A SNEAK PEEK AT OUR NEBRASKA, MONTANA, WYOMING, SOUTH DAKOTA AND KANSAS EVENT REPORTS
Ready for a quick look under the hood of the relay? From late July through early September, we had an incredible series of events across the Mountain West and Great Plains. It takes a fair bit of time to make sure that we capture the story of every event effectively (especially given busy host schedules in the summer and fall), so stay tuned for the full updates, but in the meantime we wanted to give a preview of the beauty of each of these gatherings.
In Nebraska, a group of parents and educators gathered for a morning of play and creativity in honor of Dr. Debora Basler Wisneski, a giant of Omaha’s early childhood community, who had passed away just a few weeks previously.
After that, the box traveled to Helena, Montana where a hot, smoky night couldn’t keep a group of 50 neighbors from over fifteen different countries to celebrate migration together over a potluck dinner and injera, chopchae and tahdig.
Our next stop was Casper, Wyoming, where the Casper Unity and Solidarity Project hosted over 200 people for a back to school bash. It was a joyous morning as attendees shared a massive continental brunch spread and chose the perfect first day outfit from a playground full of new and vintage clothing donations.
And then, South Dakota! Bison, to be precise, in Perkins County. Despite being in one of the most rural counties in the lower 48, a full house gathered at the Sheep Shed Cafe (which is to say, a makeshift third space created by children in a literal sheep shed) with dogs and livestock milling about and the tall grass framing it all. The theme of that gathering was kithship, the idea that we give and receive with all our neighbors, not just the human ones.
Our most recent stop was Inman, Kansas, where the Kansas Sampler Foundation hosted a reunion for their Hive Cohort, a group of organizers/community builders in small towns throughout the state. Even though they had been geographically distant from each other, they noticed how quickly and easily they transitioned into a day of deep, vulnerable communication, a testament to the bonds they’ve formed with one another previously.
More coming soon about each of these events, but in the meantime, enjoy these preview pictures from our run through the Mountain and Central Time Zones.
Creating and playing in Omaha
Undaunted by wildfire smoke in Helena.
A playground full of generosity in Casper.
A well guarded potluck table in Bison.
And a barn full of community in Inman.
