How to Become Part of Your Community, Part 3

The days have grown cooler, and fall's colors are showing.

While many people in our community look forward to this seasons of school sports, football, hunting, hearty meals and natural beauty, there's a sad side to it.

Farmer's markets and farm stands will soon be closing for the year. That means eating locally will be harder to do.

To be sure, there is a winter farm market on the Menominee side, and we applaud our local growers for starting this effort three years ago.

Bu the bounty of summer is behind us now, and it's only a matter of weeks before the markets end for the season.

There is still time to take advantage of buying your fruits and vegetables from local growers. You can do this on Saturday mornings and Thursday afternoons in Menominee, just south of the American Legion Club at Great Lakes Memorial Park, and on Tuesday and Friday mornings in the Merchants Park lot in downtown Marinette. There are still farm stands at several locations across town, too.

We would never discourage you from shopping at local supermarkets, or eating at local restaurants. That's a form of eating local, too. Many restaurant and grocery store owners buy from local and regional sources.

Buy buying produce at an outdoor market creates a bond between grower and consumer. It's a direct relationship. You know who grows what you eat. You know whether they use chemicals, or not. You might get recipe ideas and serving tips.

Shopping the farm markets creates a sense of community you won't find anywhere else. Frequently, farm markets are also community centers, a way of passing along news and harmless gossip. That's part of small-town life.

Want to become a true part of your community. Shop local. Eat local. Hurry.

The Next Steps

As summer fades, it's hard not to feel a little bit nostalgic already.

In another month or so, someone else will be inhabiting my office. They will have a great opportunity to move a dynamic organization in yet another direction.

Our Search & Screen Committee is working hard to identify the right person. I'm excited, because although I will be moving on to other ventures - some of them typical retirement pastimes, like reading, gardening and genealogy - I will also have the opportunity to watch the chamber grow.

Five years ago, we were an events management organization. We were newly merged, too, and sort of feeling our way in the community. Thanks to a lot of people working together, we were able to sort through programs and events from two chambers and create a third business-oriented organization.

None of this diminishes the work of previous executive directors or previous boards. Gary Nadolny and his board did a masterful job of implementing the merger of the two chambers, after decades of conversation about the wisdom of such a merger.  Prior to that, people like Nancy Douglas and Mary Robbins Eickman built solid foundations and reputations. It's been a honor serving after them.

But I'm excited to see what happens next. You should be, too!

I have a great deal of confidence in our Search & Screen Committee. Under the leadership of Paula Langteau, the committee has spent many hours creating a position profile and sifting through applications.

But it's not over until it's over. These things take time.

Meanwhile, I'm wrapping up lose ends and working hard to ensure the next director walks into a streamlined and organized office. There are many challenges ahead.

As for my own future, I've heard lots of rumors of what I'm supposedly doing. It's been fun. For years I had my own little writing and communications business and I hope to start that up again, among other things.

But first I have to clean out my office.

How to Become Part of Your Community, Part Two

There was a time when sending for pickled goat livers from Turkey or a special wheat only grown on an island off the cost of Scotland were the chichi things to do when entertaining friends.

Now it's eating locally, preparing a meal made only from products grown within, say, a 100-mile radius of your home.

Fortunately, we are able to do that fairly often here, especially now when the harvest is nearing its peak. Not only do we have at least five farm stands scattered throughout the community, we also are seeing more locally-grown produce in area grocery stores.

Local restaurant menus are also reflecting an interest in seasonal and local produce. Local chefs know that buying local and preparing seasonal menus is not only smart, it helps create a sense of community for diners.

It's a lot more fun when you know where you food comes from and who grows it.

Which brings me to our local farm markets. The Historic Downtown Menominee Farm Market runs 3-7 p.m. on Thursdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. Marinette's Main Street Market runs Tuesdays and Fridays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Farm markets have the potential to build community as well as provide local sources of fresh produce. They also provide a marketplace for the exchange of ideas, news, and friendship.

Want to be part of the community? Shop at a local farm market.

Waterfront Festival, a Weekend To Wait For

Only 361 more days until Waterfront Festival rolls around again.

Start counting.

The venerable event - after 30 years, a long time in festival years, it has earned the right to be called "venerable" - continues to draw crowds to Menominee's beautiful Great Lakes Memorial Marina Park year after year. Whether it's the location, the people, the music, the food or the sense of community, Waterfront Festival means something special to our community.

Anticipating it is half the fun. This is especially true on Saturday night, fireworks night. I've volunteered at both the Rotary booth and the wristband booth on Saturday night, and it's fun feeling the excitement build.

Kudos to Tyco for its generous contribution the the fireworks this year. Fireworks and a company that specializes in fighting fires is a perfect partnership.

Big kudos to Nancy Douglas for her longtime management of Waterfront Festival, which began in the early 1980s when Nancy was head of the Menominee Area Chamber of Commerce. When Nancy left the chamber in 2001, she continued to shepherd the festival for a year or so, and then returned in 2010. That she loves this event is as palpable as the pre-fireworks excitement on Saturday night.

Thanks to the more than 300 volunteers, including the Waterfront Steering Committee, who give countless hours to this legendary event. Having worked with them for two years, I know how passionately they care about Waterfront Festival.

The festival may not fit in the with the chamber's current program of work. But it's a good event, and we are pleased that it continues to provide an exciting rallying point for our summers.

Thirty Great Things to Do in Downtown Menominee

When the weather's hot, my husband and I are drawn to downtown Menominee. Each of us spent the better part of our growing up years living nearby. Although we now live in and love Marinette, Downtown Menominee is home to us.

On warm summer nights, Downtown Menominee is hopping! People without air conditioning come here to cool off. Families, people from boats docked at the marina, cyclists, skateboarders, people of all ages seem to flock here to grab a good meal, play on the playground, watch marina life, listen to music or eat an ice cream cone.

