We are those people.
Last night Kevin and I attended a Meet and Greet-type thing hosted by the Chamber of Commerce. As we stood there, chatting up the local business owners and sucking down goat cheese wrapped in prosciutto, I realized it--we are those people. We are the Grand Opening ribbon-cutters, the little league shirt-buyers, the Halloween parade float-makers. We will be among those who create all of that boring (unless it's you!) fodder that fills small town newspapers from coast-to-coast: hosts of the salad portion of the Progressive Dinner, donators of new-books-for-tots at the depressingly underused local library, sitters on Youth Fair boards. Woo!
It was actually pretty fun. It was held at a beautifully restored hotel and restaurant in a great neighboring town saved from the brink of death-by-modern-transportation-routes by one man: my sister-in-law's best friend and young mayor extraordinaire...Bobby. Bobby had the ideas and the money, and transformed what was a town much like the one described in "What is in this casserole?" to a sleepily charming and surreal little antique and lunch stop, the kind of place that will surprise you and make you wonder how and why it's here. It's the kind of town that sustains the Sunday drive. And there's even a real, working train track that runs right beside the restaurant--last night there were two trains within two hours.
Kevin and I just walked right up to people and started chatting. As we chatted, it became more and more obvious just how entrenched we already were. Did you know that I was a server at this very hotel, back in 2002? That Kevin's sister was married in this little town? That we are doing the bricks for the local fundraiser to restore the depot and turn it into a community center/museum? Oh, you know this/that/the other relative? Kevin dated your daughter? We're looking for a little rock to place by this tree in memory of.... On and on!
In Moab I was a sorta-active part of an active community. I worked at the radio station, was a teacher and, thus, attended a lot of youth-oriented events, attended local art shows, and was married in the community center. But this time around we have a chance to really be the kind of people who pump the life into these little towns, promoting just causes, sponsoring just events, and encouraging just (and fresh) happenings. It's energizing and exciting. Really!
It was actually pretty fun. It was held at a beautifully restored hotel and restaurant in a great neighboring town saved from the brink of death-by-modern-transportation-routes by one man: my sister-in-law's best friend and young mayor extraordinaire...Bobby. Bobby had the ideas and the money, and transformed what was a town much like the one described in "What is in this casserole?" to a sleepily charming and surreal little antique and lunch stop, the kind of place that will surprise you and make you wonder how and why it's here. It's the kind of town that sustains the Sunday drive. And there's even a real, working train track that runs right beside the restaurant--last night there were two trains within two hours.
Kevin and I just walked right up to people and started chatting. As we chatted, it became more and more obvious just how entrenched we already were. Did you know that I was a server at this very hotel, back in 2002? That Kevin's sister was married in this little town? That we are doing the bricks for the local fundraiser to restore the depot and turn it into a community center/museum? Oh, you know this/that/the other relative? Kevin dated your daughter? We're looking for a little rock to place by this tree in memory of.... On and on!
In Moab I was a sorta-active part of an active community. I worked at the radio station, was a teacher and, thus, attended a lot of youth-oriented events, attended local art shows, and was married in the community center. But this time around we have a chance to really be the kind of people who pump the life into these little towns, promoting just causes, sponsoring just events, and encouraging just (and fresh) happenings. It's energizing and exciting. Really!
posted by lulu | 10:11 AM
1 Comments:
Best thing I've read in ages. Yea, Bobby. Yea, y'all!
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