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RC&D: RC&D Event To Be Held Monday
By Jan Jorgensen
Northeast Nebraska
PLAINVIEW, Neb. — The Northeast Nebraska RC&D Council is planning an exciting event Monday afternoon, Sept. 22, to celebrate the 2008 National RC&D Week.
Everyone is invited to join Council members, staff, and volunteers on the first day of autumn for fun games and friendly competition through the 2008 Northeast Nebraska RC&D Autumn Olympics.
This free event is open to the public and will be held at the RC&D office in Plainview, 702 E. Park Ave. Activities begin at 4 p.m., followed by an awards ceremony at 6 p.m., a free hot dog feed and the regular monthly Council meeting.
The Autumn Olympics is being spearheaded by Dennis Wacker, of Osmond, a Pierce County Representative to the RC&D Council. He said he brainstormed the idea after a challenge from Jan Jorgensen, program coordinator for the local RC&D.
“Last year, we had a special open house at the Corps of Discovery Welcome Center, on Highway 81, north of Crofton, during the National RC&D Week. That was really neat, and we were trying to think up ideas for something special this year,” Wacker said. “I have a good imagination and got to thinking: People still remember the Olympics, and Sept. 22 is the first day of fall. Once I got the idea, I just let the wheels turn.”
The RC&D Autumn Olympics will feature seven games, each created to recognize some of the RC&D most successful projects in recent years. In each, the top three participants will receive an award:
• “Are You Smarter Than a Nitwit?” Quiz Bowl — Testing the knowledge of the RC&D program, Council, and projects, in honor of the Artist of the Month program that displays artwork, crafts and books by area residents, including several crocheted and knitted items.
• Computer Cycling — Timing the speed to race a bicycle balancing a computer monitor on its back fender through a course, in honor of the Waste Computer Collections that have cleared homes and businesses of toxic computer monitors and other electronic equipment.
• Grant-Writing Hurdles — Totaling the number of points scored by tossing a bolo at the rungs of a ladder, in honor of the many grant searches, completed applications, and funds secured for countless projects, from the annual Makin’ Money youth entrepreneurship camp to the Meridian Trail.
• Logo Landing — Testing the accuracy of tossing a magnet of the RC&D logo at a metal car hood and getting it to stick, in honor of the RC&D Awareness activities that work to promote the organization.
• Mouse Relay — Timing the speed to race computer mice down a series of rain gutters, also in honor of this year’s huge success in the Waste Computer Collections.
• Paint Bucket Bombing — Testing the accuracy of tossing a gallon paint can into a 55-gallon drum, in honor of the Household Hazardous Waste Collections that have helped rid the area’s homes of environmentally damaging garbage.
• Watermelon Seed Spitting — Testing seed-spitting distance and accuracy, in honor of the Farm to Family project that helps promote area farmers’ direct-marketing efforts.
Through these games, Wacker hopes to give those involved with the RC&D a fun way to get to know each other better, as well as to introduce the RC&D to more people in the public. Too many people know too little about this organization, its dedicated Council made up of 24 local volunteers, and its far-reaching projects.
“I hope the RC&D Autumn Olympics will be fun, but also educational,” Wacker said.
He recalled his early experiences with the Northeast Nebraska RC&D: “The RC&D office is located right here in Plainview. I drove by it for 12 years and never knew what they did, besides some grant-writing,” he said. “People just need a connection.”
Wacker met Jorgensen a couple times before he visited the office and struck up a conversation about wildflowers — a hobby that eventually led him to head up a well-attended Wildflower Adventure Tour for the public this summer.
“The more I learned about the RC&D, I learned this is a neat, fun group with a lot of interesting, good people working to not only identify the resources we have in the area but to promote and conserve them,” he said. “We work together and feed off of each other’s ideas. These are super good people, who really have the best interests in mind for Northeast Nebraska.”
With enough interest this year, Wacker is hoping that the RC&D Autumn Olympics becomes an annual tradition. Again, this event is free of charge, open to everyone of all ages, and comes with a free light supper. For more information about the RC&D Autumn Olympics, call Jorgensen or Program Support Assistant Carol Peters at 402-582-4866.
National RC&D Week, which runs from Sept. 21-27 this year, gives annual recognition to the nation’s local RC&D areas and their volunteer-run Councils, which work to improve community and rural development and environmental conservation. The Northeast Nebraska RC&D covers six counties — Antelope, Cedar, Dixon, Knox, Pierce, and Wayne — each represented by three local volunteers who meet monthly for Council meetings. The RC&D is coordinated by a small staff provided by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and is funded partly through the federal dollars but mostly through donations. There are also a number of other volunteers and partnerships with communities, organizations, and agencies that work on selected projects.
The RC&D is always looking for people interested in improving the quality of life in Northeast Nebraska by coordinating a new project or assisting with an existing project. In addition, there is one open seat on the Council for Cedar County. If interested in joining the Council, or helping in another way, contact Jorgensen or Peters at the RC&D office at 402-582-4866.
