Networking Event Set for October 8

The Hannah Grimes Center (HGC) is set to host its 19th annual CONNECT Event at Alyson's Orchard on Oct. 8, the second night of the Radically Rural summit. CONNECT has been a staple in the local small business community since 2006. The inaugural event celebrated Hannah Grimes program alumni and brought together startup and existing entrepreneurs in the Keene community. In 2016, HGC partnered with The Keene Sentinel to bring the event to the larger community, hosting 400 individuals at Keene State College to network in a fusion of art, food and music. This collaboration sparked the first Radically Rural summit in 2018, which now hosts 500 to 600 community members and national rural innovators annually with the mission of building networks of engaged people willing to share ideas and resources and take action to strengthen their small communities across the country. CONNECT has remained an integral part of the summit, bringing Radically Rural attendees and other local residents together to share knowledge from the day's sessions and network with live music over local food and drinks. This year's local musicians include Rachel Bell and Yann Falquet, whose dynamic mix of traditional folk and original tunes will set a lively tone for the evening. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own instruments and join in on the jam. This year's CONNECT will also feature an exhibit of Foodstories, a multimedia project created by New Hampshire-based writer and visual artist Shanta Lee Gander. "This year's summit theme of 'resonance' features storytelling as integral to nurturing the kinds of communities we all want to live and work in," says Julianna Dodson, HGC executive director. "Shanta's project does a beautiful job of taking the innate physical and cultural nourishment of food and helping us know each other better by relaying the stories that go with it. which ones resonate with you!" The Radically Rural summit will be held Oct. 7 to 9 in Keene. For more information or to register, visit radicallyrural.org. Lillian Chase is the program and development coordinator at the Hannah Grimes Center for Entrepreneurship in Keene.