Creating Community, Greensburg-Style
Wednesday, March 18, 2009 at 01:26PM by Catherine Hart 
Dustin Sypher, Mike Haney, Doug Callous, Richie Webster, Mason Earles, and Trevor Stempert entertain
over 200 St. Paddy's Day celebrators.
Picture this . . .
A perfect spring evening in rural Kansas, replete* with a sky dense in stars, the merest hint of a breeze, neighbors and friends gathered at the local arts center to enjoy a bluegrass concert.
The occasion . . .
St. Patrick’s Day in Greensburg, at a gathering at the 5.4.7 Arts Center.
The full story . . .
Dozens of residents (ranging in age from preschool to senior), scores of volunteers (from Wisconsin, Michigan, Kansas, and throughout the United States), and a reporter and a photojournalist (from France), came together last night to listen to traditional songs as interpreted by a group of talented local musicians. The site of the concert was the first LEED Platinum building erected in Kansas. Conversation centered on children, jobs - and insulation, building systems, water conservation, and recycling. The glow of LED streetlights provided a warm backdrop, while enabling concertgoers to still view the beauty of the star-filled night.
Nowhere else in America, perhaps the world, would you find this confluence of neighbors, helpers, media, and green building pioneers. People getting together to celebrate life in their new town, gratefully receiving volunteers who are donating spring break time to help with whatever needs attending to, talking to an international journalist as though she were one of the family. This is the Greensburg experience.
Come see.
*replete: “fully or abundantly provided or filled” (This word perfectly captures last night’s experience.)
Reader Comments (2)
It is wonderful to see the entire community assembled at the art's center. Lin and I have been thinking about you since we left a couple of weeks ago.
As one of the spring break volunteers, visiting from Washington, DC, I felt most at home at this event. Greensburg provides a certain sense of community that is difficult to match. This healthy environment fosters the green initiative more than just physically. The citizens of Greensburg, in addition to the volunteers and media involved, experienced something special at this event. I'm glad to have been part of it.