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May 2, 2005

How do you create community?

What creative ways have you found to build community in your neighborhood and within the 27265 zip code?

Jamestown, though growing, remains filled with folks who have lived in town for decades or even generations.

But north High Point is filled with transients, folks who come for a few years and then move on to a bigger market. Someone might, say, get a middle-management gig with the Bank of America in Piedmont Centre, only to be promoted to a larger center in a bigger city a few years later.

So, how do you create community in a place where many come and go on a regular basis? Does your neighborhood, for instance, have annual July 4 get-togethers? Do you have semi-annual neighborhood-wide garage sales?

Posted by at May 2, 2005 9:42 AM

Comments

TRANSIENT????

I can't answer your question until you explain to me the following:

I've been in the same house for 17 years, 2 neighbors accross the street for 18 years each, the families 2 doors down on both sides of me for over 10 years each.

Is this the definition of transient or the definition of stability???

By the way I have your first tie-in to education for the week ready to go, but I'll let you address this transient issue first.

Posted by: Buckmtn at May 2, 2005 10:15 AM

Obviously, not everyone in north High Point is a short-timer.

But if you ARE, then what do you do to create community.

Posted by: Justin Hayes at May 2, 2005 10:32 AM

How many years qualifies for transient?

The 27265 zip code for "Jamestown" includes many neighborhoods in the county and many in High Point. It is simply a zip code designation so these many areas have a post office address for their mail. Many residents in the 27265 zip code are not originally from here but have lived here 10, 15, 20 years now.

Jamestown is in the Ragsdale School District which soon may be having their own High School Lotto issues.

Most residents in the 27265 zip code are in the High Point Lottery school zone. Communities are being destroyed by the High Point Lottery. Have you not read your own newspaper these past several months?

Posted by: confused at May 2, 2005 10:35 AM

Oops. I changed around the order of some of the paragraphs...Jamestown isn't in the 27265 zip code. This question is intended for north High Point. Hey, it's Monday! Gimme a break.

Posted by: Justin Hayes at May 2, 2005 10:37 AM

Your zip codes are screwed up, true. There are others in your precious "North" High Point. What's the obsession with "North" High Point? Are you trying to create a riff between them and the rest of High Point? That's been taken care of by the Guilford County school board, so quit wasting your time.

Funny you mention Garage Sales. I wish I could sell the garage--and the whole rest of the damn house with it! It's not easy selling a house in the Lottery District. You have to sit and wait until an elderly or a single shopper comes around. Buyers with school-aged children don't even look.

And about the 4th of July. That's a "crack up"!! It's actually a pretty in-expensive get together. Every one puts on their GTGOH shirts and buttons, gather around and watch the 12 fireworks go off. You take blow-up personas of the entire board, erect fireworks to them, and then set them off. It's so funny! Everyone laughs until they cry to see the board members gettin' outta here with a firecracker tied to their ass.

Posted by: High Pointer at May 2, 2005 11:19 AM

It is Monday. I think you meant transplant. Transcient is for a warmer climate like Florida that gets a lot of drifters. Remember "Midnight Cowboy"? No you are too young probably.

Also for military areas where that is not a person's permanent residence.

As far as 4th of July, Lt. Gen. Slak handles most of those activities. Children put on their patriotic shirts and the teenagers chant "Hell no we won't go" as they wave their private school applications in the air. The little ones write "SOS" at night in the air with their sparklers. The fun never ends. Any sense of community that is left comes from being united against the school board.

Posted by: Rotha at May 2, 2005 5:05 PM

No sweat about it being Monday Justin; just another Manac Monday as the Bangles would say.

What would I do to create community? Get rid of Dot Kearns and Susan Mendenhall. Bring the community together, that's easy; for Cinco de Mayo we have a "Dot" pinata and a "Susan" pinata. You can figure out the rest.

Posted by: Buckmtn at May 2, 2005 7:23 PM

Lt. Gen. Slak is back from a Recon mission.

I sense that my troops are getting hungry for a mission of their own.

Remember the code word: CINCO DE MAYO

Some our finest battles have been fueled with Habeneros and Tequila.

School Board Beware!

Posted by: Lt. Gen. Slak at May 3, 2005 7:44 AM

Rotha: Sure, I know "Midnight Cowboy." It was the first X-rated picture to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. "Transplant" probably does work better.

Lt. Gen. Slak: Can I get some of that tequila? I won't use it to plot revenge against the schoolboard, but it might prompt me to go to a karaoke night and sing Alice Cooper's "School's Out."

Posted by: Justin Hayes at May 3, 2005 9:38 AM

There is hope for Justin after all. He remembers some classics. That is worth a few points for a young lad. You can also sing "We gotta get out of this place, if that's the last thing we ever do!" only then you might get some tequil. And you must drink the worm too or it does not count.

Can someone supply the group's name? The "Animals?" No, not "Animal House" Buckmountain.

Lt. Gen. Slak I hope your mission went well. We were worried as you have not posted lately. The troops are on many missions, or should I say fighting battles. They won't let you down.

The Revolution marches on.

Posted by: Rotha at May 3, 2005 2:07 PM

We have learned interesting stuff by just reading your comments about community. Thanks.

Posted by: Claudia at August 24, 2005 11:24 AM