Don’t let the parade pass you by

If you need something done, find a busy person to do it. An object in motion remains in motion; an object at rest remains at rest. Many hands make light work. What do these ideas have in common? They all apply to the volunteer efforts of our community. Look around and you will often see the same people involved in the school, the Community Club, the Fire Department, Wine Country Youth Baseball, the Kenwood Soccer Club, and the 4th of July Parade, to name a few. Somehow, those with the most on their plates accomplish the most. This is great, but it doesn’t let the rest of us off the hook.

Case in point is the upcoming Kenwood 4th of July celebration, which is one of the nicest and best small-town events anywhere, ever. But the wonderful volunteers who have spearheaded it for the last three years need to move on, for a variety of reasons. People like Kjell Kallman and Jennifer Stark worked hard to make sure Kenwood maintained its patriotic tradition after the Pillow Fights ended their reign in Plaza Park four years ago. Along with “the usual suspects” (you know who you are) they managed to put on a great hometown parade. Think of the Kenwood School Marching Band, the teenage “Royalty,” the Pomeranians on Parade...it’s the perfect complement to the Kenwood Community Church’s Pancake Breakfast and the long-standing tradition of the Kenwood Footrace, put on by the Empire Runners. These three events ARE Kenwood’s 4th of July.

So now it’s our turn to pitch in and make sure that the parade continues. Don’t worry, you won’t have to reinvent the wheel – there are plenty of details available and you won’t be alone. Get your friends to join in and you’ll have an even better time. Remember the first rule of volunteering – do it because you love it. And remember the second rule – don’t offer advice on what should be done unless followed by these magic words, “and I will help you do it.”

We can talk about this until we’re blue in the face, but the reality is things won’t happen without the help of some of you readers out there. Don’t be shy. Give a call to Jennifer Stark at 833-2275 and let’s get the ball rolling. We already have our outfits picked out for our Kenwood Press float, and we need the parade or we’ll look pretty silly!