Grassroots of Tarboro

Ok, this may be "stupid question time", but bear with me.  Every now and then in my exploration of the vast world outside of the box, I find myself wondering about things that seem very simple on the surface, but probably have deep complicated layers of which I am unaware.

In regards to ElectriCities,  I have a few questions and would appreciate someone breaking down the answers into layman's terms so that I (and everyone else) can easily understand.  Educate me, please.

ElectriCities is not our power provider, is it?

What exactly does ElectriCities do for the member towns?

Does Tarboro have to belong to ElectriCities?

Do all towns belong to similar organizations?

Are there any other organizations that Tarboro could belong to that would serve the same purpose as ElectriCities?

Some rural areas form Electric Cooperatives, is that a viable option for small towns as well?

It has been suggested that many of the people with "high-ranking" positions in ElectriCities enjoy the benefits of VERY high salaries.  With the rate increases, have any salaries been cut to assist in reducing overall operating costs of ElectriCities?

What part of our electric bill goes to cover the cost of our membership in ElectriCities?

In our town with a notable segment of the population living at a level that could be considered "economically disadvantaged", what are our town officials (the representatives of the people) doing to protect the quality of life from deteriorating due to the increase in cost of necessities?  Are they even seeking possible solutions?

These may seem like very simple, perhaps even stupid questions to some of you who are more knowledgeable about such things, but by answering my questions here, I don't doubt that you'll be providing answers to many people who would like to know but don't ask.

It may not be easy being GREEN, but many good things in life are not easy.

With the rising cost of gasoline, the concerns over global warming, and our electric bills set to increase by 13.2% as of August 1st, we would be stupid if we didn't explore some "green" alternatives.

Once again I'm asking everyone, including our town officials to think outside of the box.  The way your Daddy and your Grand-Daddy did it may not be able to carry us into a vibrant future.

By seeking to become a town that explores, and utilizes green alternatives, we would not only be seeking out ways to improve the long-range quality of life for Tarboro citizens, but we would be creating a "selling point" for new residents in our town; an excellent way for Tarboro to stand head and shoulders above other small towns and be perhaps be recognized for excellence in innovative leadership.

I'm certainly not an expert on the subject of "going green", but I'm pretty good at research and always willing to learn.  Here are some resources that I've discovered and will share with you:

NC GREENPOWER -  NC GreenPower is an independent, nonprofit organization established to improve North Carolina’s environment through voluntary contributions toward renewable energy.

North Carolina Green Building Technology Database - find projects in the State of North Carolina that have implemented specific green building techniques, strategies, or technologies.

Sustainable North Carolina - helping organizations explore and implement practices that improve efficiency, reduce risk, enhance reputation and increase profitability while enhancing our state’s communities and natural systems.

Green At Work Today - portal for tracking environmental news.

Southern Energy Management -  provides high performance energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions to a wide variety of residential, commercial and industrial clients.  From our offices in the Triangle and Charlotte, NC, we service all of NC and parts of SC and VA. 

Green This Town -  Blog with a steady green stream of ideas and innovation to help you help your community become environmentally friendly.

NC Project Green - In fall of 1998, North Carolina Executive Order 156 was issued, challenging state government to set an example of environmental stewardship. ( Time to refresh their enthusiasm?)

Treehugger.com - An information clearinghouse and forum for all things GREEN.

NC Dept of Environment & Natural Resources - the lead stewardship agency for the preservation and protection of North Carolina's outstanding natural resources.

Tarboro has recently earned recognition as the #3 Most Fit Community in North Carolina.  We will hold that recognition until 2011.  During that time, we should be making the most of this favorable status and build on it.  Being healthy and living a healthy lifestyle is becoming more and more important to the kinds of new residents we are hoping to attract.  Let's take that healthy "vision" one step further and promote not just the health of the people, but the health of the town as well.  Go GREEN!

Recently the Clockwork Cabaret  brought Steampunk entertainment from the Carrboro/Chapel Hill area to downtown Tarboro.  In an interview following their visit the darling Davenport sisters, Emmett and Klaude,  talked about how receptive the people of Tarboro were to the unfamiliar neo-victorian genre.  The performing duo along with their costumed friends and fans had a wonderful time in our pretty historic town and were pleased by the "progressive attitude and welcoming acceptance" they had experienced during they brief stay.

Are we progressive?  What is a Progressive?

Once again, I headed off to find clear definition and deeper understanding and in my quest found the following contest winners who were asked to answer that very question: "What is a progressive?"

