The early bird gets a pretty good breakfast in Barnesville

WCI staff members are hitting the road early these days, as they host community meetings throughout the region. This morning a big breakfast and good conversation enticed about 30 people to head over to the Eagle Cafe in downtown Barnesville.

Barnesville is about 26 miles from Fargo-Moorhead, and an attractive place for people who work in the F-M area to live and raise their families. Good schools, easy access to stores, services and healthcare, strong youth programs, a low crime rate, and well-attended community events--like the popular Potato Days--are just some of the reasons people choose to live in Barnesville.

Many of the town's issues revolve around being a bedroom community:

Child care is a constant need, especially for infant care.

Keeping the city clean and attractive is a priority. New ordinances, plus grants to help rehabilitate downtown buildings and older homes are a couple ways that Barnesville works to look good for the community, visitors and potential homebuyers.

Volunteers are what really make so many of the events and projects succeed, but volunteer burn-out is a real concern. The town is being proactive about this through its Leadership Barnesville program, which provides training for the town's up-and-coming leaders.

WCI holds several of these community meetings throughout west central Minnesota each year. Want to know when we'll be in your area? Contact Kim Embretson to find out.

High-flying Leadership Barnesville

The Barnesville Community Fund took its Leadership Barnesville leader-building program to new heights this year--literally.

The 16 participants of the class of 2007, both long-time and new residents of Barnesville, found themselves on a high ropes course as part of the opening retreat of the progam. The course, which is located at the Kathryn Center south of Valley City, ND, challenged the group to work together in order to help each person succeed in a truly daunting task.

Leadership Barnesville helps community members become better leaders by strengthening their skills and broadening their community awareness. Along with the retreat and monthly sessions held Oct. 2006 to March 2007, the participants worked on projects for the community, such as the development of an artisan and history center, and research to create a nature trail connecting downtown Barnesville to nearby Blue Eagle Lake.

This is the fifth year the Barnesville Community Fund has held the program, which was funded in part by West Central Initiative, Barnesville Lions, Wells Fargo, Midwest Bank and Thursday Nite Lions.