A Community Gathering

I was talking to an old friend the other day, a woman I used to work with when I still lived in Chicago.  She asked me (for the millionth time) why I ever moved out of the city and how I could stand living in the suburbs.  As always, I started gathering my reasons and getting slightly defensive, but then I realized that I could answer her questions with two words.

Fall Fest.

Walking down Martin Avenue during Fall Fest reminded me of every reason why I love living in Homewood.  The community.  The culture.  The camaraderie.  And the sense of shared purpose.  Fall Fest gave us an opportunity to check out local businesses, to try a meal from a new restaurant, to listen to live music, and, best of all, enjoy time with our friends and neighbors.

These community events are part of the glue that holds us together as a village.  It’s too easy to live in cocoon these days – coming home from work or school and staying indoors, only in the company of a small circle of friends.  When we don’t venture out into the outside world, we forget who we are and what an amazing town we live in.  Fall Fest, Dog Days, Family Fun Fest, and all the other events remind us that we are all a part of Homewood, and that’s a great thing.

A strong sense of community gives us a sense of unity.  And that keeps our crime levels down.  Which raises property values.  Which brings us the type of new neighbors who value the same things we do.  Really, there’s no down side to feeling good about living in Homewood.

This is a great community, and I am proud to be a resident here.  I am delighted that my children will one day look back at Homewood as being their “home town.”  Do we have challenges?  Sure we do.  Every village does.  But together, we can handle them.   That much I know for a fact.

So how did I respond to my city-bird friend?  I told her to swing by Homewood for one of our community events.  That way, she can find out for herself.