135. Small-Town Events with Jeremy Nelson

We love small-town events (duh) and we love the people who make those events happen (also duh.) Thus, we love this whole episode. We get to talk to Jeremy Nelson about an amazing market he’s started and grown in his small town of Arthur, ND, and it's become kind of a whole thing. This episode is a transparent, honest look at what it looks like to do something big in a small town! About Jeremy: Jeremy was born in Northfield, MN and earned my BA in social studies secondary education in 2000 from Bethel College in St. Paul. He began his teaching career in St. Charles, MN, and spent six years teaching history along with several other courses, some of which were outside of his licensure area (welcome to small rural schools!), and helped create the girls' soccer program. Jeremy married his wife, Amanda, on New Year's Eve 2003 and they moved to Fargo, ND, in June of 2007 to pursue a career opportunity for Amanda. He continued his teaching career at Park Christian School in Moorhead, MN that fall and is now wrapping up his 17th year at that school. In 2017 they moved our family into a big old house in Arthur, ND, about 35 miles NNW of Fargo. In 2018, he received his Masters Degree in administration from Minnesota State University Moorhead, and in 2020 he stepped into the role of community coordinator for the City of Arthur, a fantastic side hustle that has allowed him to exercise his administrative chops. While in that position, he’s been in charge of a monthly newsletter, submitting grant requests for municipal projects, and organizing a variety of community events. One big idea he brought to life is the Arthur Market, a farmer's and maker's market held three times each year. Started in 2020 as simply an event under the community coordinator position, the Arthur Market has grown to such an extent that during the winter of 2023/2024 he worked to establish it as a separate nonprofit LLC in the state of North Dakota. The heart of the organization is to support, promote, and collaborate with local small businesses in order to create a thriving rural community. In this episode, we cover:

What the Arthur Market is and who it’s for
Lessons he’s learned heading into year five of the market
Why he decided it was time to create a separate nonprofit for the market
Why impact is the lens he uses when thinking about community events
Why having a sandbox mentality is so important

Links and Resources Mentioned: Arthur Market Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093882913776 (Website coming soon!) Get in touch: thearthurmarket@gmail.com

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