-Isms: Views on life in rural America

This past weekend is a blur.

After wrapping up last week’s paper and making sure everything was organized for the rodeo, Scott and I headed north, to Fargo, where I was a finalist (and eventually named the winner) of the National Federation of Press Women’s Communicator of Achievement.

We decided to take the less-traveled path and support small-town businesses. Word to the wise: call ahead, especially if you need to make a reservation. After driving around a South Dakota town for 20 minutes, only to discover none of the places had vacancies ... even though none of the establishments’ parking l...