Inside city hall, 7-29-09

I’ve had a lot on my mind lately. Plus I have had a lot to do. Now a lot is a lot to do. Not everyone has such a lot to do. But some of us have a big lot to do. And some of us will do a lot. It’s our lot in life to do our big lot. If you have a lot, but not a lot to do, consider yourself fortunate just to have a lot. (Everyone who can figure out the puzzle gets a lifetime subscription to “Inside City Hall.”)

Munday Farmer’s Market continues to grow. Grow is all we can do since we started with nothing. Saturday morning there were three tables of vegetables set up in the Downtown Park. Every week more people come out to see what is on the tables. Saturday everyone wanted black-eyed peas, but were disappointed to find none. Where are the black-eyed peas? There’s bound to be black-eyed peas in the area. Some of these folks are driving in from surrounding towns because they heard we had a Farmer’s Market. Don’t you laugh at that. We do have a Farmer’s Market. It will grow into something we will be proud of.

The Munday Community Garden-Farmer’s Market Council will meet this Thursday, July 30 at the Church of Christ Fellowship Hall at 7 p.m.

Memorial Garden is all but finished. When you look at it please be kind: don’t comment on the smallness of the whole thing. And don’t ask, “Where is the grass?” Hey, we got seven trees and several shrubs. The granite will be here in several weeks, hopefully along with the two flag poles. But don’t ask, “Where are the flags?” Heck, by the time Keep Munday Beautiful Volunteers seed it, or sod it, and water it, WE will have a beautiful memorial garden. Oh, one other thing, don’t ask, “Where are the benches?” Yeah, we will want benches so we can sit and watch the flags flapping in the breeze. And a mosquito repellent dispenser, we’ll certainly need on of those. All negativity aside, the garden will be beautiful, I am a little disappointed in what we didn’t get for a lot of money. Someone said, “Maybe if there is any left over. . .”

Pudd n Pie will close its doors August 1. I hate to see it happen, but of course we understand the reasons why. This neat little place has become a favorite of so many of Munday’s important people, as well as all others. Big plans have been concocted around Rita’s round table. And Bill Crawford had a voice in all of it. At least we could hear him complain, “How you going to pay for it?”

It took a lot of courage, as well as money, for Rita to open the store. And she has tried hard to have a good menu and delicious food. I’ve not heard one complaint about her food.

So, as mayor and friend I’m proclaiming Friday, August 1, as Rita Day in Munday. I’m asking everyone to go by and extend their heartfelt thanks to Rita and the girls. Let her know you appreciate her courage.

Now I want to say something about the reasons why. I have heard several Munday merchants say, “Munday people do not support their local businesses.” After about the third time to hear this I began to look around to see who is shopping in Munday.
A lot of strangers come to Munday to eat, shop, rent videos, get haircuts, pay their fines. I won’t embarrass store owners by naming them, but a lot of them said, “I have a few regulars from Munday, but a lot of first timers from out-of-town.” A lot of these folks are just passing through and see a store sign that intrigued them, so they decided to stop and browse, and even buy.

Lately I’ve gone to Seymour and Knox City to check out restaurants. No, it didn’t take long, but I learned a lot. Munday folks frequent two eating places in Seymour and two in Knox City. Okay, maybe the menu is better and maybe even the food. But that is why restaurants don’t make it in Munday.

The facts are: not enough out-of-town people shop here to support our merchants. But if Munday folks would stay home more and support our merchants, Munday might survive. Support them all, or watch them close their doors. This is not the entertainment section folks, so let’s get serious.

Make an opportunity to Market Munday. Don’t forget, stay home the fourth of July. (How many times does the word “lot” appear in this column?)