The Yonder Calendar

Contraband Days is one of Louisiana's largest festivals and the City of Lake Charles oldest festival and is celebrating its 55th year in 2012. Contraband Days is a themed "pirate" festival with close to 100 events. Contraband Days always falls on the first two weekends in May and it's a twelve day festival. The Festival is based on the Lake Charles Civic Center grounds with some events occurring throughout the City. Over 100,000 people attend Contraband Days Festival on land and on the water.

Website: http://www.contrabanddays.com/

In continuing a proud tradition of honoring hardworking generations of Texas farmers and ranchers, Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples invites families to apply for the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Family Land Heritage (FLH) Program. The program recognizes family farms and ranches that have been in continuous agricultural production by the same family for at least 100 years. Applications are due May 1, 2012.

“Through generations of hard work, perseverance and love of the land, these families have operated their farms and ranches for 100 years or more, making Texas a powerhouse of agricultural productivity,” Commissioner Staples said. “This commitment to the land is the foundation on which Texas agriculture is built, and thanks to these families and their ancestors, the Lone Star State today stands as a recognized producer of the finest food and fiber in the world.”

This year’s Family Land Heritage ceremony will be held in the fall at the Texas Capitol in Austin and will recognize farms and ranches established in 1912 or earlier.

Eligible farms and ranches must still be owned and operated by the descendants of the founder, either through blood, marriage or adoption. At least 10 acres of the land must be in continuous agricultural production for the past 100 years or more. There is no cost to apply for the recognition.

To date, TDA has recognized more than 4,500 properties in 237 counties across Texas. Fayette County, with 151 family operations honored, has been recognized more than any other county since the FLH program began.

Applications for the 2012 Family Land Heritage recognition are available for download at the Family Land Heritage website. For more information, you can also e-mail Lance.Williams@TexasAgriculture.gov.

Website: http://www.TexasAgriculture.gov

Strategic Applications International’s (SAI) Tribal Meth Summit bring together the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Community Oriented Policing (COPS Office) 2010 and 2011 Tribal Meth Grantees for a four-day training and strategy-planning event. The event is designed to highlight model practices from tribal communities, discuss the adoption of national strategies when culturally appropriate, leverage indigenous knowledge for creative problem solving across nations and across agencies.

Although all tribal communities are welcome, priority will be given to COPS 2010 and 2011 Tribal Meth Grantees and their designated community partners.

A Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) pre-conference workshop is also being offered on Monday, April 30.

Website: http://www.methpedia.org/break-the-meth-cycle-summit

A Foundation for Change: Strategies for Meeting the Challenges Facing the Food and Agriculture System

 The challenges facing food and agriculture require collaboration and a bold vision for the future. Do You AGree?

Join AGree as we explore how the food and agriculture system can:

• Meet Future Demand for Food;
• Improve Nutrition and Public Health;
• Build Strong Communities; and
• Conserve and Enhance the Environment

Please RSVP to Sara Suriani by April 23, 2012

Website: http://www.foodandagpolicy.org/news/story/pr/save-date-agree-vision-2030-may-2-event

The Office of Primary Care and Rural Health, the Alabama Hospital Association, the Alabama Rural Health Association, and the Alabama Office of Emergency Medical Services and Trauma  host the Third Annual Alabama Rural Health Conference May 2-3, 2012, at the Marriott Legends at Capitol Hill in Prattville, Alabama. Registration and draft agenda are available below.

Alabama hospital administrators and other rural health leaders hear the latest information on:

• Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs)
• Legislative Health Care Updates from the National Rural Health Association
• Preparing for the transition to ICD-10 for Rural Health Clinics and Rural Hospitals
• Cost Reporting and Reimbursement of Medicare Bad Debt for Rural Health Clinics
• Financial Viability of Rural Hospitals
• Future of Rural Hospitals
• Best Practices for Rural Hospital Administrators and Staff
• Alabama Gulf EMS Region STEMI System 
• Proper Documentation in Pre-Hospital Settings
• Capnography for Pre-Hospital Use
• Advances in Resuscitation Science

Registration

Registration deadline is April 26th. The cost of registration includes all refreshment breaks, breakfast with the vendors, and lunch on May 3rd.

Website: http://www.adph.org/ruralhealth/index.asp?id=4243

"How to Turn Your Town into a Rural Renaissance City through Asset Quilting and Economic Gardening." National Rural Entrepreneurial Gathering, Fairfield, Iowa. The event has partnered with organizations like the Community Vitality Center, the Farm Foundation, the National Economic Gardening Gathering and the Illinois Institute of Rural Affairs. Best practices and case studies from innovative communities across the country are captured on the Community Vitality Center Website.

Optional Boot Camp on Economic Gardening starting on the evening of Wednesday, May 2 and running until 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 3. ($150)

Website: http://www.fredconference.com/FRED_Conference/FRED.html

IEI is hosting a webinar to launch a new grant opportunity for rural advocacy organizations to apply digital tools.  

The program will award a total of $100,000 in grants through a competitive mini-grant process in amounts up to $10,000, which must be used to enhance the work of rural policy networks in the United States.

The webinar will share some best practices for developing digital tools, offer more in-depth information on the purpose of the grants, and finally review the grant application and award processes.

Click here to register for the webinar and learn more about this exciting new opportunity.
For questions, please contact Adam Brueggemann at atbruegg@ncsu.edu

Website: http://www.ncsu.edu/iei/index.php/our-work/rural-people-rural-policy

The University of Nebraska invites you to attend the 'Connecting Innovation' conference designed to bring together local, state, national and international stakeholders who are interested in thinking about the future of rural America.

