Make downtown beautiful

ALL THE STUFF about the Dogwood Carnival is draining. I'm spending way too much negative energy and it's screwing everything up. So I'm trying to come up with solutions, not just telling the carnival to pack up and go away.

There are other locations downtown to consider, like the Adams County Health Department. Or, how about right in front of the Kroc Center? Man, it's the perfect location, though I'm not sure people who use the Kroc to work out would like it, or the employees.

Clat Adams Park would be a great location, more than enough room. The trash will still be a huge issue - nobody wants all the stuff going into the river. Plus you have potential flooding issues down there that start about this time of year. It's just an idea, one worth pursuing. There are other riverfront locations to consider as well.


If we can move the carnival, I propose we have a Downtown Beautification Day. All the businesses in the downtown clean up there store fronts, almost daily, and would easily commit to more thorough cleanings once a year. Sheryl cleans the sidewalks in front of our store every week in the summer and gets all the nasty cigarette butts out of the cracks.

The District beautifies our planters and streets and makes sure the flags up and down Maine are in good condition. Let's make it part of Dogwood and really get people together to make things better for everybody. Hundreds of cities do this and it works - here's just one example. Put Second String Music down as a sponsor and I'll volunteer all day around Fifth and Maine.

We could plant, clean, paint and make everything around here just a little bit better and more appealing.

Let's channel all of this stuff into positive action and finding solutions.