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- May 22, 2008
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We are on the last day of Frontier Days. I spent a few hours yesterday and most of the day today "manning" the old G C Murphy Building. My City was able to buy it recently or a song and will, as grants and other monies come availble, be turning it into City Hall, Council Chambers, and Community Center (we are still thowing ideas on the wall to see what sticks). People csme in looking at the displays of photos and remembering when they worked at Murphy"s or came into Murphy's as a child and where things were or remembering it as Family Dollar (was there when we moved here) that moved to another location in 2000 and it has been vacant ever since.
At least 10 years ago, when skate boards were the big thing dor kids, there was a group of skate boarders who used the street in front of my house a lot. I never shooed them away. They also used the Church parking lot 2 blocks away but it was getting trashy. One day I went out on the porch with some garbage bags, caled the kids over and told them they needed to have more pride in their town. One kid answered, "It isn;t my town, I don't live here." I told him he was boarding here so it WAS his town. I Told them the parking lot was a disgrace and here were garbage bags so go clean it up. Leave the bags there and the City Workers will collect them. If they needed more bags in the future, knock on my door. They cleaned it up.
That year, the Drive-Thru Nativity had a schedule conflict with something that trumped it for attendance so it was decided the Nativity would become part of the Christmas Parade. Somehow, I was assigned the 3 Kings. Once again I called my Skate Boarders to the front of my house. I need 3 Kings and 2 people to carry the banner. And I do not want you just marching in the Parade - IF there is no snow, I want you RIDING THE BOARDS IN THE PARADE. # boys and 2 girls immediately volunteered. They came to my house and using posterboard and beads and garlands I bought, each boy made his crown. (They also came one night to make cookies to sell to raise mone for a skatepark - another story.) After the Parade, the boys came to where the band was warming up for our concert to return the robes which I told them to just put in my ar. They asked if they could keep their crowns. Of course (I was touched that they wanted to since these were kids looked at as being the "badkids".)
All this was background for what happened today.
A young man came in to look around and he said, "You work at the bed & breakfast don't you." Yes, I do, I replied. He said he was one of the Boarders. I asked if he was one of my Kings and he said he was. He told me what he was doing now and showed me photos of his daughter. And when he was leaving, he put his arms out for a hug. I could not have spent a more rewarding day today.
At least 10 years ago, when skate boards were the big thing dor kids, there was a group of skate boarders who used the street in front of my house a lot. I never shooed them away. They also used the Church parking lot 2 blocks away but it was getting trashy. One day I went out on the porch with some garbage bags, caled the kids over and told them they needed to have more pride in their town. One kid answered, "It isn;t my town, I don't live here." I told him he was boarding here so it WAS his town. I Told them the parking lot was a disgrace and here were garbage bags so go clean it up. Leave the bags there and the City Workers will collect them. If they needed more bags in the future, knock on my door. They cleaned it up.
That year, the Drive-Thru Nativity had a schedule conflict with something that trumped it for attendance so it was decided the Nativity would become part of the Christmas Parade. Somehow, I was assigned the 3 Kings. Once again I called my Skate Boarders to the front of my house. I need 3 Kings and 2 people to carry the banner. And I do not want you just marching in the Parade - IF there is no snow, I want you RIDING THE BOARDS IN THE PARADE. # boys and 2 girls immediately volunteered. They came to my house and using posterboard and beads and garlands I bought, each boy made his crown. (They also came one night to make cookies to sell to raise mone for a skatepark - another story.) After the Parade, the boys came to where the band was warming up for our concert to return the robes which I told them to just put in my ar. They asked if they could keep their crowns. Of course (I was touched that they wanted to since these were kids looked at as being the "badkids".)
All this was background for what happened today.
A young man came in to look around and he said, "You work at the bed & breakfast don't you." Yes, I do, I replied. He said he was one of the Boarders. I asked if he was one of my Kings and he said he was. He told me what he was doing now and showed me photos of his daughter. And when he was leaving, he put his arms out for a hug. I could not have spent a more rewarding day today.
