Connecting

Last week I shared my thoughts on revitalizing our community.

This week we’ll examine a few strategies that could help.

The key to regaining that small town pride and community camaraderie is connections.

Before everything became digital the town connected via sidewalks to a variety of centers.

Centers being gathering places such as downtown, parks, and, yes, even front porches.

We’re improving our sidewalks in various locations around town and that’s a good start.

Another strategy to bring fellowship back to our town is creating gathering places, like benches in front of businesses and pop up local retail stands.

Focus on the Square making it a source of civic pride and a social hub.

Every storefront matters and should be friendly and inviting.

Strengthen that porch life.

A great place to connect with your neighbors is the front porch.

Sit on your porch and it won’t be long before a neighbor stops and starts a conversation.

Basically, friends, restoring small town pride and community involvement starts with socializing and fellowship.

This includes, strolling the neighborhood, shopping, people watching, or finding food or desserts.

Build your town not so much on a busy main street where people just drive through.

If you plan your town around cars and traffic, you get more cars and traffic. Plan it around people and places, and you’ll get more people and places.

If we can find our way back to this vital piece of community fellowship and pride, it will be an important first step for the renewal of our unique and wonderful small town.

It certainly beats the alternative.

See you out there.