Small Community Forum: Belgium

2024 Small Community Forum: Belgium

Tuesday, October 1, 2024 | 7:30 am - 1:00 pm
Buechler Farms, 587 S Royal Ave, Belgium, WI

Includes light breakfast and lunch

Join us for conversations about the future of Wisconsin’s small (and mighty) communities. This year's forums will bring together residents, community leaders, elected officials, business leaders, and civic-minded individuals to share best practices and discuss strategies to address our communities' unique opportunities and challenges.

Forum Agenda (subject to change)

7:30 am Registration

8:00 am Welcome and Introductions

8:45 am Local Case Studies:

Belgium area Chamber of Commerce, speaking about our community, our Luxembourg ties, and our newest event, Buergbrennen

Buechler Farms will speak about its experiences as a farm and event venue and its future plans to expand.

Belgium school district's brand new charter school, Rocket Academy. Will speak about how the school will educate and excite students about careers, manufacturing, and the trades.

10:00 am Rewriting the Rural Narrative
It seems the rural story has already been told. Small towns keep getting smaller. Churches, schools, clinics, businesses, and now post offices have closed their doors as the lucky few migrate out to the big cities. This deficit framework dominates how we discuss and envision our rural communities. However, the story of rural America since 1970 is rich and diverse, with positive trends occurring under the radar. Learn how positive changes around migration, community involvement, economic development, and regional living have diversified this landscape, requiring us to rewrite the narrative of rural community change.
Speaker: Benjamin S Winchester, Evaluation Rural Sociology, Extension Professor, Department of Community Development, University of Minnesota Extension (By Zoom)

10:45 am Roundtable Discussions
Leaders will include Melissa Kono, Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension; Staff and community leaders from the Belgium area, and state agency leaders. 

11:45 am Wrap up

Noon  Lunch with colleagues and resource leaders