COLUMNIST HARRY WHITELEY:Hats off to the Optimists and Chamber of Commerce
The November 6 issue of the Advance carried a front-page color photo the full width of the page with a caption that said, ?Cutting the ribbons of progress.? Pictured were community leaders, state and local officials, and, in my mind, it depicted the beginning of a new era. It gave me a terrific lift as the preceding weeks and months were pretty dismal economy-wise. That event marked the completion of the airport, resurfacing eight miles of US-23 leading into town, and a three-mile extension of the Huron Sunrise Trail from Rogers City to Hoeft State Park.
Hot on the heels of this rather momentous occasion was a terrific production sponsored by the Optimist Club: the lighting of 132 Christmas trees on display at Westminster Park paid for by various groups, businesses and individuals. This propelled some of our young firebrands, Jeff Hopp and Anne Belanger, along with several others involved in the ?Cool Cities? promotion, to collaborate with the Optimist Club in a ?Light Up the City? festivity.
That turned out to also be a bang-up affair with most every merchant in town lighting up his or her store and staying open ?til way on into the evening. ?It pays to shop locally? was the theme that was rolled out and everyone joined in the revelry that eventually took place at the Radka building. There was food, music and song, and a good time was had by all. The kind of cooperation and enthusiasm engendered by this event was a long time coming and hopefully heralds a new era of community effort that could and will be an economic stimulus. What must not happen is to let up. We must keep the lights burning not only in our stores but in our homes and in our hearts. Keep up the momentum. There?s much yet do be done. Much has been accomplished but the focus of our economic development arm should now turn toward filling our vacant stores with new businesses.
I?ve been doing a lot of traveling in the last month and have noted a new era of friendliness and courtesy in restaurants, motels, gas stations and numerous stores. The same thing has become noticeable right here at home. It?s taken a long time but apparently our business people have come to the realization that these attributes are a part of good merchandising. This is another good sign of the times, all of which says enthusiasm, cooperation, motivation, hospitality, courtesy and friendliness will go a long way toward making ours a ?Cool City.?
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Best Line Of The Week: ?Hillary Clinton went to Afghanistan to visit troops and find out for herself if what President Bush is telling her is the truth. She doesn?t trust any president!? – Jay Leno.
And if you read Dennis the Menace
And there was this in Home Improvement: Al and Tim are attending a big dinner party and Al, in his shy manner, walks up to a beautiful girl sitting on a sofa and says while toeing the carpet, ?I hope you don?t think of me as being too forward but I would like to be the father of your children.? Tim, standing nearby within earshot, rushes over and says, ?Don?t you think we ought to have dinner first??
My wife says it doesn?t take much to amuse me. Happy Holidays!
Mr. Whiteley is the former long-time publisher of the Advance.