There are only a couple of weeks left to take advantage of the Ironton Sesquicentennial Committee’s invitation to get to know your neighbors.

Wednesday, August 18, 1999

There are only a couple of weeks left to take advantage of the Ironton Sesquicentennial Committee’s invitation to get to know your neighbors.

This month, the committee is encouraging neighborhoods to plan a cookout, a picnic, a party – anything to get to know the people who live down the street or right next door – as part of the city’s celebration of its 150th anniversary.

There have already been a few parties around the city, most hosted by some area churches. And Thursday night, The Ironton Tribune and the Ironton Business Association will sponsor a gathering of our own – a watermelon social – for not only our neighbors, but for anyone who wants a hunk of free watermelon and a little music.

And so should you.

Everyone is so busy these days that few people really have a spare moment to spend time with their families, let alone their neighbors. So, the community spirit and comraderie that used to make towns into hometowns are a little harder to come by in the 1990s.

A block party is not just an excuse for a picnic. It is a chance to enjoy meeting new people, to try to make a new neighbor feel welcome and to introduce your children and grandchildren to the importance of having a place to call home.

It is also a chance to put down a few more roots and everybody needs a few more roots these days.

There is still time to be a part of the Ironton Sesquicentennial’s block party month celebration. If you have time this week, talk to your neighbors about getting together for an afternoon of fun. You could have a cookout or just haul out that ice cream maker gathering dust in your basement. Your event does not have to be fancy – and you don’t even have to tell anyone. But if you need some help with publicity, give us a call.

And if a neighborhood party is too much for you right now, invite a few friends over for dinner or a game of touch football – and a include a new friend in the mix. You might just find a special person you did not even know was around the corner.

Celebrating a 150th anniversary is an important milestone for a city – and it is one we should celebrate together.

Making connections and supporting each other are what will carry us through another 50 years.

What a nice memory for our children when they look back to plan the celebration for Ironton’s 200th anniversary.