NEWSPAPER GROUP TO ‘EXPERIENCE FREEMAN’ JULY 7-8

Nearly two dozen people from across the United States, as well as a newspaper editor from Wales, will get an up-close look at some of what the Freeman community has to offer next Monday and Tuesday, July 7 and 8.

Most in the group are active or retired journalists, members of the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors (ISWNE). The Waltner Family — Mary and Tim and Stacey and Jeremy — are hosting the visitors.

The Waltners and the Freeman Courier have been active with ISWNE since 1993. Both Tim, now retired, and Jeremy, current publisher/editor, have served as president of the organization.

The visitors are coming to Freeman as a prelude to ISWNE’s annual summer conference on the South Dakota State University campus in Brookings July 9-13. The conference is being hosted by the SDSU School of Communication and Journalism and South Dakota News Media Association and will also  include time spent in Sioux Falls.

Here’s a look at what’s planned.

Monday

• A late afternoon visit to the Courier office followed by a picnic at Lions Park.

Tuesday

• A light breakfast at the Freeman Prairie Arboretum Interpretive Center (FPAIC).
• A 9 a.m. program at the Bethel Church on Freeman’s history. It will include the Germans-from-Russia immigration story and also explore the differences within Amish, Hutterite and Mennonite traditions. Guests will then have opportunity to tour Heritage Hall Museum & Archives (HHM&A) as well as the Prairie Arboretum.
• A noon “potluck” (11:30-12:30) at the FPAIC. HHM&A is hosting the meal  with a focus on ethnic foods unique to this community. In addition to bringing food, members of the museum board and friends will also share in the meal and conversation with the guests.
• Following the meal, the group will visit both the Ortman family — Berrybrook Organics — and the Eisenbeis family – Prairie Roots Produce — about their operations.
• Midafternoon, the guests will travel to Oaklane Hutterite Colony for a guided tour and evening meal. After that, guests are on their own to either return to Freeman or head to Brookings in advance ofWednesday’s conference open session.

“We love having groups visit us and the connections we make,” said Marnette D. (Ortman) Hofer, executive director of HHM&A, the location of most of Tuesday morning programming and noon meal.

“We appreciate these opportunities to share our history and stories. They learn from us and we learn from them,” she said, adding “the international component this time adds a special flair.’

About ISWNE

ISWNE was founded in 1955 at Southern Illinois University Carbondale by two rural editors who sought to strengthen their service to their respective communities. Today, the not-for-profit organization has members from around the world, primarily in the United States along with Australia, Canada, Ireland, Nepal and the UK.

Its mission is to encourage strong editorial writing and news reporting. It also seeks to develop community journalism as an instrument

of mutual understanding and to foster freedom of the press in all nations.

Members stay in touch via a monthly newsletter, an online “hotline,” and an annual summer conference hosted by members, usually on a university campus.

These conferences are typically a blend of strong journalism programs and sessions focusing on unique aspects of the conference setting and a continuing education component. Because of the Waltners’ active participation in ISWNE for more than 30 years, members have become familiar with Freeman. When plans were announced for the conference in Brookings, the Waltners were encouraged to offer a “Freeman Experience.”

“ISWNE is focused on how journalists interact with and relate to their communities,” said Tim L. Waltner. “Over the years, in our sessions and informal conversations, our colleagues have learned a lot about Freeman. Since most have never visited, the opportunity for them to see our community first-hand has generated interest within the group.”

“And this time, we have the bonus of sharing some of our foods,” Hofer said. “We’re really looking forward to this.”

The Waltners hosted a similar pre-conference visit to Freeman in 2007; that year they co-hosted the full ISWNE conference at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City.