Going is what builds community

If you worked a booth at Expo this weekend, your feet may still be throbbing.
It’s a lot of work to put on an event like that, and the volunteers who are at the heart of the Jay County Chamber of Commerce deserve a round of applause for making it happen.
Why?
Because it brought us together, face to face.
And in this age of way too much electronic communication and not enough personal interaction, real contact is important. Something critical is lost when “virtual” replaces actual, when “friends” are tallied up like bank accounts but real friendships are hard to find.
Expo’s just one example.
The local calendar is dotted with scores of them: Car shows and cruise-ins; performances at Arts Place, the amphitheatre at Hudson Park, Dunkirk’s Webster Park, and the outdoor stage at Fort Recovery; school plays and PTO meetings; school athletic events, Pee Wee football, and Junior League baseball; bowling leagues; farmers’ markets; nature walks in the Loblolly; and the numerous fairs, festivals, and summer gatherings that fill the summer. Every one of them offers unique experiences, from a chance to have a bowl of homemade soup at the Underground Railway cabin at Balbec to a stroll through the oil field engines after dark.
But they need one thing to be successful: You.
If you missed Expo on Saturday or Friday night’s concert at Arts Place, that’s okay. There are other opportunities.
But keep in mind that they rely upon your participation.
So, this year, though we’re well past the time for resolutions, we’ll propose one: Resolve in the months ahead to attend a local public event that you’ve never been to before.
Never been to the Tri-State Gas Engine and Tractor Show? Go.
Never visited a gallery opening? Go.
Never been to a Junior League baseball game or a church league softball game? Go.
Going is what makes a strong community, getting out and seeing your neighbors and letting the Internet and the folks on TV take care of themselves.
Unplug, and plug in.  You won’t regret it. — J.R.

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