OPINION: We Say – New year presents opportunities to try new things
We Say
With the new year barely underway, this is an excellent time to consider, if you haven’t already, how to approach things differently this year. Perhaps you’ve chosen resolutions you want to work on or new experiences you’d like to take part in this year.
Perhaps you’ve decided to save toward a trip or some other special goal. Maybe you’re working with new resolve to be healthier, focusing on your food choices and making time for new workout routines. Maybe you’ve set a new career goal or are working to make changes to benefit yourself, your family and your community.
Whatever the case is for you, we want you to make this the year you try something new right here in our county. There’s always something new to try. Franklin County has so much to offer, and none of us can say we’ve explored all of it.
From new dining and shopping options to new programs to sign up for and new people living here to meet as we go about our activities, there’s plenty to be found to expand what we can enjoy right here at home.
What about those places or opportunities that aren’t new in the county but are new to you? Have you hiked the Dismals Canyon recently? Perhaps you’ve never been? Taken time to see the Dismalites?
Have you cheered on a local athletic team or gone to a show at the Roxy or seen a play in Red Bay at the Weatherford Centre or one of our local schools putting on shows? Found an activity to participate in at one of our rec centers?
You’ve probably been to the Franklin County Watermelon Festival, but have you ever participated in one of the contests? This could be just the year to give it a try.
When you live and work in a smaller, mostly rural county like ours, it’s easy to sometimes feel like you’ve done and seen it all – but we’d challenge you to set that notion aside and seek out new opportunities to pursue.
Join your volunteer fire department. Become a foster parent. Help with animal rescue. Become a familiar face at your city council or school board meetings. Sign your children up for Russellville Public Library’s summer reading program. Develop your own fried pie recipe to enter at the Red Bay Founders Day contest.
Visit a library or farmers market. Watch the fireworks show at the Jam on Sloss Lake in Russellville this July 4 or after July Fest in Vina this year. Dance in the street at Spruce Pine Day. Schedule a hunting weekend at a local lodge or arrange some other kind of event. Start a new club, get folks together and have fun working together to make a difference.
If you need some more ideas, hit us up for suggestions. We’re all about promoting all the great things about Franklin County, and there is always something new to enjoy.
