A few days ago I had the opportunity to talk with a group of people at St. Batholomew's Episcopal Church in Hartsville prior to their second service. The talk was community related. Churches, after all, have a major stake in the growth of community. One thing that required discussion during that talk was a basic shift in what might be the strategy to Sell Hartsville.
The Selling Hartsville effort began as a growth strategy. The hope and desire of those involved in this community building/community selling effort was that opportunity to further improve the great town we know as Hartsville, SC would flourish. Then, the economic downturn began to flatten hopes and expectations. At one point someone said this is the worst time we could have chosen for selling Hartsville. I replied then as I reply now that this could be the best time for selling Hartsville. The difference, as I mentioned to those at this church gathering, is that now our Selling Hartsville efforts are survival in nature. If we want our hospitality taxes to be there, it is going to be Hartsvillians who are going to have to be eating in Hartsville restaurants. If our downtown is going to survive it is Hartsvillians who are going to have to look here first for their needs and wants. Since our first primary audience were those of us who are Hartsvillians, this is a perfect time to be selling Hartsville.
In his blog today Rich Harwood is writing about "Mourning in America." He is pointing out that things are not getting better yet and there are no signs of a turn around. So, we do have to rethink our ways of doing business. It is our Selling Hartsville hope that part of that rethinking is more buying in Hartsville so when the tide does turn we are still working from strength and not weakness.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Enjoyed some pleasant surprises
Sunday, I had the opportunity to speak to a few of the members of St.Bartholomew's Episcopal Church about the Selling Hartsville concept. One of the small pleasant surprises of that morning was that three guys from Hartsville High joined the group and it was apparent from a couple of comments that they are pretty tuned into their home town.
A second pleasant surprise for me was the beauty and expanse of the Church complex. While I have often been in the Sanctuary but had not walked around the building. The building is warm, functional and it felt original on the inside.
It was the second opportunity to speak about selling Hartsville to a local church group. A couple of weeks ago I was able to speak to a group of United Methodist Men at St. Luke. They had invited men from other churches and it was another unique opportunity to talk about the importance of Hartsvillians looking first to Hartsville for their purchases, for their leisure-time activities, and for a wide variety of other things that we often ignore because we take so much for granted.
While talking with the people at the Episcopal Church I also remembered that the Church had a significant investment in downtown Hartsville. They have invested in the building next to the church, turning it into the building that now houses Louchis Restaurant. I mentioned during the talk about the previously identified need of more restaurants in the Hartsville area if we are going to get full advantage of a more aggressive marketing effort. The new Italian restaurant was a tremendous addition to our downtown retail life. The fact that the Church had made that investment has become an important part of the growth of our downtown.
It was enjoyable to again be able to talk about Hartsville and why during this very questionable economy it is important that we have Selling Hartsville as a key strategy. In these times it might be characterized as a survival strategy but these times will end and this growth strategy will lead up to many more pleasant surprises.
A second pleasant surprise for me was the beauty and expanse of the Church complex. While I have often been in the Sanctuary but had not walked around the building. The building is warm, functional and it felt original on the inside.
It was the second opportunity to speak about selling Hartsville to a local church group. A couple of weeks ago I was able to speak to a group of United Methodist Men at St. Luke. They had invited men from other churches and it was another unique opportunity to talk about the importance of Hartsvillians looking first to Hartsville for their purchases, for their leisure-time activities, and for a wide variety of other things that we often ignore because we take so much for granted.
While talking with the people at the Episcopal Church I also remembered that the Church had a significant investment in downtown Hartsville. They have invested in the building next to the church, turning it into the building that now houses Louchis Restaurant. I mentioned during the talk about the previously identified need of more restaurants in the Hartsville area if we are going to get full advantage of a more aggressive marketing effort. The new Italian restaurant was a tremendous addition to our downtown retail life. The fact that the Church had made that investment has become an important part of the growth of our downtown.
It was enjoyable to again be able to talk about Hartsville and why during this very questionable economy it is important that we have Selling Hartsville as a key strategy. In these times it might be characterized as a survival strategy but these times will end and this growth strategy will lead up to many more pleasant surprises.
Monday, February 09, 2009
South Carolina = Minimally Adequate
I know, the economy is in shambles so how can people talk about wanting to have something other than minimally adequate in the Constitution of our state when it comes to educating our children? Well, there are people who think we owe ourselves more than minimally adequate when it comes to education -- for our present and for their future. Here is some information shared with me by a former Coker student on a committee trying to gain support to get the minimally adequate verbiage out of the Constitution:
THE MESSAGE ---
Our state constitution, adopted in 1895, authorized the South Carolina to establish and maintain a free public education system. Initially ruling on a lawsuit in 1999, this section of the constitution has interpreted by the S. C. Supreme Court to only require the state to provide a “minimally adequate” education for our public school system.
“Minimally adequate” was defined by the Supreme Court as teaching students to read, write, do basic math calculations, be employable and good citizens. We say that this standard is not good enough for South Carolina in the 21st Century.
I support replacing the words “minimally adequate” with “high quality education, allowing every student to reach their highest potential.” This change will set a higher standard for students, parents, educators, taxpayers and our educational legislation.
The Goodbye Minimally Adequate campaign-- a non-profit, non-politically affiliated petition drive—seeks to collect 1,000,000 signatures in support of “high quality education” in our public schools to be presented to our state legislature. The petition asks the General Assembly to allow the public to vote to amend the wording of the state constitution.
