This is Pastor Tim’s article which appeared in the Evening Leader on Tuesday, August 8
This is it. This is the big week: Summerfest. The Little Miss Summerfest Pageant is Wednesday night. Then we will fire up both the school and alumni bands on Thursday night. Concessions and Midway open Friday night at 4:00 and we are in for a fun-filled weekend. There will be bands playing, including our very own 40 Acre Band on Friday night. Saturday, there will be events going on all day. Allow me 1 of 2 shameless plugs. The Family Life Center of Auglaize County is having a 5K run/walk and a one-mile fun run/walk all starting at 9:00 in KC Geiger Park. All monies raised will go toward helping parents and babies in Auglaize County. Come out and support a wonderful cause!
After a full day of events on Saturday, then we will kick off Sunday with community worship, which is my second shameless plug. We will be gathering for a free pancake breakfast and then worship will begin at 10:00. Worship Anyway will be there, and St Marys very own Pastor Eric Anderson, the pastor at the Nazarene Church, will be preaching. We will have communion together and celebrate what it means to live in community with each other. Once we have had some time to worship, the concessions and Midway will open up with events going on all day on Sunday. I am really thinking about entering the cornhole tournament so long as none of you that I beat cry. I changed my mind, if you want to cry when I beat you, I am fine with that.
There will be a representation from all the St Marys community that we want to celebrate this weekend, including our First Responders, the library, the St Marys school and alumni bands, churches, numerous charitable organizations and small businesses, as well as fair food. You know, fair food. Food you eat because it is delicious and literally fits in no nutritional category and most of it you should probably have an EKG before you eat it. Mix all that with some great bands from around the area, the massive parade, and impressive fireworks show, it has all the makings of a great weekend.
But here is the part that none of us want to tell you. All the things I just listed are great, and truly, they are. The team that put Summerfest together needs to be commended, and a big thanks to the Chamber of Commerce. But all of this is for nothing if people don’t come down. The crowds at First Fridays have been awesome, which is why I am so excited for Summerfest. Come out and enjoy your community and celebrate this great place where we live. We are doing our best to have great social organizations, a school system to be proud of, and a park system that every town in America would envy. But all of that means nothing without you.
All of these things exist for the sole purpose of providing the people of St Marys a great place to live. You can come down to these events, stay through the encore of the nightly bands playing, go home, and know that you are safe. A community like that is not by accident. A big shout out to our first responders for providing this for all of us.
So come down and eat something unhealthy, lose a few dollars playing some games, watch the kids ride the rides, listen to some great live music, and enjoy your community. While you are doing these things, don’t forget to enjoy the real asset of this community: the people. Take a few moments to talk to someone you haven’t chatted with in a while. Toss a beanbag or two with a neighbor you have been meaning to call. And when you see someone there who has worked hard to make our Summerfest event happen, let them know that you appreciate their efforts.
Unlike the rest of the world, we are fostering community appreciation. Sure, we are not perfect, but we are the best we got for right now, and that is something to celebrate. Don’t be left out. Turn off the screen, head down to Skip Baughman stadium this weekend, and remind yourself why St Marys is a great place to live. See you this weekend!