Out front on Porch Day

Dear Editor,

Warren Front Porch Day will begin on Saturday. The concept began as a conversation with several men from Warren over 20 years ago at a retreat.

When I retired this April, Gary Lester said to me maybe it is time to bring the vision and the concept to reality. It really was a grass-roots movement as we joined Gary Candreia, Tom Schultz, and Joe Whipp to talk about why we should hold such an event. We realized how easy it was for the five of us to work together and know that it can be just that easy to be neighborly to one another as well.

We believe that now is the time to establish Warren Front Porch Day to develop, appreciate and promote neighborhoods, friendships and the community in which we live.

The summer of 2020 has been unlike other summers as we seek ways to cope with the unknown. Some ways people are improving their mental and physical well-being and decreasing stressors are through their social connections in their neighborhoods. Around the country, people are reporting a return to a simpler time by offering a wave or small talk with their neighbors on their daily walks, communing from their lawns, front porches, or driveways, and contributing to help those most at risk with food and supplies. It appears there is a silver lining of social distancing, having the time to be a good neighbor.

May the communities of Warren and the surrounding area enjoy the time to visit with friends old and new on Saturday and Sunday. And maybe, just maybe, we will look forward to doing this again next year and the years that follow.

We may have learned something about ourselves from the summer of 2020. Maybe Front Porch Day will grow from our city to the county, state and nation one day. Let’s make Warren the home of Front Porch Day.

Douglas Hearn,

Warren

Sport solid guidelines

Dear Editor,

I implore the Warren County School District to lay down strict guidelines for athletic directors and coaches around students who show up for practice after traveling to areas of the country that are COVID-19 hot spots.

My guess is these students would need to, at a minimum, be tested for COVID or do a 14-day self quarantine before being allowed to practice. It seems at least one athletic director and coach are confused or unwilling to make a decision on this issue. If there are already guidelines, then they need to be communicated to all the parents and students.

The athletic directors and coaches need to follow the rules to the letter to prevent a possible COVID outbreak. This needs to also be the policy for students returning to school from travel outside the state.

George Greene,

Bear Lake