Community Almanac Puts Small Town America on the Map

For Immediate Release

December 10, 2009 Middlebury, VT — Some of the most telling images of places are hidden deep in the personal hard drives of millions of Americans. Likewise, some of the liveliest stories come directly from the people who’ve lived them. It’s how best to find, share and expand on this rich, locally generated material that leaves a lot of people scratching their heads. The Orton Family Foundation and The Open Planning Project have developed an online solution called Community Almanac.

It begins with individuals—parents and children, entrepreneurs and artists, elected officials and teachers—who need a vehicle for expressing and sharing what they love about their towns. Community Almanac makes it possible to gather multimedia stories on one accessible, easy-to-use platform. Once you’ve located your town on the interactive map, you can add to an existing almanac or create a new one, for free. The site allows you to post content in numerous formats (photos, videos, audio clips and written text), uploaded straight from your computer or linked from popular hosting sites like YouTube—whatever you have that captures the heart and soul of the place you call home. You can then connect your posts to actual geographic locations, search the map for others’ stories and comment on what you find.

“With this tool, residents can weave a textured digital fabric of community stories, sharing what they value and learning what others care about as well,” said Foundation President Bill Roper. “It’s a place where people can come together and celebrate their town’s heart and soul…and because it’s online and open source, it’s available for all to enjoy.”

Community Almanac lends itself to exploration and exchange; you can swap stories with your neighbors and, through their eyes, discover a new world right in your own backyard. In this way, the platform encourages connections between people about places that matter. Maybe it’s the best sledding hill in town, your favorite café or a memory of a mill in its operating days. Perhaps you want to share some photos you took on a family hike along the local trails and the poem you wrote about it afterwards. And maybe you captured some priceless audio of your kids comparing their favorite views on the ride home. All these things have a place on Community Almanac.

The site was designed to be accessible to people of all ages and technical abilities, from students in the classroom to officials on the local planning board. For those without easy access to a computer, there is even a simple way for one person to post another’s content. This makes for a broad body of material that is reflective of a town’s true character. Each almanac is quite literally by the community, for the community—a collaborative, inclusive account-in-progress of the people, culture, history, values, issues and traditions that make that particular place unique. As more residents contribute their stories, ideas, comments and reflections, a town’s almanac becomes a natural hub for proactive decision-making about the future.

In many places today, people don’t spend much time interacting with their neighbors due to busy schedules, long commutes and poorly designed neighborhoods. As people become increasingly isolated in their own affairs, the sense of community dwindles, stories are forgotten, and the heart and soul of a town begins to fade. Community Almanac reverses this widespread trend by engaging citizens from Victor, Idaho to Herculaneum, Missouri to Damariscotta, Maine in a grassroots movement to get reacquainted with our local communities.

Start a Community Almanac today to commemorate and build upon that special character that puts your town on the map.

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The Orton Family Foundation, based in Middlebury, Vermont, and Denver, Colorado, seeks to help small cities and towns discover and describe their heart and soul—the collective attributes that make communities unique—and build on those attributes in planning toward a vibrant, enduring future.

The Open Planning Project, based in New York City, produces open source software and web-based media that enhances the role of citizens while promoting more livable cities.

For More Information Contact:
John Barstow, Director of Communications
Orton Family Foundation
PO Box 111 (152 Maple St., Suite 101)
Middlebury, VT 05753
802.388.6336
communications@orton.org
www.orton.org