Please take a moment to visit their website at www.GoodbyeMinimallyAdequate.com to learn about the issue and sign the petition. We also encourage you to tell your friends, family and co-workers about this petition drive. Anyone of school age and older with a South Carolina address can sign the petition.
Thank you for the support,
Schools are always one of the major elements considered when people describe the desirability of particular communities.
THE MESSAGE ---
Our state constitution, adopted in 1895, authorized the South Carolina to establish and maintain a free public education system. Initially ruling on a lawsuit in 1999, this section of the constitution has interpreted by the S. C. Supreme Court to only require the state to provide a “minimally adequate” education for our public school system.
“Minimally adequate” was defined by the Supreme Court as teaching students to read, write, do basic math calculations, be employable and good citizens. We say that this standard is not good enough for South Carolina in the 21st Century.
I support replacing the words “minimally adequate” with “high quality education, allowing every student to reach their highest potential.” This change will set a higher standard for students, parents, educators, taxpayers and our educational legislation.
The Goodbye Minimally Adequate campaign-- a non-profit, non-politically affiliated petition drive—seeks to collect 1,000,000 signatures in support of “high quality education” in our public schools to be presented to our state legislature. The petition asks the General Assembly to allow the public to vote to amend the wording of the state constitution.
Please take a moment to visit their website at www.GoodbyeMinimallyAdequate.com to learn about the issue and sign the petition. We also encourage you to tell your friends, family and co-workers about this petition drive. Anyone of school age and older with a South Carolina address can sign the petition.
Thank you for the support,
Schools are always one of the major elements considered when people describe the desirability of particular communities.
Saturday, February 07, 2009
So, what is a community to do?
The Selling Hartsville initiative is alive and well in Hartsville, SC. Jana Longfellow is the Chamber employee with the single focus of finding ways to push the concept of Hartsville - The Art of Good Living.
So, what does it mean to push the concept?
1 -- A primary audience for Selling Hartsville is those who live within the territory that when asked, they say "I'm from Hartsville." We need people who are "from Hartsville" to think of Hartsville first when buying -- when buying anything. We need the sales tax receipts in this town. We need the hospitality taxes from eating out in this town. Those who have invested in businesses in Hartsville need Hartsvillians to help them succeed by stopping by to see if they have what you need. for example, did you know that Alexanders now is a combined mens' and womens' clothing store? What is a community to do? The first thing is to look in Hartsville first and support fellow community members.
2 -- The companion slogan, logo-mark for Hartsville- The Art of Good Living is to 'Expect Pleasant Surprises.' This is being written on Saturday, February 6, 2009 and there is a Love is in the Air Good Living Marketplace that people are setting up for right this minute. Pushing the concept of Selling Hartsville is to find the trigger points that will help reach more Hartsvillians and get them to choose spending some of their free time with neighbors and friends at events like the Marketplace, like the fantastic Hartsville/Coker Community Concert held last Tuesday, like the Hartsville Community Players dinner theater, like the Black Creek Arts Council events and classes. And, so many, many more pleasant surprises.
What is a pleasant surprise?
A -- People may or may not realize that the South Carolina Governor's School for Math and Science is located in Hartsville. Today the Governor's School seniors are presenting their summer research projects in a GSSM colloquium. As it turns out, there is not another community in South Carolina that has a research colloquium of high school-age students. Surprised?
B -- What is another type of surprise? There is college basketball, both men and women at the Coker College gym this afternoon.
C -- What else? Have you visited the Hartsville YMCA. It is one of the best YMCA's that many people ever visit. It is one of the melding organizations of Hartsville.
D -- If you are Hartsvillian, I am hoping that you are already thinking of your own pleasant surprises and that you might add as a comment to this posting.
While Jana is focusing on the marketing of Hartsville - The Art of Good Living and just spent two days working with others to help enrich web sites, there is still a strong group of people working on parts of the product that need work.
Those in community building always hear that it is the quality of education in a community that draws people. The task force for Selling Hartsville heard a few days ago from Dr. Charlie Burry, principal of Hartsville High. He distributed some of the numbers that show Hartsville High competing favorably with schools around us in the Pee Dee. For some reason, many people want to spend more time telling of the bad stories they hear from the schools instead of the good stories. Teachers everywhere are working hard and making a significant difference in the lives and education of children. But, one of the things our task force is doing is working with the schools to both tell some of the positive stories and join forces to make the school programs even better.
We also know that in Hartsville we have some housing problems. One of those problems is not enough housing for younger professionals. We also have a severe problem in this community of former residences that are literally falling in on themselves. Despite the deplorable condition, the buildings remain in the neighborhoods. We hear the problem is extremely complicated to solve. The problem needs to be solved.
And, like the rest of the world, Hartsville is being affected by the failing economy. We need more jobs. We need more jobs to entice younger people back to Hartsville. We need to work on economic development and one of the ways might be to determine the types of organizations that might flourish in an area that is 15 miles away from an interstate. What types of businesses do you think would be good for our community and what type of businesses could we help with a good work force?
As always there is a lot more that could be written but this is already too long for a blog posting. What are your thoughts about building community?
So, what does it mean to push the concept?
