Where's the Town Spirit at???

As I look around my town I wonder where the town spirit has gone, Ya, ya ya….High school stuff…really?? School colors, town colors, is there a difference? We ARE Maroon and Gold. We are all Eagles! From the class of 2013 back to the class of 1913 or whenever we became “The Eagles”. So answer this for me; Why is the town not painted Maroon and Gold?  Why aren’t there eagles plastered everywhere as well like on tops of flagpoles, weathervanes atop cupolas, as part of business logo’s etc. I see a few Maroon and Gold Street signs out and about but for the most part they are green and white. Seems to me those are Canton Colors. When it came time to order all the new street signs a few years back, why weren’t they ordered in Maroon and Gold. I was told that it wouldn’t have cost anymore for the maroon and gold signs than the green and white signs, providing all the street signs were the same color!!? The Bandstand at the lake…Green..and then for some ungodly reason, recently repainted green. The new roof on the Bath house…Green…Sharon Center…Green!!  WHY? Why are the Fire Hydrants Red and Yellow? Was that a poor attempt at Maroon and Gold?? I see the town Flag that stands behind our selectman…It’s Maroon and Gold solidifying what the town colors truly are! So many places to express town spirit yet the folks who made the decisions to not recognize maroon and gold…well…thoughtless! I look at the businesses in town. Not much Sharon spirit prevailing there either. Even The Sharon Credit Union went with “Green” What’s up with that Mr. Carlson??!! I see A bit of effort, Suffain's Ins. Sign is Maroon, Alice’s sign is an attempt at Maroon and Gold but….I just don’t seem much maroon and gold after we get beyond the kids….and schools!!

  I’ve talked about lack of town participation in many events. 18,000 plus residents in the town and a few hundred come out for Concert night at the bandstand down the lake on Wed nights….maybe 500 – 600 for Square jam. A thousand, maybe 2 for the fireworks on the beach and the embarrassing turnouts for the different ceremonies celebrating Patriotism as mentioned in a prior blog Post. I just don’t get it.

  My goodness…you go to some towns and they are decked out in town spirit to the Max. Easton paints their Fire Hydrants orange and black. Foxborough has a common dedicated to town spirit. In other surrounding towns, the past is relished and the town history is plastered everywhere. Now I’m not saying we don’t have bits and pieces here and there on our towns past, but nothing like in other towns. We have a statue of Deborah Sampson, but where is the statue of Job Swift? Where is the dedication to the first revolutionary war cannon forged at the Sharon Furnace by Colonel Richard Gridley? Can you believe someone actually wanted to demolish the Wilber School Building?? They did level Walter Reeve’s House where CVS is now and dropped the old Town Hall…WHY?? And please, don’t give me that “Progress” gobblygook. It’s about preservation and keeping the rich history of the past alive, not burying it!! Where are the little squares dedicated to our servicemen of the past. You go into Stoughton, Canton and Foxboro, you see them everywhere, but why not here in our town??!! Ya, we have a bridge here and there dedicated to a person or group, a street here and there for a person of stature, but I think you all know what I mean!

  Is it that difficult to put a bit of thought into town spirit when it comes to different projects out and about town, whether it be a paint job, dedication or event??! Town spirit does go beyond the high school years folks! And it goes beyond maroon and gold and eagles as well…think about it!!