As my second time to perform the “Explore Your Community” exercise, I discovered that many of the commonwealth assets in our town have not changed. There have been a few additions and improvements, but the atmosphere of our small town is still productive and special. We are blessed with a hard working community that supports sustainability.
The first key asset is education and this one is closely related to our school system which has been functioning for hundreds of years. We have one school building for pre-k through 12th grade, and hire new employees nearly every year.
The next is health, and while our rural community does not have a hospital or nursing home, we do have local farmers that grow crops without chemicals, and we have a fitness class that works out each morning called P31 for people searching for a healthy body. Recently, our town gained a exercise for Senior Citizens twice a week.
Another one is leisure and recreation. Nazareth hosts many events throughout the year including German Fest, Labor Day, and Faith Fest. We also have a newly built Yellow Rose Inn for visitors who need a resting place for the night. In the process of being built is a t-ball field next to the regular baseball field for children to play.
For spirituality, we have many organizations within our church that connect the community. Holy Family Parish has daily mass and weekly catechism class. The youth group also gathers monthly and recently attended a weekend conference called Steubenville.
For people interested in history, our small town has quite a bit. We have a museum with many stories and memorabilia from the past which is being rebuilt and renovated, but the community is also home to 3 historical markers at the church, the Home Mercantile Building, and the cemetery.
I think the sense of place is something special in this community. Everyone joins together not only to support the school sports teams in a special way but also to put together every event that goes on in the town. So many people donate their time and efforts to make everything possible.
Arts and Culture can be found in our Home Mercantile building through the various exhibits that it holds throughout the years. There was recently an art show with guest artist Gary Ward and his outstanding Western paintings.
The water cycle in our community is regulated by several local playa lakes as water from the Ogallala Aquifer is used.
Wildlife and the Natural World is exhibited in the Nazareth Park with many plants, trees, and flowers. We also have many dairies and feed yards in our area, and other citizens raise cattle.
As for the Soil and Mineral Cycle, our small town doesn’t have much, however we do have a business that is ran by a local family that sells organic soil products.
For foodshed, we have a local garden that is taken care of to be used in our local food pantry. Each month, the food is donated to those in need.
The last is Renewable Energy. Our school currently used two wind turbines that make use of wind energy. Several other turbines have been built through of our community. We also have two stop signs at our main intersection that use solar energy to display flashing red lights.
