The Summerland Advocate-Messenger - Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community

This week’s poll question asked readers to share what they believe our rural communities need - business or service - if money to open said business or service started was not an issue. The question surfaced following a discussion in our office. We were comparing photos of main street of old with current-day status. The talk made me curious what vision readers have to grow our local economies and build stronger communities.

Trust me, there isn’t a single-pronged approach. It’s a combination of multiple components that need attention.

As I write this column, responses to the question focus on entertainment. A bowling alley, swimming pool and miniature golf course have been mentioned. On some scale, any of those are achievable. I know our family would make use of all of these services.

Let’s go one step further. Think about the business district or main street in your community. What is missing? What improvements could be made? Several ideas come to mind, including infrastructure fixes and encouraging entrepreneurship.

This I know for sure: Growing our rural communities must become a priority.

Rural America is shrinking. According to the latest census, Nebraska’s rural population decreased by 2.2%, while our urban counterparts experienced a growth rate of 10.9%.

Sure, those numbers beg the questions: How do we combat depopulation? What steps will effectively grow our community base?

While housing and job creation generally come to mind as top needs, we should also be thinking about how to keep current residents engaged. Strong programming and activities are a start. There’s no reason why events associated with metropolitan areas cannot be scaled to accommodate our population numbers.

We need to embrace tourism and all opportunities that come with it. The Summerland area has several unique assets to entice tourists, ranging from specialty shops to historical sites to recreational opportunities. We must market these stops to diverse audiences; we need to think how to promote this area to a global market.

We need to promote our region to niche markets.

Earlier this summer, after Mike Myers stopped for a visit while cycling across the U.S., raising funds for ALS research, I followed his travels online. His daily travelogue and photos offered a unique perspective about criss-crossing the country while pedaling on two wheels. We discussed the importance of bicycle tourism and how the cyclists’ community relies on recommendations and experiences from others traveling the routes.

Promoting the Cowboy Trail, and its route following Highway 275, should be a no-brainer for area communities. Are our towns biker - and even hiker-friendly?

We cannot be complacent when it comes to growing rural communities. We need to be vigilant and accommodating and think big picture, instead of focusing on a narrow pathway that suffocates and dies.

Let’s get a strong conversation going about how to grow Summerland communities. Let’s encourage and support dreams and ideas and watch this area sprout wings and fly.