The Rural Futures Conference will be on May 8-10, 2012 at the Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln, Nebraska. Your input is valuable as the University considers the creation of a Rural Futures Institute at the University of Nebraska. Today, globalization and other unprecedented factors and trends are changing our world at an ever-increasing rate. While this presents challenges, it also creates opportunities. To succeed, the people – rural and urban, alike – must anticipate and take advantage of constantly changing environments.

The vision for the RFI is to provide internationally recognized intellectual leadership through assisting rural Nebraska, the Great Plains and other similar regions across the world to create resilient and sustainable futures by building upon a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. Drawing largely upon private funds and the resources of the University of Nebraska and those of its partners, the RFI will help enable rural people and places around the world find unique paths to their desired futures.

The conference objectives are to:

• Engage faculty and partners in a way that informs the development of the RFI
• Implant the seeds for a new culture of innovation around the role of higher education in supporting positive rural futures
• Excite faculty, staff, students, partners and stakeholders to become involved in the creation and future of the RFI
• Provide a setting for attendees to build robust interdisciplinary, multi-institution partnerships that include rural stakeholders to increase the quality of life for rural residents

Whether you see yourself as having expertise relevant to positively impacting the futures of rural places or not, we believe you do.  Your input is valuable and we invite you to participate in the conference discussions focused to help shape the RFI.  

Please join us at the conference to engage in discussions focused on a new culture of innovation and collaboration to support positive rural futures. 

We hope to see you there! 

Website: http://ruralfutures.nebraska.edu

The 2012 Rural Communities Confernece will address a variety of topics important to our communities including: What characteristics must communities develop and maintain in order to flourish? What legacy will be left to our rural communities? What will the population of Montana look like in the future, and how can these changes be addressed? This is your chance to share, learn, connect and mobilize with others dedicated to creating a bright future for rural Montana. Find solutions, share success stories, adopt new tools, and leave ready to move from waiting to leading, from talk to action.

Website: http://www.ruralcommunityconference.org/

The United States Department of Agriculture's Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships recently announced their "Together We Can" partnership series on nourishing families. This webinar series consists of seven one-hour training sessions over the next few months to help your organization collaborate with the USDA on issues around food and nutrition.

All webinars are free and you can attend all the sessions, or just the ones most relevant to your organization and community.

Register for the webinar.

If you have any questions about any of the sessions, please contact collaborate@usda.gov or call (202) 720-2032.

Website: http://vovici.com/wsb.dll/s/17fb9g4f9b9

Following the success of the inaugural National Rural and Regional Law and Justice Conference in 2010, the University of New England School of Law, in collaboration with Deakin University School of Law, is hosting the second National Conference to be held at the BreakFree Aanuka Beach Resort on the north coast of NSW in 2012. Like the first conference, the aim is to bring together academic researchers, policy makers, practitioners, service providers, and non-government organizations to consider and discuss the law and justice issue confronting rural and regional Australia.

Website: http://www.une.edu.au/law/rrljconference/

Summer action camp focused on skills and connections for opposing strip mining and other extractive industries in Appalachia. Workshops will include items such as mountaintop removal 101, non-violent civil disobedience, campaign and community organizing, science and SMCRA (Surface Mine Control and Reclamation Act), and Appalachian community economics. In addition, there is a training-for-trainers track. Direct action will be part of this camp as well, though participation is not required for camp attendance.

Registration fees will be $20 minimum plus $15/day, or $150 for the duration of camp. Scholarships are available. 

Volunteer opportunities available.

Website: http://www.mountainjustice.org/events.php?id=229

This national conference for anchor institutions, BTOP and BIP awardees, and anyone else (including non-awardees) will explore sustainability strategies for next-generation broadband networks and examine how community anchor institutions can benefit from and leverage these broadband investments to serve their communities.

Keynote Speaker
Lawrence E. Strickling, Administrator, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), U.S. Department of Commerce

Website: http://shlb.org/events

There will be a dedication celebration for a new tile mosaic sculpture outside the East Kentucky Social Club in Lynch, Kentucky, on Thursday, May 24th at noon. Refreshments will be served. Contact Robert Gipe or Carolyn Sundy at 606-589-2145 for more information.

The 46th annual National Polka Festival® in Ennis, Texas celebrates Czech heritage with three days of music and festivities in Ennis, Texas (between Dallas and Waco).

An opening dance Friday, May 25, 7:00 pm,features polka music and the King and Queen Dance Contest, with traditional Czech kroj (costumes). At 10:00 a.m. Saturday, a parade  will kick-off the downtown festivities. Dancing takes place in three air-conditioned halls. Bands include Brave Combo, Texas Dutchmen, Mark Halata and Texavia, Dujka Brothers, many more.

Website: http://www.nationalpolkafestival.com

The United States Department of Agriculture's Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships recently announced their "Together We Can" partnership series on nourishing families. This webinar series consists of seven one-hour training sessions over the next few months to help your organization collaborate with the USDA on issues around food and nutrition.

All webinars are free and you can attend all the sessions, or just the ones most relevant to your organization and community.

Register for the webinar.

If you have any questions about any of the sessions, please contact collaborate@usda.gov or call (202) 720-2032.

Website: http://bit.ly/Kfu2nO