Carole's column last week about dressing smartly - Pine River Valley style - cracked me up. So maybe it's time for some more light reading for spring break.
I think it could be time for some atta girls and atta boys, because frankly, a little pat on the back is nice once in awhile.
First, congratulations to those elected this week to the local town boards, but I'd also like to thank all of the people who were willing to serve on them. It takes some courage to run for public office, and town trustees really aren't fun or lucrative positions. Best of luck to those elected.
Time for some catch up items. Bayfield High School's production of Wonderland: the Musical Misadventures of a Girl Named Alice last month was really a delight. The music and dancing were fun, the students obviously had a great time, and it was the last play in our lousy cafetorium! How nice will it be next year to see performances in a proper auditorium, not only in Bayfield, but Ignacio as well? I know the hike in property taxes to pay for school expansions has hit home, but our performing arts students deserve nice facilities, as well.
There's also a community aspect to consider in having good facilities for our kids. When a student walks in the door, should buckets of water from leaking roofs great them? No. We should provide clean, safe buildings for our children. That reflects on us, as well, and shows visitors - and maybe new residents - yes, we are proud of our schools and our kids, and we're willing to pay for them to have a good place to learn.
Next round of kudos: our local baseball leagues. It's that time of year again, and running a Little League program is lots of work. Both Bayfield and Ignacio are lucky to have parents and volunteers willing to run a program that honestly, lots of people will criticize! I hope we adults can all try to set a good example for our kids and be good sports this year.
It's also spring soccer time at Bayfield Parks and Rec. It's fun, and the kids get some good exercise.
One more piece of good news - the Bayfield Kids 4 Kids program raised its $3,000 for the school backpack program! That will be matched by a local anonymous donor. It's disheartening that 60 families at Bayfield Elementary need this kind of help to get by, but at least this program is stepping in to fill the gaps.
I think we need some more good-paying jobs in this area.
Which leads me to my next item - a thanks to our chambers of commerce. Conflict alert - the Times is a member of the Bayfield and Ignacio chambers, and I'm president of Bayfield's until someone wants to come along and do a better job.
Anyway, working on creating a better business climate in your community - particularly when you're a small business owner with LOTS of jobs to do - is truly commendable. Our local chambers are small organizations that run on pretty tight budgets. We don't have paid staff to do any work - it's all up to us. The Ignacio Chamber runs the Four Corners Motorcycle Rally, a daunting task, while the Bayfield Chamber wants to recruit a motel to our town.
If you're a business owner, or even someone who wants to help local businesses, we welcome you to our meetings or to volunteer.
So what do you think we do right? Or what's wrong, as well? Please send us a letter, and we'll be glad to print it and share!
