by Megan Hamilton
There have been two recent community events when I have beamed with pride and thought to myself “our city is just kinda awesome!” The first was the recent Military Spouse’s Club tour of our little big town and the second was our famed Safe Trick or Treat.
I’ll be the first to admit that I have grudgingly hopped onto that band wagon of complaining about this sleepy little town. I’ve dreamed of moving somewhere with ludacris amenities like a Trader Joe’s or snow skiing. And yes, I was one of the many naive high school kids who had giant aspirations of moving off to the big city and never looking back in the rear view mirror! And yet I did, and I liked it, and I was still thrilled when the opportunity presented itself to move right back to the place I affectionately referred to as Dirtville. And why!?? What is it that is so enchanting because it certainly is not the scenery. Well, I think I’ve discovered that little bit of magic. I think it’s something so ordinary just like us. I think it is simply because we care.
On Oct. 13th, I watched as multiple organizations came together to honor our military and give members of the Spouses Club a tour fit for a king. People banned together to do whatever they could, using their own time and resources, to provide a truly memorable experience. The military spouses were treated to a tour of the community, greeted by our school superintendent, given the behind the scenes tour of ENMU by the university President himself, fed a spectacular lunch, and so much more. We just rocked and the response was nothing less than admiration and appreciation with a few fun oooohhhhs and aaaaahhhhs thrown in.
Secondly, I just had to laugh when I looked at our downtown Friday afternoon and it was just a solid sea of tiny of humans having an amazing time all dressed up for Halloween. This was the fourth annual Safe Trick or Treat night for Portales. It began with a few hundred kiddos collecting candy in a safe and fun environment and morphed into something unrecognizable in all the right ways. This year’s numbers were speculated to be as much as 1,700 kids with everyone wanting in on the fun. There was a haunted house, games, a jumping house, professional pictures, and enough candy to put any little goblin in a sugar coma. So much fun!
And now I should probably tell you how both of these events got their start–Denise Cleveland. This military transplant who has literally lived around the globe brought her good ideas. She wanted Portales to participate in some of the awesome things she had seen along the way. She didn’t whine, complain, and dream of moving somewhere perfect. No, she marched right up to organizations such as Mainstreet, RCCDC, Military Affairs, and the Chamber and said, “we should do this” with enthusiasm and a big ole smile. I’m convinced many others would have turned away, but we didn’t. People jumped at the opportunity to do something positive and it grew! And people couldn’t wait to help … because we care, whether we even realize it not. So, here I am feeling a little more inspired and so much more appreciative. God bless Dirtville and all it’s amazing people, even those few old grouches.