A few weeks back, we listed all the things you can do in downtown Marinette. Here's our Things to Do in Downtown Menominee list.

• Admire an historic building.
• Watch other people enjoy downtown.
• Borrow and ride a Yellow Bike.
• Eat a good meal at any of six restaurants.
• Dock your boat.
• Borrow or buy a book.
• Swing on the swings at Sings 'n' Things.
• Find a piece of jewelry no one else will be wearing.
• Take a dance class.
• Buy fresh produce on Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings.
• Get a massage, facial or new hairstyle.
• Eat an ice cream cone.
• Toss back a brewsky.
• Eat a sauteed vegetable sandwich.
• Watch a sailboard race.
• Enjoy a summer concert.
• Buy outdoor gear for nearly any sport.
• Watch a bunch of talented kids every year at Bay Jammer.
• Take photographs of sailboats, turrets on old buildings, or street life.
• Participate in a fishing derby.
• Have a picnic.
• Appreciate Menominee's history.
• Admire Linda's Garden at Stephenson Public Library.
• See a fish sculpture in front of the boater's lounge.
• Rent an apartment.
• Sample great wines.
• Buy flowers.
• Stock up on office supplies.
• Wade in the water.
• Order a thick, juicy steak.

OK, thirty seems like a good place to stop. But you can add your favorite things to do in the comment box below.

How to Become Part of Your Community, Part One

Recently, I was asked a question that was easily answerable, but I was surprised to be asked it. After all, the local news media had run several articles that made the answer to the question very clear.

But of course I answered the question politely, and then added, "There have been several stories in the local news about this issue. It's been in the news for some time, in fact."

I could not resist making that comment. I love keeping up with the news. I'm just plain curious. I grew up in a house that received at least two daily papers because my parents were voracious readers. My best friends today are voracious readers: Reading newspapers and books gives us an endless source of conversational topics. We read electronic links, too, as you can tell from our Facebook pages (I never thought I'd someday be writing that).

I majored in journalism, and worked on two college newspapers, editing both. I taught college journalism for seven years and I spent more than a dozen years in newspaper and radio newsrooms.

But that's not why I read a paper or listen to radio news every day. Like I said, I'm curious. You should be curious, too.

People who care about the community they live in read a daily newspaper. They read it to find out what's going on at city hall, at the courthouse and at the school district. They want to know what elected and appointed officials are doing. They have a right to know this. Open Records and Open Meeting laws give all citizens this right. News reporters ensure those rights are protected and exercised.

This, my friend, is something you need to care about. You need to care about who is spending your tax dollars and how they are spending them. And you need to know whether they are acting in your best interests.

In a world without news, we would not know these things.

When you read a daily newspaper, your are joining a group of other people who are also reading. You are getting the same information they are getting. You might have a different reaction. But if the information is controversial enough, someone will write a letter to the editor to express his or her delight or concern. You can do the same. Maybe someone else will respond. In the newspaper world, we call this "a community's conversation with itself."

Today, Facebook is providing another venue for conversation. This is especially evident now that most of us Baby Boomers have Facebook pages and we use them to communicate, like we used to use e-mail (which we still use, only not so much.)

But Facebook has few controls. Many of us local users are aware of at least one incident during which information was prematurely disseminated on Facebook by someone who did not understand the enormous responsibility that comes with freedom of speech. That incident showed us the downside of social media networking.

With a newspaper or radio newsroom, information is shared only when it has been verified, usually by two sources. It is shared in as objective a manner as possible (of course reporters have personal ideas about how things should work - call them biases, if you like, but good reporters truly make an effort to keep these ideas from showing up in their stories).

If you don't read a daily newspaper, you simply won't know what is happening in your community. You won't know which elected official is not serving you - and which one is. You won't know how your favorite school is doing during basketball season - or how students are faring with standardized tests. You might not know about an important community event that might need your help - last year's Maroon Makeover, for example. You won't know who your community leaders are, or who your elected representative is (I've seen that a lot).

You won't really know your community. So how can you be a part of it?

Try Something New!

We heard a lot of grumbling about the city of Marinette's decision not to have fireworks and a parade on the Fourth of July.

That's understandable. These things are part and parcel of our Independence Day tradition, and they have been part of Marinette's summer event calendar since the day's when Mairnette and Menominee alternated the celebration and called it Homecoming. (For newcomers and anyone who's not at least a Baby Boomer, that was in the late 50s and early 60s.)

The grumbling continued for more than 10 days, right up until the day the city finally unleashed its fireworks, at the tail end of the new, two-day Logging & Heritage Festival. Chamber staffers estimated they received 20-30 calls daily.

Still many people tried the festival, and liked what they saw. We give them kudos for being open to a new idea.

(For the record, the chamber did not make the decision to move festivities from the Fourth of July. The festival is the city's event, not the chamber's. Numerous newspaper and radio stories have made that pretty clear. Still, we do promote all area events. It's part of our mission. But we couldn't possibly run them all!)

It will be interesting to see what happens next. The city has to decide whether it wants to continue a mid-July event, go back the the Fourth of July holiday, or maybe find a sponsor for additional fireworks. There are many possibilities.

In Menominee, dog lovers are disappointed today that the city council rejected a proposal for an enclosed dog park within John Henes Park. Members of our Community Leadership Academy Class of 2012 will be understandably dismayed to learn the profits of their Aug. 18 dog walk in the park (dogs have permission to be in the park on leashes that day) won't got to helping create the park.

We liked Councilman Al Walker's suggestion that the city open the park on a trial basis. It might have worked.

Dog support supporters say they'll try again. We wish them luck.

Try is the operative word. Always.