Celebrate Small Towns Day!

WHEREAS:	Over 85% of the towns in Minnesota are small towns with 6,000 or fewer residents; and

WHEREAS:	These towns bring a rich diversity of people and places to Minnesota's landscape and heritage; and

WHEREAS:	We are thankful for the economic, cultural, and educational contributions that originate from small towns, such as the creation of world-renown businesses and the natural resources that outfit the world, power our state, and bring food to our tables; and

WHEREAS:	We are thankful for the people of small towns, who bring energy and leadership skills to their local communities, and to our state, our country, and to the world; and

WHEREAS:	They show us, through their resilience and generosity, how to work better together for the common good of our state; and

WHEREAS:	The 2006 Symposium on Small Towns and Rural Summit on June 6 & 7, 2006, in Morris, Minnesota, will gather community leaders from across the state to learn from one another and to celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit of small towns in Minnesota.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, TIM PAWLENTY, Governor of Minnesota, declare Tuesday, June 6, 2006, to be:
CELEBRATE SMALL TOWNS DAY
in the State of Minnesota