Marking milestones seems to be our human nature. We celebrate the first birthday, the first day of school, confirmation, obtaining a driver's license, graduation from high school, the first job and always when turning 21. Then there are the milestone celebrations that take place later which are not quite as welcome, such as turning 40 ... 50 ... well, the point is that we humans mark time and love to celebrate accomplishments.
I am very pleased to be part of the Cultural Coalition, which has worked for many months to plan the 2008 celebration for this milestone of our village being established, surviving and thriving for 150 years. The events planned throughout this year are scheduled to occur within the Main Street District, and inquiries have been directed to my office through the promotional materials. I want to set the record straight, though, that Main Street has been only one of many community partners planning and executing this yearlong celebration.
The Cultural Coalition has been comprised of representatives from the City of Monroe, Monroe Arts Center, The Monroe Fund, Green County Welcome Center, Green County Historical Society, Monroe Theatre Guild, the Business Improvement District, Monroe Women's Club, Green County Tourism, Monroe Chamber of Commerce and Industry and individuals dedicated to this celebration. In addition, the Monroe business community has stepped up to be strong partners in planning and supporting the events proposed. The leader businesses include The Monroe Times, WEKZ, Turner Hall, Minhas Craft Brewing Company, Monroe Clinic and Swiss Colony. Each player brought something to the table that made our team more successful than it could have been without them, not unlike the way a state champion basketball team is made of, as you may have noticed recently.
Partnerships and collaboration within a community can build solid foundations for continued progress. The good news is that this concept is alive and well in our area, working in many ways to keep our communities strong.
For example, in January, the leaders from Blackhawk Technical College, UW Extension, Green County Development Corporation, Monroe Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Main Street decided to gather around a table for lunch periodically to share projects and compare notes. Sharing our mission and work plans not only prevents duplication of efforts, but leads to discovering ways we can support each other in the overall economic development of the region.
Future Forward is another collaboration of individuals working together. Its mission is to make Green County attractive to the X-Generation. Why? Well, the need for members of the X-Generation to replace the Baby Boomers in the workforce today as retirement looms for this group is critical. The X'ers are a much smaller pool than the Baby Boomer workforce and hold a very different perspective, as well. Quality of life for this incoming workforce far outweighs job security and status. Future Forward volunteers are actively searching for the means to communicate that quality of life exists and is valued here in our county.
Smaller collaborations may go unnoticed, but also are important to continue to weave the fabric of our community's enrichment and growth. This month Main Street and Monroe Arts Center worked with UW-Platteville to host Lisa Kiverist's sharing of rural entrepreneurial stories from "Rural Renaissance," an engaging accounting of individual efforts that are shaping our old/new economy. Our community was built on the individual pioneers in agribusiness and continues to grow from the inside out through individual entrepreneurial efforts today - which is an important story to tell.
We have aged well and responsibly, and should be as proud now as our forefathers were of the community they gave life to, as we continue to grow and work for the future.
I hope you make plans to celebrate our 150th Birthday Bash at Turner Hall on April 4. Personally, I'm attending just to see just how that 6-foot-tall birthday cake is going to be cut, not on my list of responsibilities in this collaboration, thankfully! But I am curious to see how it will be accomplished and ... I do so hope it is chocolate on the inside!
I am very pleased to be part of the Cultural Coalition, which has worked for many months to plan the 2008 celebration for this milestone of our village being established, surviving and thriving for 150 years. The events planned throughout this year are scheduled to occur within the Main Street District, and inquiries have been directed to my office through the promotional materials. I want to set the record straight, though, that Main Street has been only one of many community partners planning and executing this yearlong celebration.
The Cultural Coalition has been comprised of representatives from the City of Monroe, Monroe Arts Center, The Monroe Fund, Green County Welcome Center, Green County Historical Society, Monroe Theatre Guild, the Business Improvement District, Monroe Women's Club, Green County Tourism, Monroe Chamber of Commerce and Industry and individuals dedicated to this celebration. In addition, the Monroe business community has stepped up to be strong partners in planning and supporting the events proposed. The leader businesses include The Monroe Times, WEKZ, Turner Hall, Minhas Craft Brewing Company, Monroe Clinic and Swiss Colony. Each player brought something to the table that made our team more successful than it could have been without them, not unlike the way a state champion basketball team is made of, as you may have noticed recently.
Partnerships and collaboration within a community can build solid foundations for continued progress. The good news is that this concept is alive and well in our area, working in many ways to keep our communities strong.
For example, in January, the leaders from Blackhawk Technical College, UW Extension, Green County Development Corporation, Monroe Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Main Street decided to gather around a table for lunch periodically to share projects and compare notes. Sharing our mission and work plans not only prevents duplication of efforts, but leads to discovering ways we can support each other in the overall economic development of the region.
Future Forward is another collaboration of individuals working together. Its mission is to make Green County attractive to the X-Generation. Why? Well, the need for members of the X-Generation to replace the Baby Boomers in the workforce today as retirement looms for this group is critical. The X'ers are a much smaller pool than the Baby Boomer workforce and hold a very different perspective, as well. Quality of life for this incoming workforce far outweighs job security and status. Future Forward volunteers are actively searching for the means to communicate that quality of life exists and is valued here in our county.
Smaller collaborations may go unnoticed, but also are important to continue to weave the fabric of our community's enrichment and growth. This month Main Street and Monroe Arts Center worked with UW-Platteville to host Lisa Kiverist's sharing of rural entrepreneurial stories from "Rural Renaissance," an engaging accounting of individual efforts that are shaping our old/new economy. Our community was built on the individual pioneers in agribusiness and continues to grow from the inside out through individual entrepreneurial efforts today - which is an important story to tell.
We have aged well and responsibly, and should be as proud now as our forefathers were of the community they gave life to, as we continue to grow and work for the future.
I hope you make plans to celebrate our 150th Birthday Bash at Turner Hall on April 4. Personally, I'm attending just to see just how that 6-foot-tall birthday cake is going to be cut, not on my list of responsibilities in this collaboration, thankfully! But I am curious to see how it will be accomplished and ... I do so hope it is chocolate on the inside!