Carol S., Amherst, MA - (The Winner):

A progressive is someone who understands that it is the people of our country who make it great, and unless we take care of the people first, we'll never be successful in maintaining our greatness. Taking care of the people means providing healthcare for everyone. It means keeping the environment clean, safe and preserved. It means great schools and great jobs. It means improving the lives of families, rather than lining the pockets of big business, or big politicians. It means taking care of each other here, and around the world. We're all in this together.

Louis L., Sunnyvale, CA - (Runner Up):

A Progressive believes that a better life is possible for everyone. They know that when we make room at the table for everyone, we are all enriched. Progressives actively pursue new, more effective solutions to the problems we face as a people. Status quo is not a given; it is a challenge to do better.

Julie P., Hastings, NY - (Runner Up):

A progressive is someone who believes in the common good—in a fair shake for every person—and is willing to fight for it.

Cassandra B., Garden City, MI:

A progressive is someone who, instead of reaching backward for a nonexistent, idyllic past, works tirelessly toward bettering the future. A progressive recognizes that we are a product of our historical moment and that in order to escape the fate of repeating the same mistakes of the past we must continually reach forward, expand our ideas and break down the barriers that keep us apart.

Jean M., Richmond, CA:

A progressive is someone who cares about others as much as themselves. They are interested in making all of society a better place. They are not afraid to do the right thing because it benefits society as a whole, rather than doing something for selfish reasons. They realize that we are indeed our brother's keeper.

Craig S., Fort Collins, CO:

A progressive is a person who thinks the best is yet to come. Rather than yearning for 'the good old days' a progressive realizes that the best days are still ahead if we are willing to give up old ways that lead to failure and to take up new ways that lead to mutual success.

William W., Canada, MI:

A progressive is someone who understands that personal wellbeing cannot be separated from the wellbeing of society, and that we are all better and stronger when we work together for the common good. From the air and water that we all depend on, to the education of our neighbors' children, a progressive understands that none is immune from the effects of community underachievement. Today's progressive understands that the individual is most effective when all in society function highly.

After reading those explanations, I can honestly and clearly say, "Yes, Tarboro is progressive".  At least, the Grassroots of Tarboro is progressive and as more and more local people join us in our efforts to improve things  for all Tarboro citizens, we as a town will become MORE progressive.

Whenever anyone asks me to talk about what is good in Tarboro, I have to talk about the people.  Yes, we have some who live in the past and fear change, some who are they themselves comfortable and see no need to aid in ways that will provide comfort for their neighbors, but they are just a small percentage.  It takes all kinds to make an interesting community and Tarboro has all kinds. The majority of people in Tarboro understand community and without knowing that there is a word for it, they are progressive. They operate from a sense of pride for what we have and with sense of hope for what we will have.  They understand working together for the greater good. They understand that we, as a community, have the ability to create the greatness of the place in which we live.  What's good about Tarboro?  Once again, the answer is "We're here".  Our people are our biggest asset.  It is through the vision, energy, resourcefulness, and determination of the people that Tarboro is becoming recognized as one of the best places to live in North Carolina.

As the town leaders put forth their official efforts to attract new residents to retire here, I'm hoping that our UNofficial efforts will attract a  "target audience" that includes artists, craftspeople, teachers, dancers, writers, free-thinkers, designers, entrepreneurs, activists, environmentalists, recyclers,  gardeners, green-builders, school reformers, and progressive thinkers in all shapes and sizes.  If someone is looking for a place to call home that has all that they want or need (in a progressive manner), Tarboro can be that.  It is ripe for change and hungry for positive influence.  Want to make a difference? Want to help make a good town great?  Come to Tarboro.

During this past weekend's 2nd Saturdays event I came to a realization. 

I wondered why we did not have more people attending the event. We had a nice crowd, but not a huge crowd and certainly not even a quarter of the people who live in Tarboro and even fewer visitors from outside of the area.  With the previous events (April, May, and June) I thought perhaps the event itself was not interesting enough, or promoted widely enough, but this time we had a great event, well organized, fun stuff for everybody, ways to stay cool in the mid-day heat, yummy stuff to eat and great entertainment.  We promoted it widely and with the help of the Main Street Cafe and the Clockwork Cabaret we did a lot of networking through myspace and other venues.  The event was listed online in every newspaper calendar from Raleigh and Rocky Mount, to Kinston and New Bern.  We were listed on festival sites. I placed notices on craigslist.com. Folks heard about it on the radio in Greenville. There were articles in several newspapers.  Even the town of Tarboro had a notice on the TV channel 13.  We had a good event and really put the word out yet still we did not attract a huge crowd.

