One down, one to go.
The Christmas Walk, in its 17th incarnation since being revived in 1980, seems to be off to a relatively good start. The weather has been fairly co-operative—dampish occasionally, cold often but frequently bright and seasonal. What do we expect? It’s November in Ohio! (Just a word of warning : Typhoon Nuri or something is going to drag another polar vortex-type weather system down from Alaska to the “lower 48”. Over here in the “effete East” we may miss the worst of it but the AOL weather item said that high temperature in Great Falls, MT would by about 7 degrees on Tuesday and a broad swath through the middle of the country would have high temperatures—high temperatures– for Wednesday below freezing.)
Anyway, plan to bundle up if you’re going to hit the second weekend. The sights are worth seeing at all of the stops. I was particularly taken with the Nelson United Methodist Church. It’s such a simple country church, so nicely displayed. Barb Shilling and her crew from the quilt club, the Village Piecemakers, with the quilt array over the backs of the pews, set a perfect tone for a bicentennial celebration; some of the patterns might have been recognized by families who sat in those seats so many years ago. The lunch was outstanding also; I may be forced to head back out there to sample more of the homemade desserts. The trail bosses for that round-up were Norma and Valorie McCullough and all of the “li’l doggies” were up for the trip. Pastor Rick was relegated to working in the chuckwagon too.
Every stop had its attractions : bodacious displays of craftsman(or woman)ship, humungous trees, amazing renovations and restorations, family moments, wit, humor, plants, views, histories, collections of every size and description…the interesting parts of any community. We’re all missing the businesses that were downtown but determined to be like “The Little Engine That Could” by giving this biennial event our very best effort. Sort of like the old tales of starlets being discovered in Hollywood sitting on a stool in a drugstore, we’re hoping that some enterprising soul(with pots of money) comes along, sees this place and how we’re doing and says, “Gosh, this little town really has grit and gumption and good looks and great schools! Why don’t I come here to open my office/ grow my business/expand my production/research or develop a new enterprise?” Yeah. Why not?
If you see or hear this person wandering around loose, notify the Chamber of Commerce immediately, if not sooner, so they can throw a net over the individual and we can get started with the planning.
The picture in last week’s Villager was a good start, an idea with some imagination and consideration of the town and its possibilities. Keep the ideas coming. Let the discussion engage everyone. Let the future be in harmony with the past but not chained to it. Don’t forget that there are still businesses on the intact side of Main Street which could use a boost right now. Pete Kepich of the Main Street Grille and Brewing Company is showing the way by sponsoring the Christmas tree downtown, set up by the Rotary. Others have been pitching in as well. We’re all in this together, folks. “Garrettsville Strong” is more than just a slogan, it’s our way forward. Get on board.
