It was good to get together

Never underestimate the power of face time.

Nothing builds communities better than citizens coming together in the same place. They chat. They tell jokes. They kid one another. They share concerns. And they swap ideas.

County fairs, local festivals, and events like this weekend's Heritage Festival sponsored by the Jay County Historical Society provide a venue for that sort of interaction. This year's event, focusing on the eight high schools that preceded Jay County High, was a textbook example of community-building.

It was virtually impossible to be there without seeing someone you know. And the reunion sessions around each of the high schools succeeded in mixing nostalgia for the past with a sense of solidarity for the future. We know where we come from. We know that wherever we're going as a community we're going there together.

An interdependency and connection were reinforced, not in some ham-handed way but subtly, through smiles, anecdotes, even shared complaints about the chilly October wind.

In an Internet era of faux personal connection, events like this have special value. In an era of passivity as an audience for televised crap, participation and handshakes and hugs take on new meaning.

Fairs and festivals aren't the only opportunities for face time, of course. Ball games, PTO meetings, school plays, concerts at Arts Place or at Dunkirk's Depot Park or the amphitheatre in Fort Recovery play the same role. So, our pastor friends would remind us, does church.

Does this matter? You bet it does. In the 21st century, the difference between places and real communities is going to come down to just this: How often we get together, how well we know one another, and how well we translate that knowledge into trust, consensus, and action.

It was great to see you this weekend. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]