As I stood in the Courthouse Square looking around and how great everything looked and wondering why there weren't more people I began to understand what the problem is.

For years Tarboro has not been a destination.  The events that Tarboro has had have been primarily for the local residents. We have not promoted events intending to draw huge crowds to town from other areas.  Many people in eastern North Carolina have never visited Tarboro, they haven't a clue what we have to offer. We haven't given them much of a reason to visit.  In fact, other than the large number of Civil War reenactors who converge on Tarboro for the History Days, the next biggest draw would probably be the restaurant, On The Square. I know that people come to Tarboro specifically to dine there.

Before moving here, I lived in Beaufort County (where little Washington is located) for 10 years and knew nothing of Tarboro.  When I stumbled upon a commercial real estate listing online that seemed to fit our needs I asked my husband about Tarboro.  He had lived in eastern North Carolina since 1979 and yet had had no reason to know much about Tarboro.  

 Tarboro has had decades of being a town where the residents often go elsewhere to have fun.  In the summer, people go to the beach or out of the area to visit relatives.  To go shopping they head to Rocky Mount, Greenville, or Raleigh. In neighboring towns or counties, Tarboro hasn't been developed as a place to come to.  If people in Greenville, or Wilson, or Rocky Mount are looking for something to do, they are not in the habit of selecting Tarboro as their destination.  Outsiders do not have many reasons to come to Tarboro. It has not yet established a reputation as a fun day-trip destination, but we're working on it. 

I am not unhappy with the turnout at T2S.  It is doing fine. Tarboro's 2nd Saturdays is working, it IS helping to make Tarboro a destination, but it will take time.  Having the event month after month after month gives folks the opportunity to hear about it, come experience the fun, tell the friends, and come back again.  I know this because we see the people come back time and time again.  They bring their friends. They bring their family. Some even start participating in the day's events.  In the autumn after their summer vacations are over, more people will be attending the events, and next year even more.

The Tarboro's 2nd Saturdays events are just the beginning of what can be done to revitalize our town.  We don't have to do BIG things to draw people to Tarboro, we have to do the right things.  We have to use our imaginations and think about what people want.  What will make Tarboro special?  What will make it worth driving to when the cost of gas is high?  Better still, what would make Tarboro the kind of town that would attract new residents,  new businesses? 

As we pull together to create and have fun on 2nd Saturdays, we are pulling together to create a better future for our town.  

Last Saturday for our July T2S event, Steampunk "invaded" Tarboro and the small crowd that gathered to enjoy the festivities seemed to have a fabulous time .

What if Tarboro had more events with a Neo-Victorian flair?  I believe it could satisfy both sides of the coin by emphasizing the historic charm of our town while providing for the avant garde of a visionary future.

I received an email a while back from a gentleman who was moving here from San Diego with his wife and suggested that Tarboro's downtown could be a real "attraction" if we were able to create an historic theme with shop-keeps in costume of an era gone by.  I gave it a cursory thought but could not imagine cooperation from the businesses.

The gathering on Saturday was so delightful, so inspiring that I'm now ready to give the suggestion some more thought.  Done correctly and in the spirit of fun, the Neo-Victorian ambiance could be the "thing" that makes Tarboro stand out above all of the other small towns in eastern North Carolina.

Now I'm not saying that we all have to dress up in our finest Neo-Victorian, or Steampunk fashions every day, but how about on Saturdays? How about having special events that encourage people to come in Victorian costume?  A Steampunk Ball for example, or a croquet tournament, or how about afternoon teas,  and ice cream socials?  The Steampunk genre lends itself to much more than just creative costuming.  There is the "inventions" aspect to take into consideration, offering fantastic learning opportunities for Tarboro's future scientists and inventors.

Our Victorian-esque visitors on Saturday were new to Tarboro and as they walked the quiet streets they got the same first impression of the town that I got and that many people have.  Tarboro is a beautiful well-cared for town with lots of historic charm, but it is like a still-life painting, there is not much "life" to the downtown.  It would make the perfect backdrop for a variety of Steampunk/Neo-Victorian events which in turn would draw the people looking for something fun and different to do.

Tarboro is a beautiful town loaded with existing Victorian charm. With some creativity, cooperation,  and well-managed promotion could very well be America's Steampunk Capital! 

Think about it.  If you don't know what Steampunk is...look it up!

Steampunk is a wonderfully whimsical way to accomodate the Grassroots' goals of "Cherishing our history - creating our future".

Special thanks to the Clockwork Cabaret for showing Tarboro an example of "thinking outside of the box" and opening our eyes to so many possibilities.