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The Territorial Dispatch
October 16, 1996
Don't look now, but it's the middle of October!
Don't look now, but it's the middle of October! Wasn't it just the Fourth of July last week? It's only two months and ten days until Christmas and then just a week to the New Year. Some people have to have an "almost death experience" to have their lives pass before their eyes. Not me. Mine seems to be doing just that as I sit here in front of my computer. Maybe my past isn't zipping by, but the present surely is.
I know now that I'll never be bored.
I used to fear boredom. I would take stuff with me when I went places in case there was nothing to do... and I might be bored. Stuff like pen and paper, a book, deck of cards, camera, frisbee, knitting, a magazine, the daily newspaper, books on tape.
There's other stuff I always carry with me such as a magnetic chess set, a pocket knife, a bottle of water, a harmonica, a nail file, a ball. When I'm going in our truck I take along my portable computer, camcorder, golf clubs, an extra pair of shoes (for long walks), a large umbrella and, depending on the destination, my tomahawk.
Steve is a patient guy. He just sits in the truck and smirks a bit as I troop out with my gear. He knows I will never use all that stuff, but he also knows it would do no good to tell me that. And the important thing is... it is there if it is needed.
I will never be bored again. I no longer fear it. I have lined up way too much to do for the time I have left... places to go; things to see.
You can't go back and do the things you missed... forward is the only choice of direction... and here it is October. The year is nearly gone.
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Beckwourth Frontier Days is doing it's part to put Marysville on the map. For the past six years people have been coming from around here and as far away as the Bay Area and Nevada, but this year some folks from Ohio and others from Colorado came to follow the trail down the mountains to Marysville ...and to attend the festival. They found out about Beckwourth Days through the internet last spring and planned their vacations around the time the festival was to be held.
In my humble opinion (IMHO as they say on the internet) festivals such as Beckwourth Frontier Days and the Bok Kai Festival could be the start of establishing Marysville as a great tourist attraction.
There are a lot of people in this country who are interested in history and who enjoy traveling to areas of special interest. With very little encouragement they would probably stay around a place like Marysville for awhile... rent motel rooms, eat in restaurants, shop in stores... and visit historical places and festivals.
There are a lot of reasons why this area could become a festival center. We have great weather. We have the world's smallest mountain range. We have a wonderful reputation for being the prune capital of the universe. But we also have the largest East Indian population in the nation ...and the history that surrounds them; we have a super active Scottish Cultural group in our midst... and the heritage that they bring to us. We have the Gateway to Gold Country, a couple of rivers that could be made navigable again, close proximity to hunting, fishing, skiing, golfing, gambling and just about anything else recreational you would want to find in a fun, educational vacationland.
So what will it take to get things rolling? Of course money helps, but even if there was ample money to create a festival center it would take lots of people who care.
Of course, everyone is busy doing what they have to do. It's when you do more than you have to do that things begin to happen.
Volunteering time to a project that helps build community spirit and create an attraction for tourists may not be in your master plan but it will contribute to the success of a city struggling for recognition And once the reputation is built... they will come.
Quote of the Week:
Men make history
and not the other way round. In periods where there is no
leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when
courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change
things for the better.
&emdash;Harry S. Truman