2013 Sutter Creek Parade of Lights

Is Community like a common unity? People who live in the same area? People who share a common interest? Perhaps community is a group of people who share a unified body of thought? I will leave that up to the editors at http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/community but I dig those M-W videos and, let’s face it, librarians rule!

This past weekend I found myself standing in the cold outside a small theater in Sutter Creek, California (http://www.suttercreektheater.com/). I was in town for a concert by Gypsy Soul but the street was clogged with people similarly waiting for the annual Parade of Lights. Community found me.

I shared the sidewalk with eager young children, shepherding parents and camera-clad grandparents. Throw in some marauding teenagers and you’ve got a community. Even more interesting were the smaller subsets of parade participants. The 4 H’ers, Kiwanis, Lions, horse wranglers, Scouts, bands, small businesses and dog lovers who lit up the night and made the parade a rural definition of community. Five separate groups of dog lovers made up a significant portion of the parade. Pug love! Now that’s community. Christmas lights on your German Shepherd? Happy Holidays!