Wendy Thomas, City of Placerville]
At our last council meeting of the year, there were 3 new people in the audience. 2 purchased a Victorian house and moved here 3 weeks ago. One gentleman moved 3 days ago with his family. Both were enamored with our community, and despite being knee-deep in boxes, they were at Council learning about our community.
Asking why they had selected Placerville for their new home, both groups valued our charm, our connectedness, our vibrancy and they hungered for our sense of community. Both had been struck by our unique sense of place that had embraced them genuine, hometown hospitality and they were eager to get involved.
It was gratifying to see this place through their eyes, wide with wonder and delight, and it took me back to my childhood.
I can still remember the giddy anticipation I felt when we rounded the corner each year at Christmas and saw the lit trees on the back of Main Street. Familiar memories of cherished moments with the people I loved most washed over me, enveloping me in joy. I recognized a comforting sense of belonging settling in…the pull of family, linked in that hallowed space of shared history and lineage. The hunger for tradition. The earnest longing for connectedness. The anticipation of familiarity and the comfort of sameness, untouched and unravaged by time. While I was only 5, there was a sense about this place that was special, sacred, blessed. There still is.
It is my assumption that Mack, Jerry and Ted have also recognized this ethereal pull that calls them to a real hometown…to a place that can sustain them. Welcome to Placerville.
May we all continue to cherish, protect and preserve that genuine warmth and connectedness that comes from caring for each other as a community. And if we ever lose our way, may the Christmas trees along the highway serve as a beacon to light our way back home.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, Placerville…you are deeply loved and cherished.
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