There’s culture hidden in your rural community: how to find it

Several conversations lately have centered on whether rural communities have something you could call culture. And if we do, how would you describe it? 

At the Dakota Resources virtual coffee we joined, Judy Larson said something like, “Our culture here in Lemmon affects how we do things, and new people have another culture.”

You may not think your town has a special culture, but you have ways of doing things. Those ways are part of your culture.  “Ways of doing things” includes what foods you eat and how you prepare them, what arts you create and how you involve people, what events you hold and what traditions are part of them, and much more.

Your culture is the intersection of the people in your community and the place where you are. Culture is a reservoir of shared experiences, a toolkit that equips us to thrive and adapt where we are.

Finding your culture can help you share the best of your community with others.  Here’s how: Our friends at Tourism Currents took the 8 Rural Culture Elements from the Kansas Sampler Foundation, then used that to generate dozens of ideas for ways to share your rural culture online.

Fun homework: take a quick look at the 8 Rural Culture Elements from the Kansas Sampler Foundation, then go find examples in your town.