David Beurle and Gene Redlin then began their presentation about emerging trends in rural communities.  We first discussed specific trends that have become noticeable in North Dakota such as population decline spurred by the out migration of North Dakota�s youth.  David presented several examples of communities from his native Australia to show how smaller communities have banned together to prove the notion that a community working together will be more successful than one with a few individuals working on their own.  At dinner we heard from the Dickinson Area Chamber of Commerce Director and District 37 Senator, Rich Wardner.  He spoke of the importance of community leadership and gave some wonderful examples of local leaders in Dickinson.

On Friday morning, we discussed the book The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell before heading to TMI Systems Design Corp. for a tour.  Dennis Johnson, CEO of TMI, gave the tour of the large cabinet plant and gave a brief history of the company.  The group was then off to the Dickinson Recreation Center for a tour of the facility by Parks and Recreation Director, James Kramer. The new community center is an $11 million, 70,000 square foot addition to Dickinson that has been in the works for decades. Several RLND participants expressed great excitement as well as curiosity as to how a community of this size could have managed a project like this. At lunch, Dickinson Mayor Dennis Johnson spoke to the group about how Dickinson has changed over the years because of great community leaders. After lunch we analyzed case studies and began brainstorming on different creative ideas for projects that could be completed in our own communities. For dinner, we attended the Ukrainian Cultural Institute and learned about the history of the Ukrainian people relative to North Dakota. The evening was filled with great food, great history and a little entertainment by a few young Ukrainian dancers.

Saturday morning was spent discussing upcoming RLND events including our trip to Washington, DC.  We also decided to hold a get together over the summer months. A committee was selected to begin planning this event. The rest of the morning was spent discussing our community projects and sharing ideas.  David and Gene were very helpful and full of great ideas for those who needed a little inspiration. Our home assignment was to work on our community project and to complete a project form to be ready for seminar five in Fargo.