1 -- A primary audience for Selling Hartsville is those who live within the territory that when asked, they say "I'm from Hartsville." We need people who are "from Hartsville" to think of Hartsville first when buying -- when buying anything. We need the sales tax receipts in this town. We need the hospitality taxes from eating out in this town. Those who have invested in businesses in Hartsville need Hartsvillians to help them succeed by stopping by to see if they have what you need. for example, did you know that Alexanders now is a combined mens' and womens' clothing store? What is a community to do? The first thing is to look in Hartsville first and support fellow community members.
2 -- The companion slogan, logo-mark for Hartsville- The Art of Good Living is to 'Expect Pleasant Surprises.' This is being written on Saturday, February 6, 2009 and there is a Love is in the Air Good Living Marketplace that people are setting up for right this minute. Pushing the concept of Selling Hartsville is to find the trigger points that will help reach more Hartsvillians and get them to choose spending some of their free time with neighbors and friends at events like the Marketplace, like the fantastic Hartsville/Coker Community Concert held last Tuesday, like the Hartsville Community Players dinner theater, like the Black Creek Arts Council events and classes. And, so many, many more pleasant surprises.
What is a pleasant surprise?
A -- People may or may not realize that the South Carolina Governor's School for Math and Science is located in Hartsville. Today the Governor's School seniors are presenting their summer research projects in a GSSM colloquium. As it turns out, there is not another community in South Carolina that has a research colloquium of high school-age students. Surprised?
B -- What is another type of surprise? There is college basketball, both men and women at the Coker College gym this afternoon.
C -- What else? Have you visited the Hartsville YMCA. It is one of the best YMCA's that many people ever visit. It is one of the melding organizations of Hartsville.
D -- If you are Hartsvillian, I am hoping that you are already thinking of your own pleasant surprises and that you might add as a comment to this posting.
While Jana is focusing on the marketing of Hartsville - The Art of Good Living and just spent two days working with others to help enrich web sites, there is still a strong group of people working on parts of the product that need work.
Those in community building always hear that it is the quality of education in a community that draws people. The task force for Selling Hartsville heard a few days ago from Dr. Charlie Burry, principal of Hartsville High. He distributed some of the numbers that show Hartsville High competing favorably with schools around us in the Pee Dee. For some reason, many people want to spend more time telling of the bad stories they hear from the schools instead of the good stories. Teachers everywhere are working hard and making a significant difference in the lives and education of children. But, one of the things our task force is doing is working with the schools to both tell some of the positive stories and join forces to make the school programs even better.
We also know that in Hartsville we have some housing problems. One of those problems is not enough housing for younger professionals. We also have a severe problem in this community of former residences that are literally falling in on themselves. Despite the deplorable condition, the buildings remain in the neighborhoods. We hear the problem is extremely complicated to solve. The problem needs to be solved.
And, like the rest of the world, Hartsville is being affected by the failing economy. We need more jobs. We need more jobs to entice younger people back to Hartsville. We need to work on economic development and one of the ways might be to determine the types of organizations that might flourish in an area that is 15 miles away from an interstate. What types of businesses do you think would be good for our community and what type of businesses could we help with a good work force?
As always there is a lot more that could be written but this is already too long for a blog posting. What are your thoughts about building community?
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Some fun pleasant surprises
The Hartsville/Coker Community Concert Association came up with a fantastic show last night as the American Spiritual Ensemble entertained a sizable audience in the Performing Arts Building on the Coker campus. Those who could have gone and did not go missed an amazing performance. The night before this group had performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and they flew down on Tuesday morning. In addition to the magnificent presentation of the Spirituals, another pleasant surprise was one of the tenors -- Robert Mack, who happens to be a native of Hartsville, SC.
And, we know that whenever we have snow in Hartsville is can be a surprise. The snow on February 4 was pretty much a surprise to most people. But, it did provide some white winter coverage as well as some slippery streets early in the day.
And, we know that whenever we have snow in Hartsville is can be a surprise. The snow on February 4 was pretty much a surprise to most people. But, it did provide some white winter coverage as well as some slippery streets early in the day.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Expecting pleasant surprises ...
is something that many of us who live in Hartsville tend to take for granted. We do need to remember that the pleasant surprises that we enjoy take creative thinking, energetic execution, and determined persistence. I was reminded of that this afternoon when talking with Nancy Myers about this weekend's "Good Living Marketplace." This is an idea that Nancy surfaced and put some thought into and that the Hartsville Downtown Development Association led by Judi Elvington helped bring to fruition a few months ago.
On Sautrday, February 7 from 10:00 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the middle of Cargill Way and adjacent to Burry Park in downtown Hartsville all will be able to enjoy the February Community Good Living Marketplace with the theme, "Love is in the air!"
Here's hoping that a lot of people put this on the calendar to share some of the good living friendship that is so imbedded into the character of Hartsville. This is a great time to say hello to old friends and make new friends in the middle of artists, bakers, farmers, crafters, neighbors and visitors. And, when you visit make sure you give a big thank you to Nancy and Judi for continuing to build and expand the Good Living Marketplace. It is people like them who give Hartsville- The Art of Good Living its substance.
On Sautrday, February 7 from 10:00 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the middle of Cargill Way and adjacent to Burry Park in downtown Hartsville all will be able to enjoy the February Community Good Living Marketplace with the theme, "Love is in the air!"
