Murdo, SD

The annual Jones County Christmas concert was held at the Murdo Auditorium on Thursday evening, December 13th.  The K-12 students put on a wonderful performance, which included the grade school band playing a couple of songs and singing by all the grades.  The Jazz Choir and this year’s All State singers also performed.  The finale was the grade school performing a very funny musical play about Santa and his elves traveling down to Branson, MO to perform and make money to help save Christmas.  

Shortly after the concert, SANTA entered the building saying HO..HO…HO…and ringing his bells!!  Each child was given a brown paper bag full of hard candy and salted peanuts, which were sponsored by the Murdo Lion’s Club.  Six of the bags had special surprises inside them.  Five of the bags had a plastic egg in it containing $10.00 in Murdo Bucks (sponsored by the Murdo Chamber of Commerce).  One bag had an ONION in it that represented a $50.00 savings bond sponsored by a Murdo citizen!!  What an awesome way to share the Christmas spirit!!

Above are some pictures of the benches that are placed in several areas in Murdo.  The benches were made in time for our 100 year celebration in 2006.  The benches are maintenance-free, and each bench was built in memory of someone.  Many of the benches have one or two planters placed beside them with flowers and/or decorations placed in them representing the time of year it is.  The pictures above represent the benches that have been decorated for the Holiday Season!! 

It was very interesting to see what the results were from the LeadershipPLENTY Survey.  The 2000 Census recorded Murdo’s Poverty Rate at 12.1%.  From the survey it showed that 35.7% of Murdo LeadershipPLENTY participants were living at 200% of the Federal Poverty Level.  Also, 100% of those participating in the LP (LeadershipPLENTY) are “white.”  According to the 2000 Census data, the residents of Murdo were 95.9% “white.”  That is just one of the interesting facts shown with the LP Survey.  Our 31 to 40 aged participants were the highest percentage at 35.7% while our 41 to 50 aged participants came in second at 28.6%.  There were more females (71.4%) participating in the LP than males (28.5%). 

The Horizons Project has truly helped Murdo to address and/or change poverty in the community.  It showed that more people are aware of the poverty in the community now and those participating in the Horizon’s LP have seen their leadership skills grow stronger throughout the Project.  Please click on the right side of the page to see all the results of the LeadershipPLENTY survey. 

Over the past several months the Murdo Area has participated in study circles, leadership plenty, and now Horizons II. In the beginning of the process participants in the study circle were given surveys on their knowledge of poverty, and they were then given another survey at the completion of the study circles. According to the results of those study circles the Murdo Area has a grown a great deal in regards to their knowledge of poverty. The surveys were scaled from 1 (knowing almost nothing) to 4 (knowing a great deal).  Some of the categories were as follows:

1. Knowing the kinds of poverty that affect the area at the beginning we were at 2.39 and at the end of the study circles we were at 3.46.

2. Reasons it’s difficult to get out of poverty? In the beginning we were at 2.57 and in the end we were at 3.29.

3. How poverty affects community, in the beginning we were at 2.50 and in the end at 3.36.

4. Strategies to reduce poverty, in the beginning we were at 2.11 and in the end at 2.96.

5. Individual actions to reduce poverty, in the beginning we were at 2.21 and in the end at 3.07.

6. Community actions to reduce poverty, in the beginning we were at 2.30 and in the end at 3.21.

7. Policies to reduce poverty, in the beginning we were at 2.14 and in the end we were at 3.14.

8. Knowing possible causes of poverty, in the beginning at 2.71 and in the end at 3.46.

As we can see from these results, the Murdo Area seemed to learn a great deal about poverty and its affects from the study circles. 

The survey also showed the results of the Murdo Area’s increased knowledge of poverty to be 85.2%, which is compared to all SD communities at 88.3%.  However, our percentage of action already taken to reduce poverty is at 69.9% compared to all SD communities at 58.3%.

There were a few other survey results determined with this survey such as the likelihood of the Murdo Area’s future actions, our youth’s increased knowledge of poverty, and the high percentages in the actions the youth had already taken to reduce poverty. 

If anyone would like to read more about these survey results. Please see the right margin of this page under Study Circle results.

Here are some pictures taken December 9th of our 2007 PARADE OF LIGHTS!!

The weather was awesome with a clear sky and very little breeze.  It was wonderful watching and taking pictures of the floats that participated in the PARADE OF LIGHTS again this year. 

Instead of the usual after turkey afternoon choices (football or a nap?) , it was decided to offer the community an alternate event.  Once Joe and his crew finished cleaning up the wonderful Thanksgiving meal, we started playing BINGO!!  Yes……..BINGO on Thanksgiving, not only BINGO but FREE BINGO!! 

There were over 35 bingo players throughout the afternoon.  Most of the prizes won were donated by the Murdo Area Horizons.  The prizes consisted of typical household items such as laundry soap, trash bags, $5 “Murdo Bucks” and one prize was a LARGE Pumpkin Pie!!  Fun was had by all.  Towards the end of the Bingo, a pan of homemade dinner rolls (from the Thanksgiving meal) were split and put into plastic zip bags for everyone! 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!  :-)  The day before Thanksgiving this year, the Rapid City Journal featured an article telling about one of the residents of Murdo.  His name is Joe Connot.   (Please click on his name to read his story.)

This year there were at least 75 hungry people who came to eat with Joe.  There were several salads, side dishes and LOTS of pies to go with the turkey, stuffing, corn, potatoes and gravy.  The food was very good and the company you shared it with was wonderful!!