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For more information, call (402) 582-4866, e-mail info@northeastrcd.org or visit www.northeastrcd.org.
Everyone is invited to join Council members, staff, and volunteers on the first day of autumn for fun games and friendly competition through the 2008 Northeast Nebraska RC&D Autumn Olympics.
This free event is open to the public and will be held at the RC&D office in Plainview, 702 E. Park Ave. Activities begin at 4 p.m., followed by an awards ceremony at 6 p.m., a free hot dog feed and the regular monthly Council meeting.
The Autumn Olympics is being spearheaded by Dennis Wacker, of Osmond, a Pierce County Representative to the RC&D Council. He said he brainstormed the idea after a challenge from Jan Jorgensen, program coordinator for the local RC&D.
“Last year, we had a special open house at the Corps of Discovery Welcome Center, on Highway 81, north of Crofton, during the National RC&D Week. That was really neat, and we were trying to think up ideas for something special this year,” Wacker said. “I have a good imagination and got to thinking: People still remember the Olympics, and Sept. 22 is the first day of fall. Once I got the idea, I just let the wheels turn.”
The RC&D Autumn Olympics will feature seven games, each created to recognize some of the RC&D most successful projects in recent years. In each, the top three participants will receive an award:
• “Are You Smarter Than a Nitwit?” Quiz Bowl — Testing the knowledge of the RC&D program, Council, and projects, in honor of the Artist of the Month program that displays artwork, crafts and books by area residents, including several crocheted and knitted items.
• Computer Cycling — Timing the speed to race a bicycle balancing a computer monitor on its back fender through a course, in honor of the Waste Computer Collections that have cleared homes and businesses of toxic computer monitors and other electronic equipment.
• Grant-Writing Hurdles — Totaling the number of points scored by tossing a bolo at the rungs of a ladder, in honor of the many grant searches, completed applications, and funds secured for countless projects, from the annual Makin’ Money youth entrepreneurship camp to the Meridian Trail.
• Logo Landing — Testing the accuracy of tossing a magnet of the RC&D logo at a metal car hood and getting it to stick, in honor of the RC&D Awareness activities that work to promote the organization.
• Mouse Relay — Timing the speed to race computer mice down a series of rain gutters, also in honor of this year’s huge success in the Waste Computer Collections.
• Paint Bucket Bombing — Testing the accuracy of tossing a gallon paint can into a 55-gallon drum, in honor of the Household Hazardous Waste Collections that have helped rid the area’s homes of environmentally damaging garbage.
• Watermelon Seed Spitting — Testing seed-spitting distance and accuracy, in honor of the Farm to Family project that helps promote area farmers’ direct-marketing efforts.
Through these games, Wacker hopes to give those involved with the RC&D a fun way to get to know each other better, as well as to introduce the RC&D to more people in the public. Too many people know too little about this organization, its dedicated Council made up of 24 local volunteers, and its far-reaching projects.
“I hope the RC&D Autumn Olympics will be fun, but also educational,” Wacker said.
He recalled his early experiences with the Northeast Nebraska RC&D: “The RC&D office is located right here in Plainview. I drove by it for 12 years and never knew what they did, besides some grant-writing,” he said. “People just need a connection.”
Wacker met Jorgensen a couple times before he visited the office and struck up a conversation about wildflowers — a hobby that eventually led him to head up a well-attended Wildflower Adventure Tour for the public this summer.
“The more I learned about the RC&D, I learned this is a neat, fun group with a lot of interesting, good people working to not only identify the resources we have in the area but to promote and conserve them,” he said. “We work together and feed off of each other’s ideas. These are super good people, who really have the best interests in mind for Northeast Nebraska.”
With enough interest this year, Wacker is hoping that the RC&D Autumn Olympics becomes an annual tradition. Again, this event is free of charge, open to everyone of all ages, and comes with a free light supper. For more information about the RC&D Autumn Olympics, call Jorgensen or Program Support Assistant Carol Peters at 402-582-4866.
National RC&D Week, which runs from Sept. 21-27 this year, gives annual recognition to the nation’s local RC&D areas and their volunteer-run Councils, which work to improve community and rural development and environmental conservation. The Northeast Nebraska RC&D covers six counties — Antelope, Cedar, Dixon, Knox, Pierce, and Wayne — each represented by three local volunteers who meet monthly for Council meetings. The RC&D is coordinated by a small staff provided by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and is funded partly through the federal dollars but mostly through donations. There are also a number of other volunteers and partnerships with communities, organizations, and agencies that work on selected projects.
The RC&D is always looking for people interested in improving the quality of life in Northeast Nebraska by coordinating a new project or assisting with an existing project. In addition, there is one open seat on the Council for Cedar County. If interested in joining the Council, or helping in another way, contact Jorgensen or Peters at the RC&D office at 402-582-4866.
———
For more information, call (402) 582-4866, e-mail info@northeastrcd.org or visit www.northeastrcd.org.
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