Here's hoping that a lot of people put this on the calendar to share some of the good living friendship that is so imbedded into the character of Hartsville. This is a great time to say hello to old friends and make new friends in the middle of artists, bakers, farmers, crafters, neighbors and visitors. And, when you visit make sure you give a big thank you to Nancy and Judi for continuing to build and expand the Good Living Marketplace. It is people like them who give Hartsville- The Art of Good Living its substance.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Wish I could make this event
On Thurs, Jan. 29 Burry Bookstore and Black Creek Arts Center are co-hosting a book and author supper from 5:30pm-7:30pm. Supper will be held in the gallery at Black Creek Arts Center. Co-authors Aida Rogers and Tim Driggers from Sandlapper Magazine will be sharing stories from their book entitled, “Stop Where the Parking Lots’ Full.”
A few days ago I heard a partial interview with these authors on ETV radio and they were really interesting. This is one of those things that I think falls into the category of "pleasant surprises" in the Hartsville, South Carolina area. I teach on Mondays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 7:50 in Coker's evening program or I would be attending this event, which was highlighted in today's "Chamber connection. An event like this is possible in our community because we still have a small, community bookstore Burry Bookstore, and it is one of the valuable businesses in our community. And, how many small cities in South Carolina have a resource like Black Creek Arts Council? None that I know of.
A few days ago I heard a partial interview with these authors on ETV radio and they were really interesting. This is one of those things that I think falls into the category of "pleasant surprises" in the Hartsville, South Carolina area. I teach on Mondays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 7:50 in Coker's evening program or I would be attending this event, which was highlighted in today's "Chamber connection. An event like this is possible in our community because we still have a small, community bookstore Burry Bookstore, and it is one of the valuable businesses in our community. And, how many small cities in South Carolina have a resource like Black Creek Arts Council? None that I know of.
Monday, January 19, 2009
St. Barts was just about SRO for King Remembrance
Hartsville's most visible People to People representative is Clayton Richardson. He was visible again today as the MLK, JR. Commemoration program he coordinated for People to People came to life in words and music for a full house at St. Batholomew's in downtown Hartsville. Ms Eunice Johnson did an masterful job of coordinating the program from the lectern and a great deal of community spirit was packed into the 58-minutes.
Anisha Green sang the Lord's Prayer and then finished with God Bless America. Anna Dickinson provided the musical message Climb Every Mountain. The Hartsville High Singers joined by the Wesley chorus provided a musical selection and the entire church joined for Lift Every Voice and Sing.
The packed Church heard from Julius McPherson of Mayo and Somin Lee of the Governor's School and Blake Terrell, a senior at Coker, introduced Phillip Woo of Coker as the keynote speaker. Phillip discussed some of Dr. King's early mentors and some of the many specific actions that made Dr. King an American hero. In addition, Brenda Kelley of the Hartsville Planning and Zoning Department told how important it is for all of us to be involved in community. Mayor Michael Holt reminded the group of how important it is to keep history alive for our young people so that they can learn how to be in position to affect their history.
As part of the continuing efforts to make all of us realize what a treasured place we are living we talk about Hartsville -- The Art of Good Living. Today's Commemoration was another example of the many pleasant surprises to expect in our great, small city.
A free lunch was provided for all attending by the members of the Chi Lambda Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and the St. Batholomew's Church family and People to People.
This event was truly community at work. As the last words on the program admonish, "Let us continue building a strong united community."
Day for Community Thinking/Building
The Dr. Martin Luther King holiday is becoming a day of dedication to community to service. According to NPR this morning (January 20) there will be double the number of people volunteering throughout the country. Among those volunteers will be President Elect Obama and his wife. And tomorrow, he is being inaugurated as President of the United States. When he calls for us -- All of us -- to be part of the solution we will have a gut feeling that he has been there.
In Hartsville today there will be several MLK Day remembrances. One part of the Senior Communication Seminar that I am teaching is geared to life after college. I have told the seniors that our class today will be at the ceremony. One of the speakers will be a Coker sophomore, Phillip Woo, talking about some of Dr. King's mentors. Phillip will be introduced by Coker senior Blake Terrell. One of the main people in pulling this People-to-People sponsored event together is long-time community activist Clayton Richardson. They usually have a strong group and today might even be larger because of the Hope in the air with the leadership transition taking place tomorrow.
Back in 1960 it was John F. Kennedy who told Americans, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." Dr. King spoke eloquently about service and commitment and led effectively through courage and determination. President Elect Barack Obama has given every indication that he will be calling on all of us in the spirit of Lincoln, in the spirit of Kennedy, in the spirit of King in the spirit of Reagan in the spirit of Americans to rally to our communities and our country. I hope we will all be thinking about the opportunities to become part of something that is bigger than ourselves.
In Hartsville today there will be several MLK Day remembrances. One part of the Senior Communication Seminar that I am teaching is geared to life after college. I have told the seniors that our class today will be at the ceremony. One of the speakers will be a Coker sophomore, Phillip Woo, talking about some of Dr. King's mentors. Phillip will be introduced by Coker senior Blake Terrell. One of the main people in pulling this People-to-People sponsored event together is long-time community activist Clayton Richardson. They usually have a strong group and today might even be larger because of the Hope in the air with the leadership transition taking place tomorrow.
