Why not Seymour? That is the question of this week’s column.
Seymour is the place we lay our head to rest at night, but it isn’t always our first choice when shopping or dining. So this week, before I repeat the question, let me share some of my adventures as mayor.
I recently had a chance to visit with a fifth and sixth grade group. I was able to share pieces of my role as mayor and more importantly listen to one of the winning essays on freedom. The essay covered most of the key points I had in my notes. He even mentioned freedom extends to everyone, even if we don’t agree.
We discussed some of the constitutional amendments and how they changed America for better or worse. As always, I got a chance to see firsthand how bright our future is because of the next generation.
My recent work visit was with parks and recreation. It was a good reminder that just because you have something on the calendar, you won’t always get to do it, especially when the weather won’t allow it due to several days of rain.
No worries, though. The crew is good at knocking off what can be done and adjusting schedules to try to accomplish what they can along the way. Don’t worry. They are still plugging away at several large and small projects for all to enjoy.
Expect to see some major project ribbon cuttings coming up in the next few months. Thanks to the crews for all of the hard work that mostly goes unseen. It is appreciated.
Jackson County United Way’s 25th annual Day of Caring was Tuesday. Most years, I would get to proclaim the day live and in person to hundreds of volunteers before they head out to do projects for senior citizens and nonprofits in Jackson County.
This year, though, I got to record a video message to be shared. To all of the volunteers, organizers, sponsors and everyone else involved, thank you. This event would not be what it is without your support. In 2022, I fully expect numbers to double or triple as we get back to normal interactions and are able to fully help our friends and neighbors.
Back to that original question. Why not Seymour? If you are reading this, you probably already call Seymour home and in turn you lay your head to rest here the majority of the time. Using dinner as our talking point, though, what makes you choose to leave town for supper? Before anybody gets upset that I am asking, I am genuinely curious.
I know some things are not available in Seymour, but if you are in the mood for pizza, Mexican or American, we have you covered. Not only do we have you covered, but we have you covered with several locally owned choices. I know we don’t cover all of the options when eating or shopping, but we cover way more than some give us credit for.
Today, I challenge you to think local, eat local and be local. Support your friends and neighbors every chance you can and remember these words of Robert Ingersoll when you do: “The time to be happy is now, and the place to be happy is here.”
Because when you support locals, more of those dollars stay in our local economy to support more locals along the way.
Matt Nicholson is the mayor of Seymour. Send comments to [email protected].