Is this some city or what?
By Patrick Kelley
Originally published 01:45 p.m., May 5, 2008
Updated 01:45 p.m., May 5, 2008
Emporia is one heck of a town.
Want proof? Go down to Peter Pan Park and look at the brand new playground.
The playground wasn’t built by the city and didn’t even use much city money. It was built over the past five days with the love and sweat of hundreds of Emporians who wanted a good place for the children of the town to play.
Hundreds? Actually, there may have been several thousand volunteers. Organizer Denise Dorcey said that on Thursday alone, 432 people signed in to work on the project. That number did not includ the uncounted many who bypassed the sign-in table, walked onto the site, picked up tools and went to work.
That kind of participation in a civic project is something many towns can only dream of. Indeed, a couple of years ago, it would have been a dream in Emporia. The city had gone along for years relying on the old reliable cadre of volunteers who would always show up when help was needed. They did great work, but there weren’t that many of them. Most Emporians were willing to just sit back and let the dedicated few do the work.
But something has changed. Did it start with the sesquicentennial last year? Perhaps. The celebration seemed to trigger a new sense of community among Emporians.
Other projects — the fundraising for the Granada Theatre, the new Corner House and the new Arts Council building — got people used to the idea that, if people are persistent and willing to work hard, they can accomplish just about anything.
Even bad news has helped. The layoffs at Tyson, which not many years ago would have sent the city into a months-long funk, instead evoked once again the community’s newfound optimism and determination. The layoffs were seen as a problem not just for the affected workers, but for everyone, and everyone pitched in to help.
And now everyone has pitched in to build a fine new playground.
To the organizers — especially Mike Dorcey, who refused to let the project die — all of the volunteers, the people who donated food and tools and the businesses that made it their business to see that the project had everything it needed for success, thank you. It would take an enormous plaque to hold the names of everyone who contributed to the playground project.
We suggest a little plaque on a rock near the playground, inscribed “By and for the People of Emporia — One Heck of a Town.”
Now, what shall we do next?
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Posted by railroadhorn (anonymous) on May 5, 2008 at 4:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Let's not forget the Salvation Army's shelves are out of food. Emporians often rise above and this week's challenge is to fill those shelves for the hundreds of women and children, mostly, who depend on them for their next meal.
Posted by traceygraham (anonymous) on May 6, 2008 at 8:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This city continues to amaze me. What a great job done by so many wonderful people! And now for years all those people will be able to point to the playground as say - I Built That!
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