Back in 1960 it was John F. Kennedy who told Americans, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." Dr. King spoke eloquently about service and commitment and led effectively through courage and determination. President Elect Barack Obama has given every indication that he will be calling on all of us in the spirit of Lincoln, in the spirit of Kennedy, in the spirit of King in the spirit of Reagan in the spirit of Americans to rally to our communities and our country. I hope we will all be thinking about the opportunities to become part of something that is bigger than ourselves.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
The Inaguration is New Day for all of us
Rich Harwood, a long-time community building thinker, used a prayer as his weekly blog this past Tuesday. As Rich closed he talked about how this is a time for us to turn -- to turn toward each other and to turn toward our community. Let's use the hope that is part of next Tuesday to find ways to create authentic hope in our greater Hartsville community.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Strong interest in Community is apparent
The other day in the Writing for the Media course I am teaching at Coker this semester, I was talking about the need most of us have to 'Know what is going on.' The authors of the ELEMENTS OF JOURNALISM call this the "awareness instinct." The attention I felt this morning talking with United Methodist Men from three local churches seemed to underline that instinct. There appears to be a strong interest among people to know what is going on in their communities and what they might be able to do to help make them better. (As a sidelight here. I was asked to talk about the Selling Hartsville initiative and now am wishing that I had used this opportunity as a way to listen instead of talk because the short responses demonstrated a wealth of information that could be mined from these active Methodist Men.)
One of the things we did with the experience this morning was share the visitor questionnaire that is part of the Selling Hartsville initiative. It is often fun to see how Hartsvillians answer questions like, Please share your impressions of the Hartsville community. Here are some of their answers, which mirror a lot of what we get from visitors:
** Beautiful ** Great Place to Live ** Small town, everyone knows everyone.
** Rebuilding roads and growing ** Great little city ** well kept
** there seems to be some concern about drugs, gangs and crime
** lots of energetic people ** great facilities ** a good small town
** cohesive, needs to take advantage of available funds to improve outside downtown
** good ** a unique city,a remarkable mix of cultural and family oriented activities
** a sharing town -- good support of charity and community outreach
** Need increased emphasis in educational improvement
** need support and uplift of those with limited income
** a genuine small town atmosphere with a sense of community and cultural events
** good ** If schools improve, the community will grow ** my town for 60 years
** community is disconnected, particularly the pastors and churches
** Progressive city ** progressive, proactive, leader in the Pee Dee
** community oriented, friendly, a lot of cultural opportunities
** why do downtown businesses close so early on Saturday?
** It's great!** Big main street * diverse community as compared to other area towns
** Hartsville is a city that has the potential to be the greatest city in the state but is letting a few issues hold us back. Overall is very good but we could be great
** where is the new industry and the business growth ** ...efficient
**comfortable with people and leaders **great place to live and raise a family
** friendly with a lot of involvement ** viable downtown, community, clean
** dynamic in terms of lots to offer ** Hartsville has good community
** Hartsville has a wonderful community.
I think you can see from these responses that this would have been a great group to get more in depth input from on the question, "How can we make Hartsville an even greater community?"
The message to this group has been the message I have been sharing for several months. If we want Hartsville to be Hartsville or even better in five, ten or 20 years we need not be so complacent and find ways to make sure we impact how things are and how things will be. I did use the idea of "Que Sera, Sera"(sp?) 'What will be will be' and suggest that What will be is what we make it. If lots of us focus on continuing to make this a great community we might surprise ourselves as to what will be.
One of the things we did with the experience this morning was share the visitor questionnaire that is part of the Selling Hartsville initiative. It is often fun to see how Hartsvillians answer questions like, Please share your impressions of the Hartsville community. Here are some of their answers, which mirror a lot of what we get from visitors:
** Beautiful ** Great Place to Live ** Small town, everyone knows everyone.
** Rebuilding roads and growing ** Great little city ** well kept
** there seems to be some concern about drugs, gangs and crime
** lots of energetic people ** great facilities ** a good small town
** cohesive, needs to take advantage of available funds to improve outside downtown
** good ** a unique city,a remarkable mix of cultural and family oriented activities
** a sharing town -- good support of charity and community outreach
** Need increased emphasis in educational improvement
** need support and uplift of those with limited income
** a genuine small town atmosphere with a sense of community and cultural events
** good ** If schools improve, the community will grow ** my town for 60 years
** community is disconnected, particularly the pastors and churches
** Progressive city ** progressive, proactive, leader in the Pee Dee
** community oriented, friendly, a lot of cultural opportunities
** why do downtown businesses close so early on Saturday?
** It's great!** Big main street * diverse community as compared to other area towns
** Hartsville is a city that has the potential to be the greatest city in the state but is letting a few issues hold us back. Overall is very good but we could be great
** where is the new industry and the business growth ** ...efficient
**comfortable with people and leaders **great place to live and raise a family
** friendly with a lot of involvement ** viable downtown, community, clean
** dynamic in terms of lots to offer ** Hartsville has good community
** Hartsville has a wonderful community.
I think you can see from these responses that this would have been a great group to get more in depth input from on the question, "How can we make Hartsville an even greater community?"
