Events are about building community

As the letter by Daniel Ballard points out, Columbia County's annual Christmas in America celebration, held this past Saturday, is all about the holidays.

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But, specifically, that holiday is Christmas.

The News-Times has been a proud part of this celebration since its inception. The Christmas event is designed to begin the process of bringing the community to the Evans "downtown" being constructed around government buildings.

None of this happens overnight. But already there are promising signs that the town center promised by studies and carefully defined planning rules is starting to attract the critical mass of people necessary to make it viable.

Yes, we're a little concerned that the envisioned "quaintness" of the downtown is somewhat dwarfed by the big-box home improvement stores at the town center's entrance - including The Home Depot, opening tomorrow.

And, yes, we're somewhat anxious to see what sort of final plans evolve for use of the Evans Town Center Park, the big field of dreams on which the Merchants Association staged their Christmas parade Sunday.

Yet little by little, one Christmas tree lighting or family movie night or pet festival at a time, Columbia County's "downtown" is starting to grow an identity that, years from now, our children will be elated to call their hometown.