Decorah, Iowa has one of the most vibrant and active communities that I have ever seen, in any town, bar none. Monday we saw a presentation that rivals towns ten times its size. Decorah is working on completing a regional 30-mile trail loop around the town, and at the same time is embarking on an unusual project to provide local food to its population and educate people about the importance of healthy eating habits.
A local food co-op that has been in existence for more than 30 years is bursting at the seems and moving across the street to a new location. The food education research project won a grant from the Kellogg Foundation, one of only five given across the country and the only one to such a small, rural area.
During our tour, we meet local organic farmers who explained the local food concept and all the partnerships that had been made between local government, the school district and the local liberal arts college, Luther.
After a tour of the picturesque downtown business district, we listened to a presentation in the beautifully restored Winneshiek Hotel, pictured in this post. We were treated to some apple crisp which was made with locally grown ingredients. It was delicious!
