My first blog
I’ve never been a homecoming queen (I don’t recall ever wanting to be); and, no, I’ve never been on a track team (unless you can call coming in last in foot races at the County Play Day event (it seems like a hundred years ago) as being on the track team. But you might say I’m a daydream believer and I’m not too bad at jumping hurdles.
What brought that thought to mind? It came to me in between bouts of wakefulness and sleeping - in the middle of the night. And so it is that, once more, I will try to master this blogging thing because I want to tell the world (that’s www. as in world wide web) that we live in “one of” the most progressive thinking and friendliest small town communities in the ___________(county, state, country) It’s multiple choice. You fill in the blank. You notice I emphasized “one of” lest someone be offended.
Hazelton’s story is much the same as most other small towns in our area. It grew from a pioneer town to a small city of nearly 600 people in the late 1940s and early 1950s. And then the alarm went off (it seemed like overnight - it was actually 40 years later). We woke up and our population was down to 240.
What a wake up call! Hey, it does take some people a while to rub the sleep from their eyes. We began to realize that we needed to do something to save our community. We dug in our heels and put on our thinking caps. Community members rallied. And guess what? Slowly, but surely we are making strides.
Careful planning and determination to get the job done have made the following possible:
*A remodeled elementary and new high school (I might say second to none for a community our size)
*A new mall
*Several new and remodeled businesses
*Several new homes - and last, but certainly not least -
*Several wonderful new families have moved into the Hazelton community
Change doesn’t come without struggles and even setbacks but if you want to be successful, you have to look ahead - not back. If you come to a roadblock, you build another road. You may not always agree on which path to take; the important thing is you work it out together.
We have learned a lot by trial and error. We also learned a lot when we became involved in the Horizons program nearly two years ago.
So here we are! Looking ahead and looking for people interested in moving to Hazelton and owning a business in our friendly community.
Our new mall has lots of space for manufacturing and retail; the grocery store and Coffee Shop can be leased; and the welcome mat is out for any families, couples, or individuals who want to be part of a friendly hometown.
Call 701-782-4368 for more information.
And one more thing - I’m so excited! I just mastered my first blog.
February 29th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Your first blog is great Verda and you are absolutely right - Hazelton has accomplished great things! More to come when everyone works together. Well done…!
Lynette