THE LIST: Part 3 - ‘People, places and things

I hope you all had a wonderful Fourth of July. As I write this, I haven’t been to the heart of Massena’s Fourth of July celebration yet, but I am sure it will be wonderful. The band ECKO did an awesome job at their fire department’s street dance Monday evening.

Kudos to Massena for putting on a great celebration. It’s not in our county technically, but we will be sure to not be shy about giving it the love it deserves in the newspaper. See some photos on the back page of Tuesday afternoon’s park activities.

You think about our town festivals and Fourth of July celebrations and it really does encapsulate well the “things” that make our area great — the bounce houses, the parades, the Lion’s Club lemonade, and the “Iowa nice” feel you get when you’re out and about. Sure, our country isn’t perfect and it has its fair share of flaws, but we get to celebrate a lot of freedoms here that others around the globe don’t get to. It’s good we at least have one day a year we’re reminded to celebrate those freedoms.

This is the final of three columns about the people, places and things that make our corner of the world great. I had to skip a week. Last week just wasn’t my week in terms of fitting everything into the schedule.

Three weeks ago we looked at the people who make our communities great. It really does start with each of us caring about each other, doesn’t it? From our police, firefighters and medical personnel to veterans, grocery store workers — heck, you name it — we have a lot of folks who make the world turn around here. If they don’t give a rip, things don’t go as well. Thankfully, they do!

After that, we talked about the places that make our towns great. We have a lot of iconic places I mentioned, like Greenfield’s Warren Cultural Center, the smiley-face water tower in Adair, the original Freedom Rock, and other spots that are hard to miss when we talk about Adair County.

This column series was prompted by a survey I took as part of a Chamber meeting here in Greenfield in early June that generally asked the question of what aspects comprise a great town or downtown district within a town. We move to “things” and our subject matter becomes a lot less tangible, but not less important.

We look at a lot of the aspects I brought up at the top of this piece this week and these are the “things” I think of when we talk about aspects that make our town great. Go to the Fourth of July or a farmers market and you’ll see what I mean. At last week’s farmer’s market, live music, Union State Bank staff serving the meal, the historical society serving baked goods, kids games, and vendors selling their goods, made a fun atmosphere. There was a decent crowd, but I just wish more people would take advantage of it. I expect Lake Fest will be a huge hit this weekend, as it should be. Again, get your lemonade! It’s a can’t-miss drink, courtesy of the Lion’s Club.

In terms of areas we could grow in that I identified on the survey, handicap accessibility for some of our downtown buildings was one, and music over a loudspeaker was another. I’ve seen both of these as positives in other places. We have several buildings in our downtown areas with steps to get into, which brings difficulty for some. Our merchants are happy to accommodate otherwise, though. Music always seems to do the trick in making a person happy, doesn’t it? I know one local community plays music on their Main Street and I enjoy it.

A third idea would be public Wi-Fi access extending to the square. Yes, the library has it, but I am not sure it extends to the square.

A lot goes into making a successful community, and the cliche that it takes a village isn’t far off. It really does! We have a lot going for us, but it’s important for us to think outside the box if we want to continue being on the cutting edge of attracting visitors and new businesses to our communities.