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FROM THE EDITOR

Posted on December 16, 2010December 16, 2010 by Staff

Holiday letters
Some years ago, during a brief stint out of state, I landed a weekend reporter job at a mid-sized daily paper in a mid-sized Midwestern town.

Got the job in mid-October, pretty much a feature beat with the occasional crime story. There were lots of old hands in the newsroom and the paper had a calm, well-planned rhythm to it. I found out how planned when the senior editor approached me in early November with a list of what my weekends were to be like through the end of the year. On the list was a carefully prepared agenda of light holiday stories – Santa Arrives at Mall, the Lighting of the Town Tree, Holiday Parade, Beautiful Choral Concert, Family Shops for Tree, Santa Visits Factory, Story about Snow, New Year’s Roundup, to name a few.

By the end of eight weeks, I never wanted to type the word “yule” again. Aside from that, the job was amazingly liberating. I asked the tough questions, trying at one point to pin the mall Santa down on whether he would purposely mislead the bad little children after they’d listed their wishes. More importantly, I got to see a lot of people at their best – doing good things for total strangers. I highly recommend spending a couple hours handing out presents to kids who otherwise wouldn’t get any. Knocks the burrs right off of you.

So, rather than emerge from that experience more curmudgeonly, I came away with a better appreciation of the season, warts and all, and found out that it’s that one time of year when just about everyone has a story to tell.

If you’ve got a story or reflection on the holiday season or the year now passing that you’d like to share with your neighbors, please drop me a line at editor@carrborocitizen.com

If it’s printable, we’ll try to include it in the paper or on our MILL blog. If it’s not printable, well, we’ll just pass it around the newsroom and have a good laugh.
— Kirk Ross

Recruits needed
As of last week, The ArtsCenter has added about 50 new members in a year-long effort to rebuild its membership base. The center, which has seen membership decline even as attendance has increased, is trying to increase membership to help stabilize funding. This makes a lot of sense, since the state of the economy continues to depress individual and corporate giving.

Having a membership also makes sense because of the discounts and perks that are included. The ArtsCenter is more than just another venue, it’s a unique institution in the heart of the community. Joining not only helps The ArtsCenter remain a vibrant place, it also says in a very tangible way that you support its mission of education and its wide range of programs for artists young and old. Visit artscenterlive.org to find how to join.

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