“Envision it: Wisdom into Reality” is the theme for the joint North Dakota Newspaper and South Dakota Newspaper Associations meeting in the Lake Region this week.
It’s been decades since Devils Lake hosted a newspaper association convention and the new owners of the Devils Lake Journal, Kathy Svidal and Scott Champion from the MCM Media Network are eager to welcome old friends and new to the region for this special event.
Suzie Kenner, the Executive Director of the Devils Lake Area Chamber of Commerce also wants to welcome everyone who attends the conference, “We are excited to host the North Dakota and South Dakota Newspaper Association in the Lake Region. These organizations do a great job of representing all our communities through their stories and we are excited to be able to showcase a little bit of our community to them.” Kenner and the D.L. Chamber have provided a gift basket of items to be included in the convention’s silent auction.
The convention kicks off Thursday, May 11 at 3 p.m. with NDNA and SDNA Board meetings in separate conference rooms in the Spirit Lake Casino and & Resort facilities.
Registration begins at 4:30 p.m. in the Ballroom foyer.
From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. There is a welcome reception and Grand Hors d’oeuvres at Black Paws Brewery in historic downtown Devils Lake with guest speakers Stacy Kusler, ND Center for Rural Health and Kay Miller Temple, student writing expert “TRHE (Targeted Rural Health Education) Project.”
Guests will tour the Lake Region Heritage Center from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in small groups across the street from the Brewery.
The convention begins in earnest Friday morning with welcome speakers, general sessions and concurrent sessions throughout the day with topics like “Media Landscape,” “Earn Your Press Pass,” “Hot Seat: Best Ideas Spotlight,” and “Mindfulness in Your Environment” among others.
In between sessions there will be time for visiting and networking, a tradeshow and bidding on silent auction items*. A banquet with award presentations takes place Friday evening ending with the “Best of the Dakotas” award, then hospitality time!
The convention wraps up on Saturday following a breakfast with closing remarks, a general session featuring Jack McDonald, NDNA Legal Counsel & Dennis Pathroff, GA Group Lobbyist “Law Review” and the NDNA annual meeting at 10:45 a.m.
*The silent auction raises funds for the Education Foundation to support internships, scholarships, continuing education programs and more.
