Sumner, Iowa (pop. 2,021) is our featured rural community this week! We'll be sharing stories throughout the week from local leaders and business owners who are making an impact here.

Today's guest blog post is from Holly Schemmel. Holly Schemmel is a lifelong resident of Sumner. She is actively involved in promoting the City of Sumner and serves as a member of Excelerating Sumner, which is involved in creating events that bring people to their downtown community. She also heads up the volunteer efforts in bringing Lights in the Park to the community during the months of November and December. Holly and her husband Michal were the former owners of the local grocery store and now own some commercial properties in Sumner’s Main Street District. Holly is passionate about her community and volunteers on many different organizations and is a great advocate for Sumner’s citizens and community.

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Sumner is a small, rural community of 2032 residents in the northeast corner of Iowa. Walking the Main Street of Sumner, people are friendly and will strike up a conversation. The quality of life in Sumner encompasses a life-work balance, interpersonal relationships, infrastructure, and services. We are surrounded by other communities comparable to our size, but we stand apart with our thriving downtown and retail businesses, restaurants, and community activities.

Sumner is a safe community where families enjoy outdoor activities and sports. We have beautiful parks, walking trail, fitness center, aquatic center, and library. More and more residents are returning to Sumner to raise their families because of our amenities. We maintain two schools in our hometown along with a daycare center. Our high school scholastics, athletics, and music programs excel.

We are fortunate to have healthcare facilities like Community Memorial Hospital, Cornerstone Clinic, Hillcrest, Cobblestone, and Sumner Emergency Medical Services to serve our citizens and surrounding communities with their high quality of care.

A gathering space has recently been developed in the heart of Sumner’s downtown with a stage and mural. The mural highlights points of interest in this great town.

A group of progressive citizens dedicated to the future of their community have created a culture of free, family fun in Sumner. The group collaborates and brainstorms to host engaging and family-friendly events for people to enjoy and draw visitors to town. Many of our downtown business owners are very active in this movement.

Sumner is the home of two popular events. The largest animated Christmas Light display in northeast Iowa set up in the park by volunteering citizens. It draws 6,000 people to Sumner per holiday season. In the fall, a “Farm to Table” dinner located in the heart of Sumner brings the community together to raise awareness and monies for ongoing projects in the community.

We hope that if you are in the area, you will stop in and say hi. We love to share our best kept secret in northeast Iowa. Sumner!