In this town, Green means go!
Eighteen years ago, as a newcomer to the town and Suffield on the Green, I was walking that slow stroll through the makeshift lanes, taking in the sights and sounds of the annual September festival.
As a former New Yorker, I had always been advised to avoid making eye contact in order to dodge trouble or, worse, solicitations from street vendors/hustlers, and that strategy never let me down. On that particular beautiful New England day, however, I let my guard down and accidentally struck up a conversation with a gentleman outside one of the many booths on the north side of the Green.
Long-story short, that booth was The Suffield Observer’s, that gentleman was its chairman Bob Warren, and that day marked the beginning of my tenure at the very newspaper you’re reading.
As the days shorten and everything in the natural world seems to cool down, every group, club and association that lives and breathes in this town is just starting to warm up. Their launch pad is Suffield on the Green.
Yes, like all fairs, there’s food, games, bounce houses and a lot of interesting things to do and see, but interspersed among all that fun is almost a complete representation of every organization, church, group, troop, team and business in town.
It reminds me of those first-day-of-college fairs where students sign up and get recruited for one of the many activities on campus. I had always assumed those fairs were just something to keep freshmen busy when they had no idea what to do with themselves, but now I recognize the method to all that and our town’s fairness.
First, recruiting friends can get awkward, walk-ins are rare, and the direct marketing approach can be time consuming and discouraging. But, if you place yourself where people want to be, hang up a sign and strike a friendly demeanor, you just might enlist a few people to your group, club or cause.
Second, as it was on the first day of college, things are about to get very busy very quickly. If you want to attract new members, there’s never going to be a better time than a sunny day on the first weekend in September. If you’re the kind of person who wants to get involved, there’s no better place to start than Suffield on the Green.
If you have a little time, you could do worse than teaming up with your neighbors to make the town you call home a better place to live.