Our Viewpoint

In my first few years as a newspaper publisher, I was hesitant to use my editorial space to find fault in things I saw in our area of coverage. Everything was “rainbows and unicorns,” as I like to say, and I had a pretty positive angle. Recently, “Our Viewpoint” has been critical of several happenings in Sanders County. That’s necessary, too. But the definition of critical is to identify the faults and the merits of something.

A few months ago, I decided I needed to take a year off. Don’t worry, it’s not what you think. After serving as a volunteer on several boards and committees for a number of years, I had simply hit a burnout phase. Volunteering – even for causes you love and believe in – can be a time- and energy-consuming commitment. But my hiatus didn’t last long, because it’s hard to stay away when there are so many awesome things happening in our communities.

I spent a lot of time covering the Huckleberry Festival for The Ledger last weekend. I volunteered a little, but taking pictures and interviewing people kept me from lending too much of a volunteer hand. I found myself wishing I was more involved in the festival. Being part of something bigger like this two-day event that we and thousands of other people just experienced is definitely worthwhile, and huge events like this don’t just happen.

The Huckleberry Festival appeared to go off without a hitch, and to the regular festival-goer’s eye, everything ran smoothly. Because it appeared so seamless and there were no major hiccups, there’s a tendency for the public to conclude that it’s no big deal to put together a two-day festival. After years of volunteer work, I can tell you that the exact opposite is true. A committee of volunteers works all year to put on this event that brought people from all over the region and further (a friend of mine drove all the way from Texas to get his Huck Fest fix). This crew’s diligence and dedication put together another fantastic festival, and their attention to detail ensured that any issues that came up were handled with ease.

Our little corner of the country is not always perfect. There will be times we must apply a critical eye and firm hand to what’s going on around us. But I dare say that, for at least two days this weekend, the rainbows and unicorns were out, and it’s important to highlight the merits of these wonderful community moments. I hope you enjoyed the Huckleberry Festival as much as I did.

— Annie Wooden