With Tailgate and Tallboys happening this weekend, I love the bustle of the community, the businesses getting excited, and the extra shine everywhere. Through Energize Clinton’s Community Heart & Soul survey, we discovered this hometown pride. Over a 1000 people talked about what made Clinton unique, livable, and how they wanted to see their town evolve. We also developed seven statements that encompassed Clinton.
Thus, it’s no surprise that for the biggest weekend in Clinton, you see this energy throughout town. We identified at least 1,000 ambassadors for Clinton. One also hopes this energy is contagious and rubs off on out of towners. Most of all, it’s a reminder that our strongest asset is our people.
It’s why over the past few weekends when I’ve joined Chris & Gabi in Delmar to morally support their mural, I leave with an immense sense of pride for Delmar. I cannot talk highly enough about their community pride and how contagious it is. It has that perfect Iowa town feel.
First, the mural sits below their depot and next to their splash pad and community park. Frolfers walk in the park playing disc golf. Kids play in the splash pad. Families sit on the benches watching the day. A man was hand digging some planter boxes.
And every single person stopped by and gave Chris & Gabi their most heartful appreciation for beautifying their town. But they also wanted you to know about the orphan train, the Depot, the ice cream store, their restaurant, and more. They shared with you their dreams for the town.
The entire time Main Street and the park were bustling with families and youth. That safety and small-town feel was another survey result for Clinton. People want to live in a place where they feel connected. It’s because they have immense pride for Delmar, and they want you to know it.
And I wanted to write this article to basically say that overwhelmingly in Clinton when a visitor comes, there is that intense pride. Our local, small businesses always refer a visitor to another store. These business owners also help each other to face challenges. Attractions highlight each other in the hopes of creating extended stays. Hopefully our frontline staff at hotels, gas stations, and restaurants are aware of all the good things that are going on in this community. Often times, these front-line staff are the most important ambassadors.
I love seeing people on the riverfront taking the time to point and direct visitors. This is the underpinning of Energize Clinton and community development at the grassroots level. Brand awareness is a big topic at Grow Clinton, and in essence, for a town their community identity is their brand awareness. We captured that brand in the Energize Clinton, and our goal over the next five years is to complete projects that enhance this brand. It’s investing in the riverfront, our parks, our neighborhoods, and our people.
Therefore, I hope this weekend you told someone why you love living in Clinton and tell them, come visit again or better yet, come move here. I hope we can all take that time to thank the artist at work, to tell the visitor our town’s story, and most of all, like the drivers in Delmar, just yell thank you to public works, an artist, and wave at a kid. These next couple of weeks make sure you thank our city staff who have worked their butt off to make TNT happen. Because it’s our town, and we need to let each other and outsiders know why we love it.
