I’m writing this column on the Wednesday night after the Hispanic Heritage Festival and the Children’s Festival that occurred in our community on September 14, 2024. I consider both events to be highly successful. My involvement began around 8 a.m. that day and continued throughout the day and evening. I cannot say enough about the work that went into both festivals to make them enjoyable to everyone who attended.
Events like this create a considerable amount of trash. On Sunday morning, September 15, I went downtown about 8 a.m. to see what I could do to help. The organizers of both festivals had been already working to pick up and clean up the area. We carried benches to a location where they would be picked and returned to the fair, food spills were scrubbed, and cigarette butts, food wrappers, and other waste were picked up and put in the proper containers. When finished, I felt that the downtown was the cleanest I have seen it for a long time.
The Heston side of my family can trace its history back to colonial times. I’m pleased that I still have some of the family recipes such as suet pudding that are still available to grace the holiday tables. I’m also intrigued by those who don’t know their family history such as the writer, James Michener. Michener wrote extensively about the origins of many different groups of people. Yet, he had no known relatives. He was once asked about whether that bothered him. His reply was, “no” because he had a family as a human.
I like the ability to have the connections with my family of origin and the connections to a family because we are all humans. The Hispanic Heritage Festival and the Children’s Festival belong not only to the children and those of Latin heritage, but to all of us because we call West Liberty home and because we have been made welcome.
I’m starting to think about the lighting of our Christmas tree in November. Last year, my son-in-law and my then 1 ½ year old granddaughter went to the event. There was a sense of togetherness as we stood in the cold, listened to the high school choir sing, and when Mayor Anderson threw the switch and the tree lit up. How can you attend an event like that and not want to welcome everyone to it?
This year, it is my hope we try to include everyone in our community in the lighting of the tree. The idea has been suggested that families develop their own ornaments and we place them on the tree. I would like the ornaments donated to the Historical Society after so that this year in West Liberty has that remembrance.
Over and over, we are taught the importance of sharing. A few years back two friends of mine married. One grew up in Panama and the other was of Norwegian descent. A comment was made at the wedding that maybe the salsa would enhance the favor of the lutefisk. I have no doubt and when we come together, we bring out the best.
Mark Smith is Mayor of West Liberty. He can be reached at 641-750-9278 or by email at mayorsmith@CityofWestLibertyIA.org.