Great American Think Off

By Missy Hermes, Photos by John Borge

Ponder this – a town with a vibrant arts and cultural community coming together annually to host an event that attracts philosophers and their fans for three decades. 2023 marks the 30th anniversary of The Great American Think-Off, a vision set out by the original director of the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center.

Current executive director, Betsy Roder, calls The Great American Think-Off, “a community collaboration” drawing visitors from all 50 states and several international countries to Otter Tail County. The popularity is hard to pinpoint. But attend just once she says, and “Then you know.”

A new debate question is announced each year on January 1st, giving folks four months to write their essay response. The Think-Off Committee of 8-10 people comes up with the debate question and then reviews the many hundreds of essays they typically receive. By May the four finalists are announced with the debate taking place the second Saturday in June.

In 2022, four philosophers debated the question, “Which should be more important: personal choice or social responsibility?”

In 2023, competitors will debate, “Which is more important to protect: the environment or the economy?””

Moderator Jennifer Nelson, a former Think-Off winner herself, set the tone for the event which is now held in the spacious New York Mills school auditorium. “Our hope is that you’ll see that we can disagree without being disagreeable.”

In addition to the debate, a variety of additional activities take place over the course of the weekend. Accessible activities like the historical walking tour of New York Mills and a reception featuring 10-20 artists at the Regional Cultural Center compliment the cultural atmosphere.

Betsy Roder gives credit for the long-running event to the community of New York Mills and the corps of volunteers that cover every aspect of the competition, from time keepers to ballot counters, technology experts to the Cub Scouts who collect the ballot each year after the final speaker.

The long-running philosophy event has a bright future. “Everyone steps up,” Roder says with enthusiasm, “I can’t say enough about New York Mills as a community.”