Letter to the Editor: Naming Clarion’s Summer Festival

One of the things that my husband has a passion for is hearing the stories of and celebrating our elderly population.  He is always performing random acts of kindness to put a smile on our most cherished citizens.  Therefore last year, it came as no surprise to me when, in lieu of payment for carpentry work performed, my husband requested that he and the individual who contracted him, take someone who resided at the Meadow’s out for lunch.  We were new to the community at the time and didn’t know any of the residents, so my husband asked that 1 or 2 individuals were chosen, on his behalf. 

A married couple, of whom my Husband did not know, was chosen – Dr. & Mrs. Eaton.  The lunch took place at Clarion’s New Home Café, not only because of the awesome food, but because Dr. & Mrs. Eaton had never gone to the café.  The meal and atmosphere was enjoyed by all, especially Mrs. Eaton, who commented in the thank you written to my husband shortly after: 

“Thank you so much for inviting us out for lunch with you today.  We thought the food at the New Home Café, where we have never eaten before, was very good…especially the peach crisp.  We very much enjoyed visiting with both of you.  Your work payment plan was certainly unique and thoughtful.  We were honored to be the recipient of your solution.  We hope the time we spent together was as pleasant for the both of you as it was for us – Bob & Edie.”

My husband found the experience to be incredible, listening to the stories that Dr. Eaton told, about what Clarion was like when he had first moved here.  Talking about how the only paved roads in the community were highway 3 and the streets around the town square.  He explained how it was a blessing when the town began to expand.  Dr. Eaton also shared stories of when he had started his clinic, on the south side of the square.  My husband stated that one thing that Dr. Eaton continued to reiterate was how proud he was to be a part of such a progressive community - one that was willing to grow. 

At this point, you may be wondering why I’m choosing to share this with you.  Well, it is in the spirit of that very desire of being progressive, which Dr. Eaton cherished so much, that I make you aware of a very exciting enhancement to our current town celebration

Our current “Festival in the Park” is a good celebration, which primarily takes place on a Saturday.  In planning the event this year, we looked at what we could do to make it a GREAT celebration, utilizing the entire weekend, as well as the entire community to attract more people, more participation and above all showcase the wonderful community of Clarion.  Therefore, I am pleased to announce that this year’s celebration will be 3 days, which will include fun-for all ages, food-as diverse as our population and fellowship – throughout our community.

In addition to expanding the itinerary, we took into consideration a name change to align with what our community is mostly know for – agriculture, growth, cultivation and as Dr. Eaton stated – progress.  Though some name considerations have been discussed, we felt it best to offer all citizens the opportunity to offer suggestions.  From these suggestions, a name for our community celebration will be decided upon and will begin being used at our 2015 celebration. 

Celebration name ideas will be collected through May 1^st and may be submitted to:

Clarion Chamber & Development – name submission

PO Box 6

Clarion, IA 50525

clarionchamber@gmail.com

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/clarionfestival