The message to this group has been the message I have been sharing for several months. If we want Hartsville to be Hartsville or even better in five, ten or 20 years we need not be so complacent and find ways to make sure we impact how things are and how things will be. I did use the idea of "Que Sera, Sera"(sp?) 'What will be will be' and suggest that What will be is what we make it. If lots of us focus on continuing to make this a great community we might surprise ourselves as to what will be.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Five Notable 2008 Events in Hartsville
** The adoption of the 2010 Master Plan update
** The Coker College Centennial through 2008
** The Centennial of the Hartsville Fire Department
** The completion of the Lawton Park Pavillion makeover
** Dedication of the Coach T. B. Thomas Recreation Center
** The launch of Selling Hartsville and Hartsville - The Art of Good Living
There is almost always something going on in Hartsville, South Carolina. It is truly an amazing small city.
Happy 2009. Let's see what great new things can happen in our town.
** The Coker College Centennial through 2008
** The Centennial of the Hartsville Fire Department
** The completion of the Lawton Park Pavillion makeover
** Dedication of the Coach T. B. Thomas Recreation Center
** The launch of Selling Hartsville and Hartsville - The Art of Good Living
There is almost always something going on in Hartsville, South Carolina. It is truly an amazing small city.
Happy 2009. Let's see what great new things can happen in our town.
Finding light in the community
There is a blog called Smart Communities that recently mentioned an article about Columbia that appeared in the NEW YORK TIMES. This article called Columbia a microcosm of the current economic problems. It was not an optimistic or flattering view though it was probably close to the mark. The writer of the blog, commenting on the article, noted that a different kind of leadership is needed at the community level. She discussed leadership that can provide communities with lights that would begin to lead to solutions and changes that made a difference. It was an interesting observation that caught my attention because of the number of people who have observed that the Selling Hartsville campaign is coming at the wrong time because of the confluence of economic events that are buffeting our community and communities all over the nation and world. I wonder if we all look at Hartsville - The Art of Good Living as one of the lights through which we can begin to look for solutions.
For example, one of the major objectives of this selling Hartsville program is for each Hartsvillian to remind other Hartsvillians that it would be smart to look in Hartsville first before deciding to make purchases in some other community. That little light shined our own retail opportunities might be the difference for one of the retailers.
For example, as you hear of people who might be moving to the area, it might be a great opportunity to get them together with some of your friends to discuss the qualities you feel are important to the high quality of life we lead in this community.
Let's just think how one at a time we can make a positive difference to continue growing Hartsville into the community we want it to be; into the community we need it to be.
For example, one of the major objectives of this selling Hartsville program is for each Hartsvillian to remind other Hartsvillians that it would be smart to look in Hartsville first before deciding to make purchases in some other community. That little light shined our own retail opportunities might be the difference for one of the retailers.
For example, as you hear of people who might be moving to the area, it might be a great opportunity to get them together with some of your friends to discuss the qualities you feel are important to the high quality of life we lead in this community.
Let's just think how one at a time we can make a positive difference to continue growing Hartsville into the community we want it to be; into the community we need it to be.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Those who serve!
Merry Christmas, happy holidays and a very Happy New Year to any who might be perusing this post.
And, to those who serve and who build and protect communities on a daily basis a sincere thank you for all of your efforts.
As we take a moment or two at this time of year to reflect on those things we call blessings it seems appropriate to offer appreciation to those who daily serve ...
as caregivers
as protectors
as public policy makers
as teachers
as volunteers
as educators
as spiritual advisors
as optimists
as investors
as board members
as people who make a difference in the lives of others without thinking much about it because it just what they do. All communities need these people and as we continue thinking about community building we need to think THANKS for the difference these givers make.
And, to those who serve and who build and protect communities on a daily basis a sincere thank you for all of your efforts.
As we take a moment or two at this time of year to reflect on those things we call blessings it seems appropriate to offer appreciation to those who daily serve ...
as caregivers
as protectors
as public policy makers
as teachers
as volunteers
as educators
as spiritual advisors
as optimists
as investors
as board members
as people who make a difference in the lives of others without thinking much about it because it just what they do. All communities need these people and as we continue thinking about community building we need to think THANKS for the difference these givers make.
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Hartsville is Full of Pleasant Surprises
I was just visiting the HartsvilleToday civic journalism site. This is a site where anyone who wants to be part of the conversation can provide some news, observations and opinions about the community we call Hartsville. Several times in the past I have commented on the value of this site as a community building tool. And, again this morning I am overwhelmed by the photo stories from this past weekend (Jana has some really interesting photos). In addition to the photos, you can quickly read into the site the idea of how many different problem solvers we have in Hartsville. Another name they might go by are community builders. They are the wealth of Hartsville. In a few days we are going to have another story about Hartsville from the perspective of Mrs. Betty Wiggins. Her observations show this community building spirit is the foundation of what has made this community different from many others for decades.
I know Thanksgiving has passed but this is a very sincere THANKS to all those who build this community from so many different places
I know Thanksgiving has passed but this is a very sincere THANKS to all those who build this community from so many different places
Friday, December 05, 2008
Rich weekend in this small community
Not much to write but it is important to make strong note of how much there is to do in this small city this weekend. Jana and others on Hartsville Today are calling it a Christmas Extravaganza and I can't imagine even big cities in our State have this much variety for an early December weekend.
For this community building or community thinking blog, the major point is that none of these things would happen without the active involvement of people who care. The consultants who helped us shape the message of the Selling Hartsville campaign that is now expressed in the words, "Expect Pleasant Surprises" commented on the embarrassment of riches in this town. One of the major treasures are those who continue to work so hard to make things happen. You can make your own list of names but Seth Godin, whose newest book is called TRIBES, would note that we are full of tribes who are being led by those who understand that the status quo just is not fun.
