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Home About Us B2B Club Breaking News Contact Donate Events / Programs Feedback Ideas Incubator Industry Clusters Links / Resources Progess Funds Progress Teams Public Art / Murals Publications		Breaking News September 30, 2005 - Rome residents can 'make it happen' By Kaye Eckert, for the Daily Tribune Editor's note: This is the first in a series of informational columns by Rome resident Kaye Eckert. Her first column is about a recent Community Progress Initiative activity. Maybe the 100 Rome residents came for dinner catered by Mel's Restaurant and Catering of Nekoosa or the scrumptious desserts provided by Sandy's Flour Shop of Rome or the tasty cranberry trail mix furnished by Urbans Best. But they left with much more - mainly a good deal of enthusiasm and creative ideas on how to promote their community. The Sept. 20 Creatively Marketing Your Community and Local Events program was the first in a series of three programs hosted by the Rome Is More Team. As event planner Joanne Harmon said during introductions, "Our goal is to take it out there to the community" and involve everyone in Rome to "make it happen." "Make it happen" is a slogan of the ongoing Community Progress Initiative of South Wood County and Rome. The initiative involves local residents determining how they want to improve their communities and how they will work together to make it happen. Sponsored by the Community Progress Initiative, this first program was led by David Beurle, community development expert, who presented case studies of other communities' unique promotional ideas. He invited Rome residents to think of a theme for their community - an "overall feel or image" of how they see their area and want others to see it. Beurle said that themes can involve main products, such as Door County's cherries and Napa Valley's wine, or a type of community style or atmosphere. Beurle introduced the idea of a hook, which is an image or mascot that represents the theme of the community that visitors will remember. Some communities use murals on buildings or sculptures or sidewalk drawings. Beurle said a hook can be anything "that catches interest." Once the theme and hooks are determined, events of the community can be planned around them. Tom Marshall, representing the Downtown Revitalization cluster of Wisconsin Rapids' Community Progress Initiative, shared his group's ideas for promoting interest in the downtown area. A building mural project is under way that will become part of a historical walk through the downtown. Cultural arts will be promoted, and The Grand Affair event scheduled for Oct. 9 is intended to bring people into the community. The initiative program then was kicked into high gear as Beurle split Rome residents into four groups and assigned tasks of brainstorming a community theme, a hook, events and marketing ideas. During active participation, the first group identified several themes that revolved around recreation and liked the motto "half the distance, twice the fun" as a way to promote the area to tourists. An idea for a hook was oversized wooden or other material sculptures or figures in various recreational activities (a fisherman, a water skier, an ATVer, a golfer) located around the community. Suggested events included the very successful Taste of Rome to be scheduled annually on "the first teen weekend of July" and a one-day community "don't need the stuff anymore" sale. Marketing ideas included using each event to promote future ones, announcing event information on a radio band for people driving through the area, and displaying a large rolling sign on Highway 13 with current events. Other great ideas were suggested but, if you want to know more, you will need to come to the next Community Progress Initiative program from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 5 at the Rome Municipal Building. "There is a much stronger experience and conversation about community," Beurle said after the meeting. He contributes this to the work of the Rome Is More Team, which he says "has a high profile" and "is well respected" and to the Town Board's drive for participatory decision-making. Beurle said "the Town Board and (its) chairman are truly operating at a whole different level to any other local government body I have seen in the Midwest." The evening ended with a $100 raffle prize won by Kathleen Krueger, 2005 co-chairwoman of Taste of Rome, and several more Rome residents signing up to work on Community Progress Initiative teams to determine Rome's future and to "make it happen." If you have questions, suggestions, or want to become involved, please call Joanne Harmon at 213-5075 or e-mail jmharmon@tznet.com. Kaye Eckert, a Rome resident for about four years, is a retired psychologist who still works part time in that capacity for the Adams County Health and Human Services Department. She welcomes story ideas and can be reached at kbeckert@wctc.net or 325-2852.
		Copyright © 2005, Community Progress Initiative, South Wood County & Town of Rome