community College, Auditorium, 348 NE S.R. 61, Pratt

Additional information regarding USDA Rural Development’s programs and the USDA / South-Central Kansas Regional Initiative can be obtained by contacting the Agency’s Newton office at 316-283-0370. Individuals may also call the Agency’s state headquarters at 785-271-2700 or log onto the state’s USDA Rural Development website at: www.rurdev.usda.gov/ks .

USDA Rural Development’s mission is to deliver programs that support increasing economic opportunities and enhancing the quality of life of rural Americans.  As a venture capital entity, USDA Rural Development provides equity and technical assistance to finance and foster growth in homeownership, business development, and critical community and technology infrastructure in rural America.  Since 2001 USDA Rural Development has delivered over $1 billion in funding assistance for Kansas, supporting over $5 billion in future community and economic development benefiting all Kansans.

Do you have an idea for a business?

Through 2007, business owners and those with business ideas have access to a Professional Business Coach.  His name is Jack Newcomb and he is available for free, confidential advice and he will even come to you.  Through the ABCDE program, we have joined the Quad EF project and have access to their business coach.  Many local banks, businesses and Cowley First assisted to pay the Quad membership fee through December of 2007.  For more information contact Jack at (620) 249-2108.

LEGISLATURE OKs ENTERPRISE FACILITATION^® FUNDING

 TOPEKA -- (April 27, 2007) -- The legislature today gave final approval to legislation that will provide a reliable source of funding for a successful rural development program, sending the measure to the governor. She is expected to sign it into law.

"For our state's least-developed counties, Enterprise Facilitation has proven to be a successful program in starting and nurturing new businesses," said Senator Derek Schmidt, R-Independence, who sponsored the measure.

"This will give some certainty to the Enterprise Facilitation projects so they can focus on doing their work instead of worrying whether they will be funded year-to-year."

The new provision of law is included in legislation that extends the rural development tax credit program. The provision requires that 5 percent of the funds raised by sale of rural development tax credits statewide be distributed among the enterprise facilitation projects. If all tax credits are sold, that would generate $30,000 per year to help sustain each project, which is about half the total annual cost of running an enterprise facilitation program.

In Southeast Kansas, the Quad County Enterprise Facilitation project has helped nurture business start-ups and economic development in Chautauqua, Elk, Greenwood and Woodson counties. Wilson and eastern Cowley counties also have participated in the project. The Quad County project has nurtured about 100 business startups since its inception in July 2002.

ABCDE Website

Don’t forget to visit www.cowleynet.com for information about the ABCDE project.

Upcoming Activities/Events

June 9              Cowley County Wildflower Tour

June 16            Symphony in the Flint Hills

June 21            QUAD Monthly Meeting

To submit information for the newsletter, send an e-mail to Shannon Thom Martin at shannonthom@hotmail.com.