Some things happening
Hartsville Community Players Christmas Show
Hartsville Christmas Parade
Good Living Marketplace
Burry Park Tree Lighting (that was some out of the box thinking by Mel)
For this community building or community thinking blog, the major point is that none of these things would happen without the active involvement of people who care. The consultants who helped us shape the message of the Selling Hartsville campaign that is now expressed in the words, "Expect Pleasant Surprises" commented on the embarrassment of riches in this town. One of the major treasures are those who continue to work so hard to make things happen. You can make your own list of names but Seth Godin, whose newest book is called TRIBES, would note that we are full of tribes who are being led by those who understand that the status quo just is not fun.
Some things happening
Hartsville Community Players Christmas Show
Hartsville Christmas Parade
Good Living Marketplace
Burry Park Tree Lighting (that was some out of the box thinking by Mel)
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Harris DeLoach - Business Leader of Year
The South Carolina Chamber of Commerce recently delivered their November 2008 SOUTH CAROLINA BUSINESS magazine. The magazine is crammed with business statistics and business news and stories on people making a difference in South Carolina.
Harris DeLoach has been named the South Carolina 2008 Business Leader of the Year and there is a great portrait (page 52) by photographer Pat Crawford and interesting, readable article about Harris' career. We came to Hartsville very close to the same time back in the early 1970s and I got to know Harris when he was city attorney and I was covering the City news as a reporter for THE HARTSVILLE MESSENGER. My career moved to Sonoco in 1979 and Harris joined the company in a full-time capacity in 1986. He had been doing the legal work for the company since he arrived in Hartsville. He moved from being the lawyer to being a business operator. I worked for Harris when he had a couple of his Sonoco positions and always enjoyed the work. And, he was a major factor in my joining The Byerly Foundation.(disclaimers over)So, from pretty much first-hand knowledge, I can attest that the current chairman and CEO of Sonoco has been involved in a wide variety of activities in the community as well as making a significant difference in the operations he headed at Sonoco. The Business Leader of the Year is well deserved and it would be great if there were a line of people like Harris who were lining up to do work affecting the public good. I don't see enough of those people on the horizon.
The philosophy that I have watched Harris live is embodied in the quote from his commencement speech to Lander University's Class of 2008,which is quoted in the story: "You came to Lander as seekers of knowledge...If you haven't already done so, find a cause you are passionate about. Make a pledge to devote your own personal resources to service projects. Infuse your time, money and energy into building communities and doing good works."
Harris is one of those Leaders (community builders)who understands how much can be accomplished when it does not matter who gets the credit. He understands the need for collaboration, cooperation and commitment. He has been a catalytic force in Hartsville, at Sonoco, in the South Carolina and within industry to push for solutions through those three Cs. He not only understands leadership, he is a leader and the Hartsville community has been better because he chose to move here in back in the early 70s.
I think you will enjoy the story by Stefanie Caraviello if you can find a copy of South Carolina Business pages 52, 54, 55 and 56.
Harris DeLoach has been named the South Carolina 2008 Business Leader of the Year and there is a great portrait (page 52) by photographer Pat Crawford and interesting, readable article about Harris' career. We came to Hartsville very close to the same time back in the early 1970s and I got to know Harris when he was city attorney and I was covering the City news as a reporter for THE HARTSVILLE MESSENGER. My career moved to Sonoco in 1979 and Harris joined the company in a full-time capacity in 1986. He had been doing the legal work for the company since he arrived in Hartsville. He moved from being the lawyer to being a business operator. I worked for Harris when he had a couple of his Sonoco positions and always enjoyed the work. And, he was a major factor in my joining The Byerly Foundation.(disclaimers over)So, from pretty much first-hand knowledge, I can attest that the current chairman and CEO of Sonoco has been involved in a wide variety of activities in the community as well as making a significant difference in the operations he headed at Sonoco. The Business Leader of the Year is well deserved and it would be great if there were a line of people like Harris who were lining up to do work affecting the public good. I don't see enough of those people on the horizon.
The philosophy that I have watched Harris live is embodied in the quote from his commencement speech to Lander University's Class of 2008,which is quoted in the story: "You came to Lander as seekers of knowledge...If you haven't already done so, find a cause you are passionate about. Make a pledge to devote your own personal resources to service projects. Infuse your time, money and energy into building communities and doing good works."
Harris is one of those Leaders (community builders)who understands how much can be accomplished when it does not matter who gets the credit. He understands the need for collaboration, cooperation and commitment. He has been a catalytic force in Hartsville, at Sonoco, in the South Carolina and within industry to push for solutions through those three Cs. He not only understands leadership, he is a leader and the Hartsville community has been better because he chose to move here in back in the early 70s.
I think you will enjoy the story by Stefanie Caraviello if you can find a copy of South Carolina Business pages 52, 54, 55 and 56.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Hartsville First - Do good for yourself
According to the HARTSVILLE MESSENGER, page 5A of the November 19 edition, the City Council passed a resolution on November 10 encouraging citizens to shop in Hartsville and support our local merchants. Mayor Holt noted, "When you shop here, you're supporting your community, you're supporting Hartsville. You really are selling Hartsville." It was good to read that the Council added their clout to this message because one of the key, crucial audiences for the continuing Selling Hartsville initiative is those of us who live in the area. We have to continue reminding ourselves what a treasure we have the authentic retail community that is the Hartsville downtown.
