The Dryden Courier seems to be arriving later and later every week. Thanks to the Labor Day holiday, I got my copy the day before tomorrow's issue comes out. There's a lot of good in the issue, though once again the editorial makes me wonder.
Matt Cooper's article on the Eight Square Schoolhouse Festival goes beyond the usual "exciting day for old and young alike" coverage, digging into why the schoolhouse survived, and asking hard questions about the Bible's role in the old curriculum and why Dryden schools don't come to the old school's programs.
Also on the front page, Stacey Silliman reports on the Dryden Community Cafe meeting held on the 23rd. It's a great overview that pulls some excellent quotes as well, giving a flavor of what people felt there. (And remember, the proposed cafe now has a weblog with further updates.)
Inside the paper, the Village of Dryden Police Department report seems shorter for once, so maybe late August was a vacation for crime as well.
Matt Cooper's Inside Dryden column reports that Lifelong will be having a scenic walk along the Jim Schug trail on Monday, September 24th. For more information, call them at 273-1511. He also notes the continuing search for a Freeville member of the Dryden Youth Commission and their search for programs. He suggests that with the start of a new school year readers should contemplate attending school board meetings.
The Sports section visits with Dryden Athletic Director Ralph Boettger about the challenges of being a coach, and there's an article on keeping cool while playing and practicing in the summer heat.
The Groton page reports on the challenges the SPCA is facing in funding their animal control programs, and the SPCA's efforts to address them.
The editorial is strange. It's not a blast at bloggers or anything obviously controversial. Somehow, though, "Coffee as the Elixir of Democracy" manages to make broad claims about "people from all walks of life" in a strangely highbrow way. I can't help suspecting that the writer hasn't actually participated in the work of a community center and can't imagine that non-profits occasionally even encourage democracy. After worrying that a community center run by a not-for-profit will keep the community away from the coffee, it concludes with a strange paragraph about the essence of being human and suggests going for coffee.
Maybe George Will is the guest editor? I'd reproduce its full strangeness here if it wouldn't be a grotesque copyright violation, but I'll definitely be keeping this issue of the Courier for a long time to come. And maybe the editor should come to a Varna Community Association pancake breakfast? There's one Sunday morning. I can't, of course, guarantee that the coffee will promote democracy - that's up to the people who come.
Posted by simon at September 4, 2007 6:07 PM in Dryden Courier , Hanshaw Road , Village of Dryden