Pie, Place, and Possibility: Celebrating Abundance in Granite Falls
By: Ash Hanson, Creative Executive Officer, Department of Public Transformation
On a mid-September day in Granite Falls, MN, The YES! House opened its doors for a gathering that celebrated rural imagination, connection, and abundance.
Hosted in partnership with Rural Assembly Everywhere, Pie, Place, and Possibility brought together neighbors, artists, land stewards, organizers, storytellers, and dreamers for a full day of conversation, reflection, and, of course, pie.
The day began with a tasty lunch buffet from our neighbors at Falls Cafe & Canoe. Participants explored The YES! House through optional tours and connected with each other over lunch. This early gathering time was intentionally spacious, allowing participants to meet one another, settle in, and get set up to join the national livestream. Staff from DoPT and the Daily Yonder welcomed folks and set the tone for a day that was both thoughtfully structured and warmly communal.
Tuning In Together: The Rural Assembly Everywhere Livestream
After lunch, we joined the Rural Assembly Everywhere livestream, a 90-minute national broadcast that was simultaneously hosted by regional partners across the country. The livestream featured keynote conversations, storytelling, and performances from rural leaders, artists, and advocates, all exploring the theme of how rural communities can imagine and build more just, joyful, and connected futures. Watch the replay here!
At The YES! House, the livestream became a shared experience: tables were covered with sheets of paper and art supplies for attendees to jot notes, draw, or reflect as they listened. Some sketched landscapes and ideas; others wrote down quotes and questions to bring into later discussions. The hybrid format (local gathering plus national programming) created a powerful sense of being part of something larger: a many-voiced rural chorus, resonating across geographies.
A Bigger Pie: Abundance Over Scarcity
After the livestream, the smell of fresh fruit pies from Kornerstone Kravings & Bakery (Canby, MN) filled the space. Over slices of pie, participants joined small-group conversations to explore the theme of “A Bigger Pie” and participated in a reflection activity about moving from scarcity to abundance in rural communities. Facilitated by DoPT’s Luwaina Al-Otaibi and the Daily Yonder’s Adam Giorgi, these discussions lifted up local perspectives on what it means to share power, resources, and imagination in ways that expand possibility rather than compete over limitations, and steward our land for the next generation.
From Seed to Steward: Shaping Abundant Rural Futures
The heart of the afternoon was a panel conversation titled “From Seed to Steward: Shaping Abundant Rural Futures,” moderated by Robin Moore of the Land Stewardship Project. Panelists Audrey Arner (Moonstone Farm), Teresa Peterson Utuhu Cistinna Win (author and educator), and Teresa Kittridge (100 Rural Women) shared stories that wove together land, leadership, and intergenerational knowledge. Each panelist offered a vision of rural abundance rooted in relationships, regeneration, and stewardship. It was a grounded and inspiring conversation that illuminated how thriving futures are cultivated over time, like seeds tended carefully across generations.
Beyond the Clock LIVE: Telling Our Own Stories
In true Granite Falls fashion, the gathering then moved down the street to Bluenose Gopher Public House for music, drinks, and storytelling. Local musician Betsy Pardick welcomed guests with live music as conversations from the afternoon panel spilled into the cozy corners of the co-operatively run taphouse. The evening’s final program was a live taping of Beyond the Clock, a rural storytelling series hosted by Ash Hanson (DoPT) and Anna Claussen (Voices for Rural Resilience). The conversation, titled “Telling Our Own Stories,” featured Jessica Stolen, a local journalist and artist from the Upper Minnesota River Valley, and Claire Carlson, reporter and editor at The Daily Yonder.
Together, they reflected on why it matters who tells rural stories on both the local and national stage and how they’re told, the myths and misrepresentations that persist in mainstream media, and the creative strategies rural journalists and artists are using to sustain local storytelling ecosystems in an era of shrinking newsrooms. It was a spirited, honest, and hopeful conversation that lifted up rural journalism as both an act of care and a vital tool for community connection.
Onward into the Abundant Future!
The day ended as it began: with music, mingling, and a sense of shared possibility. Participants left with full hearts (and bellies), new connections, and fresh inspiration to shape abundant rural futures—together.
Thank you to our partners Rural Assembly and to our friends that helped make the day possible Falls Cafe & Canoe, Kornerstone Kravings & Bakery, and Bluenose Gopher Public House. A special thanks to the incredible panelists and storytellers, to Anna Claussen for all of the photos, and everyone who joined us in person and online. Events like Pie, Place, and Possibility remind us that rural gatherings are not just hybrid meetings… They are acts of imagination, community care, and the power that exists when we unite across geography and tell our own stories, together.