In that same issue of the newspaper, there was a report on the dwindling funds within the city and one of the sources of city revenue continues to be the business license fees. Retail merchants need our patronage to be competitive and they need our patronage to stay in business. As Hartsvillians, we need them to stay in business because a robust, central, core shopping area is one of those strengths that differentiates Hartsville from so many other communities of a similar size. Times are tough and times are going to get tougher and one way to join in easing some of the difficulty is to "Shop at Home."
This Thursday night in downtown Hartsville is the traditional Merchants' Holiday Open House, which begins at 5 p.m. This would be a great time to see what is available and "expect pleasant surprises."
The back page of this same Hartsville Messenger has a calendar showing some of the things special about Hartsville but the list is even longer than on this schedule.
** On Thanksgiving the YMCA does the Annual Turkey Trot at 8 a.m.
** On December 4 is the Christmas Shoppe at Black Creek Arts (through the sixth)
** This Sunday night, November 23 at 7:30 p.m. the Coker Chamber Singers at Coker
** December 6 is the Hartsville Christmas parade and the Good Living Marketplace
We can all participate in building community and sometimes it can be a great deal of fun, extremely convenient, and really satisfying.
In that same issue of the newspaper, there was a report on the dwindling funds within the city and one of the sources of city revenue continues to be the business license fees. Retail merchants need our patronage to be competitive and they need our patronage to stay in business. As Hartsvillians, we need them to stay in business because a robust, central, core shopping area is one of those strengths that differentiates Hartsville from so many other communities of a similar size. Times are tough and times are going to get tougher and one way to join in easing some of the difficulty is to "Shop at Home."
This Thursday night in downtown Hartsville is the traditional Merchants' Holiday Open House, which begins at 5 p.m. This would be a great time to see what is available and "expect pleasant surprises."
The back page of this same Hartsville Messenger has a calendar showing some of the things special about Hartsville but the list is even longer than on this schedule.
** On Thanksgiving the YMCA does the Annual Turkey Trot at 8 a.m.
** On December 4 is the Christmas Shoppe at Black Creek Arts (through the sixth)
** This Sunday night, November 23 at 7:30 p.m. the Coker Chamber Singers at Coker
** December 6 is the Hartsville Christmas parade and the Good Living Marketplace
We can all participate in building community and sometimes it can be a great deal of fun, extremely convenient, and really satisfying.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Building Community for Public Good
This afternoon I was reading the Smart Communities blog and noticed a link that took me to a PDF discussion from the National Council on Citizenship on Civic Life after the election. It seems to me this booklet would make an excellent text for a "Community Conversation" on the question of where to we go from here in building community.
In line with what was in the Smart Communities blog, Rich Harwood is talking in his blog about the need for generating both Hope and Empathy as we go forward in what seem to be some of the darkest days (and I don't mean coming of winter) that many of us have seen. I am thinking it is always the right time to talk about community building and to discuss what we mean by the public good but we all know that the cocoons we have woven over the past several years are not going to unravel quickly. It is going to be the process of conversation that will help many emerge from these cocoons to answer the call of community. If any would like to get a conversation going with this booklet as a foundation, please let me know. I will help arrange!
In line with what was in the Smart Communities blog, Rich Harwood is talking in his blog about the need for generating both Hope and Empathy as we go forward in what seem to be some of the darkest days (and I don't mean coming of winter) that many of us have seen. I am thinking it is always the right time to talk about community building and to discuss what we mean by the public good but we all know that the cocoons we have woven over the past several years are not going to unravel quickly. It is going to be the process of conversation that will help many emerge from these cocoons to answer the call of community. If any would like to get a conversation going with this booklet as a foundation, please let me know. I will help arrange!
What is going on with the economy?
Dr. Tim Koch and Mike Ayotte, a community bank president from Morganton, NC, were at Coker College on Monday afternoon giving their assessment of how we got to where we are in our current economic woes. The event was sponsored by a community bank based in Hartsville, Heritage Community Bank as a community service. It is too bad we did not have more community members and others there because this is one of the most dynamic presentations I have seen in quite some time. The two presenters have obviously shared the platform previously and they had complementary styles even when they had opinions that did not mesh. Dr. Koch is the Chair of the Finance Department at the University of South Carolina. He came to the presentation from an academic/research perspective. Mr. Ayotte approached the subject from the perspective of a banker who has been successful during these stressful time and who is not wanting what he considers an incompetent government trying to run his business.
I am writing about this presentation in this Community Thinking blog because it was a community service provided by Heritage that in my opinion was a tremendous service. Also, there was a very strong message coming from the speakers about the importance of Community banks and that was an interesting perspective. It was not all that long ago that community banks were one of the major funders of community-building projects.
This was an interesting presentation and just for starters, what role do you think a company called Goldman Sachs plays in the current bailout tactics?
I am writing about this presentation in this Community Thinking blog because it was a community service provided by Heritage that in my opinion was a tremendous service. Also, there was a very strong message coming from the speakers about the importance of Community banks and that was an interesting perspective. It was not all that long ago that community banks were one of the major funders of community-building projects.
This was an interesting presentation and just for starters, what role do you think a company called Goldman Sachs plays in the current bailout tactics?
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