If you missed the Seminole County Elementary school performances of Frozen, JR. this past weekend, you missed another great example of why this community is such a great place to live, and why its tomorrows are going to be even brighter because of all the good things happening in it today.

To everyone involved in that spectacular visual trip to the Norwegian-inspired kingdom of Arendale, I tip every single hat I have. It was magical, amazing, and an unforgettable performance! The sky is the limit for Seminole County’s youth because of programs like this.

Research has found that learning music facilitates learning other subjects and enhances skills that children inevitably use in other areas. “A music-rich experience for children of singing, listening, and moving is really bringing a very serious benefit to children as they progress into more formal learning,” says Mary Luehrisen, executive director of the National Association of Music Merchants. A study by Virginia Penhune at Concordia University shows that the earlier a child starts musical training, the stronger the connection between the right and left hemispheres of the brain. These changes last into adulthood and are proven to affect the ability to listen and communicate as an adult. 

Seminole County’s youth are blessed and this community is blessed because of Tony and Joy Buczek and Company.  The Buczeks seem to attract talented people, and each of them has a very special way to reach in and find the inner Anna and Elsa in all of us. Thank you to each and every person who played a part in making the performances of Frozen, JR. absolutely priceless and definitely unforgettable.

More recipes for success 

Early last year two out-of-town visitors came to our town and they were looking for unique shops to browse and local places of interest to visit. Do you know what questions they were asking? Well, here they are: How far is it to the art gallery in Bainbridge? Do you have any literature on the murals in Colquitt? How far is Thomasville from here? This last one really hit home with me – Can you tell me how to get to Havana, Florida? 

I grew up in Calvary, and every Friday night of my entire youth, until I got my driver’s license, I tagged along with my parents as they joined friends for dinner in Tallahassee. Each week, we would meet two of their friends at their store in downtown Havana. We always arrived early, and while we waited for their shop to close, I would walk the streets of downtown Havana. This was in the late 70s and Havana was booming. However, shortly after that, Havana began to die. Downtown businesses closed, crime increased and Havana became just a blur of buildings you quickly passed by on the way to Tallahassee. 

The community was at a crossroads and had decisions to make if they were going to survive and prosper again. The community came together, made a plan, and worked the plan. Today, people are asking me how to get to Havana because it is a desired destination full of shops and cafes, and all of it is marketed very well.

Donalsonville and Seminole County have not traveled down the same road as Havana; however, for us to grow, we are all in need of a major shift in our thinking. We have to come together, plan together, work together and make our dreams come true – together. 

When the BetterWay Initiative began, this question was asked of the planners. With an unlimited budget, what would you do to make the quality of life in our community better, enhance our current assets, add additional ones and make this a desired destination for visitors? We have dreams for growth and prosperity; we just needed to come together as a community and develop a plan, work the plan and then start expecting the results.

Would you like to see our downtown more alive and entertaining?

Would you like to see the history of our community on display all the time?

Would you like to see the historical elements of our community saved, revitalized, and positioned as assets?

Would you like to see more visitors coming into our community to visit our shops and to take advantage of our opportunities?

Each project currently being undertaken in this community –  on multiple levels and by multiple parties  – is designed to do all of the above; we just need to remember that all of it works best when we are working together to make the progress happen.

When the next person asks me for directions to some other little community in our area, I want to shift their attention to Seminole County and invite them in to a community that showcases where we have been, where we are, and where we are going.  

We need to create an atmosphere of excitement and family fun, and if we work together to accentuate our positives and add additional ones to the list, the people and the benefits will come. 

But most importantly, if we make our dreams a reality, we will have made life here in our community better for the people that live and work here each and every day – each of us.

Someone said to me once, “David, this isn’t Bainbridge” inferring that we are a smaller town with a smaller budget. We may be smaller, but our dreams are just as big, if not bigger. No, this isn’t Bainbridge, but it IS Donalsonville and Seminole County. We have the visionary people and the assets right now to make greater things happen in our community. We just need to stop talking about it and get busy doing it.

Watch out South Georgia. Watch out world. The citizens of this community are visualizing the reality of living in a brighter and shinier city on a hill. We are all that is great about Seminole County 

Let’s work together and show the world why. 

Comments and impressions are welcomed and requested at david@donalsonvillenews.com