It’s All About Community

Visitors to Mentone often remark on the friendliness of our town. The people here are warm and inviting, making travelers want to come back for a visit with their families to shop, enjoy our restaurants, and take in the many outdoor recreational activities in the area.

Our people are indeed our greatest asset. They are the reason this community is such a great place to call home. I was reminded of that last month at the inaugural Groundhog Day Community Celebration, where I served as a judge in the Crock-Pot Cook-off. As I tasted and scored more than a dozen delicious entries, I looked around the Moon Lake gym at the many community members there.

Rhododendron Garden Club members were serving soups, chili, and stews, and had brought impressive centerpieces to decorate the tables. The local Scout troop was selling drinks and snacks. The Little River Arts Council was working the cake walk, which people of all ages were participating in. For many of them, it was their first cake walk ever!

And, of course, MERF was coordinating it all as publisher of The Groundhog. It was heartwarming to see people of all interests, ages, and backgrounds joining forces to create a fantastic day of fun for our community. And let’s not forget the impetus of the day — a celebration of the founding of this newspaper, which we’ve depended on to share news and preserve our history for more than four decades.

The event also unveiled the newest addition to our town: a groundhog mascot. If you missed seeing it there, be on the lookout for the critter throughout town. It even made a special appearance at the Town Council meeting last month. No telling where it will show up next.

Elsewhere in this issue, you’ll read the big news about our ARC grant to make much-needed improvements to the Moon Lake campus. And next month I’ll share news about a grant we helped Fort Payne Water Works secure to improve service here. Projects like these do not happen in a vacuum. They take the work of many people — a true community — working to make things better for our town.