Mayor Newhard: Beyond the Ides of March

  “Beware the Ides of March” doesn’t seem so ominous after the year we’ve been through! As temperatures climb and the sun shines so do our spirits. The Vernal Equinox is Mar. 20 at 9:37 a.m. A whole plethora of activities happen at this time of year, for Christians it is the season of Lent and Easter which includes Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter. In the Jewish faith is the observance of Passover. 

  April 1st is the Day of All Fools! I jest but it’s interesting we have a day set aside for practical jokes and a little tom foolery! This may be the year to really have fun! 

  This coming week we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. All Irish eyes are smiling, and Irish soda bread and corned beef and cabbage are at the top of the menu. Of course, there’s more to it. The story of Irish Immigrants in the United States is one we should all pay attention to, to understand the tumultuous history of the immigrant experience through this particular lens and people. It is the imperfect times that we need to reconcile and grow from. That is the hard part of freedom and democracy. Let’s use that as our guide to ultimately make change.

  Today, as I write this column our DPW crew is doing all the preparation to open Stanley-Deming Park.  With warmer weather we made the opening of this beloved park and playground a priority. The park opened on Fri., Mar. 12 at 12 noon! We do ask everyone to use common sense and to follow the basic CDC guidelines for congregating at a park or playground: wear masks, any child over two years and adults unless there is a medical reason; socially distance six ft. apart; wash hands frequently and use hand sanitizer. 

We will continue to sanitize the playground every morning. One of the reasons we were compelled to close the park in the fall was the intensity of use, so if you feel that the playground is crowded please come back at another time or wait until some folks leave. So, enjoy our wonderful park once more! It surely is a good sign.