It’s been about a week, and we hope y’all remember the good vibes from the annual National Night Out.
Thanks to local law enforcement, along with the other emergency services personnel, it delivered what we always like to see, whether it is an outdoor music concert, a downtown festival or any other opportunity for fellowship. People gather together simply for the sake of it, to have fun because people have organized a venue for it.
Wadesboro was the site of yet another big crowd for the ‘Night Out’ event, the premise for which is to bring people together with the goal of uniting a community and the law enforcement officers who serve it. This event did exactly that, as hundreds converged to build on those already growing partnerships, as well as forging stronger relationships between neighbors.
With varied agencies on hand to help bring awareness, “Night Out” was exactly the kind of neighborhood event that make communities like ours an even better place to live.
For one thing, it speaks volumes about community. Children either played games set up just for the event or enjoyed the free food and music. Folks meandered the grounds, stopping to chat with law enforcement officers, EMS and fire crews or representatives from various area churches, all there to mix, mingle and share information with attendees.
It was a festival atmosphere with an underlying theme of safety, prevention and camaraderie, all born out of a desire for Wadesboro and Anson County and its neighborhoods to come together as we so often do, with one common purpose.
It was an old-fashioned, educational, down-home family event that had to take attendees back to a simpler time, when life wasn’t so complicated and dangers weren’t thought to lurk just out of sight.
We applaud the continued efforts to make this community-wide event possible and promising.
We believe the event was well worth the time it took to put together and we urge organizers to make this an annual happening, one we hope residents across the city will participate in, making an already great event that much better.
It speaks volume for the town of Wadesboro, that its officials and residents continue to strive to offer free, fun and diverse offerings for those who live and work here.
They expend that energy because, as they will be the first to tell you, this place and those who inhabit it, are well worth that time and effort. It is up to all of us to encourage and aid those efforts and join in the fun when it presents itself. By doing so, those neighborly relationships can grow stronger as new generations see firsthand the love and care for this community, a feeling that experienced at a young age that will choose to emulate for the years to come.
***
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Reaching out takes nothing more than a smile.” (Ron Kaufman)