Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Cute up your Corner! Again....

My parents, grew in 'Our Small Town', married and moved away for city life. As a child, I feel in love with this town, while frequently visiting my extended family. I spent 5 days (always 5 days) summering here. I felt safe, comfortable and completely enthralled with small town life.
My cousins, were allowed to ride their bikes several blocks from home! They could walk alone to Grandma's house, went to Bible school with their friends and seemed to have the greatest Fried Cinnamon's for breakfast every morning.
Several years after I began raising my children here, my Pleasantville Love Affair, continues to thrive.
I love to walk uptown or to the Ballfield.
I love attending my nieces and nephews events, dining at Turtles and having our children's Doctor, just a phone call away.
Above all...I love our weekly stop at The Dairy Queen. (occasionally, twice weekly.) We had a Dairy Queen in my town but weirdly, it was not nearly as magical.
Sadly, as with many small towns around this country, our Quaint Oasis, is threatened. As small businesses close, the shine of our downtown is fading, our Park and Recs program has been dramatically slashed and our baseball complex has been left tattered by age plus a pretty angry tornado.
Our community needs an IMPACT.
Several dedicated volunteers including The Commissioner and Grammy, have devoted hours searching their creative core while simultaneously learning a little about politics. They plan to put the Skip back in Our Town's step. If it 'Takes a Village' to bring Our Town back to it's former glory, I am grateful to have them as my fellow residents.

I would like to reintroduce our plan to...
'Cute Up Your Corner'.

There are several towns across America, who have chosen a 'theme'. A nearby town had adopted Pink Petunias. Washington State and Michigan are famous for their tulips, Washington D.C. for their Cherry Blossoms...etc.
I would like encourage this community to pump a cheerful shot of Yellow into our neighborhoods. Put a smile, back into your evening stroll and declare to visitors 'living in Our Town Equals some pretty happy people'.

Please, find a small space in your yard (or maybe even your grandparents!). Your corner, around a tree, your front porch or even a small window box. Splash yellow all up, down and around it.
Imagine:
Yellow Tulips or daffodils, in the Spring.
Yellow Day Lilies/Bright annuals in the Summer
and Big, bushy yellow Mums in the Fall.
Obviously, all participants are not required to follow our flower suggestions. Certainly, inject your color of choice across your curb. Not all of us have the skin tone to pull off yellow! Though, I am positive your yard has the perfect complexion for cheerful.
Picture if you please... driving to work each morning, greeted by hundreds of bright yellow Tulips, waving hello. Strolling in the evening, admiring the warm glow of Day Lilies.
And if yellow Mums, on each corner, does not scream 'Fall Festivals are Awesome' what does?
But why stop there? Our Impact has gained the City Council's approval to 'Adopt' several public locations to Cute Up.
Please contact us, to become the proud adoptive parent of your very own City Corner. Park Entrances, Schools, Nursing Homes, The Pool Entrance, Churches, the Town Welcome signs...the more interest generated, the more locations we will foster out to your family or organization.
Real-Life Pleasantville, can be a dream realized.
I believe, flowers can make any Grump smile, color can inspire a child's creativity and one person can beautify a community with a simple idea and a 'Grass roots' campaign.
Change can begin, at your front porch.

Cute Up Your Corner,
officially Re-implemented.

5 comments:

Anderson Family said...

Congratulations Tru Stories. You have officially been sucked into Impact Dwight. That's how it works. One person has an idea, they find a group to make it come true. I will yellow up my yard! Grammy

Anonymous said...

shameless plug

Anonymous said...

Great idea! I'm in!

Stephanie said...

Count me in too!

The Mrs. said...

My home always has been and will be The Big D even though I haven't lived there in, what? Eleven years? Even though we're 20 minutes north of this campaign, in honor of the great things you are all doing I bought some bulbs today with big plans for planting to "cute up" our house to show my support. Good job, team!